Right from the beginning this book had me hooked and it continued to captivate me every chapter. The ending was completely unexpected and left me heartbroken. It had been a while since a book has given a good plot twist that changes the dynamic of the story and leaves me wanting more. I am anticipating the Sasha Peyton Smith's next release and how she will continue Frances' story now that everything has changed and the truth is out.

I liked it and think my students will, too. It provides a different take on prejudice (if looking for an engaging lit circle choice). The beginning began very quickly, jumping straight into the action. The pace slowed significantly in the middle half, but the end was very fast, too. I would have liked to see more development after the climax.

I am still speechless that I was able to receive an arc of this. What a stunning debut, I loved Frances so much and really related to her in so many different ways and loved Maxine and Lena.. a lot of times in young adult fiction, the side characters tend to be really flat but Maxine and Lena were so well rounded and I loved how they had their own personalities. The ending completely surprised me with Finn as the villain. I hope there’s a sequel because I loved this book so much!

The Witch Haven is Book One of a duology by Sasha Peyton Smith.

Nice cover. Good writing. Interesting premise. However, the characters are thin and the story itself was both a combination of rushed and slow. The events take place in a very short space of time, but the pacing often dragged.

from description: In 1911 New York City, seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell spends her days as a seamstress, mourning the mysterious death of her brother months prior. Everything changes when she’s attacked and a man ends up dead at her feet—her scissors in his neck, and she can’t explain how they got there.

Frances waits to be arrested for murder, but before that can happen, two "nurses" whisk her off to Hexahaven Sanitarium for tuberculosis patients. Hexahaven, however, is not a sanitarium for tb patients, it is a school for witches.

For someone who had been living in poverty and suddenly discovers she has magic powers, Frances' quick assessment of Haxahaven as a prison seems unrealistic. She receives a safe place to stay, new friends, good food, and classes for learning control of her new powers. I can see that she might tire of the restrictions and silly classes eventually, but within a month? A poor seamstress who had next to nothing and had just been saved from a murder charge would likely take a little time to appreciate her good fortune.

Frances, however, immediately turns against the headmistress, but believes in a young man who has been leaving her notes to meet him (and doesn't spend much time being concerned about how he manages to do so or why). She's headstrong and makes decisions that she often realizes are risky and might endanger others, but goes right ahead. She is suspicious of the headmistress and even her friends, but strangely trusting where she shouldn't. Frances wants her way (and right now) so badly she is heedless of the effect on others. She is then surprised and regretful, before she rushes off to another situation. Doesn't learn much from experience, our Frances.

Stock characters and plot holes are a problem in The Witch Haven.

Read in June. Blog review scheduled for

NetGalley/Simon & Schuster
YA, Paranormal. August 31, 2021. Print length: 448 pages.

Witches, magic and historical fiction combined to make an exciting and captivating read in The Witch Haven. This was a really atmospheric read and I felt so transported to early 20th century New York City. The setting was utilized so well and I feel like it was the perfect choice for where this story should take place. I loved the incorporation of schools for witches as well. So many readers enjoy academic settings for books so I think this really benefitted the story.
The mystery aspect was very engaging and I moved through the story quickly, wanting to know what was going to happen next. There were so many surprising twists and turns along the way that made this super difficult to put down.
The whole cast of characters were so inviting and I loved reading about the friendships as well as the slow burn romance that was going on.
This is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys both historical fiction and fantasy, or is looking to give either genre a try!

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

After the death of Frances's brother, she is just getting by working as a seamstress while still grieving her loss. When her boss attacks her one night, he is suddenly dead with a pair of scissors in his neck. Not knowing how they got there, she is investigated as a potential murder suspect.

Just as Frances is about to be taken by the police, two nurses show up informing her of a recent diagnosis of tuberculosis. She is taken to a sanitarium for tuberculosis, a disguise for a school hiding witches and magical powers.

At her new school, Frances learns to use magic for daily tasks. But when her older brother's friend shows up, he shows Frances and her friends magic even greater than they have learned. Why is he showing them and what connection does he have with her brother's death?

The setting took place in the early 1900s which I found was a nice touch. In New York, the weather and mood felt gloomy all together like it was building up suspense for the plot.

