An amazing start to what I’m certain will be an incredible novel. I’m drawn in and invested in the characters and bewitched by the world building presented.

Ohh I love the cover so much! When I read the excerpt, I knew I was going to love it! Hopefully, I can read the full book as soon as possible!

When I first started to read, Havenfall I wasn't sure whether I would like it. It felt so different to Everless and Evermore. Whereas before I felt that I had eased into the series, this was a struggle. Perhaps because there was so much world building to do and the terminology was hard to get my head around.

But once I go over that little pickle, Havenfall was a joy to read. My heart went out to Maddie as she has to make some difficult decisions to keep the inn running smoothly.  Because this is a story that throws event after event at you. You don't really have to wonder about who all the characters are and how they are coping. You just have to keep up with all the events happening. 

And Maddie, while she is a strong and determined person is young. and she is still dealing with the death of her brother ten years ago.  This impact her decision making and influence what decisions she make. But she learns from her errors. And it is this which shows how strong a leader she can be. 

There are a couple of points that I guessed slightly earlier in the story. But some of the reveals are pretty huge. And when I got to the ending I was slightly disappointed. However there is another book in the series to come and I cannot wait to see what Maddie will do. 

Also there are a few secondary characters who I loved. However there was so many amazing character, that they all could not have the page time that they deserved. I really hope that we get to see more of them in book two!

If you are after a fun light fantasy read. Even with all the murder, then this is definitely the book for you. Havenfall is that surprising twisty turns book that you didn't quite realise you needed.

I picked up Havenfall because I’d read both Everless and Evermore from Sara Holland and was excited to what she would come up with next. From reading both, I think Holland is extemely good at thinking up a unique premise and building that into a book. For the Everless duology it was blood is literally time and money, for this book it’s that a small inn in Colarado is the place where realms meet.

The ideas of different realms is not new, but the Havenfall inn being a place for yearly meetings between realms, and the reason for a lot of human fairytales and monsters was intriguing. I loved that we got to know the process and all about the delegates too – as it gave a lot of depth to this process.

The delegates also gave a really good way of world building for the other realms. For the most part, this book is taking place only in Havenfall which is the area around the inn which is in Haven which is Earth. We don’t actually visit anywhere except earth, but it feels like we know so much about the other two realms of Fiordenkill and Bryn that we had been there. The world building is immersive.

The delegates also bring across their different cultures, we see Maddie try to help them negotiate between each other, and how they have different characteristics. We also get to see how each of them has a different type of magic, which was extremely interesting for me. I love magic systems and this one was interesting mainly because of the different people.

The conflict in the book is very murder mystery like in places… so this made it ever so slightly predictable. You can kind of guess the bad guys and the good guys from the start of the book, which both makes it annoying when Maddie does the wrong thing, but it does work to create a lot of tension.

The secrets inside the halls of Havenfall are good. You want to find out all the little hints which lead you down the path to find out the truth. These secrets actually created some twists and turns out of the predictability which was helpful to the overall story.

Maddie is our main character and point of view. She’s in love with Havenfall and has a tragic backstory which makes her run back this summer. Throughout the book we see her mature and grow into a more confident innkeeper as she has to take over for her uncle whilst he’s out cold. Without her uncle by her side (and limited training as no one expected her to start so young!) you can clearly see her struggle and make poor decisions at times. But she does grow on you as a reader, as well as into her role.

Overall the book was enjoyable and a fast read! I’m excited to see what Maddie and co get up to next.

Positives of Havenfall
World Building
Magic system
Negatives of Havenfall
Predictable

I really enjoyed this book, I liked the setting and the world buiding. I thought it was really well thought out. I felt like we were in a kingdom with lots of different realms. The setting of Havenfall i really enjoyed and it was a classic ya book with names of other kingdoms being soridan and foirden. I liked our main character Maddie, she was strong and determined just like any other ya main character in a fantasy story but it wasnt a bad thing. she ends up having to be the innkeeper of Havenfall after her uncle becomes ill. We did get put writing into the story at the beginning with maddie already on the journey up to Havenfall without her dad knowing. I loved the mystery aspect of the book and how it intrigued the reader to try and work out who opened the door. I suspected who it was around the halfway mark it was great to carry on to see if my suspect was guilty! which they were! I liked the romance in the book even though it wasnt the main focus and wasnt throughout the whole book only at the beginning and end.

