Reviews
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull is is the first of a five part middle grade fantasy series. I listened to the audio version performed by E.B. Stevens. The book shares a pair of protagonists, Kendra and her younger brother, Seth, as is the current trend in tween fantasy. They have been sent to their eccentric grandparents' estate after their parents are invited to a mandatory cruise cum wake. That ridiculous set up combined with the sibling's non-stop squabbling for the first couple chapters didn't give me hope for the remainder of the book (or series). Fortunately though, things do settle down and it's quickly settled that Kendra's the smart one and Seth is the blindly brave one. Much of the discoveries about Fablehaven's true nature though are revealed through Seth's stubborn stupidity. Thankfully he gets most of this out of his system in this first book. The book has three main parts: the solving on a puzzle left in the playroom, the added freedom that comes with solving said puzzle and then all hell breaking loose — mostly from the Grandfather's reluctance to share the truth with his unruly grandchildren. The puzzle solving section is pretty tame and predictable. Don't give up though. By the time the puzzle is solved the plot picks up and Fablehaven comes alive, first for the good, and then for the bad and dangerous. As I mentioned before, I listened to the audio version. I take along audio books for long drives to keep my kids entertained. The children thoroughly enjoyed the book, including the way in which it was read. To my ears, though, the narrator's voice, diction, pacing and mispronunciation of words grates on my nerves. Fortunately the plot of Fablehaven is strong enough to survive a less than stellar reading.
Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull is the second book in the Fablehaven series. Like the first book, I listened to it on audio while traveling. As with Fablehaven, the book has three main parts: an introductory adventure, a training section and the final confrontation and quest. This time, thankfully, Seth and Kendra aren't put in opposition as much to drive the plot. Seth, though, does still suffer a bit from his blind enthusiasm, but even that does get curbed pretty quickly. It is refreshing to see the siblings working together. The book opens nearly a year after the start of the first book. Kendra and Seth are finishing up their last week of school. Kendra's had a mostly normal year, despite her fairy-struck state. She and Seth have been better friends since their adventures at Fablehaven and her newfound confidence has helped her become one of the popular girls. But all of that normalcy is thrown out the window with the arrival of a new student. To everyone except Kendra, he appears to be a hot boy. To her, he's a disgusting, ill-mannered, fowl smelling kobold. Kendra's attempt to rid the school of the kobold sets in motion a series of events that take the remainder of the book to fully play out. Most of the book, though, is set in Fablehaven over the last few weeks of June. The Society of the Evening Star has been maneuvering again and there's credible information showing that Fablehaven is next on their list. To prevent their attack, the artifact housed on the estate must be found and relocated to another location. To do this, three experts have been brought in. Besides locating the artifact, they are to train Kendra and Seth. That's just the gist of the plot. There's a lot more going on. The different plot threats are neatly woven together, far more tightly than I first expected. The audio still suffers from the same problems as the previous book. I wish there was an alternate performance available. Book three I have in print and I will be finishing out the series in print form.
I can already feel this becoming one of my favorite series. Fablehaven is the introduction to Kendra and Seth and although at first I found Seth a bit annoying by the end I had formed a bond with him and his sister and I really look forward to know more about them.
I am so excited to share my thoughts on Brandon Mull's "Rise of the Evening Star"! From the moment I picked up this book, I was hooked. The world of Fablehaven is truly magical and immersive, and the characters are so dynamic and well-developed. I couldn't put this book down and found myself thinking about it even when I wasn't reading. If you're a fan of fantasy, this is a must-read! The characters are complex and well-developed, and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end. I was particularly drawn to the character of Kendra, who is brave and determined in the face of danger. I also appreciated the themes of loyalty and the power of friendship that are woven throughout the story. Overall, "Rise of the Evening Star" is a thrilling and immersive read that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels. Brandon Mull is a master storyteller, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us next.
The second installment of the Fablehaven Series. As dissapointed as I was with the first book, my curiosity got the better of me. I really love Kendra & Seth's tandem. They really compliment each other, and I cant get enough of them. In this book, the Society of the Evening Star are getting restless, and they double there efforts. The story is darker than the first, but more exciting and thrilling too. I love the new characters, plus the twist at the end is good too. Still not quite met my standards, but definitely better than the last one.
The second installment of the Fablehaven Series. As dissapointed as I was with the first book, my curiosity got the better of me. I really love Kendra & Seth's tandem. They really compliment each other, and I cant get enough of them. In this book, the Society of the Evening Star are getting restless, and they double there efforts. The story is darker than the first, but more exciting and thrilling too. I love the new characters, plus the twist at the end is good too. Still not quite met my standards, but definitely better than the last one.
