Keys to the Demon Prison

Keys to the Demon Prison
By Brandon Mull
Shadow Mountain, 2010. 593 pp. Chapter book.

In this action-packed finale to the Fablehaven series, the Sphinx is on the verge of claiming the last of the five artifacts needed to open the great demon prison Zzyzx, which houses the most powerful and terrible of the world's demons. All those on the side of light must band together to prevent this great catastrophe from destroying everything good in the world. A seemingly endless and impossible string of quests ensue that would daunt any mere group of heroes, but those in this story are not your ordinary people. Kendra and Seth are joined by new, fascinating characters as well as reunited with old friends throughout the course of their missions. The question overlying everything is whether they will succeed or fail, and in so doing, will they live to tell their tales?

Another exciting volume concludes the Fablehaven series in a most satisfying way. Although this book could be much improved by stricter editing, it was still a great read. I did skim quickly through some of the sections that seemed needlessly wordy--which there were many--or that diverged into random tangents, but I did read every bit and still enjoyed it despite its faults. I appreciated the new characters added, as well. Although not the strongest of the series, it was a good conclusion and I'm so happy the series is finally wrapped up!

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