Fablehaven

The third book in the Beyonders series by Brandon Mull just came out and I bought it this past weekend. I'm planning to read this series with my children and wanted to wait until they were all out to start! (It will be a while before I'll be ready to review them.) We read Fablehaven a few years ago and loved it. 

From Goodreads: For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite ... Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most.

Fablehaven captured all of our interest from the beginning. Kendra and Seth Sorenson are not happy to be visiting their grandparents while their parents go on a mandatory cruise. Their grandparents live in a big home with lots of land and when they arrive, they find out that their grandmother is visiting her sister Edna, who's dying. Their grandfather has a housekeeper, Lena, and another guy, Dale, who lives and works there, too. They're taken to the attic where they'll be staying and are pleased to find it cheerful and inviting. There's a hen that they are asked to take care of until their Grandmother returns. There's no TV or radio so they figure they'll be pretty bored. They can play in the pool, explore the gardens or play in their room but everything else is off limits. It doesn't take long for them to determine that something magical is going on and it's fun to read how they figure it out. 

This book, and the entire series, is full of magic, adventure and twists and turns. Seth was frustrating to me as he makes some poor decisions which cause all kinds of trouble. I really thought he'd learn his lesson at some point but he continues to do this throughout the series. I loved Kendra's character and enjoyed watching her grow. There are lots of other interesting and unique characters and back stories which keep the books moving and they can sometimes be hard to put down. Brandon Mull does a fantastic job of creating a world that you can envision and feel that you are in the story. It's a fun series to read and I highly recommend it to everyone! 

This is a great collection for your home library so if you don't have this series yet, you might want to consider picking it up while it's $23.09 for the entire series (in paperback) on Amazon.

My Rating for the entire series: 4 stars