Tick, an introverted and intelligent young man suddenly receives a mysterious letter. By opening it, Tick launches himself on an adventure of a lifetime. Each subsequent letter holds a quirky and sometimes humorous clue, promising Tick danger if he continues and harm to others if he quits. Intrigued and compelled, he pursues each clue vigorously in spite of the risk involved. The mysterious clues drag him across the country and introduce him to a spitfire Italian girl and an all-American jock from California. Banding together, the trio commits to seeing the mystery through.

At the root of it all are concepts of time and reality, the forces that bind and drive creation. In The Thirteenth Reality, Tick discovers more than one reality exists. Life as he knows it continues in Reality Prime while as many as thirteen other Earths continue on different planes of existence. If this seems overwhelming, don’t worry. Dashner lays out his concept of parallel realities in a manner young readers can understand. Even the basis of quantum physics, aka kyoopy, becomes approachable!

I enjoy how Dashner portrays Tick’s relationship with his family. Too many times, parents are viewed as either the idiot contingency or the evil overseers. Not here. Tick’s sisters drive him nuts but he still obviously loves them. Tick’s dad is a wonderful character that supports and trusts him even though this means letting go of his little boy. In a world where Tick is often a target, at home he is safe and loved. Maybe that isn’t realistic, but who said fantasy had to be reality? Perhaps a little wishful thinking would do us all some good.

I liked this story. There are a few classic aspects that walk on stage, but these are presented in a fresh and believable manner. The evil witch (dressed in lemon), a giant with a quasi-Cockney accent, a dwarf as round as he is tall, mechanistic magic that blurs the line between technology and fantasy; all delivered in wrapping paper designed by Dashner himself. He writes in bold colors, splashing strong characters across the pages who demand your attention (and sometimes your fear).

This isn’t a sweet little fairy tale, bad things happen and our hero is faced with tough decisions. Dashner quietly leads his readers from an odd mystery into a hair-raising quest complete with flesh-eating monsters. As odd as some of the scenes are, though, the entire thing holds together. This is definitely a book young readers should sample.

Brandon Mull ups the stakes in this third installment of the Fablehaven series. Things are looking bad for Fablehaven. The artifact protected there is gone and all over the world secret refuges for magical creatures are collapsing in disarray.

Grip of the Shadow Plague picks up right where Rise of the Evening Star, book two, left off. After defeating one enemy and unveiling a traitor, Kendra and Seth plunge into the international world of magic. As Kendra travels to another refuge to locate an artifact of incredible strength, Seth faces another attack at Fablehaven. The creatures there are turning, not falling into evil like the fairies previously but actually turning into shadow - evolving into powerful and more threatening forms never seen before. Even those creatures known to be resistant to falling are changing and infecting those around them.

This is by no means a capstone to Mull’s series, but a continuation of the adventures of Seth and Kendra that lives up to the high standards he set with his first two books. Brandon Mull takes it up another notch with this one. Seth and Kendra face decisions that have no clear cut answer, carrying more weight and responsibility than before. There is a sense of growth and maturity in both characters, of the two of them coming into their own in regards to their talents and abilities. This is one aspect I truly enjoy about these stories. Seth and Kendra are not static characters, but are growing and developing as people.

Mull’s gifts as an author are obvious as he develops this story, carrying the tale forwards as he both widens the scope of the magical world and fills in back story that satisfies our curiosity and piques our interest. Once again Mull highlights doing the right thing, but for both Kendra and Seth the right thing isn’t so obvious anymore. Much like real life, issues are no longer clearly marked black and white and the repercussions for making a wrong move are devastating.

This is a book for young readers, but it will do more for them than just entertain. They will be encouraged to think and examine the situations, challenge them to agree or disagree with what the characters choose. Well-crafted, there are no weak points or shaky aspects to this book. From cover to cover, readers will fall into the world of Fablehaven and never want to leave.

We revisit Kendra and her brother Seth as Brandon Mull takes the story a bit deeper in Rise of the Evening Star, the second book in the Fablehaven series. In the first book of the Fablehaven series, Kendra and Seth meet magic face-to-face at the refuge run by their grandparents. Here in the second book, magic comes to meet them in their very normal, non-magical lives at school and home.

Kendra is beginning to realize that when you touch magic, it also touches you. She has to face some realities in her life, such as how magic has changed who she is. Seth, who had a terrible time staying out of trouble in the last book, struggles again. But this time, he faces earning back the trust of his family. They do this while facing a mysterious creature that will frighten you to death, and a global conspiracy that is wanting to release magical creatures into the world. To tell you more would reveal too much of the storyline. Trust me, it’s worth it to read the book for yourself!

Brandon Mull has raised the level of danger and broaden the scope of the story in his second installment of the Fablehaven series. Risks are greater and the choices aren’t as clearly marked as “good” and “bad”. The players here aren’t just the inhabitants of Fablehaven, but includes others on a far-reaching global scale. The plot is twisty and at times very hard to predict, which is something I crave in any story.

Once again, this book will appeal to a variety of readers. The writing is superb, with a plot whimsical enough to keep the attention of young readers but deep enough to satisfy the older ones. As with the first book, Mr. Mull has added an addendum containing discussion questions that push young readers to look deeper than the surface of the plot.

Kendra and her brother Seth know next to nothing about their grandparents, mainly that they never want to spend time with their grandchildren. So when the kids have to spend two and a half weeks with the inhospitable couple, they are less than excited. Driving up to their house is daunting, as signs reading “Beware of .12 Gauge” and “Violators Will Be Persecuted” are boldly staked along the road. Looks can be deceiving, though, as Kendra and Seth learn over and over again in this delightful adventure about magic.

What if the magical creatures were able to survive the Industrial Revolution, two world wars, and several overseas armed conflicts? What if fairies, unlike hobbits, didn’t fade away or take a ship to some faraway land? Where would they go? They would go to Fablehaven, a refuge from the modern world that both protects the magical from humanity and vice versa. The grandparents are the “gamekeepers” of this refuge, tending after the magical creatures and maintaining the protective boundaries around Fablehaven.

Of course, no adventure is complete without the bad guys and this story definitely has it’s share. There is a troll and imps, a witch and a demon, naiads and even fairies that aren’t completely innocent. This is one theme of the story; that which is beautiful is not necessarily good. Other themes touched on are resisting temptation, fulfilling responsibility and following the rules. The children face consequences for their decisions throughout the book, some of which are very unpleasant. The storyline is deceptively simple, but artfully weaves these universal truths within itself so that the book does not read like one huge “Aesop Fable”.

In this day of a headlong rush to quench the thirst of young readers for fantasy fodder, finding a well-written book is difficult. This is one of the reasons Fablehaven is so rewarding. Enjoyable and whimsical, readers meet the usual magical species but the story overall contains a very modern practicality. In an unusual addition, the author has added discussion questions at the end to challenge young readers to do more than just read the words. Readers are asked to think about why the characters make their choices or if they would do the same. This adds to the flexibility of the book, making it just as valuable to the classroom teacher as to a librarian or parent. Best of all, young readers will enjoy reading for the pure pleasure of escaping to a world that just might exist after all.

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. Even though it is aimed at young readers, the writing is so well done I was still satisfied. I am very impressed with this debut novel from Brandon Mull. He has already published a second volume to the Fablehaven story. Stay tuned for a review of Fablehaven #2, Rise of the Evening Star. These are definitely books worth reading!