Fablehaven Book 2: Rise of the Evening Star

Synopsis:
At the end of the school year, Kendra and her brother, Seth, find themselves racing back to Fablehaven, a refuge for mythical and magical creatures. Grandpa Sorenson, the caretaker, invites three specialists — a potion master, a magical relics collector, and a mystical creature trapper — to help protect the property from the Society of the Evening Star, an ancient organization determined to infiltrate the preserve and steal a hidden artifact of great power. Time is running out. The Evening Star is storming the gates. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the downfall of other preserves and possibly the world. Will Kendra learn to use her fairy gifts in time? Will Seth stay out of trouble? Can they overcome paralyzing fear?


My brother very kindly loaned us his Fablehaven books. He only has the last two books, of which there are three, and he very adamantly told me "Don't read these until you've read the first book!" Well, I tried to wait, but the books were sitting right there taunting me over and over to read them, so I finally gave in.

Granted, it probably would've made more complete sense to read the first book, but it was all right. The second book has little snippets of description that give reference to things that happen in the first book, so I didn't feel lost at all, and it all flowed very nicely. So, I would have to say that on a general level, I give this book almost four pens.

Keep in mind when you read this book that it is YOUTH fiction! It is fairly easy to read, and flows along well. There were only a few spots where I was...well, okay I'll be honest, it was a little boring. That wasn't a common thing though. I would have to say that I would probably read it out loud to younger children versus letting them read it on their own though. For a youth fiction book, the descriptions of some of the things that happen can be fairly..uh...gross and scary. This is taking into account your children of course.

It doesn't help any that there are pictures in the book. I mean, really, did they need to put a drawing in of the zombie with a nail in it's neck? That scared me! My children have very vivid imaginations, and they really don't need any help in that area.

So, while I did enjoy it, and I think it was written well, it is a touch scary, and some of the lessons are a touch off. At the end of the book I was somewhat disturbed by the fact that not once, not twice, but THREE times in this book, one of the main characters is told that she needs to not trust people, and the ways that people who meant her harm gained her trust by helping her out in a time of need and then betraying her. Granted, I knew, reading it as an adult, that in real life it is okay to trust people, but what would a young reader think? Just a thought.