juliawitmer's reviews
21 reviews

I really enjoyed this read! It took me a while to get through it because life is crazy, but overall it was good.

More in depth (potentially spoilery) notes:

- I think the plot seems a little out of nowhere sometimes, kind of like the author was discovering it as he was writing it. Which isn't inherently bad. But it did make the plot feel a little disconnected at times.
- I think previous books set up the plot twists in this book well
- I liked the characters! Except for Seth. He seems unrealistically cruel sometimes (like being not only willing but EXCITED at the concept of sacrificing multiple fairies' lives [against their will, under direct command from someone they can't say no to] for the sake of Fablehaven...??? What's that about)
- I'm enjoying the development of Kendra and her newfound abilities
- I liked the new characters that were introduced
- did feel like there was a bit too much info dumping sometimes. But that may be a personal preference thing!!

All that being said, I did enjoy this read. It didn't feel like a waste of my time, and I read hundreds of pages worth of the book in one sitting because I was very invested (rare for a slow, grew-up-with-access-to-the-internet reader like me).

Like the rest of the books in the series, I would suggest this to young Christian readers because of the terminology of demons being used in a way that may be confusing or unsettling to some Christians (depending on personal convictions).

Overall a 3.5 out of 5 stars!

I was really enjoying this read! I just got distracted and ended up forgetting to finish it.

Oh, what a bittersweet feeling to be writing these words.

I started writing this story in 2022. Initially, I didn't think it would be much more than a novella I wrote for school. But as I sat down and started working on editing it, I realized just what a special place this story holds in my heart.

Now, as I finish my final read through of the story, I just hope and pray that it blesses someone else, too. I can't express how grateful I am for being able to write this book, and I hope you enjoy it :)

I first read this book when I was under 11. A friend had it, and when I saw what the story was about, I just had to read it.

Fast forward 10+ years later, and I had been searching tirelessly for this book (despite being unable to remember the title, book cover, characters names, or plot) since the day I moved overseas and decided to get rid of it at a yard sale (the worst mistake my 11-year-old self ever made). This day 10+ years later I went into a local used bookstore, headed to the children's section as I always do, and halfheartedly scanned the shelf for the book.

I gasped. Could that be it? That tiny spine hidden away among hundreds of others?

I removed it from the shelf, and all my lifelong dreams came true. It was the book! The famed book that inspired my writing career so heavily at the age of 8!

Obviously, I had to purchase it. I read it over the course of a few days (too many, but life is busy) and I can safely say I completely understand why little me was so obsessed with it.

Princesses? Magic powers? Sea serpents? Bears? IT'S EVERYTHING I COULD EVER DREAM OF.

8-year-old me gives this book a 10 out of 5 stars. Nothing can compare to the glory that is this book.

But what about 21-year-old me?

I have to admit, it's not the best book ever written. There are quite a few typos, the story is pretty "basic" from a plot perspective, and there's not a lot of super intense world building or anything, and the characters are fairly simple to make it easier to keep track of them.

But this is not The Lord of the Rings. This is a children's book.

It has some redeeming qualities. I think the basic concept (world is losing magic, girls must come restore it) is a cool concept. I think the author handles the large cast of characters fairly well considering how short the book is. And I think there's just a little bit of fairy dust sprinkled throughout the pages, perfectly hidden from the eyes of adults and impossible to miss in the eyes of young girls (or at least, young me).

This particular children's book happened to inspire my entire journey as a writer. While I was re-reading this I realized just how much I stole from this book as a child (don't worry; I no longer plagiarize, I promise).

The main character in the book I wrote right after reading this? Alison. One of the main characters of this book? Alysa. Both of their nicknames? Aly.

Character introductions at the beginning of 8-year-old-me's plagiarized story? Check! Writing style basically just this book, copy and pasted? Check!

I could go on. I mean, I knew I stole from The Secrets of Droon books, but this is just getting out of hand.

The fact of the matter is, this book is not made for grownups. Grownups cannot possibly grasp the magic that can be found within these pages. I know because I no longer grasp it the way that I did when I was little. How much of a tragedy is that?

