Book Review: Across a Star-Swept Sea

Title: Across a Star-Swept Sea
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Series: For Darkness Shows the Stars
Genre: YA/Retelling/Science Fiction>Post Apocalyptic/Romance
Goodreads rating: 4.05
My rating: 4.5

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

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I've always loved the Scarlet Pimpernel.  I haven't actually read the book, which I plan to rectify eventually, but I grew up watching the movie(Jane Seymour) with my mom and sister.  After reading For Darkness Shows the Stars, the first book in this series(retelling of Persuasion) I was ecstatic to see that the next book was a retelling of the Scarlet Pimpernel.  

I was really not disappointed in this book.  Next to a stunning cover and title is an equally stunning read.  The title of the books in this series are so poetically beautiful and aside from the gorgeous covers, just draw you in.  

This book begins shortly after the end of For Darkness Shows the Stars.  The setting is completely different but some of the issues are the same, yet different as both "countries" believe they are the sole existing humans left in the world and have dealt with the "reduction" in different ways.  In Elliot and Kai's explorations(occurring after the end of the first book) they come to an island in New Pacifica and cross path's with Persis and her friends.  Though Across the Star-Swept Sea isn't about the characters of the 1st book their arrival is a critical turning point in the book.  

I would be silly if I didn't mention the romance in this book.  I love Justen and Persis' relationship.  It was great reading as Justen's opinion of Persis' slowly changed from spoiled, flighty and stupid to loving and caring and generous if not at all serious and still spoiled and silly until he learned of her identity as the Wild Poppy who is daring and excessively smart as well as a little bit of everything else he discovered about her.  

I honestly can't wait to see where this series goes from here.  What retelling will be next?!  Whatever it is I'm sure it will be just as lovely.  

Book Review: Heist Society

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Heist Society
Genre: YA/Mystery/Contemporary
Goodreads rating: 3.95
My rating: 4

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

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Great cover, right?!  Or maybe you need to read the book to really appreciate the cover.  I love it when I read a book and the image on the cover is a perfect fit with the image the author is trying to create.  I love the Heist Society covers, especially the images you can see through the sunglasses.  It's kinda perfect.  

Have any of you read the Gallagher Girls series?  Well if you liked Gallagher Girls you'll definitely like Heist Society.  Kat decides to leave the life of a thief.  Not so easily done when it is the family business.  When she decides to come back to the life she realizes how much she missed out on but is it enough to convince her to stay? Will she be the kind of thief that steals for selfish reasons or the kind of thief that restores property to it's rightful owners? With the help of her not quite boyfriend Hale and other members of the family business can Kat save her father from certain death?  

I really like this series.  I like that it is clever without being too clever that you aren't even sure if you are following.  Maybe the outcome surprises you but maybe it doesn't.  I personally never quite predicted the outcomes in any of the books.  But I was also never confused by the outcome.  It's a really nice balance that makes for a very enjoyable read.  

Here is the list of the series as it is completed so far:

Heist Society
Uncommon Criminals
Perfect Scoundrels

Book Review: Princess of the Midnight Ball

Title: Princess of the Midnight Ball
Author: Jessica Day George
Series: Princess or 12 Dancing Princesses
Genre: Romance/YA/Fairy Tale
Goodreads rating: 3.9
My rating: 4.5

A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… 

Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. 

Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.

___________

Of all the versions of the 12 dancing princesses that I've read this is my favorite.  I love the characters, I love the romance and I love the magic.  I also love how well you get to know the sisters.  Some versions I have read all but the main character gets quite forgotten or has very little face time.  You get to know the sisters even better through the following two books in the series.  

The pacing of the book is great too.  I'm generally a person that likes books that move along.  I don't like to get waylaid by slow scenes and overly long descriptions.  I have a tendency to skip sentences, paragraphs and even pages if a book isn't moving how I like.  In this book I wanted to read every word and miss nothing.  

Rose is the main character and also the oldest sister in this book.  All of the sisters are named after a flower.  For fun here are all the sisters names in order of age, oldest to youngest:

Rose
Lily
Jonquil
Hyacinth
Violet
Poppy(twins with Daisy)
Daisy(twins with Poppy)
Lilac
Iris
Orchid
Pansy
Petunia

The two other books in the series feature Poppy and Petunia as main characters.  The second book Princess of Glass is my favorite in the series, I just love Poppy, she is hilarious and totally awesome.  

