My first venture to the magical world of Fablehaven was truly an unforgettable one. I just couldn’t stop raving about it to every bookish person I know. Truth be told, I read Harry Potter series because a number of critics and authors compared Fablehaven to it(and yes, I just read Harry Potter this year. Please, don’t kill me.) I wanted to prolong the pleasure in reading the entire Fablehaven series so I didn’t read the 2nd book immediately after the 1st one. I finally decided to revisit Fablehaven because I wanted to read something magical, just in time for the holiday season.
The Sorenson sibling are on their last days of the the school year, but for Kendra it isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. There’s suddenly a new guy in her class and every girl thinks that he’s uber hot. Kendra thought the joke’s on her because what she sees is a boy with hideous features, someone comparable to a goblin. She realized that it was indeed a goblin and of course, she’s the only one who can see it as she’s the only one who has the ability to see past through the magical veil that deceives the normal human eye, an ability she received from the fairies on her first visit to the Fablehaven.
Kendra, knowing that the goblin is up to something mischivous, seeked the help of her smart-mouthed, drastic younger brother, Seth. As she expected, Seth can offer nothing other than his sarcastic remarks. When a mysterious man named Errol shows up, offering his help to eliminate the goblin, they reluctantly accepts it. Kendra and Seth didn’t know that the eliminating the goblin is only the first in the chain of events that will lead them to spending another summer at Fablehaven. Another summer filled with magic, schemes, betrayals, and Seth messing up with the creatures mainly setting up a C-size battery-to-gold exchange business with the satyrs.
What I love the most about Fablehaven is how easy it is for Brandon Mull to break, crumble, and pound the wall that separates reality and fantasy. Before I know it, I was completely suckied into the land of Fablehaven filled with both colorful and sinister creatures. The rules he set on his fictional land are just wickedly cool. Fablehaven, a magical creatures preserv e, is certainly one of those fictional places – along with Hogwarts, Camp-Half Blood, etc., – that will make you wish that they really exists. Brandon Mull really do tests and expands the boundaries of the reader’s imagination.
Seth and Kendra is a very powerful tandem, too. I know we’ve already seen a lot of siblings whose hobby is to bicker in fiction, but Seth and Kendra by far is my favorite. They just compliment each other perfectly. Seth’s naughtiness and immaturity balances well Kendra’s goody good attitude, while Kendra’s doubts and uncertainties balances well Seth’s admirable, daredevilish bravery.
The plot are no less superb. It was a tad bit darker than the first one but definitely more engrossing. The solution to the whoddunit mystery going on isn’t a giveaway. We’re at the same pace on unveiling the culprit as the characters in the book, unlike other fantasy novels in which we’re always two-steps ahead. The surprises hidden on Brandon Mull’s sleeve is seemingly infinite and he just keeps pulling one until the very last page. This careful plotting of the mystery produced a solidly characterized culprit. The culprit was three-dimensional, and being a huge sucker for well-characterized ‘villains’, I am satisfied.
Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star is another highly imaginatve book with the perfect balance of magic, sweetness, innocence, and danger. If you love watching Disney Pixar movies, then this book is for you. I love visiting the magical creatures preserve that is Fablehaven, and I’m already looking forward to my next one.