This is one of my favorite kinds of subgenre's from he fantasy corner: the "Hidden World in the Backyard" genre. Let's face it. How many times have we encountered stories like this? Countless. The plot of the entire book is great. The story is pretty creative, although not quite original, and engaging. I find Brandon Mull is very amateurish and unoriginal. The stereotyping of the two children really did not work: Seth is a selfish brat who ruins everything, from which he seems to learn nothing. Kendra is the older, more responsible of the two who obeys the rules, which enables her to save the day after Seth has messed everything up. The whole mystical place didnt get to me either. It wasnt very magical at all, it was more like a nightmare come true for kids like Seth. The whole magical creatures thing was a huge mess--- they didnt get together very well, it didnt give me that whole good-magicky feeling. Let's hope the next book is more satisfying than this one.
I loved it. I couldn't put this book down without my eyes pretty much telling me they were done reading for the night. The story focuses on two children who are sent to stay with their grandparents while their parents go on a cruise that was paid for by the will of another dead relative. (A little weird, but hey, not the worst way to wish for your money to be spent after you're gone. You can't take it with you, right?) What they don't know is that their parents run a natural reserve for magical creatures of the world. Little by little, the children stumble onto the weird happenings of the world and have to learn to maneuver their way through the reserve and the rules that the reserve is bound by in order to ultimately save it from absolute destruction. Some of the twists you could see coming from a long way off, others I didn't see coming at all. (view spoiler)[I 100% did not for a moment think that their grandmother was the hen that their grandfather gave them to take care of. I also didn't predict the gargantuan cow. (hide spoiler)] Some of the mythology is stuff you will probably already know from reading other fiction stories - like naiads, golems, and fairies, all bound by the usual rules you see in books. Other creatures, on the other hand, had different descriptions and rules to their race that I thought were particularly interesting. Imps, for instance, play a large role. And generally in stories, brownies aren't usually very helpful as I recall. But the biggest thing that really sold this book for me were the characters. Not only are they believable, they're relatable. Stories can be good without a character you can personally relate to, but this book gives you such a great cast of characters that I think it's definitely very easy to understand where each is coming from. I definitely related to Kendra the most, unsurprisingly. I will definitely be continuing this series.
3.5 En general, es un buen libro. Es cierto que estuve varios años tratando de leerlo, pero cada vez que intentaba leerlo, siempre agarraba otro y nunca lo terminaba. Sin embargo, creo que se debió principalmente a que entré en un bloqueo lector, e incluso esos nuevos libros que agarraba jamás los terminaba. La idea es muy buena. El concepto de que Seth y Kendra se tuvieron que quedar con sus abuelos, con los que no frecuentaban tanto y que de pronto descubrieran que la reserva en donde vivían era en realidad una reserva mágica, con seres mágicos y de fábula tanto buenos como malos, me parece genial. La redacción de Mull es buena, es decir es entendible, y describe las cosas de tal forma que te resulta fácil imaginártelas, pero sin llegar a caer en esta descripción tan exacta que resulta ser abrumadora y en cierta medida aburrida; cosa que sucede en varios libros y con varios autores. Creo que también es importante mencionar que casi la mitad del libro es puro contexto, y que eso pudiera no agradar mucho, pero una vez que entras de lleno a la historia, es buena. He leído que a mucha gente le desagrada las actitudes de Seth, y cómo también Kendra de cierta forma lo manipula para hacer cosas que ella no se atreve; sin embargo, creo que si fueran personajes tan perfectos no podría observarse un verdadero desarrollo y mejora en ellos. Siguiendo esta línea, creo que es muy importante mencionar que Seth en varias partes resulta un tanto molesto, y que incluso es por su culpa que su familia sufre de ciertos daños, pero si no hubiera sido por su actitud tan terca inicialmente, no se hubiera podido desarrollar bien el libro y su problemática; es decir, no se hubieran tenido que enfrentar al problema al que se enfrentan en este primer libro. Si bien es cierto que todos los personajes de este libro son medianamente irritantes, creo que a lo largo de esta primera parte logran crecer y desarrollarse un poco. Es cierto que cada uno tiene ciertas características o toma ciertas actitudes que pueden resultar molestas o estresantes para los lectores, y en definitiva no creo que se hayan superado muchísimo a ellos mismos en este primer libro, pero quisiera creer que en los libros posteriores podrán tener un mejor desarrollo y mucho más crecimiento.
This book may look like a children’s book with fairies and all but it is an incredible book.
good book
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When a glowing summary compares a book to Harry Potter, that usually makes me a bit wary. Thus, I approached this book with a bit of skepticism which definitely helped the book far succeed my expectations. I genuinely loved this book and will definitely add the rest of the series to my to read list. That being said, do not expect anything like Harry Potter with this book. I have no idea why the summary (a review type thing) compared the two books; they have little if anything in common. I loved how Mull told the story with the third person narration, shifting a couple times between Kendra and Seth. I also fully understand how Kendra becomes so annoyed with Seth. He just won't listen! I cannot wait to see how Mull unfolds the rest of the story.
While this book reminds me of a lot of other Junior Fiction fantasy i’ve read, I did enjoy it. The act of escaping into another world is wonderful, especially with the world that is brought to life with this novel.
i liked this book but it was a little hard to get into
This one was a lot better then the first book but you have to read the first book to understand whats going on in this book