Here are the books in this series:

Princess of the Midnight Ball(Rose)
Princess of Glass(Poppy)
Princess of the Silver Woods(Petunia)

While the second and third books are a continuation of the 12 dancing princesses they are really their own fairy tales as well.  Princess of Glass, as you may have guessed, has a Cinderella theme to it and Princess of the Silver Woods, as you may have guessed as well, is sort of a mix of Little Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood.  Speaking of the covers, GORGEOUS! I love them!  

If you have never read Jessica Day George before PLEASE DO!  She is so great at retelling fairy tales and spinning some of her own.  

Book Review: Etiquette and Espionage

Title: Etiquette and Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Finishing School
Genre: Steampunk/Paranormal/YA
Goodreads rating: 3.76
My rating: 3.8

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

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Check out that cover! It gives a perfect impression for the feel of the book.  Some book covers are beautiful but after reading the book doesn't really seem accurate.  This cover totally captures what the book is, I happen to quite love it!

When I first started reading this book I was like, 1800's setting, advanced machinery, vampires and werewolves...how very odd!  Indeed this book is a really interesting pairing of steampunk and paranormal.  I don't know why but it just seemed so odd.   Still, the interesting mix of genre's made for a fun read.  

Sophronia, the misbehaving adventurer, finds her place in life when she attends Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.  This traveling school in the sky is perfect for her and her lifelong quest to be anything but the perfect young lady her mother wants her to be.  But in order to become the spy/adventurer she knows she's meant to be incidentally she does have to learn to be a proper lady in the process, but that doesn't stop her from dressing up like a boy and hanging out with the sooties. 

There are a lot of great supporting characters in this book.  From her room, roommate to the sootie Soap to her dormmate, Sidhead(pronounced She-ak I believe), who was raised by werewolves.  

There is really no romance in this book, which is really ok seeing as Sophronia is only 14.  But by the end of the book there is definitely the promise of possible romance/s for future books.  The second book, Curtsies and Conspiracies came out not too long ago and was even better than the first book.  I still think about a specific scene where Sophronia and Sidhead dress up as boys and I remember how hard I was laughing at the time.  

Speaking of Sidhead, there is another series written by Carriger called the Parasol Protectorate which came out before this series.  I personally have not read it but I believe she is in there as well, before she is sent to the "finishing school."

All in all this is just a light, fun read to pick up from your local library.  

Book Review: Not My Type

Title: Not My Type: A Single Girl's Guide to Doing It All Wrong
Author: Melanie Jacobson
Genre: LDS Fiction/Romance/Humor
Goodreads rating: 4.08
My rating: 4

Twenty-three-year-old Pepper Spicer is not living the dream. She ended her engagement at the last minute because her fiancé -- a musician and soon-to-be reality TV star -- wanted her to sacrifice her own career ambitions for his.

Now she's stuck at home sharing a room with her little sister, trying to pay off massive debt for a wedding that didn't happen, and spending Friday nights Facebook-stalking everyone who has a better life. Her therapist father urges her to choose her career dreams and count her blessings by writing weekly thank you notes, but gratitude is a tall order when she botches an important job interview and has to settle for writing an undercover dating web-zine column -- the last thing in the world she wants to do. Still, as Pepper (byline: Indie Girl) chronicles her bizarre and hilarious blind dates, she gives her father's challenge a try and slowly finds herself leaving self-pity behind. Life takes a major upswing as Pepper's column hits the big time and she tastes the exhilarating thrill of success. But there's one tiny problem: the intensely hot man she's falling for is having issues with her job (again). Will Pepper trade her personal ambition for another chance at love?

___________

First things first, I enjoy some good LDS fiction.  I know it is not everyone's cup of tea and that is ok.  I have seen some books get very poor ratings because the purchaser did not know the book was LDS fiction and it made them uncomfortable.  So I am here to ask you first and foremost to just do a little 5 minute(tops) research on a book and author before you purchase the book.  With most books it is a matter of 30 seconds to pull up the Goodreads page, look over to the genre section and see that it has been categorized under LDS Fiction.  Also, when I am rating a piece of LDS fiction I will ALWAYS have it listed as such after "Genre" in the section to the right of the photo.  To give even more fair warning I will most likely mention it in my review as well.  

