Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published: 2017
Reviewer Rating: 
Reviewer: David L. Felts
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If you have read Rebels of the Lamp Book 1, and you plan to, you might want to avoid this review, since it will reveal some of the outcome of the first book.
Still reading?
OK then…
Parker, Theo, Reese, with with help from the genie Fon-Rahm, managed to destroy the evil genie, Xaru. Unbeknownst the them, the energy released when Xaru was destroyed returned to Vesiroth, the master magician who created all the genies from his own life force.We learned in book one that Visiroth had entered into a kind of hibernation, and now, the influx of energy from Xaru’s destruction has revived him.
Despite being frozen for centuries, Vesiroth’s plans remain unchanged: he wants to conquer the world to save us from ourselves. Although some of his power has returned, he’s not strong enough on his own to accomplish this, so he and his minions set out to recover a powerful artifact called the Elicuum Helm. This is an ancient magical helm that grants whomever wears it irresistible destructive powers. the user extraordinary powers. With the helm, Vesiroth will be able to accomplish his goal of world domination.
But the Elicuum helm was broken into three pieces and scattered. While the location of some are known, others are not. Now Parker and his friends, Fon-Rahm the genie, the Dr. Ellison are in a race to recover the pieces before Vesiroth. Complicating matters are Fon-Rahm’s new role of math teacher at Parker’s school, and idea they though would help explain his presence, a new student named Naomi who seems unusually interested in what they’re up too, and even more genies finding their way out of their prisons to side with Vesiroth against the good guys. And Vesiroth is not without his minions.
Parker’s father, too, makes his first appearance, highlighting the strife in their relationship. Being recently released from prison and eager to rebuild a bond with his son, he is inordinately involved in Parker’s life, making all the world saving the group is involved in even more difficult. Add in Theo’s growing magic powers and you’ve got quite the situation.
Like the first book, Rebels of the Lamp to roars through the story at breakneck speed, piling crises after crises on top of each other. This frenetic pace is sure to keep the attention of even the most jaded 12 year -old. The characters are recognizable from the first book, and nice bit of continuity that one often finds missing from such stories, where the characters tend to change to fit the tale. The stakes are still high, being the fate of the world.
One of the things I like is is Dr. Ellison’s attitude. She’s out to save the world, having been battling Vesiroth for millennia, and if she has to sacrifice a few teenagers to do it, will then so be it. This attitude adds a nice edge to the whole save-the-world thing.
Anyone who enjoyed the first book is sure to enjoy this one as well. Anyone who has yet to read the first book would be best advised to do so before jumping into this one. Unlike sequels out there, Book 2 doesn’t stand all that well on it’s own, being dependent on the events of the first book.
I’m still not sure that the level of violence is all that appropriate for truly juvenile audiences. Like the first book, I’d rate this one a PG-12 to 14.
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