This was not the book for me. I am a very character driven reader and these characters really fell flat for me. I did not finish this book.

nice easy to read and entertaining ya fantasy that has some nice twists and turns but sadly overall didn't give me anything i haven't read before.

This book was really nice, with a great strong female lead. I liked it

It took reading half the book before it even got interesting, so it was very slow moving.

I couldn't even continue with this book. It felt so forced and cliche.

I talk about Haven in my #ARCAugust Wrap-Up starting from 16:25 and ending at 18:32

https://youtu.be/03DiFs4EzQw?t=16m25s

Haven was interesting enough but nothing special in the realm of fantasy.
We having feuding kingdoms, alliances, and a hope for peace. A strong female protagonist who strives for the best in challenging and unexpected circumstances with the help of loyal friends. It wasn't a bad read! I just wasn't feeling anything different or refreshing in the realm of fantasy that really pulled me into the book and endeared me to the characters and their plots.

Recommended for those in the mood for a simple but good fantasy.

Wow. Haven really was not what I was expecting. It was raw, dark and emotional; and I really enjoyed it. This is definitely a case of don't judge a book by its cover, I was expecting this novel to be a lot lighter than it actually was.

Princess Haven has now been made Queen, it was unexpected, but after Kadia murders her whole family, the immortal Princess Haven is left to protect her people and kingdom. But as Kadia moves ever closer, Haven must begin training to protect her people and the other kingdoms, before she is the only one left with Kadia.

Our main protagonist Haven is a brilliantly likeable protagonist; Haven was strong and powerful, yet kind and compassionate. What Haven had to go through was shocking and awful, but she uses those experiences to help others and drive her to save them. Haven also used her immortality to help save and spare the lives of her people, she showed bravery and strength, and is a character that will be admired by the reader. Our antagonist, Kadia, made a big impact. Usually with villains, you remember them when reading, but afterwards you forget them. But I am still thinking about Kadia now. She was such a disturbing and vile character, who subjected people to horrendous things, including when she wanted to test the lengths of Haven's immortality. It was so disturbing and dark, yet you wanted to carry on reading to ensure you saw Haven save her people. These characters really made the novel come alive, helping the reader to become immersed in the world.

The plot of Haven truly shocked me. It was very dark and disturbing at times, and one felt like the visualisation really brought this novel to life, you couldn't help but imagine the scenes occurring, many of which made you go all cold. There is certainly a very serious side to this novel, but there is a lot of action including sword fighting and magical beasts. There was also a great focus on female empowerment, which will truly appeal to the reader, and it was explored brilliantly, especially because of the environment they were in. The plot was fast-paced and engaging, and one cannot wait to see how the plot progresses in the sequel!

Overall, Haven was a pleasant surprise, and I cannot wait to read the sequel Savages and the prequel Fyre.

*The publisher provided this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.*
Princess Haven never expected to be Queen. She had an entire family, parents, brothers, a sister, but now only her and her younger sister are alive. Her immortality has been seen by others as a blessing but to her, it is a curse: she has to live with the pain of knowing everyone around her will die and yet she will remain as she is. She has to rise to the occasion and be the best queen she can, in order to keep her kingdom going.
Unfortunately, the mad queen Kadia trying to conquer all the kingdoms of Warshard she not only has to be a Queen but she also has to be a fighter and a strategist. She has to be capable of making connections with the other rulers - all older than her - and keep going without showing fear.
Assassins are sent to kill her and she doesn't know who is her friend anymore... Will she be able to distinguish friend from foe? Will she be able to escape the mad Queen with her mind intact? Will she be able to keep her people alive?
Reading the synopsis to this story - plus the beautiful and amazing cover - made me very curious to know what could happen to a young Queen that cannot die. Never have I ever read another story that combines magic with pain in quite such a unique way. I believe that strong female characters that do not need a "knight in a shining armour" figure to save the are essential in order for women to feel empowered.
Haven is a complex character, surrounded by astoundingly painful circumstances and yet she remains strong. Obviously, she has flaws and needs guidance, just as every person in the world. That aspect makes her character believable and less distant from the reader.
The whole cast of characters is diverse and very different senses of humour and personalities. That brings a touch of life in everything they do. Even if the overall writing could be improved I believe that the "uniqueness" of the story make it rather remarkable.
If you want to read about fearless yet flawed characters in an epic adventure here is your chance. Even if you do not you could give it a try.

