#Review - Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland #YA #Contemporary #Fantasy

Series: Havenfall (#2)
Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Contemporary

Bestselling author Sara Holland continues her blockbuster contemporary fantasy series about the Inn at Havenfall with this unforgettable sequel.

Maddie thought her problems were over. She saved the Inn at Havenfall—a sanctuary between magical worlds—from the evil Silver Prince. Her uncle the Innkeeper is recovering from a mysterious spell that left him not quite human. And there are still a few weeks of summer left to spend with her more-than-friend Brekken.

But there’s more work to be done to protect the Inn—Maddie must put an end to the black-market trading of magical objects and open the Inn’s doors to the once feared land of shapeshifters. 

As she tries to accomplish both seemingly impossible tasks, Maddie uncovers secrets that could change everything. What if saving everyone means destroying the only home she’s known?

This next breathtaking fantasy from the bestselling author of Everless is perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Holly Black.

 

Phoenix Flame is the second installment in author Sara Holland's Havenfall duology. Phoenix Flame picks up just days after where Havenfall ended for readers. Maddie Morrow may have saved the Inn at Havenfall, (a sanctuary between magical worlds deep in the mountains of Colorado), from the treachery of the Silver Prince, but it was only the beginning of a longer game with deadlier consequences. The good news is that her uncle Marcus, the Innkeeper, is finally awake, and his regained control over the Inn. 

The bad news is that her new friend Taya was pushed through the now closed door to Solaria with no way of retrieving her. Maddie knows that there's more work to be done to protect the place her family has run for centuries. The peace accords between Fiordenkill, Byrn, and Haven seem to being going well, but one mistake could be costly. Maddie focuses her attention on the Solarians who were kidnapped like her own adopted brother Nate. Maddie uncovers family secrets that could change everything. Maddie believes that her mother’s past my hold the key to stopping the soul trading that has plagued the realms. 

 

After visiting with her mother in prison, it becomes clear that Maddie needs find a man named Cadius. In order to do so, she must travel to Fiordenkill where Humans can't survive for long. With a little help from her friends, Graylin and Brekken, Maddie arrives in Fiordenkill in disguise. Maddie hopes to further disrupt the black-market trade of soul-bound silver as well as finding something called the Phoenix Flame which legend says it can be used to travel between realms. Soon thereafter, she runs into someone who she thought was dead. (Spoiler: Her brother Nahteran).

 

Once again Maddie is meant to make some hard choices, and yet, those around her have to pay the price. What's worse is that the Silver Prince isn't finished yet, and makes a move that nobody could see coming. What's baffling for me is that Maddie found out that she had magic but barely uses it except for one particular scene. What's the point of having magic and not using it? The plot is interesting, with a few twists and turns and decent character development. But the world-building and description continues to leave something to be desired except for the beginning of the book.  

 

I know that Phoenix Flame is meant to be the end of this duology, but there is still so much that feels unfinished. I’m conflicted about the ending as well as the epilogue that features Taya and Nahteran aka Maddie's brother. For those who are wondering about the labels for this book, it's because Maddie is bisexual. She lives her life and just happens to be bisexual. The book is not super romance heavy, but when she talks about her crushes one is a guy and one is a girl.

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#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.

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#Review - Evermore by Sara Holland #YALit #Fantasy

Series: Everless #2
Format: E-Galley, 368 pages
Release Date: December 31, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel Everless, Jules must confront the girl who is both her oldest friend and greatest enemy.

Jules Ember was raised hearing legends of the ancient magic of the wicked Alchemist and the good Sorceress. But she has just learned the truth: She is the Alchemist, and Caro—a woman who single-handedly murdered the Queen and Jules’s first love, Roan, in cold blood—is the Sorceress.

The whole kingdom believes that Jules is responsible for the murders, and a hefty bounty has been placed on her head. And Caro is intent on destroying Jules, who stole her heart twelve lifetimes ago. Jules must delve into the stories that she now recognizes are accounts of her own past. For it is only by piecing together the mysteries of her lives that Jules will be able to save the person who has captured her own heart in this one.

This dazzling fantasy series will captivate fans of Victoria Aveyard, Kiera Cass, and Kendare Blake with its fierce heroine, high-stakes adventure, engrossing mysteries, star-crossed romance, and captivating magic all set in a richly built world.

 

Evermore, by author Sara Holland, is the second installment in the Everless duology. A series that explores an ancient rivalry over time itself. Time is money—literally—in Jules’s world, and the rich are quick to tax years off the lives of the poor, extending their own lives by centuries. The poor must give up their futures to survive in the present. Just as in Red Queen, blood possesses magical properties, and the heroine’s humble origins and fierce familial loyalty draw strong parallels between Jules and Mare.

Evermore begins with protagonist Jules Ember, (who is the legendary Alchemist) on the run from Caro (the legendary Sorceress), still reeling from what she has learned about herself and grappling with her new reality. She has also been accused of murdering the last Queen as well as her former childhood friend Roan, who just happens to be Liam Gerling's brother. Jules and Caro are supposed to be ancient enemies. But, Jules has lost all memories of her past. Whereas, Caro, has remembered everything including the fact that Jules stole her heart. 

