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A review by rachelmariereads
Havenfall by Sara Holland
3.0
(2.75 stars)
I really wanted to love this book. The premise sounds amazing. Havenfall is an inn nestled in the Rocky Mountains. It houses the portals between the 3 realms: Haven (earth), Fiordenkill, and Byrn. There used to be a fourth realm, Solaria, which was walled off decades ago. Maddie Morrow is working at the inn, hoping to take over her uncle’s role as Innkeeper when he retires. But just as the summer peace summit begins a monster attacks, a body is found, and with her uncle gravely injured, Maddie must step up to save Havenfall.
This book had so much potential but it didn’t live up to it. Maddie is not a very likable character. From the beginning she claims that she wants to be Innkeeper, and yet when that responsibility is thrust on her she wants nothing to do with it. She has no confidence, and while that could make her relatable, it just makes her mopey and frustrating to listen to.
The plot was incredibly convoluted. In addition to trying to solve the murder, Maddie is also dealing with a missing love interest, uncovering the truth about Solaria, and a mysterious magical object trade. It’s not clear how all of these plot points line up until the final act, and for the majority of the novel it's difficult to keep track of everything.
Maddie makes almost entirely wrong decisions throughout this book. It’s so frustrating to watch her fumble about, especially when it seems glaringly obvious as a reader what’s really going on. The bad guy was apparent from his introduction and even when her friends cast their doubts, Maddie still trusted him. It made no sense. All of the other characters in the book were incredibly flat and given character traits only when it seemed convenient.
Maddie and several side characters are LGBTQ+, and it was nice to see that representation done well in here. And despite everything… the finale of this book was good. It was such a frustrating journey but the last quarter of Havenfall really felt like I was reading a different book. The plot lines came together and set up a fascinating premise for the sequel. Despite my misgivings, I am planning to pick up the sequel, Phoenix Flame.
I really wanted to love this book. The premise sounds amazing. Havenfall is an inn nestled in the Rocky Mountains. It houses the portals between the 3 realms: Haven (earth), Fiordenkill, and Byrn. There used to be a fourth realm, Solaria, which was walled off decades ago. Maddie Morrow is working at the inn, hoping to take over her uncle’s role as Innkeeper when he retires. But just as the summer peace summit begins a monster attacks, a body is found, and with her uncle gravely injured, Maddie must step up to save Havenfall.
This book had so much potential but it didn’t live up to it. Maddie is not a very likable character. From the beginning she claims that she wants to be Innkeeper, and yet when that responsibility is thrust on her she wants nothing to do with it. She has no confidence, and while that could make her relatable, it just makes her mopey and frustrating to listen to.
The plot was incredibly convoluted. In addition to trying to solve the murder, Maddie is also dealing with a missing love interest, uncovering the truth about Solaria, and a mysterious magical object trade. It’s not clear how all of these plot points line up until the final act, and for the majority of the novel it's difficult to keep track of everything.
Maddie makes almost entirely wrong decisions throughout this book. It’s so frustrating to watch her fumble about, especially when it seems glaringly obvious as a reader what’s really going on. The bad guy was apparent from his introduction and even when her friends cast their doubts, Maddie still trusted him. It made no sense. All of the other characters in the book were incredibly flat and given character traits only when it seemed convenient.
Maddie and several side characters are LGBTQ+, and it was nice to see that representation done well in here. And despite everything… the finale of this book was good. It was such a frustrating journey but the last quarter of Havenfall really felt like I was reading a different book. The plot lines came together and set up a fascinating premise for the sequel. Despite my misgivings, I am planning to pick up the sequel, Phoenix Flame.