I gave this book 4 stars. I really enjoyed it and cant wait for the sequel.

I liked the concept of this one but found it lacking in execution. It feel more like a prequel novel than the first in a series, much of the book was merely giving background and then the real action didn't start till towards the end. I didn't find Maddie particularly captivating as a protagonist either. Still I thought it was a creative take on a portal fantasy and I'll probably read the sequel when it comes out.

I was provided a sample extract of this novel.

First of all, I love the cover! It's intriguing and filled with intrigue designs to look at!

The first few chapters that I had access to were enough to have me hooked on the book. It was informative and provided a great set up for the story. I look forward to reading the entire book!

This book was unimpressive to be honest. I had high hopes for it but the plot seemed to develop very quickly. While it definitely had strong points, there seemed to be something missing to take it over the “meh” edge and make it a memorable YA story.

First of all: I LOVE the cover of this book. It's beautiful.

Second of all, and most importantly, I really enjoyed the extract I was lucky enough to be given access to by NetGalley! The writing hooked me immediately, and I intend to finish the novel now that it's published and give a more in-depth review. Excited!

I only read the available extract, but was suitably impressed with Sara Holland’s new series. Can’t wait to read the whole book.

Firstly I love the cover of this book, it is just stunning and soothing all at once and a beautiful cover that this contains a beautiful world within. I could definitely picture havenfall and its magical properties and that is because of Sara Holland's beautiful writing. It is so descriptive and often really profound, like in this case, 'It occurs to me, Calmly and distantly, that I've thought about things the wrong way. The difference between monsters and people; it's not a divide between Solarians and humans or anything like that, it's what we do'. I liked that it walks that balance between magical and real, I found it easy to picture and definitively believed everything that Maddie was going through.



I love a book with a strong female lead and we have that here with Maddie who aspires to be the Havenfall Inkeeper, responsible for overseeing peace delegations between worlds, when her uncle retires. I like that she has these strong desires and knows what she wants. She is ultimately flawed though and this is where a lot of the plot points come from. Maddie tries to do what she can to solve problems but she really can't always. There is an element of romance in this book and a hint of a f/f/ relationship but it is not the main plot of this one. I would have liked more to have been made of that particular relationship but this is maybe something which will be explored in the next book in the series.



This was definitely light fantasy with a lot of action, some violence but it poses a lot of questions and a lot of dilemmas for our character which I am sure will be picked up in book 2. I liked that there wasn't tons of new information to take in but I don't think that a little more detail would have hurt the pacing at all. Maddie was a good main character but I would definitely like to see a few more memorable characters in book 2 because for me, the setting in the Colorado mountains was what stuck out for me. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes in book 2.

I love elements of the book: the idea of Havenfall, the Inn with secret Doorways to other worlds, the peace summit and different cultures, the Mirror Lake. The storyline is great, even when a bit foreseeable, but I like the message conveyed. I would love to explore more of this world, of Havenfall itself.

I didn't like Maddie so much. I loved that she was one without magic, that she solved all of it only by strength of character and morals. What I didn't like was that she let her emotions overtake her, how often she wanted to give up (understandable, but the emphasis on it was to heavy, it always felt hopeless.) I didn't like her descision to solve every problem alone, to take all up on herself and not get help from the people around her who were clearly trustworthy (Greylin, Willow). I wanted her to ask more questions, to be not so easily fooled or trusting when clearly someone was the only source of news and shaped the truths alone.
I would have wanted her to think more with her head then her heart, even though she had some fierce moments that I loved.
I strongly dislike, that only with Brekken back, Maddie seems able to piece everything together. Not only because she has more facts, but she has an emotional stability with Brekken that she didn't allow herself before. That she couldn't do it on her own, because she let herself be reigned by emotions - fear, stress, betrayal, hopelessness.

