3.5 stars.

This was an average read for me especially more so because I didn't like many of the choices Maddie went with, how she reacted to things and her thought processes.

What I liked:

- I really liked the setting and the whole lore of the realms and the world building.

- I loved Taya and how she questions everything rather than believe everyone like Maddie does.

- The whole truths that keep shifting and the underlying conspiracies definitely kept me reading through the end.

What I didn't like:

- The writing in the very beginning was very awkward and reminded me of how my 14 year old self used to write especially with the introduction of each detail to get the reader familiar with Maddie. There were many repeated sentences over and over again throughout the whole book. Plus, am I the only who's bothered with how many "ands" are in the book?

- Many of Maddie's actions were really foolish and many things could have easily been avoided honestly especially with her decision about the treaties before the end. A lot of going back and forth about events and for some reason Maddie refuses to think of the most logical stuff Taya tells her and dismisses them.

- I understand that it's a 1st POV but a lot of things happen off screen and just mentioned later on as a remark instead of an event happening like saving Sura and the Heiress's, Graylin's and Willow's reactions to the truths that was revealed.

- Some characters' actions/reactions aren't specified or ignored. Like what did Princess Enetta think about the Solarian issue or whatever happened to her afterwards? She just disappeared after the whole argument with the Silver Prince.

- I can't help but feel that the way they treat Solarians were somewhat racist.

Overall, despite me having more complaints than praises, the whole conspiracy and truths exposed in the end was the selling point of the book and kept me reading non-stop. I can't help but want the book in Taya's POV instead because I found her whole character and background much more interesting. I can't really guess what the focus of the next book is going to be about and that makes me excited to read it!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

I couldn't connect to the writing here, and ultimately lost interest. I won't be continuing with this story.

This excerpt was so captivating !
The writing was really enjoyable, and the plot was already intriguing !
I can't wait to buy the book and read more of this.

Thank you to net galley for sending me a copy of havenfall. This is the second book I have read by this author and I still have yet to like it. I find myself skimming through the last pages. I would recommend if it sounds interesting.

I received the full eARC after this so I'll be reviewing the whole thing.

This was more of a 2.5 stars but I can't do half stars. This book wasn't for me, unfortunately.

The plot and world-building is good and unique, and the world-building itself seems to be the focus of the book. This feels more like a prequel than a First Book. However, there's not enough high-stakes intensity that usually goes hand-in-hand with the more life-altering situations that take place in this. The characters lack depth and good characterization, they felt really underdeveloped. I couldn't connect with any of them. The story was delivered somewhat monotonously and fell flat. Even the antagonist wasn't that great, since he only appears a handful of times and we never get to know him, his motives and motivations.

There's too much dialogue, inner monologue, and it's somewhat overly descriptive. The pacing is boringly slow. The other worlds are talked about so much, yet they're not explored-- obviously, they're going to be explored in future books but it didn't help this book. There's a lot of twists that are thrown, but they're spread out pretty evenly, at least, so it makes for a more interesting story. Also, some things didn't make sense (characters being surprised by certain things at Havenfall despite being there every summer for 10 years).

The diversity (bi main character with a married gay uncle) was great! It felt normalized rather than 'oh look at me' or either of them being the Token Bi/Gay character who's always going on about their sexuality.

I adored this excerpt and can't wait to read more about this contemporary fantasy world. I especially loved the MC's voice and the air of mystery about Havenfall.

Such a captivating and exciting excerpt to grasp the readers and entice them for more. This excerpt truly lays the foundation of the world Holland has created, leaving you grasping for more and having to buy the book.

I only read the excerpt and this wasn't enough now it's time to buy and read the entire book.

I need to know how it ends

I absolutely love Sara Holland's Everless series and was so excited to even get an excerpt from her new work. I really enjoyed this little bit of the story and can't wait to read more!

This excerpt was so intruiging! The first two chapters really drew me in and I must continue the book now! The world seems really interesting and I can't wait to learn more about it as well as the characters!

Thank you Bloomsbury/Netgalley for providing the excerpt to review.

This was a fantastic excerpt. Very well written, captivating and intriguing. I cant wait to read the rest.

Another great YA novel from Sarah Holland, Havenfall introduces a very different concept to the fantasy genre. I really liked the idea that there was a central hub to all these different worlds on Earth but I felt that some of the characters needed a bit more depth and there could have been a bit 'more' to the story.

Honestly, when I requested this excerpt I didn't expect that I would eventually get approved for the full arc, and yet here I am reviewing the introductory sample as I continue to read the rest of the story. I kind of have inconsistent hopes for Sara Holland's <em>Havenfall.</em> And it all ties in heavily to what I know of her writing and what I've read from the excerpt.

To begin, I didn't really like Holland's first novel, <em>Everless</em>. For many reasons, it just seemed subpar to me. But, as I'd finished the first novel I eventually figured I might as well read the second and lo' and behold I actually really loved it (barring one annoyance, of course). Secondly, I don't know what to think of <em>Havenfall</em> so far?

