OVERVIEW
What I did and didn't like about the series as a whole. More spoilers, and less vague criticisms (so if you haven't read the whole series yet then skip this). What I wished would have been different. I tried to start out with what I liked first, then what I didn't like, although it kind of got all mixed up.
CHARACTER LIKABILITY
Both Soren and Kendra and likable and distinct. They were a good contrast to each other. Seth was goofy, sarcastic, naive and reckless. Kendra was patient, hesitant, serious and studious.
It was easier to like Kendra than Seth many times, mainly because Seth kept ignoring everyone, somehow forgetting that he could get himself and others killed. The scene where he saw a baby on the roof in book one was so bad.
Kendra manages to stay out of the Mary Sue trope because she constantly doubts herself and hesitates. Although it would have been nice if she had made a big mistake, so as to even her and Seth out a bit. Although I don't think she should have been able to wield Vasilis like Seth did.
THE WORLD OF FABLEHAVEN
The world is essentially my favorite aspect. It is the main reason I like the series. I forgave the lack of growth and personality in so many characters, because of it.
I loved the pond of naiads and the boardwalk. I loved the stubborn pride of the centaurs (which I wish developed by the way). And I loved the arrogance and beauty of the dragons.
Ephira was one big disappointment of mine, as I really wanted to know more about her, maybe even see her redeemed.
The revenant was on of the creepiest monsters I have ever read. That and the scene with Seth and all of the undead were two of my favorites. I also loved the wall of totem poles and the giant frog. The scene in book two at the mortuary is also on my favorites.
HUMOR
Another area where Mul shines is his sense of humor. Seth has more one liners that I can count. The two satrys are often great comic relief. Even Hugo can be unintentionally funny. When Seth tries to make excuses for the fact that he actually read a book, I found it hilarious.
LENA & PATTON-SPOILERS
The romantic relationship between these two was one of my favorite aspects of the series. Not that was super deep, but it was sweet. It showed how sacrifices had to be made for relationships, like how Lena had to watch Patton age and die while she still lived. As well as Lena sacrificing herself and Patton knowing about it, yet still having to go back in time to live out the rest of their relationship.
GOOD AND EVIL
I liked how Mul tried to explain how magical creatures are different than humans in book three. I found it very original and I wish there had been more discussion about it. Specifically the disagreement between Grandpa Sorenson and Coulter regarding if they had real free will. It showed hints of depth that was never fulfilled.
CHARACTER GROWTH-SPOILERS
The problem when it comes to Seth is simply that he never develops. He keeps making huge mistakes that involve ignoring warnings and rules. And the constant push that it's not his fault, so that he never faces any real consequences, gets maddening. It's as if the only way to move the story along and face new problems, was for him to be stupid. One real part where he shines though is when he thinks that Kendra is dead, but it's just her stingbulb that died. I wish there were more scenes that like, and I wish it had effected him longer.
Perhaps if the story had taken places with months or years in between each book, instead of a matter of weeks as it usually did. But even without time to help him grow, how many near death experiences does it take for one kid to grow up?
When it comes to Kendra, I suppose she does grow, but I felt she had less things to overcome. She felt the most vulnerable in the first book to me. Even when she finds out the truth about Gavin being a liar, her reaction is more amusing than moving. I would have preferred a horrified and broken spirit, like she had in the first book when Mendigo was chasing her. And although there was a supposed affect to Gavin lying to her, basically that she no longer trusts people, it's only mentioned in the beginning of the last book. So it doesn't feel important. After all, she falls head over heels for Bracken almost instantly.
TOO MANY CHARACTERS?
I found it odd that Kendra and Seth both had such strong personalities, and yet everyone else is basically a cardboard cut-out of a character. At first this didn't bother me, mainly for two reasons. The first, the world was so detailed and unique. The second was that in the first two books, there just isn't that many side characters. It didn't bother me that Tanu, Coulter and Dale didn't much have personality, because it was just the three of them. After all, Vanessa has a strong personality. And so did the Sphinx. They kind of made up for it. Not to mention Patton and Lena.
I kept waiting for Gavin to progress but he never did. Because of this, the relationship between him and Kendra never felt like an actual relationship. Just a slight crush.
In the end, I think there should have been less mentor-like characters (who were never really mentors) and more characters that were equals to Seth and Kendra. I would have loved to see Kendra in a friendship with someone of her own sex. She is obvious kinda geeky and it would be nice to see how she would react to a girly girl. We get a small hint of that with Vanessa, but only at the first meeting.
And to see Seth with a friend his age would be nice as well. Even an older, big brother figure. Vanessa almost played that for Kendra (but not really). I wish Warren had played some sort of big brother role, but it just wasn't there.
DEATHS
I liked how Mul wasn't afraid to show there were consequences in this world and that it was dangerous (unless you were Seth, I mean). Lots of characters die. My only problem was I never felt much simply because I barely knew the character, or the character had spent enough time around, I just didn't care about them. Again, the other problem was that Seth never seemed to grasp this, even if the reader did. So his constant recklessness contradicted everything else the author was trying to tell us about the world.
WORTH READING?
In the end, I do think the whole series is worth reading. The last two books are not so bad as to make you wish you never read the series.
What I liked: Seth and Kendra were distinct characters, the world and creatures of Fablehaven's originality, the use of humor and Lena and Patton's relationship.
What I disliked: Seth never developing or facing real consequences for his actions and too many characters that I didn't care about (no personalities).
I give the Fablehaven series three stars.
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