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imcourtneymarie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Really enjoyed this story, the characters, and the world it built. I think it was a great story of friendship and bravery and yes, there was a little romance too (no smut!!!).
only complaint, though I understand why it had to be this way, is that Frances gets off rather easily for literally killing the headmistress lol.
Also, I’m sad that Finn is the bad guy, but I also love it. 😈
Also, I’m sad that Finn is the bad guy, but I also love it. 😈
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Vomit
calamitywindpetal's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Blood, Murder, Death, Misogyny, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Confinement, Racism, Gore, Vomit, and Sexual violence
Minor: Stalking, Alcohol, and Sexual content
toofondofbooks_'s review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
3.5 rounded up to 4
It's the early 1900s, and Frances Hallowell is a seventeen year old seamstress reeling from the loss of her older brother who was murdered. One night, when her boss attacks her in the empty shop, something Frances can't explain happens and her boss ends up dead. Before the police can cart her away on a murder charge, she is taken by two nurses to HaxaHaven "sanitarium," but it's not a sanitarium at all, but a school for witches. Magic ensues.
There is a lot to like about this book! I thought the writing was simplistic, but beautiful. The vibes of the writing reminded me a bit of one of my favorite authors, Sarah Waters. I wrote down a ton of quotes from this in my reading journal. The side characters, particularly Frances' friends at the school, were probably the highlight for me. I appreciated that Haxahaven is a place that includes people from all backgrounds and identities (more on that later). This book was easy to get lost in and by the end of it, I was excited to read the sequel (releasing in October 2022).
I have some qualms though, and I wish I didn't. This was going to be a 5 star, and then a 4 star, and then a 3.5. Hear me out. While this book has characters from diverse backgrounds and identities, I don't believe that you can claim that this book is incredibly diverse. If the non-white , non-straight characters took center stage at any point, you could. However, that never happens. Two of the non-white or non-straight characters get significant page time, but only in relation to the white main character. At the end of the book, we get a bonus chapter about a lesbian character in the book, and while that's great, it would've been nice to see her actually get to be queer outside of passing mentions of it and then just that one chapter.
Another thing that cost this book a star was the twist. I hated it. I felt as betrayed as anyone else in the book did. I normally wouldn't take off a star for a plot point, but I feel VERY strongly about it, and that's why I'm doing it.
Despite my qualms, I really did like this book and I am interested in the sequel.
It's the early 1900s, and Frances Hallowell is a seventeen year old seamstress reeling from the loss of her older brother who was murdered. One night, when her boss attacks her in the empty shop, something Frances can't explain happens and her boss ends up dead. Before the police can cart her away on a murder charge, she is taken by two nurses to HaxaHaven "sanitarium," but it's not a sanitarium at all, but a school for witches. Magic ensues.
There is a lot to like about this book! I thought the writing was simplistic, but beautiful. The vibes of the writing reminded me a bit of one of my favorite authors, Sarah Waters. I wrote down a ton of quotes from this in my reading journal. The side characters, particularly Frances' friends at the school, were probably the highlight for me. I appreciated that Haxahaven is a place that includes people from all backgrounds and identities (more on that later). This book was easy to get lost in and by the end of it, I was excited to read the sequel (releasing in October 2022).
I have some qualms though, and I wish I didn't. This was going to be a 5 star, and then a 4 star, and then a 3.5. Hear me out. While this book has characters from diverse backgrounds and identities, I don't believe that you can claim that this book is incredibly diverse. If the non-white , non-straight characters took center stage at any point, you could. However, that never happens. Two of the non-white or non-straight characters get significant page time, but only in relation to the white main character. At the end of the book, we get a bonus chapter about a lesbian character in the book, and while that's great, it would've been nice to see her actually get to be queer outside of passing mentions of it and then just that one chapter.
Another thing that cost this book a star was the twist. I hated it. I felt as betrayed as anyone else in the book did. I normally wouldn't take off a star for a plot point, but I feel VERY strongly about it, and that's why I'm doing it.
