Sunday, May 4, 2014

First Review: FABLEHAVEN

Ello my fellow bloggers! This blog's first review is on Brandon Mull's Fablehaven, a thrilling book that connects with not only magic, but Greek Mythology [squeals]. Sorry...got to compose myself before I go off running around the room screaming that I love Greek Mythology. I feel that it's time for a bit of Summary Time with a cup of tea (or Joe, if you're fancy-smanshy like that). Staying at an old mansion with your grumpy grandparents you barely know isn't exactly Kendra and Seth's ideal vacation. They would rather go on an all adult trip on a Scandinavian cruise. Much more...normal. Seth and Kendra have to cope with their ancestors that they barely know, a dusty bedroom with no up to date toys, and--oh my gosh--no cell service. Along with a mystery that Kendra is supposed to figure out on her own, she has to make sure her brother doesn't go off into forbidden areas. Which is pretty much impossible for Seth. With his trusty emergency kit (that stores mostly unnecessary thing such as firecrackers), he heads off into the woods. The fact he ignores the whole "Young man, you better not step a foot into that woods or you will face the consequences" thing, gets him into deep trouble, bringing his sister down with him. The siblings stumble upon a world of beautiful magic. And soon they find out that it's far too dangerous. Too dangerous for even the most powerful to handle... That's our summary, and now I will take on the tricky role of rating the book in stars [*]. You can go ahead and yell at me if I score incorrectly according to your standards. Our first book of the blog gets a rating of [drum role please] *** 3 stars! Now why I gave it the score I did... Fablehaven is a great book filled with action and mystery. The characters are well developed. Brandon uses the normal way to start the story, get rid of the parents and go to a mystical land filled with magic. We got to the mystical world of magic, but it took us a while to literally get to the 'mystical' and 'magic' part. I guess that was supposed to surprise the reader. But really, there was no thought in my mind at the time that questioned if it was a mystical place. It was described as any old mansion; old, dusty, and boring. If it weren't for me reading a textbook on fairies when I was little, I wouldn't have guessed what the things in the garden were. Another flaw that bothered me a bit: the sister-brother relationship wasn't strong enough. It just felt like Kendra and Seth were just friends who were different ages. Sorry Brandon, but it was just a fact nagging me throughout the book. I recommend this book to ages 10 and up, also to the people who like mythical fiction stories.Besides those two flaws, GREAT BOOK!

8 comments:

  1. Welcome to MMGM. I enjoyed your first review of a book I haven't read. Appreciate the background and reasons for your rating (Is your maximum 4 or 5 stars?).

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    1. Thanks Greg! Oops...I did forget the max rating.
      It's five stars by the way.

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  2. This series is very popular with my students, and I enjoyed it myself. Welcome to MMGM!

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    1. I'm glad I chose a book that other people like too. (I was a little worried about it...) And thanks for the warm welcome!

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  3. Love this series I must say. AND---a book for you to check out if you have not already is Beyond the Door by Maureen McQuerry. Yep...mythology and middle grade. Thinkin you might like it. Welcome to MMGM!

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  4. I'm always open to suggestions for the books I should read and review. I've added Beyond the Door to the LONG list of books I need to read. (I'll probably read it first to escape the pile of Nancy Drew books my friends want me to read, and I am fixed on not doing that.)
    The blogging community is so nice!!! I didn't think I would get the warm and fuzzies from reviewing books (never thought I would say that...). But I really appreciate it guys.

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  5. Welcome to MMGM. It's always nice to have new reviewers. Thanks for telling me about Fablehaven.

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    1. : ) Two things: Thanks and your welcome.
      (Hmm add that to the list of things I haven't said before.)

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