Happy Thursday, y’all!

I am super excited tonight share my review of Wrath of the Dragon King by Brandon Mull. This is book two in the Dragonwatch series, which is set in the same universe as Mull’s Fablehaven books. I have raved over and over about the Fablehaven books here on my blog. A few years ago, I reread and reviewed all 5 books. Check out my reviews here. And then go read all the books!

When this book came out last month, I couldn’t wait to read it. Then a good friend of mine offered to let me read her copy first because she’s waiting to read it with her son. So of course, I said yes! And I read this book in just a few days. It’s a fast paced, action packed adventure and I seriously can’t wait for book 3!!

I was so excited to get back into the Fablehaven world. Every time I read a book from Brandon Mull, I am reminded of how much I love this universe! This book fits perfectly into the original series and takes us on another adventure.

Initial Thoughts:

• Oh my goodness–this book is crazy! In a good way! I am so impressed that Brandon Mull keeps creating this surprising and exciting adventures with new characters and new objects to search for. And I may never get over this ending ever. Well done, Brandon Mull!
• When oh when are these books going to be turned into movies? I think the adaptations would be so fun!
• These are great middle grade fiction novels that I think would be so fun to read aloud with my kids one day! The action is not too violent or scary–more exciting and sometimes suspenseful. What a great series to get kids excited about reading!

Wrath of the Dragon King by Brandon Mull continues the adventures of Seth and Kendra Sorenson as the dragons declare war. According to Goodreads, “After a humiliating defeat at the hands of Kendra and Seth, Celebrant, King of Dragons, prepares to unleash his fury and take control of his native preserve. Armed with information from a new ally Ronodin, the dark unicorn, Celebrant seeks a legendary talisman. However, the powerful stone is protected by a cursed castle. Upon entering the castle fortress, an unyielding power strips all magical beings of their power and forces Celebrant to take his human avatar form. Kendra and Seth must enter the cursed castle as well. The race is on. Will the two young caretakers rally enough support from the creatures of Wyrmroost against the greatest threat the magical community has faced in ages? Can they foil Celebrant’s plan and beat him to the mighty dominion stone? Or will all hope be shattered by the wrath of the Dragon King?”

This adventure boosts a satisfying blend of favorite, original characters and intriguing new ones. I loved the way the original characters are still the focus. Kendra and Seth are again at the heart of the story. I love their varying perspectives on things like being invited to the Dragon Feast. I am also impressed by how much they have grown up through Fablehaven and now this series. I loved seeing Tanu again too! He was always one of my favorites from the original series. And I loved that Patton Burgess made a cameo appearance as well. I was disappointed to miss Warren and Bracken in this novel. There was a reference to the Sphinx so perhaps we will see more of him in future books! The new characters like their cousins Knox and Tess are especially fun. They add a fun dimension to the story. I liked seeing them discover the secrets of Fablehaven and bumbling through their first experiences with magic. Knox reminds me a lot of Seth in his determination to be a part of the action–and then his mistakes leading to big complications. Ronodin is fascinating and intimidating and impossible to figure out. I expect to see more of him in the coming books. 

The plot is action packed making this book hard to put down. Again, I finished in about two days. Every chapter seems to leave you hanging, and I couldn’t help but turn the page to learn more. Some of my favorite scenes were the feast at Celebrant’s castle, the adventures with the talking animals and Patton helping them get into the cursed castle. The ways the stone was guarded were clever and frustrating. I could not believe the ending!!! I won’t say anymore here. But I am officially dying to read book 3 and who knows how long I have to wait!

I love this book for many of the same reasons I love the previous ones. 

• Great characters that fight for good and are easy to cheer for.
• Action packed adventures that are easy to get into.
• Fun fantasy details like potions, magical creatures, and special powers.
• Classic battles between good and evil with surprising twists.
• Some of the craziest plot twists ever.

I will definitely be reading more in this series! This feels like when I was reading the Harry Potter books for the first time as a kid. I had to wait for years to find out what happened after each book finished. Waiting after Dumbledore dies in book six to finally read about how Harry faces Voldemort in book seven was so hard! Hope that didn’t spoil the series for anyone 😉 Anyways, this feels quite a bit like that. And I love it and hate it at the same time. Can’t recommend these books highly enough!

What are your favorite middle grade fantasy novels?
Have you read Fablehaven yet? What did you think?