Finally had a chance to sit down and finish this fantastic book this morning. The fourth in Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary follows route in being bigger and better than its predecessors. I really cannot rave about this series enough. Once again, Seth and Kendra Sorens0n have serious challenges and adventures and manage to prove themselves in the process.
I really can’t say all that I want to about this book because it would spoil the pants off of anyone who hasn’t read the series! But I can say that these books are ridiculously inventive, completely understanding of kids’ intelligence—and completely appealing to the kid inside each one of us. There’s really nothing I can compare this series to. It’s not a Harry-Potteresque allegory, it deals with real-life ch0ices and consequences, and real-life challenges… it just does it with a cast that includes dragons and satyrs and giants and trolls. That said, it is also something completely fantastical. It’s something akin to mythology, where the heroes are just normal people, standing up against enormous (sometimes literally!) odds. And through it all there is a sense of humor, danger, intrigue… even the smallest shades of romance.
As always, there’s also masterfully subtle lessons built in to the stories about teamwork, taking chances, being honest, and accepting responsibility for your actions. Meanwhile, Mull has gotten better and better at conveying emotion and (admittedly) whopping the reader over the head with unexpected twists and turns.
I’m already ready for the next one – or maybe I’m not, since it’s the last one planned for the series. The last one! What am I supposed to do to get my fantasy kick after this? Why must I be so series-prone, and love characters so much? While I’m the first to admit that a story that last forever is a story that lasts too long, I hate to say goodbye to them, too. Then again, I could certainly do with a re-read… once I get the books back from my brother, that is!
Fablehaven is also published by Shadow Mountain, the very publisher I’m eyeing myself. I would love to see my books up alongside the likes of the Fablehaven series. Someday, they just might be.
Anyhow, go grab these books! The first three are already in paperback, and so, so very worthy of being added to your personal library, and once you pick the first one up, you’ll just want to keep on reading.
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