Fablehaven (Book 1)

by Brandon Mull

book data

7,012 ratings, 4.15 average rating, 1,936 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		39%
4		40%
3		16%
2		2%
1		0%

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published

June 14th 2006 by Shadow Mountain

binding

Hardcover, 368 pages

isbn

1590385810 (isbn13: 9781590385814)

description

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary sur...more

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05/04/08

Jennifer Wardrip rated it:

(review of isbn 1416947205)

bookshelves: gold-star-award, personal-read, trt-reviews

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

It's very rare, in this day and age of Harry Potter mania (and yes, I admit I'm a very devoted victim!) to find a fantasy story that can actually hold your attention. With FABLEHAVEN, though, new author Brandon Mull manages to do just that from the very first page to the last. Not to mention, thank the fairies, that there's already another book planned in the series.

The premise is simple enough: two siblings, thirteen-year-old Kendra an...more Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

It's very rare, in this day and age of Harry Potter mania (and yes, I admit I'm a very devoted victim!) to find a fantasy story that can actually hold your attention. With FABLEHAVEN, though, new author Brandon Mull manages to do just that from the very first page to the last. Not to mention, thank the fairies, that there's already another book planned in the series.

The premise is simple enough: two siblings, thirteen-year-old Kendra and her eleven-year-old brother, Seth, are relegated to spending time with their paternal grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson, while their parents enjoy a seventeen-day Scandinavian cruise. At first glance, that might not seem so strange, but you have to understand that their family's relationship with the grandparents Sorenson is sort of an odd one. They don't visit much, they don't call; in fact, Kendra and Seth don't really know their grandparents that well at all.

This is a forced, mandatory vacation though, so the kids don't have much choice in the matter. And when they finally reach Fablehaven, where, unbeknown to them, their Grandfather is the caretaker, they're a little overwhelmed. First, there were the No Trespassing and Private Property signs that gave way to one that said Certain Death Awaits. Now, they find out that however pretty and secluded Fablehaven may be, there's no television, no radio, and a ton of rules -- not all of which make sense.

What follows is two weeks of more adventure, trouble, suspense, and magic than the kids could have ever dreamed of. When their rash actions, and disobedience to some important rules, leads to retribution from the magical world of Fablehaven, Kendra, Seth, Grandpa Sorenson, and even Grandma, who seems to be missing, are in for a ride.

FABLEHAVEN is a great fantasy novel perfect for everyone, from young adults to those young at heart. With a cast of characters ranging from witches to fairies, satyrs to imps, strange chickens and conniving trolls, there's definitely something for everyone. I plan to give my copy of FABLEHAVEN to my ten-year-old son to read next, and I'm pretty sure he'll enjoy it as much as I did (not to mention my mom, who gets it when he's done!). Kudos to Mr. Mull for such a great debut fantasy novel, and for giving me something absolutely wonderful to read during my Harry Potter-deprived winter. I can't wait for the next book in the series! (less)

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04/29/08

Kathryn rated it:

(review of isbn 1416947205)

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Kathryn by: lots of people on GoodReads posts

It was hard to determine what rating to give this book--I think 2.5 is my verdict. For "interesting concept" I'd give it four stars--but for execution/delivery only two stars. On "fulfilling expectations" I'd give it one star. This is one of the most disappointing reads I've come across. Thankfully the final few chapters were decent, so that saved the book from being a dismal failure in my mind.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I must say that this b...more It was hard to determine what rating to give this book--I think 2.5 is my verdict. For "interesting concept" I'd give it four stars--but for execution/delivery only two stars. On "fulfilling expectations" I'd give it one star. This is one of the most disappointing reads I've come across. Thankfully the final few chapters were decent, so that saved the book from being a dismal failure in my mind.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I must say that this book is NOT really about caring for magical creatures on some sort of enchanted preserve. It is rather about all the stupid things the kids staying there do that messes things up, gets other people in trouble, unleashes terrible creatures, and makes things pretty crummy. And, yes, I felt that most of the characters were pretty dumb--certainly not very likable. Even the Grandpa--I think he was supposed to be wise, as he is in charge of the whole preserve--doesn't really have a clue what to do half the time. And his half-truths and lack of confidence in the children leads to many problems that could have been avoided had he been more open--and also if the kids had been less obnoxious, selfish and stupid. Alas, I really didn't care if an evil beast ate up the little brother after he went wandering through parts of the preserve that he had been warned not to go. Unlike the kids in Harry Potter, who usually have very good reasons for disobeying rules, Seth is just being a troublesome little boy. Many of the "deep" issues of the tale are never resolved, like how only immortal creatures have no morals...

