Friday, October 03, 2008

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull


This sequel to the first two Fablehaven books begins immediately following the end of the second book, while Kendra and Seth are still staying with their grandparents during the summer. Seth stumbles onto the fact that something is turning light creatures dark; this problem quickly becomes severe when they realize that the condition is spreading. Meanwhile, Kendra gets inducted into the order of the Knights of the Dawn and is sent on a secret mission to another preserve to hopefully retrieve a second artifact. Additionally, all of the questions regarding the loyalties of the Sphinx and the trustworthiness of Vanessa complicate the predicament that all of the characters face as they race, once again, to save Fablehaven from falling and the world from the release of powerful demons.


This is a really great series overall. I enjoyed rereading the first two books (which is something I would recommend before starting the third to keep up with everything) and the third was just as good. Seth finally seems to grow out of his antics a bit in this one, which was a relief, and the newer characters all became more defined and more central to the story than they have in the first ones. The story is sophisticated enough to keep these books interesting for teens of all ages, and I definitely recommend them to fantasy fans. As a side note, according to the website, the fourth book, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, ought to be out by April 2009.


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