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ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
Havenfall is everything I want in a young adult fantasy: a cool concept, well-executed, with a great heroine.
Maddie has had a rough life. Her mother is on death row for murdering her brother, and this has made Maddie something of an outcast. The only place she feels comfortable is her uncle's inn in a small town in Colorado, where she spends her summers. Havenfall isn't just a hotel--it's the place where a portal to other worlds opens. Every summer, the portals open and the people of Fiordenkill and Byrn come through to meet in the safety of Havenfall. There were once many other lands, but their doors have all been closed, including Solaria, whose door was sealed off after a deadly incident, although it's believed that some Solarians escaped and are roaming around on Earth.
When Maddie arrives for the summer, all hell breaks loose, and she finds herself in charge of the inn, a position she is not at all prepared for. With her uncle temporarily out of the picture, arguing factions, a potential threat from the Solarians, and a Fiorden prince with ambiguous motives trying to help her, Maddie is in way over her head and she has to figure out what's really going on.
Maddie is a great heroine. She's in a rough situation. Havenfall is the only place she feels safe and welcome, but now it's no longer a haven and she has to be the one to figure out what's really going on. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, and although I had some suspicions, I was really surprised by the big reveals at the end.
There's some romance in the book, but it's not the main focus. Maddie is bi and she has both male and female love interests in the book. Brekken is a handsome Fiorden who she's know since childhood, and she's hoping that friendship will turn into something more. Then there's Taya, a newcomer to Havenfall. She and Maddie become close during the chaotic weeks at the inn. There's a bit of swoon with both love interests, but the focus is more on the strange things happening at the inn. It does seem like a setup for a love triangle in book two.
The ending was very satisfying. There's no major cliffhanger, but there's a good setup for the next, which I'm very excited to read.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
Maddie has had a rough life. Her mother is on death row for murdering her brother, and this has made Maddie something of an outcast. The only place she feels comfortable is her uncle's inn in a small town in Colorado, where she spends her summers. Havenfall isn't just a hotel--it's the place where a portal to other worlds opens. Every summer, the portals open and the people of Fiordenkill and Byrn come through to meet in the safety of Havenfall. There were once many other lands, but their doors have all been closed, including Solaria, whose door was sealed off after a deadly incident, although it's believed that some Solarians escaped and are roaming around on Earth.
When Maddie arrives for the summer, all hell breaks loose, and she finds herself in charge of the inn, a position she is not at all prepared for. With her uncle temporarily out of the picture, arguing factions, a potential threat from the Solarians, and a Fiorden prince with ambiguous motives trying to help her, Maddie is in way over her head and she has to figure out what's really going on.
Maddie is a great heroine. She's in a rough situation. Havenfall is the only place she feels safe and welcome, but now it's no longer a haven and she has to be the one to figure out what's really going on. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, and although I had some suspicions, I was really surprised by the big reveals at the end.
There's some romance in the book, but it's not the main focus. Maddie is bi and she has both male and female love interests in the book. Brekken is a handsome Fiorden who she's know since childhood, and she's hoping that friendship will turn into something more. Then there's Taya, a newcomer to Havenfall. She and Maddie become close during the chaotic weeks at the inn. There's a bit of swoon with both love interests, but the focus is more on the strange things happening at the inn. It does seem like a setup for a love triangle in book two.
The ending was very satisfying. There's no major cliffhanger, but there's a good setup for the next, which I'm very excited to read.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
bright_night's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.75
firebreathingbqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
chlomal21's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
czoltak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
mlholland987's review against another edition
2.0
I can’t deal with how many time the teen protagonist said she couldn’t tell the grown man what was going on that could have stopped bad things from going down…just because he is “already carrying so much” and she can’t “put this on him.” Kills me that that’s repeated over and over while she doesn’t tell the people she supposedly trusts anything but tells it to another teenaged stranger she just met and the prince who she also doesn’t know. The story isn’t awful and I’m sure some people will enjoy it, just not for me. Also would have liked a greater balance between dialog and inner monologue, it felt like she was in her head waaaay too much.
jnwunder's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this but it just didn't go far enough! As a lot of people said, it feels more like a novella than a novel and I wish it was longer and more fleshed out. So many interesting ideas and yet not enough room to tell it properly.
foxy_ave's review against another edition
3.0
The main character of this book felt purposefully airheaded. Certain twists were extremely basic and predictable and may have been more successful if the main character would’ve have been more suspecting and observant.
Also this book has LGBTQ+ inclusion which is great, until the female love interest is kind of ruined by how the MC and Female love interests relationship is altered by a plot twist.
Plot was decent, story flowed well. Great supporting characters (I was particularly a fan of the Heiress). Will not be reading the second book.
Also this book has LGBTQ+ inclusion which is great, until the female love interest is kind of ruined by how the MC and Female love interests relationship is altered by a plot twist.
Plot was decent, story flowed well. Great supporting characters (I was particularly a fan of the Heiress). Will not be reading the second book.
dani_thebookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
liviaanna's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it. The different worlds, the characters, the development did NOT dissapoint.