"Raising her gaze from the sight of her own blood, she caught her own amber gaze in the vanity mirror, 'Is this what it's like to be Queen?'"

Haven:

Haven reminded me a lot of The Queen of the Tearling. Why? I honestly think it was because I felt the same sort of feeling and atmosphere, and I thoroughly enjoyed most of this book. I couldn't put it down, just like I couldn't put down The Queen of the Tearling.

Haven is a story about a princess that was never meant to be queen but has it thrust upon her when her whole family is killed in an act during war. Haven was no ordinary woman, she had this unusual curse gift of immortality. She could not die. I thought this was a cool twist, it certainly added a bit of suspense as Haven threw herself into fighting with no thought to herself because she knew she could not die.

The very first chapter Haven is at her coronation, as soon as she is crowned an assassin shoots her through the heart with an arrow. She wakes up a minute later feeling fine. Haven's immortality is never really explained during the book, Haven simply does not know where she gets this ability from and no one else has the ability like her. I was a little confused on the rules of this ability: Did Haven ever age? It was suggested she wouldn't but I was unsure. If she did not age, at what age would her body stop aging? Was it simply she would age a lot slower than everyone else? Or maybe she would age but she would just never die. Clearly Haven wouldn't know because she is the only one in the world with this ability, but I wanted to know these answers to get a clear image of her future. Would she rule Rythern forever?

Haven was a fun character to read. She was very polite and proper to begin with, but as she learned how to handle each disaster thrown her way she became more and more fierce. She became a strong queen that wanted to fight for her people and fight for what was right. These qualities shined many times throughout this book. It was fun seeing Haven grow into such a strong woman.

Story:

"She was not meant to be Queen."

The beginning of this book starts off slow with Haven acclimating to her new life as queen. This involved a lot of paperwork and not a lot of fun. This does not mean things did not happen however, there was a war happening within the 6 Kingdoms of Warshard. The Mad Queen of Dagan is slowly taking over the Kingdom's one Kingdom at a time. How? No one quite knows. There are whispers of soldiers that appear from the shadows then vanish after the fight.

The Kings of the 6 Kingdoms meet secretly in a cave well hidden, every so often and always in the middle of the night. At these meetings each King explains their Kingdom's situation in the war, and all heads come together to help solve the problems. While these meetings were interesting to read, I was very confused as to how each King made it to these meetings. Are Kingdom's not so far apart it would take weeks to get from one castle to the other? Yet here all the King's meet to discuss and come up with a war strategy every few weeks. How long did it take each King to travel to this cave? Haven usually left in the middle of the night and made it there in no time, so was the cave in Rythern? It was all a bit confusing to me. At one point Haven travels to Salander, the Kingdom closest to hers, and it takes her one and a half days at speed without breaks. Although it is mentioned usually it would take two and a half days.

Pacing:

Once the war ramps up the story really starts to get interesting and fun. Haven is a bit of a boring character until this turning point. I was bored by her day to day activities, the story takes a good 35% to really start going. But as things start moving along I found myself glued to this book. I became invested in Haven and her Kingdom's people. Was she going to be able keep them all alive? Would the other Kingdoms survive?

I found it very hard to put Haven down after this point. Haven became fiery and passionate, she was no longer this sweet little girl. Well she was still sweet but she was no longer just a princess, she was a Queen. She put her people first, she genuinely intended on making sure everyone survived or as many people as she could look after. Since she could not die she would throw herself in front of swords for these people, those scenes were exciting. There was a lot of fighting and this really made the story interesting, even though you knew Haven could not die, you still worried about the other characters in this book.

