Atlantis in Peril

Gr 5 Up—At the conclusion of Atlantis Rising (Philomel, 2013), the evil spirit Narkazan was defeated, but in the opening pages of this sequel, Narkazan returns from the Maelstrom and vows to defeat his enemies and complete his evil schemes for world domination. Narkazan is focused on revenge against Promi, who is learning how to balance his newly found magical identity with his human upbringing and love for Atlanta. Promi and Atlanta fight as they try to understand their relationship now that they are part of two different worlds, especially since Promi's travel between the human and spirit world is endangering both realms. Narkazan's new human followers are industrializing and polluting Atlanta's forest, and the negative effects of their factories bring a strong environmentalist message to the story. Promi and Atlanta work to rescue Promi's kidnapped sister and defeat Narkazan's many schemes as the story rushes to a cliff-hanger ending that will leave readers anxious for the final volume in this trilogy. Barron's trademark fast-paced action with a twist of humor will pull readers along, though minor characters, particularly the villains, are often flat and stereotypical.