Of all Jacobson's books this one is definitely my favorite.  She has a tendency to make her female leads commitment phobes and a bit self destructive in their relationships.  It's never so bad that I can't stand the main character, it's more that it is just a pattern I find old and worn out.  Despite that Pepper Spicer is definitely my favorite female lead of hers.  Her quirkiness and her wit make for some great humor and endears her to the reader.  I love her relationship with Tanner and how it grows throughout the book.

Pepper's last name is Spicer and her personality totally fits her name.  Her siblings all have "spice" names as well, her brothers being Coriander and Mace and her sisters being Ginger and Rosemary, how fun is that?!  

This is a clean, light, and fun read.  Nice for a Sunday after church or if you are just looking for a little clean romance to get you through your week.  

Book Review: Ruby Red

Title: Ruby Red
Author Kerstin Geir translated to English by Anthea Bell
Series: Ruby Red Trilogy/Precious Stone Trilogy
Genre: Sci-Fi>Time Travel/YA/Romance
Goodreads rating: 4.14
My rating: 4.25/4.5

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

__________

I just HAD to put both covers on here.  The bottom one is the one you will most likely see when you search for this book whether on goodreads.com or amazon.com.  But look at how beautiful the top one is!  It's gorgeous and I just love it!  

So maybe not everyone will find this as funny as I do but the author is German.  Obviously that's not the funny part!  I think it's funny that this book is written in German but set in England with English speaking people who often are making references to American pop culture.  I don't know but I just find that sort of funny.  

I love this book, or more precisely this series.  Probably this biggest downfall of this series is that it reads like one full book chopped randomly into three.  The first and second book sort of just end...and you are like, "what the heck, that was the end of it?!!?"  I read these books as they were released so it was a little maddening.  But what's awesome is that the whole series is out now, so if you decide to read it you can plan ahead and just grab all three of them so you can just keep reading after the abrupt ending smacks you in the face.  

Gwen is awesome!  She is so wonderfully normal and teenager-y.  Except for where she isn't normal.  That is, unlike everyone else she can see ghosts.  All her interactions with ghosts are great.  Especially Xemerius, who sadly, does not really play a roll in the first book.  But let me tell you, he is great and so funny!  He totally helps make these books.  A shout out to her BFF Lesley as well, she is the perfect supporting character.  She's everything you can want in a BFF/sidekick.  

Then there's Gideon, sigh!  He is so alluring yet such a stink at the same time.  You are simultaneously rooting for him and wanting to smack him.  But I admit that I loved him and his and Gwen's relationship.  He ends up having more depth than is initially perceived.  

This book may not be for the hard core time travel fanatics.  As is my opinion with most time travel book/shows/movies the execution isn't perfect and honestly can get quite confusing.  I love that this book keeps it simple.  It is what it is and your brain doesn't hurt by the end.  Perfect!  Plus you are getting so much more from these books than just time travel.  Romance, mystery, adventure, comedy, the whole shebang!  :) 

Here's all the books:

Ruby Red                                                                                                                                                                                    Sapphire Blue                                                                                                                                                                            Emerald Green

Book Review: Edenbrooke

Title: Edenbrooke
Author: Julianne Donaldson
Series: A Proper Romance
Genre: Romance/Regency/Historical Fiction
Goodreads rating: 4.36
My rating: 4.5

Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she'll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry. From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.



___________

Edenbrook is Julianne Donaldson's debut novel and it is spectacular!  I promise this is the last regency novel I will be reviewing this month.  But when I decided to review Seeking Persephone I had to do Friends and Foes as well and I couldn't help it but I just had to do Edenbrooke along with those two.  

So this book is part of a series called A Proper Romance.  Donaldson has contributed two books to this series as well as Ms. Sarah Eden who wrote the aforementioned regency novels.  Those include:

Edenbrook by Julianne Donaldson
Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden
Longing for Home 2: Hope Springs by Sarah M. Eden

I love all the characters in this book and I especially love Marianne and Philip's relationship.  She is constantly being overwhelmed by her twin sister's beauty and her twin sisters talents and her twin sisters wants but Philip helps her see the beauty in her that has always been there but she has never seen.  Her whole experience at Edenbrooke finally leads her to the conclusion that it matters what she wants too and it's not so far out of reach as it seems.  