I liked Taya and the Heiress a lot, great women to accompany the main character. I found the characters of Marcus, Greylin and the Silver Prince really interesting, wished sometimes that there were more interactions, the book was quite heavy on Maddies internal voice.
Sometimes I felt like the writing style slowed things down, you could count on a whole report of Maddies feelings and ability before something major happened.

But I do think that Maddie was a good, strong choice to tell this story, show how overwhelming sudden responsibility can be and how left alon young adults sometimes feel. I had some minor problems with the book, but overall really enjoyed it and am excited to read more.

A thrilling first few chapters that set the tone of the world and main character. I found myself incredibly intrigued to what happened to the main characters brother and desperate to read more of the magical Havenfall and the other worlds

I tried with this book I really did and I just couldn't get in to it.

I think it's because I have read a very similar book to this with a theme which is very much the same and so kept comparing it to that book and so just couldn't get in to it

I may revisit this book at a later date but for now this book is on my DNF list

I didn't love this book. The first half was rather boring and everything interesting happened in the second half. I called the major plot twist chapters early (though I will admit that the foreshadowing was quite good) and I really could not care less about Brekken.

HOWEVER,
I want to learn more about Sura. I want to learn more about Nate and Maddie's mom. I genuinely might pick up the future sequel.

I received a sample copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The sample copy of this book is great! The beginning gives a small amount if information as a build up to setting the scene for the story and I enjoyed what I read and will definitely read the rest of the book when I can get my hands on it.

I think this book was a bit of a mess, honestly.

The starting was just boring. The writing or the characters couldn't draw me in, and I slouched through those first few chapters. And the characters, those were very lousy. Like, I couldn't connect to any of them or their motives. I couldn't feel for any of the characters.

Thank goodness that the second half got a little better with some good scenes. But still, again, very predictable. The actions were alright. A bit engaging.

And then the end just went down the hill again. It was a mess. That ending just contradicted everything that our MC stood up for. And the romance also felt extremely forced.

Now, I did enjoy the overall story though. The whole magic and realm system was cleverly done, although confusing me at many points. Some twists were revealed well.

Overall, it wasn't as fantastic and iconic as it was marketed as. Just a basic YA fantasy with the same old cliche of the chosen one with the handsome saviour.

Havenfall is the first book I've ever read from Sara Holland AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. The world is gorgeous, vivid, and complicated -- with Havenfall being a sort of crossroads location of all worlds. An apprentice innkeeper, Maddie is the PERFECT main character to follow: hardworking, compelling, fleshed out to the point where I wished I could jump into the book and be her guest!

A magical and delightful read!

This was a fantastic excerpt. Very well written, captivating and intriguing. I cant wait to read the rest.

After reading the synopsis and seeing the beauty that is the cover, I was very excited when I was approved to review an ARC of this. Sadly I came away feeling a bit disappointed.

The premise is fantastic – Havenfall is a neutral crossroads/meeting point between multiple worlds. Maddie (our main character) is an “innkeeper” in training, meaning that she will one day be responsible for all those who come into Havenfall, and will also have to remain neutral in the politics too (basically an overseer). Each world has a door to Havenfall, and one door has remained closed tight for years due to conflict between its inhabitants and the other worlds - until it unexpectedly bursts open.

There were many elements of this that I liked, but there also many that I didn’t particularly enjoy.
The range of characters were so wonderfully diverse, yet most felt underdeveloped and their personalities didn’t seem to shine through at all. I liked the setting, but felt tricked as we’re told that these fantastical other worlds exist, yet we don’t get the chance to experience them. I can only presume that we’ll be given this opportunity in future books.
It had a very strong start, and I devoured over 50% of it in one sitting, but then it seemed that the pacing plateaued off, as I found myself feeling a little bored. There were a couple of plot twists that I did enjoy, but the majority felt quite predictable (especially the villain reveal!).

I thought this book had heaps of potential but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It reads more like a prequel to the first book, rather than being the actual first book (if that makes any sense). I haven’t been put off the rest of the series completely though, as I’d love to experience the other worlds that we have been introduced to!


Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.