Brandon Mull has become one of my favorite authors in just a few short months. I picked up the first book at the end of the school year at the book fair where I teach and have been anxiously working my way through the series and am looking forward to the next.

Mull takes you to very real places with his exotic twists for a magical adventure and its all about kids and how they learn to cope with adult responsibility. To put such a learning tool in ones writing is a gift. Thank You for writing Fablehaven.

Brandon Mull is getting hotter
With books as long as Harry Potter
This one goes four seventy seven
For kids above ten or eleven

There's danger lurking everywhere
Friend or foe is now unclear
With darkness taking over light
And fewer folk to lead the fight

A plague of shadows spreads its wings
O'er Nipsies and all other things
There's no time left for talk or tact
Just find the missing artifact

Fantastic creatures, deadly foes
Centaurs with arrows and bows
See them change before your eyes
The dark forces are on the rise

Knight of Dawn or Evening Star
No one knows which one you are
Or is it what everyone thinks?
Can the traitor be the Sphinx?

Vanessa's in the Quiet Box
Dare they open up the locks?
Oh, the secrets she could tell
If released from her private hell

New characters and distant places
Returning long forgotten faces
Battle lines are drawn and crossed
Could it be Fablehaven's lost?

Before you end up all bemused
Read one and two, you'll be enthused
This is the best, book three of five
What next will Brandon Mull contrive?

I want to see this on the screen
Drinking in each thrilling scene
Surround sound and soundly cast
From Fablehaven to the last



Amanda Richards, June 29, 2008



Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven)

If you liked the original, the second and third books in the Fablehaven series go hand in hand. In this one, Fablehaven is again under threat of being completely overthrown by the Society of the Evening Star. A mysterious plague has started turning both creatures and caretakers alike into shadows, and Kendra and Seth have to race to marshal the few remaining good creatures (and a time-traveling former caretaker) in an assault on a demon stronghold.

I loved the other books in this series but this one beats the others out by far. Brandon Mull knows how to keep a reader caught up in the book. It was hard to put down and now I can't wait for the next installment.

For what it is, this book is excellent. However, if you're looking for a fantasy novel that's more adult, this probably shoudln't be your first choice. Mull's focus tends towards younger children(or so it seems from reading his books), which by no means is a bad thing I might add. The books in this series are definitely accumulating what I would term 'adultness,' however they are far from something along the lines of Sword of Truth, or Lord of the Rings.

Regardless of all of this though, the books remain an extremely enjoyable read, and I would recommend them to anyone who wants something to read that isn't overly complex or to somehow who just wants a quick read of a good book.

Brandon Mull has done it again. I was introduced to this series when Mr. Mull made a visit to my sons school. We bought the book so we could be familiar with the author when he came. From the first page my son and I were hooked. We flew through the first 2 books and eagerly awaited the third. We were not disappointed!

Excellently written, thorough, inclusive of all kinds of mythological creatures, ties up all free ends, and exciting plot. I can't wait for the fourth book!

I confess, I came across the first book by accident. I can't remember a happier accident I've had in many years. These books are so good, I've purchased additional copies for my nieces & my book buddy so I don't have to share my own copy. I can't tell you enough how good all of the books are-and they just keep getting better!! So, if you haven't done so already, drink the milk!!

The adventure continues in book three, Grip of the Shadow Plague. Seth and Kendra are still at the preserve where a plague is developing that is turning all the Fablehaven creatures evil. Seth and Kendra must once again come to the rescue to save the preserve from falling yet again. This book is very enjoyable, very imaginative, very creative and a lot of fun for old and young readers both.

There are numerous twists and turns that keep you guessing (although a few that are somewhat predictable) and keeps you wanting more.

If you enjoyed the first two books you'll enjoy this one as well. I didn't think it was quite as good as the first two but entertaining none the less. You'll get a chance to meet new characters on the reserve (and elsewher) and be reaquainted with some old ones as well. It's amazing how he was able to fit in some many characters. Wonderful job.