The writing style was also not that great. A few of the scenes were quite good, but most of the story lagged. Also, a few parts just seemed a bit creepy/weird and I wondered at the appropriateness for children. That is:

******SPOILER ALERT: The children see their grandmother naked--at another point, she teaches them how to give a massage to a troll in order to send him into a state of ecstasy. In another part, the kids have to slide down the utters/tips of a giant cow. Was this supposed to be funny? It just seemed a bit icky to me.******

All in all, it was a decent enough story for me to finish but I really wished the writing and character development had been good enough to really deliver what promised to be such a neat story. There are much better fantasy books out there!(less)

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

7 comments

07/15/08

Eric rated it:

At first I was thinking, "Oh great, not another story about fairies." But after a while I realized that Mull puts some very interesting twists in his version of fantastical creatures. His adds some great morals and gives the reader a chance to see how great kids can be, as if we somehow lose sight of their potential when we become adults. A great read!

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01/25/08

Lanette rated it:

(review of isbn 1416947205)

bookshelves: children-fantasy

Read in January, 2007

recommended to Lanette by: Kellie
recommends it for: Everyone who likes Fantasy

I really enjoyed this book. It's different from many other popular fantasy books, because there is a complete family structure included. No orphan, no "who could the mother / father be?", no "who's going to be the 'father/mentor' figure that gets killed?" Not here -- there's a mother, a father, and two sets of grandparents, one set of whom die before the first book in an ordinary gas leak. Due to their maternal grandparents death, they are introduced to Fablehaven and it...more

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12/30/07

Ann rated it:

(review of isbn 1416947205)

bookshelves: fantasy, katie-and-annie-bookclub, young-adult

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Ann by: Multple people!

I find it very difficult to write a review for this book. I suppose I'll start with the fact that I'd expected the book to focus more on the actual "Fantastical Preserve" - ie, what a caretaker actually does day-in and day-out to care for magical creatures. However, there really wasn't any of that. Or very little at least. It was more like a giant patch of land where the magical beings could exist. Which, is fine, just not what I'd expected.
So, now for the unfortunate things...more I find it very difficult to write a review for this book. I suppose I'll start with the fact that I'd expected the book to focus more on the actual "Fantastical Preserve" - ie, what a caretaker actually does day-in and day-out to care for magical creatures. However, there really wasn't any of that. Or very little at least. It was more like a giant patch of land where the magical beings could exist. Which, is fine, just not what I'd expected.
So, now for the unfortunate things - at least, in my opinion. I didn't really like the main characters all that well. I thought I did, for a while, but then they were just annoying. Everyone had their promising qualities, etc., but nobody really stood out to me as someone you were rooting for. The children were constantly disobeying "rules" as well as annoying each other. And while this had ramifications, it didn't seem to register with the kids... at least not as soon as it seemed it should have. On a similar topic, I found the lack of communication with the children just as disappointing, and again, the ramifications didn't seem to fit really. I wasn't very happy that one of the "messages" seemed to be "follow the rules because they are the rules." Perhaps this will be addressed in later books, but it wasn't satisfying for me in this book. Additionally, the ramifications for not telling the children all they needed to know was pretty sever, and again, I'm not sure how well the characters "learned their lessons." But, again, it is a series... so....
Also, the writing style was okay, but nothing that really astounded me. Sometimes it felt like a lot of time was spent on things that weren't really that important.
Also, a warning for squirmish readers, some parts are rather nasty. There's nothing really, really, bad, and it's fine still as a young adult fantasy story. But there are some fairly gross descriptions, and some somewhat sad moments.
Finally, I could never really grasp the "world" of Fablehaven. I wasn't clear on how and why magic did or did not work. It felt, and perhaps this is unfair, but that the author was making the rules to fit the plot he wanted, instead of working it the other way around. Some things just seemed too convenient. But again, 'tis a series.
So, why give it three stars instead of none? Because, for whatever reason, I was still interested in the story. Because the initial chapters and the final five or so were well done and held my interest quite well. Because some descriptions were very pretty, and I loved the Lake setting as well as the descriptions of the fairies! Also, I was impressed with how well things came together for the "climax" and thought the author did a better job of tying things back together than I would have expected.
So, oddly enough, I find myself curious to read the next book, but unfortunately I was not nearly as impressed as I was with other fantasy stories. Hopefully the next few will be better!
***
I'm so curious about this book! It's Katie's and my next "to-read-together" book:)(less)