Despite my qualms, I really did like this book and I am interested in the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racism, Murder, Death, Classism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, and Violence
cheezyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Picked this up on a whim and am happy I did. It was a wonderful witchy novel full of mystery, shennanigans, found family, love, determination, and magic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Blood, Physical abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Vomit
amandalorianxo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I honestly was a little bit afraid this was going to be geared towards a younger audience when I skimmed the synopsis but figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot. I’m really glad I did. This story takes place in 1911 in New York and Frances is trying to deal with the sudden murder of her brother while her mother is locked in an asylum. She’s seventeen and knows there is no other alternative to her seamstress job minus a factory. The owner attempts to cause harm to Frances and this leads to her being taken to an academy… for witches. Frances slowly befriends an Indigenous girl named Lena of the Onondaga tribe and Maxine, a lesbian who has lineage tied to France. The trio discover there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the magic they possess and it turns into a wild ride for roughly 400 plus pages. I’m happy that Smith didn’t sugarcoat or gloss over the treatment Indengenous people faced in the past as well as the lgbt community. Calling out on white privilege is also present a few times in the story. There were a few plot points that might be easy to spot and Frances at times irritated me when she didn’t take the advice of those that knew just a tad more than her but that’s kind of a guarantee when you’re seventeen right? Hoping for a book two in the future !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Torture, and Vomit
clovelatte's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Confinement, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Stalking
onceuponabookcase's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'm a bit of a sucker for any books involving witches, but The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith in particular sounded like it was written for me. Witches, a magic school, and a murder mystery? All I needed to hear to have me immediately ordering myself a copy. And what a story! Exciting and gripping, I really enjoyed it!
Frances is weighed down by the grief of losing her brother, William, four months ago, murdered and thrown into the river. The police have no leads, and it looks like his murder will go unsolved. When Frances is attacked by her boss late one night, she accidentally kills him when her seamstress shears fly through the air and embed themselves in his neck. Soon after, two "nurses" show up to take her to Haxahaven, a school for witches disguised as a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients. The discovery of magic and her own power leaves Frances stunned and thrilled, especially when she realises magic might help her to solve William's murder. But Haxahaven is a school that teaches control and safety, not how to fully embrace your magic, and soon feels like a prison. When she discovers notes being left for her on her pillow, pushing her to fight for justice, she meets Finn, a boy who was friends of her brother with magic of his own, who wants to help her figure out what happened to William. He agrees to teach her and her new friends Maxine and Lena how to use their power, casting spells from an ancient spell book Maxine, a Finder, found buried in the woods. One that includes a spell of resurrection - a way to contact the dead. Frances is desperate to learn and grow to be strong enough for the complicated spell and find out who killed William, but her growing power has come to the attention of a rival secret society of magicians that covet power in all forms, putting her and her friends in danger. Frances must decide where her loyalties lie and who to trust, before her world goes spinning out of control.
The Witch Haven is a bit of a slow burner, but one that was completely captivating. It's hard not to compare a book with a magic school to other famous magic schools, but Haxahaven is not what I was expecting at all. It's a school of it's time. If those with magic don't use their power, it can turn inward and cause them to go mad. But these witches are still women who live in a time where they are to be seen and not heard. The school teaches it's students how to use small magics for household chores, and nothing more. Small ways they can use their power to keep themselves sane, but without being anything other than proper ladies. They have another class on how to control their emotions - which is just a lesson where the teacher gets the students to relive traumatic experiences over and over again - to prevent magical outbursts caused by strong emotion. Rather than learning how to utilise her magic, Frances is taught how to smother it, and the thrill of discovering she's a witch and has magical ability soon wears thin.
The lights in Frances' life that make it all bearable are Maxine and Lena, the friends Frances makes. There's a strong theme of sisterhood in The Witch Haven, of the bonds of friendship. I loved both Maxine and Lena, but I do wish we got to know them better. When the spell book is discovered, and when Frances meets the mysterious note leaver and discovers it's Finn, the focus for Frances is on getting to the point where she can perform the resurrection spell. We don't really get to know many of the characters besides Frances as well as I would have liked, as time passes quickly. For a while, not a huge amount happens. Frances grows in frustration at her classes and how restrictive they are, and in impatience to cast the resurrection spell, while she sneaks out each week with Maxine and Lena to practice magic with Finn, and figure out how they're going to get what they need for the spell once they're ready.