The characters and the writing are a lot of fun. Very enjoyable book... can't wait for the next one.

Brandon Mull has done it again. Thhis story as well as the others pick up right where the previous one left off. There is a lot of suspense and you trying to guess what is oging to happen before it does. Just when you think you know what is going on, he steers you into another direction all together. He continually brings in new characters and uses them to their fullest. The climax to this book was everything that makes a book of this kind a best seller. I recommend this to anyone, old or young who enjoys fantasy.

I loved this book as much if not more than the first two. My ten year old thought it was the best of the three. It kept us hooked from page one. We are anxiously awaiting the fourth installment. Kudos to Brandon Mull.

Our entire family (especially two grandchildren) waited for the release of this book after reading the others in the series. We were not disappointed; like the other two, it is full of action and surprises leaving everyone wanting more by the the end of the book.

We have enjoyed all three of the books in the Fable Haven series and number three is worthy of Brandon's work. The events in the life of the young characters in his series turns life threatening and they face mountains of discouragement as they discover that not all those whom they trust are worth of that trust. New allies and new foes are introduced in the book and some of them will die. I like where Brandon is taking his main characters and the way they are growing in their role as they prepare to become caretakers and defenders of the magical preserve, a job that will not only take all they have but may very well take their lives. Keep up the good job Brandon, we can't wait for the next one.

These books are so much fun and Shadow Plague is the best to date. I see lots of maturity and development in Brandon Mull's writing with each installment of the series. Can't wait for the next book.

I have been a fan of Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series from the beginning and was blown away AGAIN with this latest installment. I'm constantly amazed by Mull's clean writing style and effortless ability to create landscapes that are rich and vibrant without feeling overdone. Not to mention his rendering of such imaginative stories that the reader often feels transported directly into a land of magical creatures. The way he switches back and forth between the two perspectives of Kendra and Seth while keeping their personalities true is simply phenomenal. And I keep waiting for Mull to show that he has limits,for him to do something predictable or redundant (mostly to make myself feel better in the face of such talent!) but time and again I'm delightfully surprised and thoroughly entertained. So, I suppose all there is left to say is, bravo, Brandon....braaaaavo!

I always get worried when I am going to read the next book in a series. Will it be as good as the rest? Well, Book #3 in the Fablehaven series did not disappoint me at all. I wondered how new elements could be invented to keep me interested, but the author did a great job (what an imagination he has!). You can't go wrong with this book if you like fantasy adventure books. I can't wait for the next one!

The Sorenson kids are only a few weeks from heading home and starting school when a new threat to Fablehaven makes the likelihood of going home anytime soon arises. Creatures of light on the preserve begin to turn dark. Along with that Kendra's abilities imparted by the kisses of hundreds of fairies in book one seem to be evolving to such an extend that she could be a target of the Society of the Evening Star if she goes home. As if that is not enough, she is invited to become a Night of the Dawn, an organization pledged to protect magical preserves. Traveling to meet them, then on a secret mission to another preserve, and the growing threat within Fablehaven fill this volume of the the Fablehaven series with some of the best writing, action, and story-telling of the series so far. Valuable lessons for kids and families are deftly woven into this volume, like the others, without being preachy. The action is even more intense so small kids will not be ready for this, but adolescents and teens will love this one, too. I can't wait to see what happens in volume 4! Brandon Mull is becoming a favorite at our house.

No author I know can top Brandon Mull for sheer imaginative power.

Kendra and Seth Sorenson are the grandchildren of the caretakers of Fablehaven preserve, one of the few places left on earth where magical creatures can live on in an increasingly skeptical world. The trouble is, not all magical creatures are nice. In fact, some of them are downright evil. All the worst ones have been locked away in a magical prison, and if they ever get out, the world as we know it is basically over.

Mull creates a world where the stakes are high, danger is real, and almost everyone is under suspicion. His book has an endless parade of fascinating magical creatures, each with their own habits and personality. Fablehaven 3 contains Mull's best paced plot so far, with lots of adventures (including a visit to a preserve on a reservation in Arizona), an intense action climax, and an ending that leaves the reader eager for the next book.

