6th MMGM: Dragonwatch Blog Tour (review)

Welcome to Day 21 of the 6th Annual March MG Madness, featuring the Dragonwatch Blog Tour, from author Brandon Mull and Shadow Mountain Publishing!

Dragonwatch

(Fablehaven Adventures #1)

by Brandon Mull

March 14, 2017

Shadow Mountain

Source: ARC from pub for review

In the long-awaited sequel to Fablehaven, the dragons who have been kept at the dragon sanctuaries no longer consider them safe havens, but prisons and they want their freedom. The dragons are no longer our allies....

In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The time has come to break free and reclaim his power.

No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help.

As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge as only they have the ability to function together as a powerful dragon tamer. Together they must battle against forces with superior supernatural powers and breathtaking magical abilities.

How will the epic dragon showdown end? Will dragons overthrow humans and change the world as we know it?

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / Indiebound

Watch the Dragonwatch Book Trailer

With the demon battle behind them, fifteen year old Kendra Sorenson and her thirteen year old brother Seth Sorenson, are adjusting to their new abilities as fairykind (Kendra) and a shadow charmer (Seth), and settling back into life at Fablehaven. But with the demise of one winner, comes the rise of another: dragons! The dragons are tired of being confined to the hidden sanctuaries and Celebrant, King of the Dragons, has plans for revenge and world domination. Dragonwatch, an ancient order responsible for keeping the dragons tamed and confined, is needed again. Kendra and Seth must learn to work together, combining their impressive powers, to become a dragon tamer and stop Celebrant and his dragon horde from destroying Wyrmroost and bringing the Age of Dragons back to the world.

In Dragonwatch (Fablehaven Adventure #1), Brandon Mull returns to his fantastically captivating world of hidden sanctuaries for magical beings. I LOVE the original Fablehaven Series and was super excited for this sequel and I’m so happy to report that it does not disappoint!

With a charming and enchanting pitch-perfect middle-grade voice, Mull once again lays out an irresistible, smartly crafted and complex, and endlessly entertaining story. With wonderful and detailed world-building, this magical world, and all its sanctuaries, people, and beings, burst off the pages. Part Hogwarts, part Narnia, Fablehaven, with its fairies; satyrs; golems; nipsies; dryads; magic barrels, and more,  is such a fun, thrilling place to explore. And, in Dragonwatch, Kendra, Seth, and readers get to explore even more of the mysterious and danger filled dragon sanctuary, Wyrmroost.

Most of our favorite characters from the Fablehaven Series are back in Dragonwatch, and we get to meet a magic barrel full of new, eclectic characters to love, hate, be fascinated and amused by. Readers will have a blast joining Kendra and Seth on their unforgettable journey in this book, from meetings with demons and dragons, to rides on griffins, visits to the fairy realm, scary dream adventures, and more!

While Dragonwatch does a great job of summarizing much that happened in the Fablehaven Series, and can certainly be read on its own, I definitely recommend reading the previous series first. I loved Dragonwatch just as much as I loved Fablehaven and cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

Brandon Mull is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven, Beyonders, and Five Kingdoms series. Brandon has worked as a comedian, a filing clerk, a patio installer, a movie promoter, a copywriter, and briefly as a chicken stacker. For a couple of years, he lived in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile, where he learned Spanish and juggling. He currently lives in Utah in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his four children and dog named Buffy.  Facebook * Twitter

Fablehaven Book of Imagination Blog Tour

Fablehaven Book of Imagination

by Brandon Mull

October 2016

Shadow Mountain Publishing

Source: from pub for review

Fablehaven has sold more than 3.5 million copies and readers made "The Caretaker's Guide to Fablehaven," the first visual discovery and definitive guide to all the mythical creatures of Brandon Mull's wildly brilliant imagination, a bestseller in Fall 15. Now it's the READER'S turn to tap into your imagination in the very first interactive guide to Fablehaven!

Unlike the other Fablehaven books, this one is half-finished. . . . The missing ingredient is you! Begin by writing your name in the space provided on the front cover. Then get ready to write, draw, solve, and create, guided by the many activities inside including an origami Raxtus dragon. The secret world of enchanted preserves is waiting for you to jump in–just make sure to avoid any deep pools filled with naiads!

• Draw a map of your own magical preserve
• Color pictures of a dryad, a dragon, a fairy, and other Fablehaven creatures
• Solve the Tauran Maze
• Fold origami figures of Raxtus and Olloch the Glutton
• Create wizard slime
• Make a rain stick or a unicorn horn
• Draw a dragon’s head
• Solve the Sphinx’s riddles
• Mix your own potion; And much, much more!

Amazon / B&N / Indiebound

Fans of Brandon Mull's beloved Fablehaven series are going to LOVE his new interactive Fablehaven Book of Imagination! Bursting with pages to color, creatures to bring to life, puzzles to solve, questions to ponder, and clues to discover, Fablehaven Book of Imagination is endless fun.

Young readers will have a blast completing the engaging activities, using their big imaginations, and learning more about Fablehaven. Fablehaven Book of Imagination encourages creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving, all while remaining amusing and entertaining. Plus, there are clues to to the Dragonwatch Series, the Fablehaven sequel, throughout the book!