Jules must struggle to find a way to end Caro, and the only way she can do that, is to go back to her past, and search for answers which may allow her to finally end a relentless past of dying and being reborn. The key being that stories are the answer to things that Jules has forgotten, including who she once was when things went badly between her and Caro. Much of this book follows Jules on the run while she searches her past for any way to defeat the sorceress along with Liam Gerling who she once found lacking and spiteful. 

Liam is by Jules' side for much of the book, to share what he has learned of the Alchemist's life and as a steady companion through all of Jules' searching. As I stated above, one of the main topics of this series is how being able to buy and sell time from your life would affect people, and society at large, which I thought was fascinating.  Evermore had has plenty of action, the pacing was great, the character arcs were well done and the romance isn't overly in your face. But, the book definitely got away from the Science Fiction feel of the first book and entered into the epic fantasy realm. 

Jules and Caro's pasts are explored pretty thorough. One of the other secondary characters of this book is the new Queen, Ina Gold, who just happens to be Jules sister in this incarnation. Ina has been under Caro's spell for some time now, so the question is whether or not she can be a factor in helping Jules end the redundancy of dying at he hands of her once former best friend, or if she too will become one of Jules most hated rivals.

I have a very different point of view about the ending. The ending is a bit on the emotional side. Not going to lie. Were there any way to make the ending better, I am pretty sure the author or publisher or editor would have found a way to work it out. I honestly believe the most intriguing parts of this story were the back story between Jules and Caro and how they ended up becoming enemies.

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Friday #Review - Everless by Sara Holland #YALit #Fantasy

Series: Untitled # 1
Format: E-Book, 368 pages
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

Time is a prison. One girl holds the key. This is a thrilling, high-stakes new fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Red Queen, Three Dark Crowns, and Six of Crows.

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is extracted from the blood, converted into coins, and used as currency or consumed to add to one’s lifespan. The rich aristocracy amass eons in their vaults, while the poor are forced to cut their futures short in order to survive in the present. And few families are richer than the Gerlings, who lord over the peasants from Everless, their palatial estate.

A fateful accident once spurred Jules and her father to flee Everless in the dark of night. But ten years later, in order to save her dying father, Jules must secretly return. Everless holds more temptations—and dangers—than Jules thought possible. Soon, she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets, and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

This dazzling debut novel, starring a fierce heroine and rife with high-stakes adventure, engrossing mysteries, star-crossed romance, and captivating magic all set in a richly built world, will leave you counting down the seconds until the next installment.

Everless, by debut author Sara Holland, is the first installment in a yet to be named series. 17-year old Jules Ember is the lead character in this series. She lives in a society where blood is currency, and a person's time can be drained to pay off debts or punishments owed to the monarchy. 10 years ago, Jules and her father Pehr Ember lived on the estate owned by the Gerlings called Everless. That is until an accident sent them fleeing from the estate ending up in Crofton, living under the radar as much as possible. 

People in Sempora wait in line for hours to have time drawn from their blood and forged into blood-iron coins. This is also a world where breeders lay in wait for people to come along so that they can extract the blood from an unwilling victim which then can be turned into Blood-iron coins. The downside of this world is that one can bleed themselves into losing great chunks of time they desperately need to survive. If you lose too much time, you can also lose your mind and drift away, 

With Pehr's health dwindling, and their debts piling up, Jules makes the fateful decision to return to Everless in hopes that she can make enough money to save her father. As Jules makes the fateful decision to return to Everless, Pehr issues two separate warnings; "Do not let the Queen of Sempora see her, and if she sees Liam Gerling, run!" But, with Everless paying a year on the month for service to the Gerlings, Jules hands are all but tied. There are answers that need to be uncovered, and if it means working once again for the Gerlings, so be it.

Jules ends up as a servant at Everless, serving in the kitchen and then as the handmaid of the Queen’s daughter; Ina Gold. This position lets their relationship develop into a real friendship that seems to be mutually beneficial to both. Jules also finds that she still possesses a bit of a grudge when it comes to Liam for what he apparently did to his brother Roan 10 years ago that got Jules and Pehr removed from Everless. Jules also has a curious ability which I shalt not spoil. I have seen the spoiler elsewhere, but it's a key part of what happens in the final 1/4 of this series to send all sorts of events into chaos.

There is also a curiosity that the author tries to convey by introducing the Sorceress and the Alchemist who bound time to blood and metal and stole the Sorceress's heart. I believe that at times, Jules is a bit too curious for her own good. Especially when she and Ina set off to discover long lost secrets that affect both women. There is also the Queen's handmaiden Caro that really sets the bar for being a serious villain. There is a point to where I was wondering how many more secrets can Holland spin before my head imploded. 

The mystery of the Sorceress and Alchemist really blew my mind and thus I will be reading the sequel which is currently being called Evermore. One of the other curiosities is the twisted romance angle that the author forges and then blows apart at the seams leaving a rather large cliffhanger ending for readers to deal with. The high-stakes, richly layered and developed world, varied and intriguing cast of characters, and original concept of Everless, make it stand out in a fantasy marketplace full of strong heroines. 

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