Clean, beautiful, powerful and lovely.  A romance really worth reading.  Don't forget to pick up Blackmoore as well.  It is a romance as equally lovely and fantastic.  Very worth it.  

Book Review: Friends and Foes

Title: Friends and Foes
Author: Sarah M. Eden
Series: The Jonquil Brothers
Genre: Romance/Regency/Historical Fiction
Goodreads rating: 4.11
My rating: 4.75

After five years of tracking and capturing spies on English soil, Philip Jonquil, Earl of Lampton, is in pursuit of his last quarry. But at a traveler’s inn, he encounters an unexpected and far more maddening foe: Sorrel Kendrick, a young lady who is strikingly pretty, shockingly outspoken, and entirely unimpressed with him. Indeed, Sorrel cannot believe the nerve of this gentleman, who rudely accuses her of theft and insults her feminine dignity. Doubly annoyed when they both end up at a party hosted by mutual friends, Philip and Sorrel privately declare war on one another. But Philip’s tactics, which range from flirting to indifference, soon backfire as he finds himself reluctantly enjoying Sorrel’s company; and, much to her dismay, Sorrel finds Philip’s odd manner to be increasingly endearing. In the midst of this waning war and growing attraction, Philip catches wind of the French spy he’s been tracking, and Sorrel inadvertently stumbles upon a crucial piece of the puzzle, making her indispensable to the mission. But can two proud hearts negotiate a ceasefire when cooperation matters most?

___________

Ah, Philip!  This book is definitely my favorite of all of Eden's books.  I just love the dandified character that Philip plays.  There's definitely a Scarlet Pimpernel vibe going on in this book.  Philip plays the fool in order to fool all those around him.  He is a spy and in order to throw off any suspicion he creates this completely ridiculous version of himself that no one can take seriously.  But behind all that outer silliness there is a very perceptive and very caring Earl who wants nothing more than to see all his brothers happy.  

I also really like Sorrel.  From the very beginning you know that she and Philip are perfect for each other and can't wait for them to figure that out themselves.  For me, it is nice to occasionally come across characters who aren't perfectly proper and perfectly sweet and perfectly docile.  It makes them more relatable and more interesting.  

So here's the lineup for this series:

Friends and Foes(Philip Jonquil, oldest brother)
Drops of Gold(Layton Jonquil, second oldest brother)
As You Are(Corbin Jonquil, one of the twins)
A Fine Gentelman(Jason Jonquil, the other twin) set to be re-released sometime in the near future

Also I would be remiss if I didn't mention The Kiss of a Stranger.  While not part of The Jonquil Brother series it would be a wise decision to read this one beforehand.  Chronologically this book falls before Friends and Foes and is about Philip's best friend Crispin.  Philip makes his first appearance in this book and Crispin is also in Friends and Foes and while understanding who they are in the books that aren't respectively their's isn't necessary I feel it makes for better reading and quicker understanding.  

Book Review: Seeking Persephone

Title: Seeking Persephone
Author: Sarah M. Eden
Series: The Lancaster Family
Genre: Romance/Regency/Historical Fiction
Goodreads rating: 4.11
My rating: 4.5

When Persephone Lancaster receives a marriage proposal from the ill-tempered Duke of Kielder, she refuses, and then reconsiders. The obscene sum of money he's offering Persephone would save her family from ruin. With her characteristic optimism, she travels to the far reaches of Northumberland to wed a greatly feared stranger. Lodged deep in a thick forest infested with wild dogs, the Duke's castle is as cold and forbidding as the Duke himself, a man with terrible scars on his body and his soul. But the Duke's steely determination to protect his heart at all costs is challenged by his growing attachment to his lovely and gentle bride. With caring persistence, Persephone attempts to pierce the Duke's armor and reach the man beneath. Yet he cannot tolerate such exposure, and his repeated rejections take their toll. But when grave danger arises, the Duke realizes he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he cannot live without.

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Beauty and the Beast meets Regency + Sarah M. Eden = Perfect!  Seeking Persephone was the first book I ever read by Sarah M. Eden and I was so pleasantly surprised.  I love me some Jane Austen books and movies but beyond that was incredibly under read in this genre that I happen to adore.  Thank you Ms. Eden for curing me of that!

