A review by juliawitmer
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I grew up seeing the cover of this book every time I read a Leven Thumps book, and finally the time came, at the age of 21, for me to read it myself. And I wasn't super disappointed! I enjoyed it a lot.

The story is fun and cute. It has elements that remind me of stories like The Spiderwick Chronicles, but with plenty of unique and fun twists. It was a little slow starting out, but overall the plot was intriguing and fun. The characters were fun, although the main boy, Seth, was quite consistently annoying. Pretty realistic for an 11-year-old boy lol but some of his actions didn't feel realistic. There were quite a few things that he did after a point at which I felt he should have learned from his past mistakes already.

As a Christian book reviewer myself, I have to add: I wouldn't suggest this book to most young Christian readers. I can fairly confidently say that many Christian parents wouldn't be comfortable with some of the elements included (witches, demons, dark magic, etc.). However, if those are elements that don't bother you, go for it! It didn't promote any bad morals, in my opinion, and had strong themes of family, learning to listen to authority figures, and taking responsibility for your mistakes.

Again, I really enjoyed this! I'm glad I got the chance to finally read it ☺️
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