“FABLEHAVEN: None who enter will leave unchanged. Trespassers will be turned to stone,” –Brandon Mull.      

If you like fairies with attitude, this is the book I’d like to point you to. Filled with suspense and dread leading to a powerful climax, Fablehaven is loaded with all the vitamins that have been missing from your diet since your last taste of “Harry Potter.”

The story opens with Seth and Kendra Sorenson in the car on the way to their grandparent’s house, where they will be spending the summer. Unknown to them, their grandparents are the caretakers of a wildlife preserve for magical creatures. The kids are unaware of the magic around them until a small confusion about which milk to drink opens their eyes to the world of fairies.

Not all on the magical preserve of Fablehaven is a cheerful, though. There are demons, ghouls, witches and other dark creatures. Throughout the series, the two kids go on numerous adventure to collect artifacts that will save the world and prevent their rivals from taking over the world.

This series is very well written.  The five books are all interconnected and you cannot read one without yearning to read the others. In the end, all loose ties are resolved, all problems fixed and all questions answered. The bad guys get defeated and the good guys get their happy endings, but the best part is that Mull made a point to leave it open for another book to come if he chooses to without leaving the reader with a million questions.

The main characters have depth, are well thought out and are relatable. Kendra has problems with boys, parents and her younger brother Seth, but she is the reason the books lost one of two points in my rating. She has a few “Mary-Sue” (a character that is either perfect in every way or a character that the author spent too much time developing flaws for that generally make the character either very cliché or very whiney. Male version known as the ‘Gary-Stu’) qualities that are sometimes hard to overlook. But that point is one flaw in a sea of awesome. Seth must overcome his childish attitude to save his friends and family. He’s the reason for the other point deduction. His childish mistakes and habit to act impulsively never actually get him in the danger it should and are a bit annoying at points.

The plot line is intriguing, with twists and turns around every page. You will cry, you will laugh, you will worry and you will celebrate. Mull’s world is so appealing that when you’re done reading the Fablehaven series, you’ll want to move there.

Title: Fablehaven

Author: Brandon Mull

Number of books in series:  five

Grade: 98/100