In the mountains of Colorado lies an old Inn home to the crossroads of magic and realms outside of our own – Havenfall.
Havenfall is a sanctuary. Not only for those from the other realms, but for Madeline Morrow – the Innkeeper’s niece – as well. All year Maddie waits for summer. Summer means freedom and time to study from her Uncle Marcus with the hopes of one day taking over as the Innkeeper. It means being closer to the magic sweeping through the Inn and spending time with the soldier Brekken.
It also means escaping from the fact that her mother is on death row for a murder Maddie doesn’t believe she committed.
But when Marcus gets injured, Brekken goes missing, and a once sealed door opens releasing something unknown, Maddie’s faced with impossible choices and no one to trust.
Okay, so I was WAY more excited for this one than I should’ve been. But, honestly – different realms, each with their own magic system, an old inn, and a crime mystery? Yes, please! It sounded so promising especially as a new release. However, while this was a good book, it had its flaws too.
Let me talk about the good stuff first. The characters were unique and diverse. I especially enjoyed reading about the Silver Prince and Taya as the story progressed. Maddie herself could be a tad bit naive at times, but her heart was in the right place. The setting itself and the descriptions of the different realms were so immersive. It had a good plot arc, but the execution could’ve been done just a tad bit better.
Now the other stuff. The story could drag at times when it just felt like Maddie was brooding over and over again, with the same “everything is wrong, I have to fix it” mindset. I swear it felt like she was going in circles half the time. A lot of the narrative featured long descriptions that began to feel repetitive too. And with that, the pacing dragged. I think part of the problem was that the stakes in the plot weren’t high-risk enough to keep up with the world-building. However, I’m still hopeful for the rest of the series as this is only book one!
I’m excited to see where this story goes in book two. Overall, I liked it and I would recommend it to those who enjoy YA fantasy.
Kaitlin S.