"Decent ending to the series. I love, adore, need more Bracken!" - my 9 year old daughter.

"Overall story and concept were entertaining but the characters were a bit whiny. The ending didn't completely live up to its potential." - my 36 year old husband.

I, myself enjoyed this series. We listened to it entirely on Audiobook and the voices were quite impressive. This last installment was satisfying and I agree with my daughter... Bracken is awesome!

I thought this was going to be a mediocre month, because I got severely bogged down in a 1001 books list book for over 2 weeks. And I finished it on May 1, so it shows up next month! It turns out the first 2 weeks of the month were much better, and I had already forgotten. Which is why I keep lists in the first place....

Books completed: 10

1001 list books: 2

Nonfiction: 2

New fiction (2015/2016): 4 (including 1 new translation)

Poetry: 1

YA/middle grade: 2 (both from my 7th grader)

In translation: 3

Women authors: 4

Authors of color: 1

The final book of the series! And I have to say I am so impressed with how the story wraps up. The final solution is clever and smart--and completely believable (assuming you can handle the dragons, wyverns, demons, etc etc).

I also very much like how Mull includes a final chapter on how this really is the last in the series. There will be no surprise continuations in a few years. He is moving onto other things. Which is great--maybe we will see some of these characters again, or maybe not. It will not be in the context of Fablehaven, in any case. I think with a middle grade/YA series (this series kind of straddles that divide) it is even more important to just end it. The audience shifts as kids become old enough to read these, and the others age out. My 7th grader finished this last fall, he has read 1+ a year since 4th grade. His reading has improved dramatically over that time. But he too is ready to move on. This was his favorite of the series.

For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite.

Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken -- Seth is a bit too curious and reckless for his own good -- powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most

my rating: 4 stars

what did I think of it:
this is the first time I've ever read this series, while I did like it and in fact enjoyed it , it took a while for me to get into the story, also I didn't really like Seth for much of the book because of how reckless he was. Hopefully i'll like the second book better than this one when I go to pick it up,

Initially, the cover of this book caught my eye. I'd never read the Fablehaven series, which this book is a companion to, but it made me want to learn more about the series. Inside, the book is filled with awesome drawings and amusing little notes "left" by the MC's of the series. It's divided into sections such as "Creatures", "Dragons", and "Artifacts & Items" just to name a few. It took me almost a couple of months to read and review this book because I was so impressed by it, I wanted to begin reading the actual series before I finished the companion book. I'm now on book 2, and I can see this as a handy book to come back to skim over and reread certain passages as needed. This is everything I could want from a companion book!