Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

The rep who brought in the reader for Fablehaven was really excited about it. And, you know, I'm up for reading about sanctuaries for magical animals. Pity then, I started reading and thought - I'm supposed to care why? I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting old. Which is silly because I read plenty of kids' fantasy. Such a plentitude that I'm probably getting pickier.

The main character, Kendra, was very bland. Her characterisation was, basically, that she didn't like breaking rules (although she didn't seem to mind sneaking), in contrast to her younger brother, who was such a rule breaker that he just seemed incredibly stupid. Also, Kendra annoyed me pretty much from the start because she proved to be squeamish around frogs and such - all those things girls are supposed to find icky but I never have.

It did get more exciting, but if I hadn't felt like I should make an effort to finish it, I wouldn't have. And I wouldn't have missed out on much, particularly with the deux ex machina-y ending. Overall, the book was a disappointment.