Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel

Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel is the third installment of the Isle of the Lost book series. It was released on May 23, 2017.

Description
Ride with the tide!

Deep beneath the waves, King Triton's powerful trident has passed through the magical barrier that surrounds the Isle of the Lost - keeping villains in and magic out. And when Mal's longtime rival Uma, daughter of Ursula, gets wind of this, she can't believe her luck. The tide has dragged in something good for a change, and Uma is determined to get her wicked hands on it. But first, she needs a pirate ship and crew. When Hook starts a competition for a ship Uma's only competition is Harry Hook (besides the goblins).

But a storm is brewing back in Auradon, King Triton's granddaughter Arabella stole and used the trident! She can only hope her VK friends Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay can find it before anyone from the Isle does. Luckily, they seem to have a talent for locating missing magical objects (some of which they were given on their way to Auradon, given to them by their parents and some of which they found on the Isle of the Lost in the last book)

As Uma readies for the high seas alongside Harry, son of Captain Hook, Gil, son of Gaston, and the toughest rogues on the Isle of the Lost, the reformed villains of Auradon devise their own master plan. Not only does Uma have the ship now but she gets a hold of the rest of her mother's magical shell, giving her magical powers, powers that could bring the trident to her. And with King Ben away on royal business, they won't have to play by ALL the rules. Using bad for good can't be totally evil, right? And even more fun!

The thrilling, perilous race to the trident pits old friends-and current enemies-against each other with the future of Auradon on the line. Both teams might like to make waves, but only one will come out on top.

Plot
Years ago, on the Isle of the Lost, Mal wasn't just friends with Mad Maddy; she also teamed up with the daughter of the Sea Witch, Uma for all kinds of mischief. However, an attempt to prank the especially mean Cruella De Vil leads Mal to seemingly falling off the docks and into the water. Uma laughs at her instead of saving her, only for Mal to surprise her and dump a bucket of shrimp on Uma in return. No matter how much Uma tried to wash her hair, the disgusting smell never left her locks.

Fast-forward to the events in Descendants, Uma watches Carlos, Jay and Evie board the royal limousine to be taken to Auradon for a chance at a better life. Uma seethes with envy when she finds out that Mal was also chosen. From that day forward, she vowed to get off the island and into Auradon.

And now, the present day...

All of Auradon's kingdoms hold celebrations, which lead up to the Royal Cotillion. Watching Sebastian lead a wonderful musical performance are none other than the VKs, having been invited by King Ben. Evie has also gained a new friend in Arabella, niece to Ariel; Arabella copies Evie's outfits, although in shades of purple and lilac. The celebration suddenly comes to an end when an unexpected storm strikes. Fearing it may be the disabled talismans of evil, the VKs decide to have Fairy Godmother destroy them before anything else happens. However, this releases a burst of wild magic, which briefly causes the Isle of the Lost's dome to disappear.

The next day, Ben is called away on royal business because Agrabah and Northern Wei are having a dispute that could end in violence. The Auradon Knights win against the merman team, elsewhere. Carlos convinces Jane to attend the cheerleader tryouts as she's better suited for it than being a mascot. At the same time, Jay joins the R.O.A.R. team, being coached by Lonnie's older brother Li'l Shang. Evie scolds Mal when she finds her friend using her spell book to avoid detention for being late to class. They later find Arabella upset and learn that she caused the storm yesterday by trying to use her grandfather's trident. However, she lost control of it and it flew away.

Back on the Isle of the Lost, Uma learns that a goblin saw the trident fall into the waters of the isle when the barrier briefly vanished. Everyone is looking for it; even if it isn't magic, it can be used to barter one's way off this accursed prison. Uma decides that it's time to put together a crew to work for her, hearing Captain Hook is hosting a race and will give the Lost Revenge to whoever wins. She joins the race, convincing Harry Hook to be her first mate; Uma wins the race and the ship, recruiting Gil and other rogues. Uma learns from her fellow employee at the shop that Yen Sid knows where the pieces of Ursula's necklace are; once it's re-completed, it will seek out the trident. Gil's research reveals that Yen Sid brought his intern, Sophie with him to the island when he relocated. Threatening to destroy Yen Sid's sorcerer's hat, Uma learns that the necklace is on the Isle of the Doomed.