The magic that took place in the story was interesting but I wanted to know a little more about it and how it
worked. It also led me to be curious about how witches and humans once lived together a long time ago.

Overall, The Witch Haven was an appealing story that I had fun reading over the past couple of days. Since this is a debut novel, I'm looking forward to new works by the author, seeing how she and her writing grows.

Summary: Frances is just a normal girl working as a seamstress at a little shop in 1911 New York. A few months prior, her brother was murdered, his body found mutilated in the Hudson river. As if this wasn't enough, her childhood sweetheart, Oliver Callahan, was so shaken by the tragedy that he distanced from her. This book begins on a seemingly ordinary day when Frances's boss attacked her and found himself lying dead with a pair of scissors in his neck: scissors that were lying all the way across the room only moments before. In the morning, a group of girls in disguise come to tell Francis that she is deathly ill and drag her away to a sanitorium. Only its not a sanitorium at all, its a school of magic for witches like her.

Frances soon finds that the magical world isn't all it seems. The leaders of the Haxahaven school aim to teach a generation of witches to remain quiet and demure, as women should be, always knowing their place. Meanwhile, the Sons of Saint Druon seem to offer more, or perhaps its only Finn D'Arcy with his Irish charm and eyes full of promises. To Frances the only thing that matters is finding her brothers killer but she doesn't expect this mission to lead her into a high stakes war between rival magical factions.

Review: I enjoyed this book even more than I expected. First things first, the setting. I loved the detailed descriptions and the inclusion of historical events for context. In that regard, I also loved the attention to detail on Lena's story and cultural background and the way Sasha Peyton Smith articulates that one can still be complacent in a racist system even if they don't have personal prejudices. Frances accepts Lena wholeheartedly but even still, she isn't able to grasp the gravity of the risk that Lena is taking by associating with her and partaking in her schemes. The mention of historical events like the triangle shirtwaist factory fire really served to add so much context and luster to the story.

Next up the twists! They had me reeling. Frances never knows who to trust: the good guys have a hidden agenda, the bad guys seem good and everyone seems to be using her desires against her. Through it all there was a clear emphasis on sisterhood and strength that comes from women standing up for other women and creating that support system. The power dynamics, the feminist undertones, the politics, all contributed to making this such a wonderfully interesting read.

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for giving me this arc!

~In this YA fantasy set in 1911 New York, 17-year-old seamstress Frances Hallowell is whisked off to Haxahaven, a school for witches disguised as a tuberculosis sanitarium. The more she learns about the magical underworld of the city, the more she begins to fear that it may be related to the mysterious death of her brother six months prior.~

This book had me hooked in the first chapter, and kept up a steadily building pace until I found myself frantically turning the last 100 pages. While I had my own ideas about who Frances should or shouldn’t trust in her new magical world, I still desperately needed to know how it all ended and it didn’t disappoint.

So, first: This book is such a mood! Think crunchy leaves and moonlit nights in the forest, lanterns hung from tree branches, laying in the grass with the stars twinkling overhead … I loved the entire vibe and know I would have been utterly obsessed with it as a teen.

Even beyond that, though, there is so much more to this book:

Frances is struggling with grief for her brother, which is the motivating factor for her actions throughout the book.

Her feelings of inadequacy, questioning her worthiness when it comes to her abilities and friendships is something I think young readers will find especially relatable (and, I loved the strong friendships formed and Frances’ growth in realizing what makes a true friendship).

And, the setting of 1911 New York City, and the little bits of true historical aspects woven throughout the book just make it all the more special.

This is the first book in a duology, and there were a few little things that I kept expecting to come into play or have answers for towards the end of this book that didn’t, so I’m wondering if they’ll come up in the next one. Until then, I’m left anxiously awaiting it’s release!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for this e-galley in exchange for an honest review. I’ll also post a full review on Instagram closer to the time of publication.

