The Lost Realm by J.D. Rinehart - ADVISABLE

Rinehart, J.D. The Lost Realm (Crown of Three #2), 490 pages.  Aladdin (Simon), 2016.  $18.  

Language: G, Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (lots of fantasy battle violence).

While the actual existence of the triplets of the prophecy are now known, nothing has become easier.  King Brutan has an army of zombies and he wants nothing more than to kill his offspring and retain his grip on his kingdom, dead or not.  Gulph is trapped inside the city, while Elodie is captured by her former guardians.  In order to keep Fessan and the other Trident members safe, she has to put on an act for Lord Vicerin’s benefit.  Tarlan, meanwhile, discovers an enormous army from Galadronia, coming to conquer Idillium when it is most vulnerable.

You’ll have to forgive the typical book #2 failing of separating the main characters and leaving them all in impossible situations in order to get you excited for book #3.  While it is a failing of trilogies written for children, Rinehart manages to pack enough danger and action into the book that its intended audience won’t really mind at all.  The battles can get gruesome, but it is typical of the genre and is no more gruesome than the Michael Vey books or anything written by Brandon Mull or James Dashner.

EL, MS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher