Fablehaven 4: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull

This book is the fourth in the Fablehaven series, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. The Society of the Evening Star has possession of two of the five artifacts, and they know the location of a third. Having all five artifacts will allow them to open a magical prison and release all kinds of evil creatures. With the fall of Lost Mesa, a haven for magical creatures, Kendra and a team of Knights must enter the Dragon Sanctuary to recover the key to an artifact before the Evening Star. Seth must first steal from the Fablehaven centaurs and find a way to accompany the team on its quest. The team must get past the dragons in the sanctuary, the guardians of the key, and a number of other dangerous, magical creatures. Not knowing the exact location of the key presents problems too. Much like the first three books, supposedly good characters turn bad or were bad characters in disguise. One of them will truly surprise you during the climax of the story.

I've enjoyed all of the books so far; they are classic fantasy with all of the magical creatures and spells. Seth and Kendra are changing as they discover new powers and talents, and Seth even seems to be maturing a bit. He's still adventurous enough to keep things interesting though. The author has established that any of the characters may end up being evil, and Kendra wonders at the end of the book if anyone can truly be trusted. This twist has kept me guessing even as I try to figure out how Kendra and Seth will solve the conflicts in all four books. Friendship and kindness once again help to overcome the evil.