With captivating illustrations, charming text, and exciting activities, Fablehaven Book of Imagination is sure to please old and new Fablehaven fans alike!

Brandon Mull is the#1"New York Times"bestselling author of the"Fablehaven"series and Beyonders. He travels the country visiting schools, promoting literacy, and sharing his message that "Imagination Can Take You Places."

The Caretaker’s Guide to Fablehaven Blog Tour

With over 3 million copies in print, the Fablehaven series by New York Times best-selling author Brandon Mull is one of the most popular middle-grade fantasy series to date. Now, first time ever, The Caretaker’s Guide to Fablehaven provides a visual discovery of the series, and is loaded with insider’s knowledge and hand-scrawled notes. Readers can actually see the mystical creatures from the series like dragons – each one has a name, a special power, and looks distinctly different from the others, but until this book there was no illustrated guide. 

The Caretaker's Guide To Fablehaven

by Brandon Mull

illustrated by Brandon Dorman

October 13, 2015

Shadow Mountain

They existed only in your imagination …. Until now!

This guidebook to the Fablehaven magical preserve is filled with everything a new Caretaker might need to know in order to survive. There are entries detailing important information about artifacts large and small, a complete bestiary of creatures (from fairies to trolls to satyrs), a guide to identifying demons, dragons, and wizards as well as valuable insights into the other magical preserves.

Immerse yourself into the secret knowledge that has been handed down through the generations by reading the updates and notes written in the margins by the former Caretakers of Fablehaven, including Grandpa Sorenson, Kendra, and Seth. Fully-illustrated, this unique encyclopedia has gathered the world of Fablehaven into one volume.

Scattered throughout the book are colorful fairies that also mark some of the characters, artifacts, and creatures that will be featured in the upcoming sequel series, Dragonwatch.

goodreads/amazon/b&n/indiebound

Praise for the Fablehaven series

“Featuring plenty of heroism and hilarity, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star is rich in creatures, magic-working, and hard-fought battles…”

— Kirkus Review

“Imaginative…Kendra awakens a fairy army in a fierce scene worthy of the Lord of the Rings . . .”

— The Los Angeles Times

“Imagination runs wild in Fablehaven. It is a lucky book that can hold this kind of story.”

— Obert Skye, Author of Leven Thumps and The Gateway to Foo

“The Fablehaven series is one of the most enjoyable fantasies I’ve read in the past few years. I only wish I could have read it when I was ten or twelve.”

— Christopher Paolini, Author of Eragon

“There has been an explosion of children’s fantasy trying to follow in the footsteps of Harry Potter. Fablehaven is a worthy addition to the crowd. . . . a fun and exciting adventure!”

— Sam Lubell, SFRevu

“Every bit a ‘page turner’ as the Harry Potter books! This story is so compelling and so well written you’ll find its magic working on you as well, completely taking over your ability to put the book down, even for a moment.”

— Holly Newton, Columbia Daily Tribune

“Fablehaven is a solid piece of work that could stand in the same company as the early Harry Potter books.”

— Scott Iwasaki, Deseret Morning News

“Witty repartee between the central characters, as well as the occasional well-done set piece.”

— Kirkus Book Reviews

“Mull’s story offers unexpected twists and entertainingly scary creatures.”

— The New York Times

“The Fablehaven series is generating buzz as a contender in the fantasy-adventure genre to replace the Harry Potter franchise.”

— The Hollywood Reporter

I'm a HUGE fan of Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series and was super excited to read this companion guide, and I'm happy to report that The Caretaker's Guide To Fablehaven does not disappoint!

The Fablehaven series is bursting with wondrous, whimsical, and captivating creatures, people, artifacts, and spells, and The Caretaker's Guide To Fablehaven covers them all. This cleverly crafted companion guide explores each fascinating subject, providing informative details, intriguing backstories, and fun tidbits. The Caretaker's Guide To Fablehaven is divided into easily navigated sections with a super engaging and aesthetically pleasing layout. This encyclopedia of all things Fablehaven is fully- illustrated with bright, charming pictures on every page. These dazzling illustrations do an awesome job of capturing the imagination and magical essence of the series. 

And sprinkled through out The Caretaker's Guide To Fablehaven are fun, insightful, thought-provoking, and interesting notes, words of wisdom, and information from various characters found in the series. Fans of the series will be delighted by these further peeks into their favorite characters. Plus, this guide also contains clues, in the form of colorful little fairies, that point out people, creatures, artifacts, etc that will make an appearance in the much anticipated follow-up series, Dragonwatch!

my final thoughts: Fans of the Fablehaven series will thoroughly enjoy and appreciate this comprehensive and entertaining guide to a world so many have fallen in love with. The Caretaker's Guide To Fablehaven is a fantastic addition to a must read series!

MY RATING

5/5 yummy cupcakes

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Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven andBeyonders series, travels the country visiting schools, promoting literacy, and sharing his message that “Imagination Can Take You Places.” Brandon has enjoyed arcade games since his childhood, when he fed quarters to Gauntlet at the local mall. Around that same time he won a gold medal at a pudding-eating contest in the park behind his grandma’s house. His long-standing love affair with sweets continues to this day.