Mull introduces some great new characters in this book, and only kills off about half of them. He's still having trouble with Grandma Sorensen, who had more personality during the time she had been turned into a chicken, but his tween-aged characters live and breathe as always. Seth is still my favorite, and I'm glad to see him begin to discover more of his abilities in this book.

So go out and buy your own copy. You certainly can't borrow mine. My husband is going to start reading it to our children tonight, and we just can't wait!

Oh, and does anyone else think that centaur on the front page looks like Brandon Mull?

My husband and I discovered this series through the recommendation tool on amazon.com, and I am SO glad that we did. We took a chance with the first book and loved it, and the second and third books were just as great (if not better!!). We are both 'thirty-something', and have shared this series with friends and family, and they have enjoyed it as well (including our parents). Even my 3-year-old loves me to read it to him - though I do a little censoring so he won't get nightmares. I don't know what more to say about the book that others haven't already written in their reviews, but if you haven't read the series, do it!! We are fans of the Narnia books, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, and now Fablehaven. This is one book that will always be found in our family library.

I liked this book, I felt it was slow to start, but when it did get moving it was great. I love this series my children and I read them together. Not since the Harry Potter Series have we enjoyed reading together so much.

I stumbled onto this series by accident. I read all kinds of literature and really got into young adult books a long time back when I worked in elementary schools. I have throughly enjoyed the whole series and I am very impressed that the author has continued a high quality even as the series continues... Waiting anxiously for the new book. In this book the main characters get equal play and the plot built up to an amazing finish. HEARTILY RECOMMEND this book.

I just read this book aloud to my children ages 11,8, and 5. The children could all identify with the story and would jump up with excitment with each new climax and plot twist. We even got up to read an hour before school to "find out what happens next"
I like the disscussion questions at the end of the book. My children waxed eliquent about how evil spreads and characters changed in the book and could relate the concepts to real life. It was a good story to share with my children and when I was reading aloud it was fun to have them hanging on evey word. Thank you Brandon Mull!

This book once again proved while I fight with people that the Fablehaven series is indeed superior to Harry Potter. Thank-you, Brandon Mull, for what I think is the most delightful and most creative book so far (because I will most certainly allow him to write something even more exciting.)

What originally began as the sweetness of a little preserve known as Fablehaven has grown into an expanded world of fantasy and secret organizations. Another preserve, brightened with the beautiful desert atmosphere of the Southwest United States, is introduced with just as many wonders as dear Fablehaven. More characters are introduced, which does nothing but make the plot and relationships all the more complex and twisted--awesome. And the characters and places already familiar continue to develop.

And Mull writes it all in stride. True to young adult fantasy, his writing is fairly simple, but tight and descriptive just the same. He is in control of this world, while at the same time seeing in awe of just what he has created. The characters are not flashy stereotypes, but subtle, down-to-earth, and very much believable.

Amazing book and I cannot wait for the next.

I read somewhere that Brandon Mull was the heir apparent to J.K. Rowling's dynasty. I'm now a believer. This kid is pretty good. I wonder what would have happened if Fablehaven had come out before Harry Potter.

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven)In his third foray into magical kingdoms unseen by most mere mortals, Brandon Mull thrills us with tales of dragons in ancient American Indian locales. From start to finish, this book has you breathlessly running from one encounter to the next, always with too much at stake to ever give in to the shadowy beasts that lurk at every turn. Spunky young Seth continues to stretch his limits, always resulting in hilarity. He, too, has gifts to uncover as he boldly ventures forward with familiar characters from the first two books, and imaginative new creatures introduced in this one. A hint of romance looms ahead for sweet Kendra as she begins to blossom from her childhood. Events prove that time is measured only by man, and nothing in Fablehaven ever remains stagnant. A stupendous read for seniors to their grandchildren. They are guaranteed to enjoy this bumpy ride just as much as the youngest child.