Back of Book:

CHOOSE YOUR GUARDIAN. CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY.

Every Anoran child dreams of the day they will enter the sacred bonding hut and match with a guardian—a spiritual guide who grants magically enhanced abilities. A lucky few will bond with Advocates, who promise greatness and glory. Others will be tempted by forbidden offers from the Accursed—dangerous spirits who bring nothing but destruction and a penalty of death to any Anoran who chooses them. But when Mako discovers that the worst of these agents of chaos has returned to spread an ancient evil through the empire, he faces an unthinkable choice: Will he bond with one of the Accursed to gain the power to stop another?

Halfway across the empire, Arden has no guardian and no prospects of adventure…until she infiltrates an underground criminal network to find her missing friend. Relying on her knack for sensing the truth through even the smoothest lies, Arden finds herself at the center of a sinister conspiracy that runs much deeper than she ever imagined.

Soon Mako’s and Arden’s fates collide, and together they must face bandit armies, dark secrets, and untold dangers to fight an enemy who could destroy all they’ve ever known.

Book Number: One 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

After twenty years of writing, Brandon Mull final tackles epic fantasy in this thrilling series starter to his "Guardians" trilogy!

In Anora, every child is given the chance to bond with a magical guardian who will help them throughout their entire life. Mako has reached his thirteenth year, and now it is his turn to be offered a guardian. The luckiest will bond with one of the fourteen Advocates. Others will be tempted by the dark power of the twenty Accursed. Mako has a huge decision to make when he enters the bonding hut and learns that some of the Accursed have returned to his world and he may have the potential to stop them. Down the mountainside, Arden lives a simple life, away from magical abilities and dangerous quests. That is, until she finds herself tied up in the realm of street gangs, heists, and a criminal network more elaborate than she ever could have concocted. Eventually, the fate of these two unlikely heroes will intertwine as they try to survive in this dangerous world and help take down the corruption of the Accursed.

When I heard that Brandon Mull was trying his hand at epic fantasy rather than urban fantasy or portal fantasy, I was super intrigued. I considered preordering this one but figured I'd wait until an even better sale rolled around. Well, I ended up with something even better than a fifty percent off book. I entered a giveaway and I got my hands on a signed and personalized copy of this book, which is honestly the coolest thing ever! Having a book signed by Mull is a dream come true! Bonus points that his new series is just as amazing as his previous books!

I must admit that the beginning of this book reads a bit slow, but I found myself having a blast with the slow-paced nature at the start. There was so much lore to learn about this world; I'm glad Mull didn't throw us headfirst into the action immediately. While we are learning about the complex magic system, the kids manage to find themselves in some pretty unfortunate circumstances. Mako somehow finds himself kidnapped in the first few chapters, and Arden is being inducted into a street gang. The stakes are lower, but it does a wonderful job of setting up the rest of the book.

The concept of guardians isn't anything too original, but I still think they are neat. Essentially, anyone from Anora, the community nestled on the forbidden mountain, is able to bond with a spiritual entity that will bond with them and work to better them as they progress through life. At first, this reminded me of Mull's idea behind the "Spirit Animals" series, but the "Guardian" trilogy seems way more intense as I keep reading into it. Guardians can enhance one's natural abilities, such as speed, strength, agility, or even musical talent. They can also nudge their bonded partner in certain directions and in unique cases, even take complete control over them. Mako's guardian is quite the character, and I'm really interested to see how their relationship develops as this series continues.

Mako and Arden are such fun characters. When I first met Mako, it felt a bit like reuniting with Seth in the early days of the "Fablehaven" universe. They both aspire for greatness, are cocky as heck, and have horrible decision-making skills. I am so excited to see the repercussions of all the interesting decisions Mako has already made in this series. Arden's heart is definitely in the right place, but her sense of judgement is also seriosuly lacking, especially for a girl who has the ability to sense people's true motives and emotions. She ends up entangled in a dangerous street gang due to her desire to help her friend, Kita, get out from the gang she previously joined. This leads Arden to be neck deep in horrible situations, which is what eventually has her seeking refuge with the organization that Mako is a part of.

After they get their guardians, young Anorans are sent on a three-year voyage to hone their abilities and serve the empire. Mako lucks out and is sent (alongside his best friend, Tuck) to join the convoy of a renowned warrior, Master Rojan. That is where he meets Arden, and their paths finally cross. I must say that this doesn't occur until around 300 pages into the story, but their individual journeys were so fascinating that I never found myself bored.

By the final portion of this book, these two have truly found themselves in some very dire situations. All the battle scenes are quite engaging, and I find myself rooting for Mako, Arden, and Tuck through the most uncertain of circumstances. The ending is honestly crazy, and I'm so excited to see how things play out in the second book in this trilogy.

Before I go, I just wanted to say how nice it was to be back in a Brandon Mull story. It has been quite some time since I've read any of his books, and I'm still in love with his humor, worldbuilding, and lovable characters. I can't believe that Mull has been writing for as long as I've been alive, but it checks out because he is a fantastic writer. I can't wait to read everything else he pens!

Overall, "Forbidden Mountain" was such an amazing introduction into Mull's new epic fantasy world. The concept of guardians is really fun, and I thought it was cool how deeply the spirit world is brought front and center. Mako and Arden are both extremely likable characters, despite them being young tweens who make terribly decisions at every turn. I love how chaotic Mako is; I'm so excited to see how all his choices pan out throughout the rest of this series! As always, Mull's humor, worldbuilding, and ability to draw me in never failed. I'm hooked on the "Guardians" series and wish I had another 500+ pages to binge read immediately; this one was certainly a long one, but it still ended too soon. I'm so excited to read the next volume when it comes out!