"The clang of swords and shing of metal grew hollow. Haven could see the fight for what it was now: futile." ... "Darkness crept across her vision. "Run," she murmured. It was the last thing she said before she blacked out."

The Women:

The theme for Haven was strong, independent women.

The Mad Queen. The Immortal Queen. The Guard Ladies. All women. All bad-ass. All incredibly intelligent, resilient, brave, and strong.

I loved this aspect. These women literally did not need a man to protect them or to conquer for them. They went out and did that themselves, albeit in different ways. The Mad Queen takes over a Kingdom, then one by one takes over them all. How freaking amazing is that? I mean also super twisted and evil buuuut, you know. The Immortal Queen is determined on keeping as many people alive and winning this war. The guard ladies protect and serve their Lady Queen and would never let someone get in the way of that. All strong women.

The Kings in this book were all stubborn and brash. Their Kingdoms fell one by one, as they fled further away from their homeland, only Haven was prepared enough to give up everything so she could keep everyone else she cared about alive. Most of the males in this story were no match for their female counterparts, yet they respected the women, they respected Haven as Queen and listened to her ideas seriously.

That was refreshing. King's listening to a new, young, less experienced Queen? Yes, yes, and yes.

Romance:

I love a good story that doesn't need romance. Haven is full of war, strategy and politics. So you would think their is no place for romance here. And you're right, there is no 'romance' per se. There is no 'wooing', there is no 'courting', Haven does not swoon after a man, and nor is she looking for one. But love does seep its way into the story; you don't expect it, you don't see it coming, it's suddenly there. Romance is not the objective of this story, but it sure does make it more enticing. Oh but how I enjoyed that.

The story got exciting when the romance was factored into the story, I was suddenly even more interested to see where this lead Haven.

"Corrin looked at her in a way she wasn't familiar with. His eyes smouldered in the light of the fire, flickering flames reflecting across his irises. Everything about him was unfamiliar, and though she didn't sense anything dangerous about him, she couldn't help be wary."

Overall:

Haven is a spectacular novel with bad-ass women winning the world, political intrigue, and a bit of romance to tie it all up.

If you love reading independent women, Kingdom's fighting for their lives, and a bit of a magic I highly recommend this.

This book was awesome! It enthralled me from beginning to end i cant wait to read the next book.

"I'm a fool. An utter fool."

Oh yes, my dear queen Haven, you are a fool indeed. I suppose I'll never understand how that mind of yours works. Do you want some examples to explain why I'm so perplexed about her?
1) She's a princess (now a queen) but she doesn't know totally nothing about her reign. I understand that she wasn't supposed to become queen that soon, but has she lived in a bubble for 19 years of what? She is not even able to tell what the main resources of her reign are!
2) She treats some of her guards as bestfriends and when one of them almost chokes to death another guard after stopping her she just says "It's ok! I know you didn't mean it!"
3) She refuses to send her soldiers in aid of other reigns under attack, but one the one in danger is her friend's one she goes (leaving her kingdom alone obviously) with just 100 soldiers (when armies of thousands were defeated) and even expects to take the city back. I mean... really?

Other two aspects that made this reading so hard are:
1) all dialogues and no descriptions. I'm the first who's not that fan of long, endless descriptions, but at least a minimum of characterization (just eyes and hair don't count) and setting should be present. Instead I was lucky if it was described at least features of the places where the action took place.
2) the absent context. Ok, so there's an "evil queen" with dark magic trying to conquer all reigns. But how did she obtained the throne? How were the different reigns born? Many, too many questions without an answer.

Though the synopsis had caught my attention, at the end I was more than disappointed. Result: another series I will never finish added to the list.

