Hi everyone, happy Monday! I’m finally feeling better; after a weekend of feeling sick and stuck with a fever, it’s good to be ok again. Today I’m going to be reviewing Brandon Mull’s series Fablehaven.

Fablehaven by: Brandon Mull: Kendra and her brother Seth have been sent to stay with their grandparents, who they know pretty much nothing about. When things start getting strange, the two start to go exploring, their grandfather has no choice but to tell them about the magical land of Fablehaven. The two also learn that everything they do has a consequence and now they must fight to save their family. This novel was action packed from start to finish. Sure the plot wasn’t anything completely earth shattering, but it did manage to keep the reader engaged and entertained. Funny plots and dialogue were added that gave it something exciting and fun to read. The characters didn’t really feel flushed out; they still felt really two dimensional and the odd third person point of view this novel was written in didn’t help the characters. In fact, it made them feel more distant; maybe if it was done in first person there would be more of a connection. Aside from that, the plot really held strong and makes promises to a thrilling next installment.

Rise of the Evening Star by: Brandon Mull: Kendra encounters a strange goblin type thing at school, enrolling a stranger to help her out to get rid of it starts a whole chain reaction of events. Once this stranger, Errol, has done something for them, he wants them to do something for him, stealing an artifact that isn’t his. This puts the land of Fableheaven in danger. This novel takes on the power of trust, who you can and can’t trust. Kendra and Seth learn the hard way who their true friends are. This novel started up somewhat slow then really ramped up. The plot took twists and turns, Mull put in these decoys to throw the reader off in an effort to make the plot more interesting, but mostly it kinda confused the reader as to why certain things were being done. The characters are definitely growing and developing and that is very enjoyable to read about. This novel left the story open meaning there is still more to come, especially with some of the new characters we’ve met. The reader can only imagine what can possibly come next after an adventure filled novel that this was.

Grip of the Shadow Plague by: Brandon Mull: Kendra and Seth are back in Fablehaven, this time to stop a plague that is spreading throughout their world turning light beings into dark creatures. Kendra takes a trip to visit the members of the Knights of the Dawn to see what she can find out, while Seth stays behind to help his grandparents to hold down the fort. This novel gets deeper and deeper into the world of Fablehaven and with every novel it gets better and more descriptive. The plot is good; the action is pretty much non-stop, but what really makes this novel are the characters. The reader can really see the growth in Kendra and Seth; the way Mull decided to split the two up in this novel so the reader can see them on their own really shows their character strengths. At first the reader didn’t want to see them apart, but once they were established in their own plots it was definitely a good decision. Mull has a way of writing sibling dynamics so well, it is believable and so relatable, which makes it fun and pleasant to read. The way this novel ends only means that there is still more to come in this battle, and the reader can’t wait.

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by: Brandon Mull: Fablehaven is still in jeopardy and three out of the five hidden artifacts to save it still need to be found. Kendra uses her skills to figure out where a key they need is hidden: in a dragon sanctuary. But before they can get to the key, a sacred object must be stolen to help them, and that’s where Seth comes in with his new-found skills. This book goes on some wild adventures with lots of twists and turns that the reader never sees coming. The plot was fun and full of adventure, although it did feel a little on the long side; it felt longer than it needed to be because it felt like chapter after chapter something new was evolving. By the end the reader is perplexed at what has gone down, and just when the reader thought it was all over, the last sentence leaves the reader speechless and in anticipation for the final book. The characters were really well written even though they didn’t feel like they progressed much from the start of this book to the end. Sure they went on their own adventures and had to face a lot of trials, and they came out better people because of it, especially Seth, but the characters still didn’t feel like they grew very much. Aside from that, this book was adventurous and fun.

Keys to the Demon Prison by: Brandon Mull: The last instalment in the Fablehaven series and we’re continuing right were we left off in the previous book; the Sphinx is on a mission to open the demon prison Zzyzx all he needs is the final artifact. It’s up to Kendra, Seth and the rest of their team to try and intervene one last time to save them all of  them from an impending doom. This series as a whole has been very exciting and fun to read, but as the reader got to the final book and how it all ended, it just fell flat. The plot was good, but it took Mull too long to get to simple plots; his writing was filled with a lot of purple prose and extra words that really weren’t needed, and it just made it harder for the reader to get through this last book. The characters have definitely developed since the first book, even though the main characters spend most of the books apart from one another; this showed how strong these characters can stand on their own, but it was always good to see them reunited. The way that this novel ended in particular was different, after everything was said and done, Mull pulls out this romance plot, that he’s been cooking for a bit this novel, and it just felt a little out of place. Overall, this was a fun series, with a lot of adventure and fantasy, it’s just disappointing that the last book fell flat.