Escape from Atlantis

The last way that Riley Evans wanted to spend spring break was studying whales on the family sailboat in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. With only her dad, aunt, and annoying cousin Alfie for company. She is so bored staring at the waves that she’s starting to see mermaids between them. But when their boat capsizes during a sudden storm, Riley finds more excitement than she bargained for as she and Alfie are washed ashore with neither of their parents in sight. Where they’ve been shipwrecked is no deserted island, though.

Atlantis is a place beyond imagination, inhabited by both people and incredible creatures ranging from unicorns and gargoyles to talking animals. But not everyone welcomes the cousins’ arrival, and beneath the wonder of this mythical land lurk dangerous secrets—something strange is happening to the inhabitants. What Riley wants more than anything is to find her father and go home. But the closer she gets to this goal, the more the islanders seem determined to keep her from reaching it.

As Riley and Alfie unravel the mystery of Atlantis and its most terrifying part, the Forbidden Zone, they realize that the clock is ticking. If they can’t learn what happened to their parents and find a way off the island soon, it may be too late to leave. 

Even though Riley and Alfie are family, they can’t stand each other and most of the blame lands on Alfie, whose hot temper and mean words make him an unlikable character. Unlike Alfie, the book’s protagonist Riley is a more well-rounded which makes her more relatable. When Riley discovers animal-like creatures called Cloaks living on Atlantis, she is fascinated by them and treats them with respect while the Atlanteans treat the creatures as if they are invisible. Riley’s acceptance of the Cloaks shows the importance of treating others with respect and dignity no matter what they look like.   

While Riley’s acceptance of the Cloaks is admirable, she is also manipulative and dishonest as she tries to leave Atlantis. Her singular focus to find her father and aunt puts others in danger. However, she refuses to give up her quest. When Riley, Alfie and her family finally leave Atlantis, the situation is so dire that readers may have a hard time cheering for Riley’s success.  

Unlike most stories that focus on the mythical island of Atlantis, Escape from Atlantis portrays the legendary city as one full of danger. While this premise is unique, the island’s world-building is murky which leads to confusion. While the Cloaks add mystery and suspense, the details regarding people transforming into Cloaks are unclear—no one knows why people change into animals or how the process works. In addition, no one knows why the sea serpent, the Lavianthan, will not allow anyone to leave the island. 