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

11 comments

01/05/08

Angela Spencer rated it:

Read in January, 2008

This book was incredibly interesting, well-paced, and had appropriate tension/conflict. I suppose I had high expectations for what is considered children's fiction. After Harry Potter and the Twilight series, I thought I'd give this a try.
I really did enjoy how dangerous magic and magical creatures are portrayed to be. The author introduced a perspective that was unexpected and fun to watch unfold. What I didn't like, though, was when the plot became intense, the author's weak writing ...more

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05/13/08

Jolie rated it:

bookshelves: read-alouds-with-kids

My daughter, Sarah, (8 years old, but a great reader) and I have loved this book, as well as its sequel, Rise of the Evening Star. She is currently reading the third, Grip of the Shadow Plague because she snatched it up before I could! Brandon Mull (another LDS author...they seems to be everywhere...) has created a vibrant fantasy series with great characters and snappy dialogue. Because there are both a brother and sister at the center of the intrigue, this will appeal to both boys and girls...more

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01/24/08

Kitsuchi rated it:

(review of isbn 1416947205)

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in January, 2008

The rep who brought in the reader for Fablehaven was really excited about it. And, you know, I'm up for reading about sanctuaries for magical animals. Pity then, I started reading and thought - I'm supposed to care why? I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting old. Which is silly because I read plenty of kids' fantasy. Such a plentitude that I'm probably getting pickier.

The main character, Kendra, was very bland. Her characterisation was, basically, that she didn't like breaking rules (...more

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12/28/07

Tara rated it:

(review of isbn 1416947205)

bookshelves: booktalk, favorites, jfic, scifi-fantasy, todd-reads

Read in January, 2008

While their parents are off on a 2 week cruise, Kendra and Seth are sent to stay with their grandparents, which they think will be boring beyond belief... but they couldn't be more wrong! Their grandparents live on the magical preserve, Fablehaven, a refuge for fairies, trolls, satyrs, and many of the things that go BUMP! in the night.

Overwhelmed and excited by all that the house and its vast yard have to offer, Kendra and Seth both exhibit very different approaches to interacting wi...more

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02/01/09

Taylor added it

Read in November, 2008

"just give me your hand Seth!" Muriel said. This quote is talking about the amazing fable haven! In this book there is many different mystical creatures, but can people see them? No, they see them as bugs unless they get the special treatment that changes EVERYTHING. Seth and Kendra have to stay at grandpa Sorenson's house while there parents go on a cruise. Will it be fun or the worst thing in there life? This book is the greatest book! Well that is only ifyou like a little scary boo...more

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04/18/09

ℐess ✪ rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy-read

Read in April, 2009

I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy books with mythological creatures, especially dark creatures. There was one scene that gave me goosebumps, and books don't scare me easily. I can't wait to read more!

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

04/02/09

Marianne Crapo rated it:

Read in April, 2009

This book was such an easy read that it was fun. I liked how real the characters are (especially the obnoxious teenage boy, annoyed and scardey-cat little sister). I would let my daughter read this one, it was exciting but not too scary. I'll have to read the others in the series to see if the author can continue the saga in an interesting way.

