Tuesday, July 21, 2020

#Review - Havenfall (Havenfall #1) by Sara Holland #YA #Fantasy

Series: Havenfall (#1)
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Contemporary

The New York Times bestselling author of Everless pens a fantasy series about a haven between worlds—and a girl sworn to protect it.

The Inn at Havenfall is Maddie Morrow’s one solace from her complicated life—and the only place she sees her crush, Brekken. But few know that beneath the sprawling manor in Colorado lie gateways to hidden worlds, some of which have been sealed with magic.

When Maddie arrives at the Inn unexpectedly, nothing’s as it should be. She has an odd run-in with alluring new staffer Taya, and then a dead body is discovered, shattering the Inn’s peaceful sanctity. Worse, Brekken stands accused of the murder . . . and goes missing. With everything she loves at stake, Maddie must confront shocking truths about the dangers lurking beneath Havenfall—and herself.


This sweeping new series for fans of Melissa Albert and Holly Black by New York Times bestselling author Sara Holland is sure to enthrall readers old and new.




Havenfall is the first installment in author Sara Holland's Havenfall series. Hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Havenfall, a sanctuary that connects ancient worlds--(Fiordenkill, Bryn, Solaria, Haven)--each with their own magic together. Haven is the human world with no magic. For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never return. The Innkeeper is supposed to be neutral and help negotiate and keep fights from happening. One hundred years ago, the delegates from Fiordenkill, Bryn, & Haven came together to seal off the door to Solaria, a world with a shape shifting people who allegedly kill people. 


Every year, the most important of the realms come together at the Inn for a period of celebration and negotiation to ensure a repeat of Solaria's attack will never happen again.  Protagonist Maddie Morrow's uncle Marcus is the current Innkeeper, but she hopes one day it will be her turn. After all, it runs in her family. Havenfall has always felt like home to Maddie, but recently it has been her escape from the real world. 10 years ago, her brother Nate was allegedly killed by a Solarian and her mom took the blame. She is now being kept at a maximum security prison while her father has moved on with someone else. For Maddie, it's also the place where she fell in love with handsome Fiorden soldier Brekken. 


Then things seem to spiral out of Maddie's control. A dead body is found, Marcus is apparently attacked by an unknown soul stealer, Brekken goes missing, the sealed door to Solaria cracks opens, and a dangerous creature is on the loose. With Brekken missing, her uncle gravely injured, and mysteries at every turn, Maddie suddenly finds herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall, including herself. She'll do anything to uncover the truth, even if it means working together with an alluring new staffer Taya, who seems to know more than she's letting on.


As dark secrets are revealed about the inn itself, one thing becomes clear to Maddie--no one can be trusted, and no one is safe. Not the boy she loves. Not her own uncle who has secrets of his own which leads to questions about his knowledge of what happened to Nate and well as her mother's possible innocence. Not the Silver Prince who is itching for a war with Solaria. If Solarians are shapeshifters who can take human form, how many of them are in the human world? There used to be many, many worlds, but over time some of the worlds were destroyed for one reason or another. It will be interesting to see if the author moves onto these various world in her next installment.


As a character, Maddie isn't given super human abilities. She's a human teenager with a crush on a boy, and regrets about the past and what she could have done to help her brother Nate. She's young and inexperienced, and realistically struggles in this role. She's unexpectedly thrust into a leadership position because only a human is allowed to be an innkeeper. She has to face power struggles from various factions who want to take control over Havenfall effectively controlling the neutrality between worlds. 


Key Characters: Maddie, Marcus, Willow, Taya, the Heiress, the Silver Prince, and Sal Fernandez.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44281011-havenfall



No comments:

Post a Comment