Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Isle by Brandon Mull
Synopsis:
Cursed by the Key of Forgetting, Seth has lost all memory of his past—his relationships, his experiences, and who he really is. For now he will align with his new mentor, Ronodin, the dark unicorn, who takes him to the Phantom Isle, the secret gateway to the Under Realm. Though Seth is not formally a prisoner, Ronodin wants to use him and his shadow charmer powers for his own dark ends.
Kendra is frantic to find her missing brother, but the quest will take her and her companions, including Warren, Tanu, and Vanessa, far from Wyrmroost to Crescent Lagoon—a recently fallen dragon sanctuary made up of many islands and underwater domains. Its caretaker has regained a foothold on one of the islands. If Kendra and her friends can save that sanctuary, they might uncover the answers they need to rescue Seth.
With each sanctuary the dragons overthrow, Celebrant, the Dragon King, comes closer to the dawn of a new Age of Dragons. With the forces of darkness on the march, can Kendra and her allies gather enough power to win the epic dragon war?
Review:
Master of the Phantom Isle is the 3rd book in the Dragonwatch series, an offshoot/continuation of the Fablehaven series. Seth has been kidnapped to the Under Realm without any of his memories. All he knows is what he’s told from the dark unicorn Ronodin. Meanwhile, his sister Kendra tries to find him while trying to keep the sanctuaries from falling.
Fablehaven is one of my all-time favorite children’s fantasy series, and this continuation has been a lot of fun. The danger and suspense has escalated. But there’s still plenty of fun and humor. There are so many interesting characters (that somehow don’t get confusing) and still a fascinating plot with a lot going on. The dialog with Seth was a bit annoying at times, as he asks questions incessantly. And somehow Ronodin doesn’t get sick of it? Readers really don’t need to know every detail. Thankfully, that let up a bit by the end of the story. Kendra and her friends also get to visit a new sanctuary that is very unique, with fun new characters. These are long novels, but easy reading. A lot of adventure, mystery, and magic is packed in. And I still didn’t want it to end. The next installment can’t come soon enough!