I honestly can't think of much else to say, Beauty and the Beast sums things up pretty nicely.  The characters are all very likeable, the romance is clean and beautifully delivered, there are lovely touches of humor throughout.  It's really everything you can want in a Regency Romance.  

So far there are only two books in this series.  Seeking Persephone and Courting Miss Lancaster, which follows the story of Persephone's sister Athena.  Read one of Eden's books and I can bet you'll be actively searching to read all of them.  

Book Review: The Demon King

Title: The Demon King
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Series: Seven Realms
Genre: Fantasy>High Fantasy/YA
Goodreads rating: 4.22
My rating: 4

One day Han Alister catches three young wizard setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet away from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won’t use it against him. The amulet once belonged to the Demon King, who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece so powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna has her own battle to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of riding and hunting with her father’s family. Raisa aspires to be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems that her mother has other plans for her—plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning page-turner from best-selling author Cinda Williams Chima.

___________

Sometimes it's really nice to be able to read a series that is nice and complete.  This 4 book series is complete and ready for your reading binge.  

I really enjoyed this series.  Sometimes, amidst all the books I read, there are books that tend to stick with me.  I don't always know why I can give two different books the same rating but one of them I think about far longer than the other.  This is one of those series that has stuck with me.  It's been a while since I finished the series and I still occasionally think about it or when someone is asking for a fantasy series to read this one always pops into my head.  Maybe not the first one to pop in my head but it inevitably does.  

This series follows the POV's of two people.  Let's start with Han.  Han is basically a street rat/former street lord.  He is a wonderfully flawed main character with room to grow.  His flaws only humanize him and make you root for him even more.  

Princess Raisa(kind of an Aladdin dynamic going on here) is trapped in tricky world of politics between the wizards, the court and  the clans.  She knows she wants to emulate her ancestors but maneuvering through the murky waters of court life proves difficult.   She is headstrong and isn't brought down easy by those who would wish to control her.  

Han and Raisa's paths only cross briefly in this first book but never fear, in the following books we get a lot more Han and Raisa interaction.  

I want to touch briefly on the romance in this series.  The intimate interactions in this series are more mature than the previous books I have reviewed.  I want to be honest about this part because I don't want to recommend this series just to offend someone by the content.  While I think the author deals with the situations in a mature way I probably would put a 14 or older age recommendation on the series.

The books in this series are as follows:

The Demon King
The Exiled Queen
The Gray Wolf Throne
The Crimson Crown

Book Review: Fablehaven

Title: Fablehaven
Author: Brandon Mull
Series: Fablehaven
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade/Adventure
Goodreads rating: 4.03
My rating: 4

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite ... Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most.

___________

So here's the thing about Fablehaven, the first book is really, in my opinion, not the best representation of the entire series.  I definitely feel the strongest points of the first book is really setting the scene for the following books.  It's actually really hard for me to rate the first book without taking into consideration the rest of the books.  Fablehaven happens to be in my top 3 favorite fantasy series.  But it doesn't earn that place on the merits of the first book alone.  I have some acquaintances who have not finished the series because the first book, to them, was not their favorite.  I've seen this enough that I say to everyone, "don't judge this series by the first book!! read through the second book and decide after that if you wanna continue the series or not!"

Don't get me wrong though, I do not dislike the first book or think it is bad.  It is slower paced than the rest of the books but it is a very good set up for the rest of the series.  I classified this book as middle grade and this first book is probably more solidly in the  middle grade category than the others.  I would definitely let my young kids read this series yet I myself as an adult enjoy it very much.  I really love authors that can do this.  I think it takes real talent to write something that is interesting for all ages and genders.  

Just a fun little side note, I love sort of unique and non traditional names.  Though Brandon Mull always picks fairly traditional names for his main characters a lot of his supporting characters have unique names(ie the more mystical ones).  There is one character in the 5th book in this series who I loved the moment he showed up and I thought his name was awesome.  It took a little convincing on my part but we gave that name to our little boy.  I love finding names from book series.  Our second daughter is also named from a character in Eragon.  

Back to business.  I honestly cannot recommend the Fablehaven series enough.  For anyone and everyone.  The series as a whole is a 5 star read for me.  I love it and I think you will too!