Fablehaven (Fablehaven #1) by Brandon Mull

Fablehaven (Fablehaven #1) by Brandon Mull

Goodreads Synopsis
For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite.

Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken -- Seth is a bit too curious and reckless for his own good -- powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most. 

This is one of the books for my #TBRTakedown as hosted by Shannon!

My parents bought me this series from Costco, all the books for $20, so I was pretty happy. I heard some pretty good things about it so I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it.


I read this one realizing that it is for younger audiences and I am not young anymore. It was a really fun and well written book. I liked the brother-sister dynamic of Kendra and Seth, but I did think they caused a lot of problems that could have been easily avoided if they just listened to their grandparents. Of course, children do not always listen to their elders, but there are some things that should be listened to absolutely, such as not going into the dangerous creature inhabited forest. 

I thought the plot was well laid out and flowed fairly smoothly. It is always hard with the first in a series because you want to make sure that you introduce your characters and the world properly, but you also want to progress the story along so that there is one complete arc in the story. I thought this one did a pretty good mix of both, but it still could have been better. I did think that the story wrapped up too neatly and nicely for what I would have enjoyed, but that is a given considering the audience. I am hoping that like Harry Potter, as the story progresses, it gets a bit darker, but I am thinking that won't happen.

Either way, I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series and am glad that I chose this one as my "First in a Series" category book!

Overall: 3/5 stars for this one. I liked Kendra and how she became so fearless at the end.