"Havenfall" by Sara Holland was a fun mystery wrapped up in a hidden, modern fantasy world. I wasn't very gripped by the characters or the details of what they did line by line, but the mystery kept me reading and wanting to find out what happened until the end. One character in particular, though she ended up being important, felt like she was dropped into the story just to form a love triangle, and even when her twist was revealed toward the end it still felt a little too convenient that she supposedly had just ended up at this magical inn by chance, because she'd just happened to get a job there. It felt a little too convenient. I also could tell she was supposed to be a love interest for the MC, but never felt much chemistry between them. The other corner of the love triangle, Brekken—he was a hot elf man I was into, but he was also missing for the majority of the book. That was pretty disappointing.
So, it was a creative story and a genuinely good mystery with fun twists and turns, I think I just never really liked being in the main character's head. I'm not sure why. Maybe she was too much of a Mary Sue and everything came too easy for her and she didn't have enough relatable flaws. Maybe she just seemed too isolated in this fantasy world and disconnected from everyone around her so I couldn't connect to her either. Maybe she was just boring. Regardless, I think she is what really kept me from getting invested in this story, which was unfortunate because I think it did overall have a good plot. This could also very much be a me thing that most people would feel differently about.

This story is a must-read for all lovers of fantasy and science fiction! I'm always on the fence about magical realism and science fiction stories because they lose that fantastical element I long for when reading the fantasy genre. Havenfall is the perfect blend of fantasy, magical realism, and science fiction. The main character, Maddie, is your average teenager if your average teenager's mom is on death row for killing her son. Maddie is traveling to spend the summer with her uncle, who manages the inn at Havenfall, the crossroads for the multiverse. The sole purpose of the innkeeper is to ensure harmony between the different universes and be a neutral ground for peace discussions. Maddie hopes to take over as innkeeper someday, but she isn't ready for the responsibilities this summer will bring. (Insert awesomeness here.) The plot of this story takes off from the get-go, and leads you down a path of twists and turns that you wouldn't expect. This story had me guessing the whole time and was so action-packed that I literally could not put it down. I don't usually finish books in a day, but this book was unstoppable. I was worried about the pace of this book interfering with my connection with the characters, but it enhances the experience with twinges of mystique. I thoroughly enjoyed the protagonist, Maddie, she was relatable, and I loved seeing her rise to the challenge of her new responsibilities. The idea behind Havenfall being the crossroads to other worlds was genius, and I loved how the author built up the world of Havenfall. I cannot gush enough about how great this book was! It's a must-read.

A really great opening, can't wait for the rest of the book! Love Sara Holland's work, and the premise promises it to be an excellent read.

What an interesting first chapter! Different from most fantasy books I’ve read. I am very curious to how this continues, so I am looking flrward to pub day so I can get my hands on the full story.

Beautiful and atmospheric, the writing is captivating. Will definitely be adding this one to my wishlist!

When I was seventeen/eighteen, I was in my third year of college. You'd think that being in my last year of my scholastic year - so far - that I had got everything together and solid. But I wasn't; I was in the cusp of teenage angst and questions of 'is this what I really to do'.

Just like Maddie.

But Maddie, unlike me, knows what she wants and what she wants to do - and that is be the next Innkeeper after her Uncle Marius.

This sneak peek into Havenfall melds together a insight into the life of the character herself and the introduction to the mysterious and intriguing Havenfall and the lands beyond. The first two chapters weaves a description of something beyond the metropolitan and the modern, of a place removed from the now and untouched by the contemporary. Something that could only be reached after a long walk through fog and fen.

Ah, getting poetic here. But I always do this whenever a book is whimsical and has potential for a good deal more.

I received this extract for free from NetGalley, thank you to the author (Sara Holland) and the publishers (Bloomsbury Publishing/Bloomsbury YA) for accepting my request to read this!

There is another disclaimer that I want to say as well - this review is based on only an EXTRACT of the book. I received the first two chapters for free to read and review so please keep that in mind when reading this review! These are just my thoughts so far on what I've read.

Our main character is Maddie Marrow who has clearly led a very troubled life and has overcome a lot. She is a niece to Marcus, who is the innkeeper of Havenfall and has a responsibility to keep everyone safe. Maddie has high ambitions as she is hoping to be named his inheritor one day. Overall, she is like any young girl who wants to hang out with her friends and is at an age where she feels out of place in the world. The difference being that she has an extra touch of magic. Plus, I am very much looking forward to how the hint of a possible future romance will play out!

I love how the author introduces the characters in this extract, it's only been a couple of chapters but I am hooked and want to know more about them. Plus, Havenfall is such an intriguing concept and sounds like such a magical and mystical place. I'm excited to read more about it. Additionally, there has been some beautiful writing so far, it's really gripping and just pulls you in!

Only a short review this time round but I think you can tell that I really enjoyed what I have read so far and I will definitely be buying the whole book after it has been released!
Thank you again to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this opportunity!