Even though it's slower paced than some books, and not a huge deal happens for a while outside a few things I can't discuss, I was still captivated by this story. Maxine is confident and full of spunk, and just so funny, and Lena is loyal and brave, but a little more responsible, and I just loved the three girls' friendship and seeing them interact together. Saying that, the mystery element really gets you questioning things, and I got to a point where I didn't know who to trust and started suspecting almost everyone, even when I didn't have anything concrete to pin it on. The entire time, you just know there's more going on than Frances realises, that there's more to Haxahaven and the disturbing Sons of Saint Druon, the secret society of magicians and other powerful men. When more bodies of boys are found in the river, Frances becomes certain this is bigger than just her brother. But neither she nor we have any real clue. I read with discomfort filled with a quiet buy persistent thread of dread. Things were going to get bad, and I didn't know why or how or who it would involve, but you could just feel it creeping ever closer, and feeling like every decision made was potentially a bad one. I was just constantly wondering what the hell was going on, and worried for the three girls. I couldn't put it down until I figured it out, and I knew the truth.
But then things really pick up. The last quarter of the book is epic. Things kick off in a big way and there are shocks and twists around every corner. I knew something wasn't right, but I didn't really know. I never could have guessed just how bad things were until the crap hit the fan. Oh my god, it was gripping and incredible, but so twisted and sinister, and just incredibly messed up! It was a case of jaw dropping twists where your jaw just keeps dropping lower and lower as things just get worse. I couldn't believe it even as it was happening, and it was terrible and tense and disturbing, with no clue as to how things would end. It was just absolutely brilliant!
I loved how The Witch Haven is quite feminist, and how things were so unfair for women at the time, that there were expectations for all women, even those with money. And I also loved how diverse this story is! It touches on the subject of poverty, as Frances is quite poor, and before Haxahaven, most people she knew were, too. Lena is Native American, and tells of her childhood forced into a school run by nuns, and the horrific treatment of the children attending said school, and of her tribe - and how she was taken away again to attend Haxahaven. No labels are used, but Maxine likes girls. And Haxahaven takes all girls.
Frances is weighed down by the grief of losing her brother, William, four months ago, murdered and thrown into the river. The police have no leads, and it looks like his murder will go unsolved. When Frances is attacked by her boss late one night, she accidentally kills him when her seamstress shears fly through the air and embed themselves in his neck. Soon after, two "nurses" show up to take her to Haxahaven, a school for witches disguised as a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients. The discovery of magic and her own power leaves Frances stunned and thrilled, especially when she realises magic might help her to solve William's murder. But Haxahaven is a school that teaches control and safety, not how to fully embrace your magic, and soon feels like a prison. When she discovers notes being left for her on her pillow, pushing her to fight for justice, she meets Finn, a boy who was friends of her brother with magic of his own, who wants to help her figure out what happened to William. He agrees to teach her and her new friends Maxine and Lena how to use their power, casting spells from an ancient spell book Maxine, a Finder, found buried in the woods. One that includes a spell of resurrection - a way to contact the dead. Frances is desperate to learn and grow to be strong enough for the complicated spell and find out who killed William, but her growing power has come to the attention of a rival secret society of magicians that covet power in all forms, putting her and her friends in danger. Frances must decide where her loyalties lie and who to trust, before her world goes spinning out of control.
The Witch Haven is a bit of a slow burner, but one that was completely captivating. It's hard not to compare a book with a magic school to other famous magic schools, but Haxahaven is not what I was expecting at all. It's a school of it's time. If those with magic don't use their power, it can turn inward and cause them to go mad. But these witches are still women who live in a time where they are to be seen and not heard. The school teaches it's students how to use small magics for household chores, and nothing more. Small ways they can use their power to keep themselves sane, but without being anything other than proper ladies. They have another class on how to control their emotions - which is just a lesson where the teacher gets the students to relive traumatic experiences over and over again - to prevent magical outbursts caused by strong emotion. Rather than learning how to utilise her magic, Frances is taught how to smother it, and the thrill of discovering she's a witch and has magical ability soon wears thin.
The lights in Frances' life that make it all bearable are Maxine and Lena, the friends Frances makes. There's a strong theme of sisterhood in The Witch Haven, of the bonds of friendship. I loved both Maxine and Lena, but I do wish we got to know them better. When the spell book is discovered, and when Frances meets the mysterious note leaver and discovers it's Finn, the focus for Frances is on getting to the point where she can perform the resurrection spell. We don't really get to know many of the characters besides Frances as well as I would have liked, as time passes quickly. For a while, not a huge amount happens. Frances grows in frustration at her classes and how restrictive they are, and in impatience to cast the resurrection spell, while she sneaks out each week with Maxine and Lena to practice magic with Finn, and figure out how they're going to get what they need for the spell once they're ready.