I think, ultimately, I just feel that I haven't read enough to determine what I exactly think of it. In that respect, I'm glad to have the rest of the book now to read. I'll just have to see where the story takes me before I make a final decision. I do <i>really</i> love the cover, though.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

This ARC-excerpt was good so far!
I apologize for the late review, I am a Nursing student and had a very intense semester.

The characters were loud and vibrant, I could easily picture them. While the story isn't usually the kind I go for, I am happy that I took a chance and was granted the opportunity to read it. I've only ever read very few books with the use of portals, and I found that really refreshing.

The heroine is relatable, I just wish she was a bit more bad-ass (excuse my language)
The world was unique and the story had a very interesting plot!
I did find myself a bit confused at times, but overall the story, so far, is great.

As a side note, I know I was to receive an excerpt of 4 chapters - I can guarantee I'll be purchasing the title! I need to know how it ends. I am loving it.

My first thought, is that this is going to be like an isekai, where main character falls into magical world somehow and has to figure out the rules of the world. Or maybe not, since it’s a magical inn.

Here’s what intrigues me: the mother of the main character is on death row for murder, because a monster did it and she can’t tell anyone or risk exposing the other worlds. This makes things interesting, and makes me want to read on.

Here’s what I’m not so sure about: is the main character eventually going to have to reveal the other worlds to the human world? This makes me think of cliches, and makes me question if I’m truly going to love this book.

What is this book going to become? I have no idea. Nor do I have any idea if I’m going to truly love this book, or think it’s just ok, until I get to the end. Until the book or series is over, I really couldn’t tell you whether I think the book is worth it or not.

Am I going to read the rest of the book? Heck yeah! I wanna see where this goes, and of course, I’m gonna finish it to see what happens. But as for liking it, I can’t really say yet.

I was only given an excerpt, but from all the buzz and the first bit I was able to read, this seems like a very intriguing book!
I’d have to read everything for a better judgement, but as of what I’ve previewed in the excerpt, the book seems good!

Ill have a full review on www.librariumdream.blogspot.com now that I have the full audio book.

I have to say the excerpt was well written and leaves the reader wanting more.

A mix of magic and mayhem that leaves the reader looking forward to the rest of the novel.
I'm hoping Maddie gets a little more interesting because she seemed a bit plain to be a main character but we shall see.

This is nothing like Hollands other novels and I`m looking to see how her writing style has grown. There does seem to be some stereotypical cliches that flood the YA community but that is to be expected.

mystery with a plethora of GLBT+ characters. So, basically already an amazing set-up for a novel and I was so excited to get my hands on it early! Havenfall is a place deep in the mountains where all of the various multiverses converge and leaders from the various worlds come to parlay and work together.

Maddie is a human girl who has grown up hoping to take over from her uncle and become the leader of Havenfall. However, when violence starts happening within the walls and her uncle is down for the count, Maddie has to step in far earlier than she expected, and with virtually no actual information about how the worlds actually work.

There was a lot I liked about this book. I liked that Maddie acted like a real teenager — she made bad decisions, took things personally that maybe she shouldn’t, and fully admitted that she wasn’t ready to be a leader. We also saw a bit of her struggle with PTSD after witnessing a violent incident involving her brother, which I thought was handled very well. So often in YA novels, we see teenagers get thrust into the spotlight and suddenly they can do everything perfectly. This is definitely not that book, and I appreciated that.

I also enjoyed the interplay between the characters. They were all well-developed and surprised me at one time or another. The LGBT+ representation (mostly bisexuality/lesbian/gay rep) was well done — it wasn’t the focus of the book, it just WAS, which I liked for how realistic that seemed. The individual characters could have used a bit more depth — we are just thrown right into the drama involved without a lot of time to get to know people, but overall I thought some of the character interactions made up for that.

Haven itself is a great setting, and Maddie’s love for the place is tangible. In this way it reminded me a bit of A Treason of Thorns, which is a novel I LOVED that focuses on the symbiotic relationships we sometimes have with places we love.

That said, I personally found the pacing to be a bit on the slower side. I have to come clean here — I’m in the middle of a giant reading slump, so pushing through a novel with slower pacing definitely could have been a case of right book/wrong time based on my own reading issues. I had to force myself to come back to it a few times, but I was glad I finished it.

I also thought some of the twists and turns were a bit predictable, and could definitely see where things were going pretty early on. I would classify this as a bit younger YA, sort of an older middle grade. There isn’t much romance or violence (on page) and Maddie definitely reads as a younger character to me. We see a lot of her thoughts around her first kiss and first love and that sort of thing that read more juvenile overall.

Overall, this was a pretty enjoyable read and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next. Even though some heavy things happened, it overall felt like a light read to me and I think if you’re looking for a fantasy novel with some twists and turns that’s not as heavy as some of what is out there right now, you will enjoy this one!

This book has such an interesting concept. I really enjoyed what I read in this excerpt and I’m looking forward to picking up the finished copy when it comes out!

I was excited for this one, it's not quite what I imagined but it was a good beginning. I hope there's more action in later chapters.