The point of this long rant is this: will you, an adult, enjoy this book if you read it now? No. Will your daughter, probably around the age of 8-10, who loves fantasy stories, enjoy this book if you read it out loud to her or if she reads it herself? I think so. I certainly did.

I give this book 4/5 stars, because 8-year-old me gave it 10/5 and 21-year-old me gives it a 3/5, so that seems to be the best happy medium. If you stayed for this rant, bless you. I had a lot of fun writing it!

I DNF'd this book.

The writing was not bad, and the message is a good one. I actually heard Allen Arnold speak in person at a writer's conference and it completely changed the way I write and impacted me immensely. However, I couldn't get into the style of this book. It's just a personal preference issue - nothing against the author at all! It was a very unique way of writing a story, it just wasn't what I was expecting when I sat down to read it. Because of that, I didn't end up finishing it.

Definitely check the book out if you're interested in a book with life lessons told through parable-esque stories!

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would - and I don't mean that in a mean way!

I read the first book and enjoyed it relatively well, but felt it was missing a certain...umph. I feel like this book actually has that umph, which is awesome! Despite that, it has weaknesses along with its strengths, so let's get into those. 

(All of these are also taking into consideration the fact that this is a middle-grade/borderline YA novel, and therefore has different standards/expectations than, say, a YA or Adult novel)

Ok moving on

**THIS SECTION HAS SPOILERS**

STRENGTHS:
- further character development
- plot full of twists and turns
- a story world that feels even deeper and more complex than what we can see
- a story world that we can see that feels well thought out and unique
- an intriguing cliffhanger ending (I like cliffhangers, but I guess this could be a downside for others!)

WEAKNESSES:
- Kendra and Seth don't feel like realistic siblings. Maybe my siblings and I just got along uncommonly well, but it feels like they're more at each other's throats than I ever was with my siblings as a kid.
- I think some plot points were dropped or forgotten? FOR INSTANCE (with spoilers): I thought that they said once they got into the tower at the climax of the story, that getting out with the artifact would be nearly impossible. But they just...waltzed out?? And it was fine?? Maybe my reading comprehension is bad or something but that just really confused me lol
- because the plot had so many twists and turns, it was sometimes hard to follow.
- it feels like there weren't a lot of negatives/consequences for things happening. (i.e. nobody who got mortally wounded actually died except one guy that we didn't care about that much and low-key wanted to die)

**END OF SPOILER SECTION**

Overall, I enjoyed this read. I give it a 3.5 or 4 out of 5 stars!

I WOULD NOT suggest this book for...
- most Christian families (demons and dark magic are a big element of these stories, and a lot of Christians are uncomfortable with them or their kids reading books like that)
- people who don't like violence in stories (contained some graphic violence)

I WOULD suggest this book for...
- readers who like fairytales with a twist
- readers who enjoy books with cool story worlds and magic
- readers who enjoyed book 1 in this series (lol)

That's the end of my thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to read 😌

I grew up seeing the cover of this book every time I read a Leven Thumps book, and finally the time came, at the age of 21, for me to read it myself. And I wasn't super disappointed! I enjoyed it a lot.

The story is fun and cute. It has elements that remind me of stories like The Spiderwick Chronicles, but with plenty of unique and fun twists. It was a little slow starting out, but overall the plot was intriguing and fun. The characters were fun, although the main boy, Seth, was quite consistently annoying. Pretty realistic for an 11-year-old boy lol but some of his actions didn't feel realistic. There were quite a few things that he did after a point at which I felt he should have learned from his past mistakes already.

As a Christian book reviewer myself, I have to add: I wouldn't suggest this book to most young Christian readers. I can fairly confidently say that many Christian parents wouldn't be comfortable with some of the elements included (witches, demons, dark magic, etc.). However, if those are elements that don't bother you, go for it! It didn't promote any bad morals, in my opinion, and had strong themes of family, learning to listen to authority figures, and taking responsibility for your mistakes.

Again, I really enjoyed this! I'm glad I got the chance to finally read it ☺️