Even though it's slower paced than some books, and not a huge deal happens for a while outside a few things I can't discuss, I was still captivated by this story. Maxine is confident and full of spunk, and just so funny, and Lena is loyal and brave, but a little more responsible, and I just loved the three girls' friendship and seeing them interact together. Saying that, the mystery element really gets you questioning things, and I got to a point where I didn't know who to trust and started suspecting almost everyone, even when I didn't have anything concrete to pin it on. The entire time, you just know there's more going on than Frances realises, that there's more to Haxahaven and the disturbing Sons of Saint Druon, the secret society of magicians and other powerful men. When more bodies of boys are found in the river, Frances becomes certain this is bigger than just her brother. But neither she nor we have any real clue. I read with discomfort filled with a quiet buy persistent thread of dread. Things were going to get bad, and I didn't know why or how or who it would involve, but you could just feel it creeping ever closer, and feeling like every decision made was potentially a bad one. I was just constantly wondering what the hell was going on, and worried for the three girls. I couldn't put it down until I figured it out, and I knew the truth.
But then things really pick up. The last quarter of the book is epic. Things kick off in a big way and there are shocks and twists around every corner. I knew something wasn't right, but I didn't really know. I never could have guessed just how bad things were until the crap hit the fan. Oh my god, it was gripping and incredible, but so twisted and sinister, and just incredibly messed up! It was a case of jaw dropping twists where your jaw just keeps dropping lower and lower as things just get worse. I couldn't believe it even as it was happening, and it was terrible and tense and disturbing, with no clue as to how things would end. It was just absolutely brilliant!
I loved how The Witch Haven is quite feminist, and how things were so unfair for women at the time, that there were expectations for all women, even those with money. And I also loved how diverse this story is! It touches on the subject of poverty, as Frances is quite poor, and before Haxahaven, most people she knew were, too. Lena is Native American, and tells of her childhood forced into a school run by nuns, and the horrific treatment of the children attending said school, and of her tribe - and how she was taken away again to attend Haxahaven. No labels are used, but Maxine likes girls. And Haxahaven takes all girls.
'"Haxahaven is rather good at finding every magical girl in the area. Rich, poor, any race, from any neighborhood, girls whose parents thought they were boys upon birth, girls who are only sometimes girls, girls who are still deciding, people who are neither boys nor girls. We train them all. The men are left to their own devices. They do what men do."' (p74-75)
The way The Witch Haven ended, it looks very much like there's more to come, so I think we can safely bet on a sequel, and I'm so excited! I very much look forward seeing where Frances' story takes her next, because this was epic! I highly recommend this twisty and sinister magical murder mystery!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Sexual assault, and Racism
Minor: Vomit
debussy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Sasha Peyton Smith's debut is an absorbing awakening of magic. It has magic schools, magic clubs, magic boxing fights, magic boys, and magic feuds that will leave readers breathless.
We start with Frances Hallowell, a seventeen-year-old seamstress, who is fresh with grief over her murdered brother. When she's attacked late at night by her shop's owner, her scissors inexplicably fly across the room and into his neck, killing him. In the morning, the witches arrive, whisking her out of a police investigation and into Haxahaven--a tuberculosis sanitarium on the outside, but a magical school for girls on the inside. So begins Frances's instruction, but of course nothing is quite right. Instead of learning the magic the girls crave, Haxahaven is focused on small magic. Domestic magic. Frances yearns for more--magic that can help her make a better world. Magic that can help her solve her brother's murder.
This magic is delivered via Finn, an errand boy for a magic gentlemen's club in New York City. Frances and her friends learn the more serious magic from him, hoping to become strong enough to resurrect the soul of Frances's brother so he can tell them who killed him. All the while more boys are found washed up in the river, leading Frances to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. As she dives deeper into the mystery, she runs into long-standing feuds, racing against the people who would control her future and take her power for themselves.
The Witch Haven has a fresh look on magic, a delightfully eerie 1910s New York setting, and an absorbing mystery. The twists on how magic would be used by women and by men--and the conflict it would cause between them--was reminiscent of The Once and Future Witches, and the magical school was so fully realized as a place that is at once a saving grace and a prison in its own right, trapping girls in the concept of what keeps women safe in a world unconcerned with their safety. I was thoroughly obsessed with this book, and I can't wait to see what the sequel brings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Vomit
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