Dragonwatch (Dragonwatch, #1)

by Brandon Mull

[sstaley]

I have always loved the Fablehaven series. I was more than thrilled when I heard that there would be a continuation of this beloved series that kids, teens, and adults love.

Dragonwatch picks up basically where the fifth Fablehaven book ended. Now, the dragons on all of the magical preserves are restless and wanting their freedom back that they had many, many years ago. Kendra and Seth are called upon because of their new powers to take over the dragon sanctuary, Wyrmroost, as the caretakers. This is when the adventure starts. The two kids are very much how they were before because no time has passed, so they still tend to make the same kind of decisions in the same way...at first. As Dragonwatch continues and they face new challenges, Seth and Kendra start growing as characters and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.

Even with old characters we already know and love like Doren and Newt the satyrs, there are new ones introduced that I really liked. We meet magical horses that can read and humans can ride. Kendra's horse loved to read Jane Austen books and Seth's liked Green Eggs and Ham and this made me laugh. I also like Seth's new sidekick Calvin, a giant nipsie, who adds some great humor to the story.

Fans of the other Fablehaven books will love being back in the familiar world and going on new adventures with Seth and Kendra. If you haven't read any of the previous books, I think this book will be confusing and not as enjoyable as it'll be for those of us that read the first five books. So I recommend reading the original Fablehaven series first and then reading Dragonwatch. This is a good start to the new series, a little slow at times, but it ended well and sets things up for the second book coming out in a year.