2007-08-18 Return to Fablehaven

I thought that the first book Fablehaven was imaginative and a great read, but little did I know that Brandon Mull would come up with an even better story for his follow up novel. Although it may seem to be a little long if you measure it from cover to cover, like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , you'll be so riveted to the pages that you won't even notice it.

Kendra and Seth return to Fablehaven after a foul monster infiltrates their school, leading to a series of events involving a frog, an ambush and a high speed car chase, but that's just where the real fun begins.

An ancient and extremely powerful group is trying to steal an artifact from the refuge, and the children's grandparents have called for some back-up. The problem is that all this protection doesn't seem to be working, and bit by bit, the bad guys are getting closer.

This book stands out for the exciting and colorful characters (on both sides) including the enigmatic (obviously) Sphinx who's always on the move (something like the Oracle from The Matrix movies); a potion master of Samoan ancestry who keeps lots of good stuff bottled up; a mystical creature trapper who has the strangest and most horrible roommates ever; a magical relics collector with lots of cool tricks up his sleeves, a gluttonous beast that will stop at nothing until he's eaten everything on his menu; plus fairies, imps, goblins, and an assortment of others, alive, undead, reanimated and even catatonic.

The last chapters will have you turning the pages as fast as you can, as the author brings you to the thrilling and chilling conclusion - or is it? You'll need to read the first book to get the background for this one, but both are highly recommended. This is a brilliant and magical series, and I can't wait for book three (2008).




Amanda Richards