I liked this ... I'm not sure how much I'll remember it, or if I'll continue with the series (there's just SO much to read out there ...) I didn't find myself stopping to take notes, and as I come to write the review, I just don't have that much to say.

3rd person/past tense. Primarily from the MC/Cole's POV. He's in the 6th grade. I often figure the MC's age is often the target audience.

I went primarily with the audio version (I was a little nervous, Fablehaven's narration was awful, felt like it was being performed for a kindergarten story circle). The narration here was solid though. I had the Kindle copy and the physical book too. 

35 chapters, with descriptive headers (included in Kindle anyway. The audio just had the basic numbered chapters, and the physical book doesn't even include a TOC). Not overly descriptive, often just one or two words ... still, something I like to look back on after finishing up the book. Seeing if the headers jog my memory.

This starts off on Halloween night ... I'm a bit OCD about timing/seasons. I generally don't like reading a Halloween/Christmas story in May. While the timing was important (leading the kids into a spook alley) overall, the season was over pretty quick as the story moved into the "Outskirts" ... a fantasy dreamworld.

The new world had a lot of imaginative things, interesting ... the titled "Sky Raiders" and the cloud castles and the "semblences" ... the set up for the series, as Cole tries to survive and find/rescue his friends, as well as help new friends and deal with the magic and the treachery taking place.

I'm pretty sure I would have liked this a LOT more in my younger years. Whereas adults often don't like the "children in danger" I think kids sometimes get a bit of a thrill from that (and the kid who manages to survive and save others, imagining maybe that would be them in such a situation). 

I just didn't get fully pulled in, didn't get that connection with the characters, where I NEED to keep reading and find out what happens. While I didn't have any trouble finishing up, I also wasn't sorry when the story ended, ready to move onto something else (while wishing Cole luck in his next adventure).  

I think maybe my genre preferences have shifted though. I used to really love fantasy, but it's a bit of push for me now. Maybe I wasn't fully in the mood for this? Aimed at a younger audience, this wasn't even as complex as some fantasy can be.

Words I note: cacophony