Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star

Title: Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star
Author: Brandon Mull
Rating: Four Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
It all starts with trouble at home. A kobold goblin moves in to Kendra and Seth's home and enters the school. Then he causes trouble. A man named Errol helps them out, but then is found out to be a member of an evil organization named the Evening Star.
Their grandparents quickly get them to Fablehaven, the reserve for magical creatures. Because of her new powers, Kendra is a possible target of the Evening Star. At the moment, Fablehaven is the safest place. It is also the safest place for Stan, who was tricked into becoming a target for a demon... who wants to eat him!
With the rise of the Evening Star, Grandma and Grandpa Stan speed up their search for the artifact. They hired three specialists to help them, but problems arise when the demon Olloch the Glutton appears in the reserve... which he couldn't have, without the help of a spy!
To top it all off, in the end, a deadly secret is revealed... can you hold on?

Rockin' Review:
I liked this book. It was well-written, and kept me in it. It's the second in the Fablehaven series, and we see both new and old faces. But, this time, we meet Warren, who we only heard about in the last book. I found that very neat!
But the thing that I didn't like was the final secret. This is a bit of a spoiler alert, but I'll try to keep it as secret as possible. There was one character which the author makes us trust, even the main characters. Then Mr. Mull drops a bomb on us: this character was really a bad guy! Possibly the head of the bad guys! It was an interesting way of ending a book for a series, since it makes us wonder what's going to happen next, but I didn't enjoy it (I doubt the character who learned the secret enjoyed much either!).
I guess it was just overload. During the whole book, we are wondering, then finding out, who a spy was. Then another "spy" hops along! It's an interesting ending scheme, but not one I suggest for a book with a "spy among us" theme. Maybe this book would have made the five guitar if that wasn't in the way. Maybe.
Anyway, I enjoyed this book, and wondering what the next one is about, and if Number 3 is also rockin'!

The Book of Names

Title: The Book of Names
Author: D. Barkley Briggs
Rating: Two Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Hadyn and Ewan Barlow have moved to a new place with their twin brothers and Dad. Their mother died a year ago from cancer, and they're still feeling the hurt. But when a bunch of mysterious birds drop some mysterious scrolls at the boys' feet, Hadyn and Ewan soon find a runestone that's a portal, and are teleported to the world of Karac Tor... pretty unwillingly.
There, things get bad quickly. Nemesia, the evil witch, is stealing the souls of Karac Tor's teens, and their names from the Book of Names. She is after the duo.
Hadyn and Ewan soon get new friends, and discover that they have powers. But when Nemesia's Lost capture Hadyn, will the two deeply-connected brothers get together? Will Ewan get Hadyn in time to save his soul, his name? Even if they do, will they ever find a way home?

Rockin' Review:
I seriously didn't like this book!
I didn't enjoy the story, and there were problems riddled throughout the book. We didn't always know who was the main character of the chapter, and it changed often, and it was hard to keep up. And, many times through the story, I felt that the author was telling us stuff that the main character whose eyes we were looking through didn't know! That is not something you do if you're a good author! And the last chapter added extra stuff, and I felt that it felt rushed.
The only reason it got two guitars, and that I kept reading is exactly that: I kept reading. The author did some good writing in some parts, and he kept me interested. I'll honestly admit, I wanted to put the book down a couple times. But the author held my interest, and kept making me want to find out answers and what happens next. That is the only part that impresses me.
This is supposed to be the first book of the Karac Tor series. But I'm not planning on getting any more. This one was bad enough. This is not a rockin' book! Like, no way!!!

So You Want To Be A Wizard

Title: So You Want To Be A Wizard
Author: Diane Duane
Rating: Four Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
When Nita Callahan runs into a library so she can hide from bullies, she finds something amazing: a book for teaching wizardry! She takes it home, and says the Oath. The next day, she finds out... she's now a wizard!
She soon meets Kit, another new wizard. When a spell goes wrong, the two end up meeting a white hole from another Dimension named Fred. The three become friends.
But things go wrong quickly. The three are trying to get Nita's space pen, but they end up going through a worldgate... to another dimension! But this world is dark and evil, led by the evil Lone Power, the Starsnuffer. Nita, Kit, and Fred have to find a special book called Book of Night with Moon, and get home. But even if they get home, can they stop the Starsnuffer from taking over their world? Will they even get out alive?

Rockin' Review:
This is a good book. I enjoyed it. The beginning was only a three-guitar start, so that's why the book is a four-guitar. But it got better. I even liked how the author cleaned up a loose end, which could have been easily thought was done, and forgotten. I see where the book bloomed into a series. I suggest this book.

Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow

Title: Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow
Author: The Miller Brothers
Rating: Four Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Hunter Brown is an average boy. But when one of his legendary pranks makes him and his friends targets for a bully, they end up in a dumpster! The man who saves them sends them on an errand, and they end up in possession of a mysterious book and key. But then the man and the bookstore where they got the book disappears! The trio of boys get in big trouble.
But Hunter now has both the book and key, and he soon finds out that its magic! He learns of the Author, and a bit about the curse of the world. He learns of the Shadow, evil parasite-like-spirits. He and his friend Stretch get teleported to the land of Solandria, where the Shadow rule.
Hunter is rescued by the Codebearers, a resistance to the Shadow, who follow the Author and His Code. But his best friend, Stretch, is nowhere to be found.
Soon, Hunter learns he is part of a prophecy. But what is his connection to the powerful Bloodstone? Will he trust the Author enough to follow Him to the end? And will he find Stretch?

Rockin' Review:
This was a very good book. I highly enjoyed it. It was well-written.
It was a Christian book, and a good one at that! It even dealt with issues some modern kids have today, and it presented them and the answers very well. The art was very good too, but the story was amazing and good.
The only problem started happening at the end. There were times we aren't exactly sure what's going on. We think something's happening, but find out that something else is. Maybe the authors got over-excited... I have no idea. Luckily, the problem cleared up quickly, so the climax and final battle was well-written.
It's a series, but I felt like this book was good enough standing by itself. It makes one wonder what's going to happen in the next book, and if it will still be good...
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and suggest it!