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A review by ladytiara
Havenfall by Sara Holland
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.