Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

After having read Harry Potter again I was very anxious to read the next Falehaven book. When it comes to fantasy stories set in modern times often we are hearing about an underground culture of things that are hidden from view except for few who are either invited in or stumble upon it by accident (for example Harry Potter, The Dark is Rising, The Spiderwick Chronicles etc.), or we are listening to stories from different worlds that modern individuals are sucked into, in such as series as The Chronicles of Narnia, FarWorld or Leven Thumps. Fablehaven falls into the former category but adds the unique circumstance of having mythical creatures relegated to sanctuaries or preserves similar to those set up for endangered animals. This twist added to the hidden culture theme pulled me into the first book (probably my least favorite) and got me interested enough to read the second. And the second book blew me away (I still want a cat with nine lives as my guardian).

I have been anxiously awaiting this book for some time now but even more so after I reread the third book not long ago. And I was not disappointed. One thing that I have feared the most about these books is that the repetition of the characters continuously braving a series of obstacles to recover some magical item. This is possibly why I was not so excited about the third book as the character try to retrieve the item at Lost Mesa after having done the same thing in the second book. In this book there continues to be some similar situations but they are not the focus of the story. I hope that in the next book there is not much more of these obstacle course types of scenes.

This being the biggest disappointment of the series says a lot about the author and the world that he has created. I am in awe as I learn more and more about the characters and the things that make them special. Kendra and Seth have both been endowed with mythical powers that complement each other and illustrate their differences. The Dialogue between these two is as close to actual sibling dialogue as any author can get.

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary picks up where Grip of the Shadow Plague left off with the characters looking for more artifacts to protect from the Society of the Evening Star. Two items are known to be in their possession and one in possession of the Knights of the Dawn. Where are the other two and who will get to them first? The process through which these are accomplished is enthralling and the action continues to excite (though nothing yet as good as that 3 headed panther). Some mysteries are explained and there are not many unanswered questions at the end of the story.

I continue to enjoy Mull's writing style, the characterization, the dialogue and especially how he depicts the action within the story. These stories continue to amaze me and I can't wait until next march to read the final book.