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02/09/09

Pumpkin rated it:

bookshelves: scifi-fan-para, young-adult

Read in February, 2009

.I adored this book! Absolutely gripping and wonderful. Wonderful fantasy and strong characters without being too goody goody.
Recommended to everyone!

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06/19/08

Margotmajewski rated it:

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Margotmajewski by: Devin
recommends it for: young and old

This is a great story. Despite the choppy writing in some areas, the plot and character development is very enticing. I'll be honest: this book was very difficult to put down. Just the thought of a place like Fablehaven existing in our world, right under our noses, is very exciting to my imagination. I believe this is Brandon Mull's first novel so I'm excited to see him develop a little bit more as an author. All in all, i really enjoyed this book and just ordered the second and third in the ser...more

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02/03/08

Jen rated it:

bookshelves: young-adult-fiction

Read in October, 2007

I picked up this book after attending a "Meet the Author" event at our local library. I had to fight my 9-year old daughter for it..."Mom, are you reading my book AGAIN?" We loved it. Fablehaven is a fascinating place, brought to life vividly by Brandon Mull. But it was more than just magic, it had a moral and some very good discussion points that my daughter and I talked about after we finished. This book and its sequel were ones that you WANT to read with your kids. A...more

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07/04/09

Natalie rated it:

Read in July, 2009

What a fun book to read! My daughter has been reading these and her friends have raved about them. They are a young adult series by a local author. Very creative magical/mystical book with with loads of creativity. The only thing that bothered me was the annoying little boy in it named Seth - of all names. But I guess he is fairly typical of a boy that age......I guess. The other thing that annoyed me was the way the kids had a major lack of respect for the adults in the book. That reall...more

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06/18/09

Jamie rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, young-adult

Read in June, 2009

I have to keep reminding myself that this is a book meant for young adults so I don't tear into it more than I am. I listened to this on audio cd. I think if I had actually read it, I would have ended up skipping half the book and finishing it MUCH faster, just to get it over with.

I didn't really like this book at all for a number of reasons.

1) The beginning is HORRIBLY boring for quite a while. I kept hoping that SOMETHING would happen, not just two kids sitting in a ga...more

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04/19/09

Anthony rated it:

bookshelves: quarter-3

Read in December, 2008

Fablehaven is a book you will not soon forget, what with its demon babies, fifty-foot cows, and magic trolls. The book is about Kendra and Seth's grandparents' magical home and acres. Kendra and Seth's parents leave on an all-expenses paid trip on a cruise paid by their recently deceased parents, and no children are allowed.
So they stay with their other granparents, the Sorensen's, or at least the grandfather, since the granmother mysteriously visited a sick relative.
Seth, w...more

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12/21/08

Debbie rated it:

bookshelves: adventure, fantasy, young-adult-lit

Read in December, 2008

recommends it for: young fantasy fans

Kendra and Seth have to stay with their reclusive grandparents while their parents are on a cruise. The children arrive, prepared to be bored out of their minds and things only get worse when their grandfather sets limits on where they are allowed to roam on the estate, but without good explanations. Their grandmother is not around and the children don't believe their grandfather explanation of her whereabouts.

Soon, Seth gets busy breaking all the rules, with some serious and unfor...more

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03/29/09

Jacy rated it:

Read in April, 2009

I read this book because my daughter had all ready and I wanted to see what she was reading. It is very much like Harry Potter except the main characters have no magical powers. It's about two kids who have to stay for a couple weeks with grandparents they barely know. (the children's parents have to go on a cruise with fellow family members. they didn't want to go but were kind of forced to go on "vacation") The kids eventually find out that their grandparents are caretakers of a magi...more

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quotes from this book

""Agreements. Specifically, a treaty ratified by all the orders of whimsical like forms who dwell here that affords a measure of security for mortal caretakers. In a world where mortal man has become the dominant force, most creatures of enchantment have fled to refuges like this one."" More quotes...