Forbidden Mountain
Choose your guardian. Choose your destiny. A new epic fantasy from the #1 bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series.
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.
Brandon Mull
Brandon Mull has a rare talent for turning childhood daydreams into epic adventures that captivate millions of readers around the world. His fantasy novels, from the beloved Fablehaven series to the sweeping sagas of Beyonders, Five Kingdoms, and Dragonwatch, invite readers into hidden realms where magic lives alongside danger, and the choices of ordinary kids can change the fate of entire worlds.
Born in California in 1974 and raised with an imagination that never seemed to rest, Mull spent much of his childhood inventing elaborate games and imagining creatures that lurked just out of sight. That creative spark carried into his studies at Brigham Young University, where he not only honed his storytelling voice but also embraced performance as part of a sketch comedy troupe. After graduation he worked a string of day jobs—from movie promoter to filing clerk—while quietly chasing the stories that filled his mind.
Guardians
In the land of Anora, no child grows up alone. Each is bound to a guardian spirit, a bond that shapes their gifts, their future, and sometimes their fate. These guardians whisper power into mortal hands, some guiding with light, others tempting with ruin. At the heart of this world lie two paths: the trusted Advocates, who promise strength and honor, and the Accursed, forbidden beings whose power carries the price of death.
Guardians consists of one book and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of two more books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