In this second book of the series, we really get a good look at Haven, and the war that the Evil Queen has brought to the six kingdoms. Where and what is Warshard? Where is Haven from? How did she find out about her parents and her brothers? What did she do to her sister? As Haven works on learning how to be the Queen that she was never supposed to have been, what things are happening? This book was full of intrigue, mystery, and death. Who is behind what? When people flee under the ocean to another land, what do they find? What happens? Who do they meet and what happens when Haven gets lost at the Academy? Things really were interesting in this book!

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley*
As I read the prequel and the sequel I'll just write one for both.

This series is an amazing YA! It does have difficult situations, but that only makes the heroine stand out more. She is the thing I liked the most about the book, as I could really see the character development.

The plot is absolutely relentless, and had me holding on by a thread. It was refreshing to see the political aspect mixed so well with just a little romance.
In the prequel I loved to see what happened with her brothers and that they realized how special she was.

There was just one thing that annoyed me which was that she was immortal and the guards STILL risked their lives for her! Why would she have guards in the first place once they knew she was immortal? What a waste of resources!

Anyway, this was a well written book with a very hard but interesting plot.

"They call you the queen who cannot be killed."

Immortality. Tragedy. War. Magic. Strategy. The five elements that make up an interesting coming-to-power tale for a young royal. Haven, the third in line to the throne, never suspected she would be the one to ascend. But when tragedy strikes, and her family is decimated, she is the only left standing to take the throne.

Pitted against an evil rival queen, Haven has one trick up her sleeve: she can't die. Drowning, stabbing, burning, torture---nothing can kill the young queen. Some consider it a privilege, while she sees her ability as a curse.

--------------------------------------------------

"There were many ways Haven had contemplated death--until she realized something. The only thing worse than living forever without her family was to leave her people without a Queen, especially in times like these."

Haven is a well written, action-packed, emotionally-charged story. Although elements of its tale are not completely original, they are well done in the way they are rendered. The young queen is immediately faced with grappling with tragedy. After witnessing her mother's brutal end, she is forced to ascend to the throne, and to lead her people if she's ready to do so, or not, to keep the ever-threatening war on her doorsteps at bay.

Along with the tragic end of her family, she is faced with challenging situations of her own. The queen must decide how to manage ever-precarious relations with neighboring nations, (not to mention zealous princes) on top of caring for her own---and herself. She transforms from a girl into a capable queen, not only with craftiness but also with the sword.

I found that Haven was depicted well. At times, her feelings were overly-emphasizes, and I felt that it made her seem too personal and less respectable as a royal. Yes, royalty are allowed to have emotions, I just felt it wasn't entirely realistic how emotional she was, and how and who she shared her emotions with. After an attempted rape, she underwent major emotional trauma, and this area I completely agreed with how her feelings were portrayed. SPOILER: [I appreciated how towards the end, she was able to heal from those wounds and move past her experiences with the help of others.]

A love triangle blossomed in the beginning portion of the book, but turned out to be rather unoffensive and unremarkable in the end. With love triangles running rampant in young adult literature, I thought this one was done well and didn't bother me one bit.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, but I wished there was more too the ending. I felt that there was a lot of build up to an OK climax. I think it could have been expounded on further. I won't tell more about it, for fear of giving away too much.

I think for anyone who is a fan of books on royals, this would be one to add to your "to be read" list.

Vulgarity: None to my recollection.
Sexual content: There is an attempted-rape scene.

3.5 stars.

Wow wow wow!!!!!!!!!

This book was so plot focused on war and its alliances! Loved it! It's a total immersion into a YA world with six kingdoms on the brink of war with an evil queen that's been attacking the kingdoms. You've got secret council meetings between the monarchs so they can plan out how to help each other. A swoony love interest, a gentle queen and her three badass guards!

Kadia-the tyrant- was CREEPY AS HELL. I was literally cringing every single time she appeared in the book! She was a formidable villain but she was without a doubt absolutely batshit crazy. A total psychopath who was obsessed with how Haven and her curse "worked" so she really wanted to...experiment. The things she made Haven go through omigod it was HORRIBLE. It was pretty brutal stuff but still, wow, Kadia was such a good character!



