The Rise of the Evening StarBy Brandon Mull
Shadow Mountain, 2007. 441 pp. Chapter book.
For anyone who has not yet read the second book in the Fablehaven series, go check it out or put it on hold! Although I found the first book, Fablehaven, to be a fun story, I thought the second far exceeded the first. The story begins with a bang and continues to be jam-packed with action, adventure, and mysterious magical situations. Lots of interesting twists and turns keep the story from being predictable. Although it is a book that will be enjoyed by those who have liked previous magical-fantasy stories, it has originality and a distinct flavor all its own.
After I'd read the first Fablehaven book, I was expecting the second story to have about the same interest for me. I enjoyed the first book, but I thought it was slow getting started and wasn't really enthralled until the end. However, I was delightfully surprised when its sequel captured me from the very first page. I loved that the story began outside the bounds of Fablehaven and actually would have liked to see more of the story take place in the ordinary world. The new characters introduced added a nice complexity to the plot without overdoing it. I found the "magicky" details very fun and even more interesting than those discussed in the previous book. The ending of The Rise of the Evening Star was probably the most disappointing for me as I felt Brandon Mull tried to hastily wrap everything up but still leave lots of loose ends for another book. The ending definitely felt rushed to me, but overall, this was a wonderful, fast paced, completely magical adventure that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
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