Thanks so much to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for letting me read and review this ARC. I have always enjoyed Brandon Mull and all his books ever since I was introduced to Fablehaven.
All of his books have been 5-star reads and my favorites so it was no surprise that this was another 5 star read and another favorite to add to the list.
This is the third book in the Dragonwatch series, which is a sequel series to Fablehaven full of all sorts of magic, adventure, and great teaching/learning themes for younger kids in it as well. I always love the reading guides at the end of the book that helps get the reader thinking and discussing what happened in the book with all the choices they face and what happens.
With this third book, it picks up right from where the second book ended and flows well. It has a new perspective with Seth and a challenge he faces that makes things difficult as they continue on their journeys to help with the war with the dragons, the dangers in the magical world, picking sides and continuing to search for Bracken also. Things continue to develop more with the characters, the war with the Dragons, the journey and quests - there's a lot to digest and the end leaves you wanting more and anxiously awaiting the next installment in the series.
If you haven't read the Dragonwatch series, then hurry and get started so you're ready when this comes out! You don't want to miss this wonderful, exciting and thrilling installment of this fantastic imaginative series! ( )

Fantasy takes an edge-of-the-seat, roller coaster ride in this exciting adventure, which doesn't let up until the last page...and then, with the promise of more.

(Note: This can be read as a stand-alone, but I wouldn't recommend that. The story takes off where book two ended and without reading the rest of the series, much background information is missing, which makes this book that much more enjoyable)

Seth finds himself in the darkness of the Under Realm as the student of the dark unicorn. After saving the day in book two, he's lost his memory and doesn't know who to trust or what he's really done. He only knows that there is a darkness of sorts with him, and although he has no reason to mistrust the unicorn, he's sure he isn't evil. Kendra, on the other hand, is determined to find Seth, but with dark forces on the march and being the sole remaining protector of Wyrmroost, she has quite a bit of other things to deal with as well. Although the last battle was won, darkness has not given up and is coming back more relentless than before.

Fantasy fans are going to love this series. It has dragons, magic, fairies, phantoms, unicorns, trolls...basically, everything the fantasy heart can desire. And it has heroes, ones that are easy for the age group to connect to. Seth and Kendra might be the heroes, but they aren't perfect and have a lot to learn. Still, their determination and desire to get things right make them easy to stand behind and root for.

The plot twists and turns, making it impossible to guess what those evil villains have up their sleeve. Not only that, but some aren't as evil (or as good) as they might appear. This is a very layered story with many unexpected moments and even more that keep the reader glued in the pages, wondering what will happen next.

The tale is told from various points of view, but mostly settles on Kendra and Seth. While their adventures only have them intersecting with a dab, the stories intertwine masterfully. The writing style is very easy to read, sticking heavily to dialogue and skipping over anything 'frilly'. It makes for a fast read even at 500 or so pages. The length did make me hesitate. Even afterwards, I'm not sure it couldn't have been tightened up a bit since this tale does have the heroes shooting all over the place with tons of side characters in tow. But it is a fun tale and one I'm sure kids will enjoy. ( )