Haven was such a compassionate character and she was so dedicated to people. She really broke apart from the usual warrior female characters that have literally been overtaking YA books lately. But she was a warrior through her intellect and the way she always put her people first. I was really picturing her as Adelaide Kane from Reign!



There was also a lot of conflict in Haven's character. She can never die from diseases/wounds until old age came for her and she saw it as a curse. So she kind of shields herself from the possibilities of love because she didn't ever want her children or descendants to be in the same position as she was-left completely alone without the escape of death until she became old. Even though it was a curse she was grateful at times because her country needed someone with her immunity in these harsh times. She really developed in the sense that she stopped trying to close herself off from others and learns to live and not just survive.


I wish we would have had some more information on how she had this curse and i also thought the romance went a little too fast! I loved both characters (I'm not gonna say who the love interest is) but i think it developed a little too fast and i would have liked to see more of them together.


And while it's true that Haven wasn't physically a warrior, the author balances that out with her three personal guards who are all women and her best friends! Also kudos for mixed characters we have a homosexual couple!

This book can absolutely be read as a standalone! But we were introduced to the Seaburn kingdom in this book. And this kingdom kidnaps children from all over the kingdoms and puts them in awful harsh training academies so they can become full fledged warriors. We met Nina towards the end and her father Drakkone who are part of the Seaburn empire-and the second book in this series will be about Drakkone and a girl named Breen who i think was Nina's mother! So i'm really looking forward to reading more about Seaburn and the horrible academy!


Katherine Bogle did an amazing job at world building and creating strong and passionate characters! It was so good to finally read a high fantasy YA standalone!!! Thank god i have an ARC of book 2 so i can dive right in!

( I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

This is one of those books where I feel it's best to go in not knowing much so I won't say much about the plot. Apart from the fact that we follow Haven, a girl who was never supposed to be Queen but is, with the gift of immortality and there is a war going on which requires her to step up and protect her people. As soon as I read the description I knew this book would be something I would enjoy and whilst it took me a while to get into the story, once I did I couldn't stop reading.

I really liked the character of Haven. She was likeable and strong and I liked that she was willing to do all she could to protect her people. She goes through some pretty horrible things and has many decisions to make and I really rooted for her to win. I thought her ability to heal was an interesting element to the story but would like to learn more about it. I also liked the side characters and overall plot, as I never knew what was going to happen next. I ended up reading this book in a matter of hours!

Overall a very interesting story with strong female characters, action, romance, friendship and more.

Queen Haven of Rythern never thought that she would have to fulfill her duties as Queen. However, when both of her parents and two older brothers die gruesomely from the incoming war, Haven must step up. Born with the gift of being able to heal from any injury, she is dubbed The Immortal Queen. With war on her doorstep, Haven must quickly step into her new role. The insane Queen Kadia has been quickly taking over each of the six Kingdoms of Warshard. Using her black magic, Kadia seems impossible to defeat and Haven is hesitant about sending her kingdom into war. Haven’s gift, with the help of another, might be exactly what is needed to defeat Queen Kadia.
Haven jumped right into the action with an assassination attempt and warfare. It was nice that Haven’s abilities were brought right out into the open and no one was afraid of her. Haven’s abilities reminded me of a kinder, gentler Deadpool. Haven also continuously put herself in harm’s way to the benefit of her kingdom. Queen Kadia was a very interesting character and I do wish that I could have seen more into her motivations and history, there were some glimmers of what might be driving her, but nothing concrete. The second half of the book moved very quickly as the suspense picked up with Haven’s meeting of Kadia and a larger battle. I do wish that there was more description of the Kingdoms and especially the tunnel path to Seaburn, there was a lot of hype over this mysterious tunnel, but I felt that when they passed through, a lot was glossed over. I had a good general understanding of each Kingdom, but I just wanted a little more. Hopefully, more will be explained in the next installment, which I will be interested in reading.

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.