The novel Fablehaven by Brandon Mull is a best-selling series of five books. The first book in this series has amazing twists throughout the story, providing thrills by constantly keeping the reader on edge. The first book was released on July 30, 2006, acting as a successful debut novel for Brandon Mull.

The main character in the tale is a girl named Kendra, who visits her grandfather’s mansion with her younger brother Seth, unbeknownst to the fact that their grandfather is actually the caretaker of a magical sanctuary called Fablehaven. Behind its gates, Fablehaven contains both light and dark mythical creatures, along with ancient laws preventing them from any harm or the prospect of escaping.

However, when Seth, a natural troublemaker, accidentally breaks these rules by letting an evil creature into the house by opening a window, the protections from the treaty that prevent dark creatures from attacking are broken, and the preserve is brought to the point of ending.

Then, a witch named Muriel, seeking revenge, kidnaps Kendra’s family and loved ones, causing Kendra to be stranded alone and seeking help from the Fairy Queen, therefore entering her shrine.

The twist is that insincere people who set foot on the shrine will be turned to dandelion seeds, or worse.
Regardless, Kendra gathers her courage after running away from saving her family and asks the Fairy Queen for assistance. Miraculously, the Fairy Queen answers and gives Kendra the authority to gather the fairies in an attack against Muriel.

The fairies manage to defeat the witch who sought to free the evil demon Bahumat, who would most certainly have destroyed the preserve.

Kendra was then able to reunite with her family and restore peace amongst the creatures of Fablehaven,
returning to her parents who knew nothing of the secret that Kendra’s grandparents kept from them.

After reading this amazing book, my eyes were opened to the challenges that were frightening yet thrilling in their world. I longed to spend some time in this book, but thanks to its expressive words and vivid sensory details, I felt for moments that I was really a part of this world and was able to have a fulfilling experience through this book.

However, I wished at times that the book could be more simplified instead of deeply engaging in every small detail. Nevertheless, this book is one of the best that I have ever read before, and I would most definitely recommend it to other fantasy lovers. Even if you prefer more realistic stories over fiction, I can mostly guarantee that you would enjoy this tale.

I look forward to continuing reading the rest of this series and can’t wait to find out what new adventures await Kendra and Seth. Other readers are also excited for the movie based on the first book, with the release date planned for 2026.