Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Island by Brandon Mull

Unknowingly kidnapped by Ronodin, Seth is taken to Phantom Island, the gateway of the Under Realm. Once there, Ronodin takes advantage of a memory-wiped Seth by developing Seth’s darker powers. Seth and Ronodin sneak inside Blackwell Keep where Seth unleashes the evil undead onto the residents. Kendra sees Seth during the chaos but barely escapes with some of her companions. With Wyrmroost fallen, Kendra and her companions go to the island sanctuary of Crescent Lagoon to help restore the island’s protective power, the Sunset Pearl. Back in the Under Realm, Seth searches for answers to his past from the prisoner Bracken. Bracken desperately explains Seth’s past and Ronodin’s true nature, but their interview is cut short.

In Mull’s third installment of his Dragonwatch series, fans will be taken on a wild ride towards tropical islands, evil underworlds, and into enchanted seas. But there is a deeper side to this story than a grand adventure of stopping dragons from ruling the world. Mull explores the emotional wars a volatile Seth is fighting inside himself. With his memories totally gone, Seth is duped by Ronodin into thinking they are brothers fighting against Kendra’s tyranny. Seth has no choice but to believe Ronodin and together they wreak havoc on Wyrmroost. As time goes by, Seth begins to see Ronodin’s true character through his lies. Seth realizes he is mentally and emotionally wounded from the verbal and emotional abuse dealt out by Ronodin and from living in the oppressive Under Realm. He doesn’t feel comfortable going back to his real friends and family until he can heal some of those wounds and atone for the evil choices he unknowingly made.

Dragonwatch: A Fablehaven Adventure by Brandon Mull

The dragons may have helped Kendra, Seth, and the fairies to thwart the demons, but their unstable alliance is cracking under pressure. With a newfound taste for power & freedom, Celebrant, the dragon king, encourages his subjects to defy their sanctuary confines so that they can return the world to the Age of Dragons. However, all dragons are magically bound inside their sanctuaries’ borders by the powers of the Dragonwatch society and by special magical artifacts. But something is making the borders of the Wyrmroost sanctuary weaken, causing Celebrant to challenge any caretaker’s authority. After close scrutiny, it is decided that Kendra and Seth’s combined powers can refortify Wyrmroost against Celebrant. However, once the siblings become the new caretakers, they still detect a magical weakness. Together, Kendra and Seth go on a treacherous mission to find a missing magical artifact that can help swing the balance of power back to their favor and keep the rebelling dragons in line.

Mull returns to the roots of his writing career by revisiting the colorful, fully-fledged world he created in Fablehaven. With Dragonwatch, Mull brings back his loveable, heroic protagonists, Kendra and Seth, as they face another life-threatening power against all magical creature sanctuaries. How would Kendra and Seth react to a new threat after all that they have been through? For Kendra, her extensive experience has made her more mature and ready to face almost any situation with confidence. For Seth, he has matured some but he still fosters an impetuous nature that can either get him into trouble or save lives. When the siblings are called as caretakers to Wyrmroost, Kendra wants to be super cautious while Seth throws caution to the wind. Only by working together do they find a powerful balance. A fun, more mature read great for old and new fans of the Fablehaven series.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Kendra and Seth are sent to stay the summer on Grandpa Sorenson’s preserve called Fablehaven. But this is not an ordinary preserve. Fablehaven is the home to both good and bad magical creatures like centaurs, fairies, trolls, and demons. The preserve is relatively safe, but on Midsummer’s Eve demons trick Seth into letting them into his grandparents' house. Grandpa Sorenson is kidnapped and the evil creatures wreak havoc to the house. It is up to the children to regain control of the creatures on the preserve, find their grandfather, set their Grandma Sorenson free from a spell, and recapture an evil witch.

Mull’s story is imaginatively written with great characters and a well-paced, exciting storyline. Kendra and Seth definitely represent a realistic brother and sister relationship. When the two siblings are put into a problematic situation, they realistically make many mistakes until they can find a solution. Fans of Harry Potter, the Alchemyst, Percy Jackson, and Ranger’s Apprentice series will enjoy this new world where mystical creatures and magical artifacts take center stage. Fablehaven is an addictive introduction to Mull’s five book series.

(Full review found on The Children's Book and Play Review: https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/CBPR/article/view/19130/17824)