Readers who love stories with well-defined rules and clear world-building may find Escape from Atlantis a frustrating read. However, readers who are intrigued by mythology and Atlantis may find this unique version interesting. While Riley and Alfie are at times annoying, they show personal growth and perseverance. In addition, the unique characters and the book’s resolution will leave readers with a new appreciation of accepting others—even those who are different than us. If you’d like to read more fast-paced stories that take place in a magical world, read The Revenge of Magic Series by James Riley or The Door at the End of the World by Caroline Carlson. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• Riley finds her cousin Alfie reading her diary. She “snatched at her diary, but Alfie kept pulling it away and taunting her with it. . . She hauled back and punched her cousin in the stomach as hard as she could. Alfie dropped the diary, collapsing onto the bunk, gasping for breath.” 
• A sea serpent attacks the boat Riley and her family are on. “Another violent strike knocked the boat, followed by a rush of water that nearly washed [Riley’s] father away. . .  Riley added her own scream when she saw the dark head of some kind of massive snakelike sea serpent rising out of the water and smashing against the front end of the boat. Its long, scaled body coiled completely around the boat like a snake constricting around its prey.” 
• Eventually, the sea serpent “was rising itself farther out of the water and climbing high above the ship. It roared once, and then opened its mouth even wider and struck like a viper, biting off the front end of the boat.” A different creature grabs Riley and takes her to an island, where she finds her cousin, but their parents are gone. The scene is described over four pages.  
• When Riley and Alfie wake up on an island, they meet Bastian, a boy about their age. When Bastian tries to get the cousins to go to his community, “Alfie charged up to Bastian and poked him in the chest.” Alfie walks away. Riley and Bastian follow. They eventually see a Red Cloak who attacks them. “Behind them, Miss Pigglesworth [a huge dog] growled, barked and leaped over and ran straight at the Red Cloak. . . The sights and sounds were sickening at the immense dog and Red Cloak met in a vicious fight. They started rolling in the sand.” When Miss Pigglesworth is injured, Red Cloak runs towards the kids. 
• The Red Cloak is a creature with a tail named Mada. “All Riley could do was watch as Mada crossed a great distance in a single leap. Right before he landed, two of the unicorns galloped forward. . .” A unicorn touches Mada and then “Mada roared once and then collapsed to the sand, unconscious.” The kids quickly leave. The scene is described over four pages. 
• Riley and Alfie want to confirm that their parents are dead so they go to dig up their graves. However, a catlike creature attacks. “Suddenly Riley was knocked to the ground by something very large and painfully heavy. Acting on instinct alone, she held up the shovel for protection just as a tooth-filled mouth came toward her. Snarling and hissing, it bit down on the shoved handle instead of her throat. . . As he moved, his rear claws raked Riley’s legs and she cried in pain.” Before the cat can kill her, a gargoyle grabs it and flies away. Riley is injured, but Alfie cares for the wound. The scene is described over four pages. 
• Riley and her friends are attempting to save an injured gargoyle when Mada appears intending to kill Riley. “As Mada started to charge, the horns on the five unicorns started to blaze brilliantly. They whinnied loudly, and the one that had escorted them reared and slammed down to the sand. . .” Mada runs away.  
• While swimming to a different part of Atlantis, Riley and Alfie are threatened by the Lavianthan, a huge sea serpent. Galina, a siren, uses her voice on the Lavianthan. “It glided past Riley . . . The leopard roared and howled as the Lavianthan changed directions and dove down into the depths, taking the leopard with it.” 
• An alligator attacks Alfie. The water “erupted in struggle as Galina was wrapped around the alligator that was holding on to Alfie’s leg and spinning. . . the struggle moved deeper beneath the surface. Moments later, Galina lifted Alfie to the surface. He was unconscious.” Alfie is seriously injured but recovers.  
• When the Red Moon comes, the tide goes out which allows the dangerous animals to attack the people of Atlantis. The people hide in their ship, the Queen, while Cloaks are left to die. Someone asks Riley, “Haven’t you ever wondered why there aren’t more Blue or Yellow Cloaks here? After all this time, there are only a handful of us. . . There were more. Many more. But because they won’t let us on the Queen during the Red Moon, we are hunted and killed by the wildlings.” 
• When trying to escape the island, Mada tries to attack Riley, but Riley’s friend Maggie intervenes. “Maggie appeared out of the fog with her cloak off. A sleep leopard jumped onto Mada’s back and knocked him from Riley.” Riley and her friends run, leaving Maggie. Maggie is seriously injured and she may not recover.  
• Merfolk cause a storm in order to stop Riley, Alfie, and their friends from leaving Atlantis. “Terrifying merfolk” call the Lavianthan in order to stop their boat from leaving. “The Lavianthan made another pass at the yacht. It raised itself high out of the water and came down on the front of the bow. The boat’s back end was lifted out of the water, throwing everyone down to the deck.” Riley’s father talks to the merfolk, who let the yacht pass.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

• Atlantis uses Memory Berries. “When you eat them, you forget everything. We are a small community and we have to get along. If there is trouble, berries are used, and the trouble stops.” 
• Alfie is given Memory Berries which completely changes him. “The expression on his face was all wrong. . . The Memory Berries had changed him completely.” Riley puts crushed-up leaves in his soup, which reverses the effect of the berries.  

Language  

• Riley and Alfie are mean to each other. To annoy Riley, Alfie calls her “shorty” and she calls him “creep.”
• There is often name calling including stupid, spoiled brat, idiot, chicken, moron, freak, etc. 

Supernatural 

• Atlantis has magical creatures such as unicorns, sirens, and other intelligent animal-like creatures.  
• The island has “those in cloaks” who are not supposed to be approached. Riley approaches one and finds a “furry creature. He looked just like a cuddly koala, with a large black noise and rounded ears on the top of his head. But he was bigger and had golden eyes.” 
• Gargoyles live in Atlantis. Riley describes them: “It was huge and had bat wings and big ears. Its legs like tree trunks.” 
• The people of Atlantis eventually turn into “wildlings,” but the process isn’t clear. Maggie, who is turning into a feline, explains, “I may stop changing now and stay in this yellow cloak, or perhaps I might turn into a simple cat and be accepted. . . But I may also turn into something more ferocious and not be able to control myself.” 
• Even though all Atlanteans will change to wildlings, “We don’t know why the transformation happens or how. . . when it starts, we retain our humanity. But some embrace their change and give up what it means to be human. They become a danger to all.” However, “they retain their intelligence, which makes them more dangerous.” 
• The gargoyle, Gideon, turns to stone and his wing breaks off. If his wing isn’t fixed before the sun comes up, he will die. With Riley and others’ help, Gideon’s wing is fixed before the sun comes up. 

Spiritual Content  

• Riley prays several times. For example, when Alfie is given the Memory Berries,
  Riley “prayed Gideon’s antidote worked.”