Ben arrives at Northern Wei, finding that his old friend Charlie Wong is the elder of Stone City. He learns that olives from Agrabah have been falling over the great wall and that the flying carpets give off sonic booms. Ben and Lonnie decide to talk with the royal vizier of Agrabah, who is shocked by how humble Lonnie is. Deciding a compromise is best, Ben gets the permission of the sultan and emperor to build a great door into the wall to allow Agrabahians to come and go as they please; the two societies decide to exchange tips on agriculture as well. Before he can leave, Ben is swept into a magical whirlwind as a familiar voice tells him that he is needed elsewhere...

Back to the VKs, they attempt to "borrow" a speedboat from the royal marina but are caught red-handed by Fairy Godmother. Escorted back to Auradon Prep, they pass Jane, who distraught at the idea of them leaving. Right before Fairy Godmother can punish them, Ben arrives and gives the cover story of the VKs working on a secret mission for him. After explaining the situation, the VKs learn that Jane had Merlin bring him back to prevent their expulsion. They take the speedboat out the Isle of the Lost to get the trident back.

On the Isle of the Doomed, Uma and her crew find Yen Sid's "map" and find a trove of magic items. Uma finds her mother's seashell necklace and puts it back together; however, a piece is missing. She then realizes a piece of the shell was in her pendant; Ursula had vaguely told her it was all she had left, but not of what. With it completed, it begins leading Uma to the trident. She finds it's location and swims down to get it. Outside of the barrier, Mal and the others arrive; she reverses time by a few minutes, keeping Uma away from the trident. Using her own spell, Mal pulls the trident into her hand but loses her glove to the pull of the seashell necklace. The VKs succeed in their mission, leaving Uma fuming; she ended up with Mal's glove instead.

Back in Auradon, the trident is returned to the museum. Evie and Mal are also asked to handover their magical heirlooms, so they can be kept safe in the museum; Evie gives up her mirror, while Mal decides to give up her spell-book the next day but thought against it. Carlos runs into Jane, who was accepted as a cheerleader; Carlos realizes that Jane doesn't have a date for cotillion, so he's thinking about asking her if she wants to be his date. Jay joins the R.O.A.R. team and replaces Chad Charming as the captain. Seeing that she needs to try looking the part of a royal girlfriend, Mal asks Evie to start giving her a makeover. Ben asks her to the cotillion, where she will gain the title of Lady; Mal accepts, asking to keep her mother in her room.

Back on the Isle of the Lost, Uma decides to bid her time until she can get revenge.

Product information

 * Age Range: 9 - 12 years
 * Grade Level: 4 - 7
 * Series: The Descendants
 * Hardcover: 304 pages
 * Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (May 23, 2017)
 * Language: English

Trivia

 * Agrabah is next to Wei, which is the equivalent of China from Mulan.
 * A new Auradon sport is introduced: R.O.A.R. (Royal Order of Auradon Regiment)
 * It's a mix of parkour and fencing.
 * The captain is decided by whoever beats the current one. Jay replaced Chad.
 * Audrey dumps Chad Charming.
 * Evie hands over her Magic Mirror to the museum. Mal plans on doing the same with her Spell Book but decides against it.
 * Genie, Grumpy and Merryweather have confirmed teachers for Auradon Prep.
 * Merryweather teaches life skills, including how to use a checkbook.
 * Beast and Belle are still on their cruise.
 * It's confirmed that while their cruise has lasted about a month, the rest of the story has taken place a few months later.
 * Evie names her clothing designs as Evie's 4 Hearts.
 * A third school exists on the Isle of the Lost: Serpent Prep.
 * New characters are introduced
 * Harry Hook - son of Captain Hook and brother of CJ and Harriet Hook.
 * Gil - son of Gaston and brother of Gaston Jr. and Gaston the Third.
 * Uma - daughter of Ursula.
 * Sophie - Yen Sid's intern from Auradon.
 * Arabella - Ariel's niece
 * Li'l Shang - Mulan and Li Shang's son and Lonnie's older brother
 * Going by Arabella's comments, it seems mermaids gained the ability to turn into humans once on land. Or possibly, Triton changes his family members back for their annual undersea party.
 * At the end of the story, Mal requests to have her mother's cage removed to her dorm, effectively keeping her as a pet.