Consisting of a diverse and unique new-world, dynamic protagonists, distinct antagonists, and a gripping plot-line, Sara Hollands new-series shapes to be an elegantly composed master-piece. Within the work, all the characters have a dimensional depth that surpasses typical fantasy themes.

Whilst the P.O.V leaves more to be desired, the fast-paced plot-line consisting of twists and turns to shock the reader begin from page 1. This alone redeems the book from the world of 3.5 Stars, and thrusts it solely into 4.5

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC.

I liked Everless. so I was positive I would love this book. The cover, is simply beautiful, and the blurb sounded wonderful as well. And in the beginning, it was everything I hoped it would be and then, then it just does a complete 180 and went downhill.

The book was easy to figure out and there was no "wow" moments or moments that made me love the characters. I wish there was.

This is a new author to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The author beautifully captured a mystical landscape/realm and introduced us to a variety of characters; and giving us Maddie Morrow. She's kickass, a strong leader and I'm excited to see what happens next! Thanks to NetGalley and to Bloomsbury YA for making this ARC available to read.

This book series is going to be fantastic. Really looking forward to reading more. A great author, great story line, beautiful cover.

The first few pages of this look absolutely promising. I have read this author in the past and I cannot wait for this new tale of hers. Very excited for the book!!!

Although it's hard to get a good sense of how this book will play out in a short excerpt, I'm definitely intrigued! Holland describes an eerie, beautiful, and atmospheric setting, and introduced us to Maddie and Taya, both of whom I am looking forward to getting to know in the full novel. The intro leans a little heavily on info-dumping, but otherwise is well-written. I will read the full-length novel for sure.

Beautiful cover and exciting first few pages! Interesting characters read so far and I am already loving the different worlds. After reading this excerpt, I am definitely looking forward to more!

Loved reading this excerpt! Even more excited for its release now that I'm also a part of a blog tour meant to hype this up <3

I only got to read an extract of the first two chapters, so my thoughts only reflect the portion I read.

That being said, those first few chapters completely drew me in. Havenfall has a lot of promise: Mystery, politics between worlds, and magic for starters.

Havenfall (the inn, not the town, or the book) exists at a magical crossroads between adjacent worlds. Only four worlds are know. To exist now and one has been magically closed due to conflict one hundred years ago, but trouble is still brewing. Haven, the only world without magic, is essentially neutral territory.

We seem to have a pretty cool heroine, Maddie, and she has an encounter with a mysterious woman on a motorcycle in the middle of the night. At the moment their relationship seems to lean heavily toward the enemy/rival side of things, so I’m interested to see where that goes in the future.

I’m also interested to explore more about her brothers death, and why her mother is on death row, and how it all ties in to Havenfall.

All in all, I’m looking forward to reading Havenfall in its entirety this coming March!

I received this extract from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Honestly, the story is really amazing. Maddie, the main character, is the niece and hopefully the heir of the owner of Havenfall, an inn, a crossroads to different realms, even though now only three exist. Haven is the word for Earth, the only place withouth magic, so it's considered a neutral zone and the inn it's special. Since it's impossible to travel between realms, it's difficult to be in another realm for long time, they couldn't breathe, the inn is the only place where people from the realms can intermingle. Maddie, with a painful past, because her brother was killed and her mother accused of it (even though Maddie think the fault wasn't her, but a creature's), considers the inn her home, her place and in the first chapter she decided to visit his uncle and met Taya, a girl directed at Havenfall too. And stop...I won't say more, because you need to read this book! It's amazing, written beautifully!

(This is a Review of the excerpt of Havenfall, so I cannot speak for the whole novel, just the that was given to me.)

Going into reading this I was not expecting myself to enjoy this book as much as I have. Reading the first few chapters has me excited to read the whole novel once it is out, and has me pumped to continue the story in this world. There is not much I can say in terms of plot development and such, but I like the main character, and am rooting for her character development and to see where she can grow.

I am definitely intrigued by what appears to be a mix of fantasy and real life! I'm getting The Cruel Prince vibes what with the murder of a family member happening on Earth by a fantastical creature. From the two chapter preview, I am for sure interested in reading more to see the story flesh out and get to know the characters a little better.

I received a 2 chapter sample of this book from NetGalley, and already I’m hooked.

Short Review:

Right off the bat, the prologue confused more than enlightened me. But I quickly caught up with the story and must say I was instantly captivated by Maddie's sinister family history.

Setting: This mysterious, chilling Mountain had me reminiscing about my family’s cabin in the woods, the descending fog and soft, cold rain was very atmospheric and spooky.

Portal / converging magical worlds is a trope that offers many possibilities and this “ Inn on neutral grounds” is a fantastic idea.

The mention of a dead body in the synopsis is what's going to make me pick up this book when it is released.

As aside note, I couldn't relate more to Maddie's discomfort regarding the creeper on the bus.