3.5 stars - This was an interesting story. The writing was pretty good, but earlier on it took me a bit to get into the story. It really seems to want to hit on all major societal issues; sexism especially, but also racism, classism, sexuality, sexual assault, etc. There were some points at which the talking about sexism against women kind of bridged over to just bashing of men. I appreciated the cast of characters was fairly diverse, especially given the setting. I also appreciated that the story wasn’t entirely predictable. There are definitely some hints about who’s bad vs good, but it wasn’t totally obvious (although also not totally surprising) what was going to happen in the end. This book definitely seems to be set up to be the first book in a series, and I would possibly like to read more of this story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

#TheWitchHaven
I really liked this book. It has a witty and charming appeal to it. It is the first in what I think is a duology, but it has so much potential. The characters are well flushed out and you can't help be excited for the next one.

Imagine visiting a girls-only Hogwarts in New York at the beginning of the 20th century instead of at the end of it. That’s the journey you take while reading this book and I was utterly charmed (get it???) by it. It was fun to read and interesting, and I felt like the world-building and magic system were well-formed without being overly complex. The story turns darker as imperfect characters begin to explore the more sinister sides of magic and New York’s underbelly in a way that’ll keep you turning the pages. This is the the first book in a duology, so while it does end unresolved, it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger.

This title was on my radar and I'm very happy to be approved of this eARC. I enjoyed the story, it was an easy and fun read. Some of the plot and characters didn't stick with me as I would have hoped. me away.

Like many others have said on here, I can't review this book because it is not available for kindle, and the Shelf app is completely worthless piece of poop.

If the publisher is reading this, will you please make it available for kindle users? It is unreadable on the app because it's so small and glitchy. I fear you're going to lose a lot of readers and reviewers on this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to read and review.
I love witches. Harry Potter is my all time favorite series and the only one I would read over and over again without ever regretting it. A chance to read a book about witches had me itching to jump right in and turn the pages to see what happens.
First, I love the time period this is set in. Whenever I read books set in the early 1900s, I"m always reminded of learning about this time period in school and all the possibilities that existed. But I'm also reminded of the terrible living conditions some had and how living was often minute to minute in the hopes you'd survive.
If you're thinking historical fantasy, though, I"m not quite sure it will meet those expectations. The book starts out immersing you in that time period, but over the course of the story I feel as if it lost that historical feeling and became more of just a story of who done it, I was hoping for that Sherlock Holmes type feel, but it just did not deliver.
The main character starts out as truly likeable. This continued throughout the story, though the build up of her becoming more in tune with her magic wasn't what I would have wanted it to be. Things were too quick to happen and there were more inconsistencies in plot than I would have liked. A perfect example is the strict rules that are set at Haxhaven that the girls can so easily run around.
The magic infused in this story is interesting. I would have liked a more complete explanation of it, but it served its purpose
I'm not sure if the author intends to write more to this story, but I can see where the ending would lead you to that.
Overall my expectations for this particular book were not met. It was fun, and enough of a page turner that I wanted to keep going to see what happened at the end, but I was really expecting to be more enthralled given the content and summary. As a debut novel, I do see much potential from this author for future books and would definitely add them to my TBR!
Would definitely recommend as a middle/upper middle grade read for those who like a magical element in their books.

since im still reeling from that ending, here's a nice list of everything i loved:

- historical fantasy in 1910's new york
- secret school(s) for witches
- swoon-worthy, magic boys who call you "love" and knit mittens
- murder mysteries
- witchy best friends who wear capes and sneak out to perform secret spells with you
- the perfect, slow burn romance
- PLOT TWISTS. AND BETRAYALS THAT HURT.

overall, i loved literally everything about this book. the characters were well developed and realistic, and it was especially easy to root for our main character, frances. she was determined, practical, kind, and i loved her snark. the writing was simply wonderful, the prose was stunning, and the pacing was steady. it was so easy to fall into the story and not once was i ever bored or confused.

this was an incredible ya historical fantasy, with an engaging plot, lovable characters, gorgeous writing, and, the best part, MAGIC. i did not expect to love it this much, but the witch haven has become a new favorite, one that i cannot wait to buy and shove down everyones throat near its release in august.

I felt completely and totally betrayed at the ending of this book but that is honestly what made the difference between 4 and 5 stars. This book made a nod towards nonbinary gender in its definition of a witch and racial tension between indigenous and white people were a real and constant thing for one of the characters, which is appropriate given the era this book takes place in. The story itself was well paced and kept me wondering what was going to happen next and I probably should have seen that plot twist coming but didn't and it simultaneously thrilled me to be surprised and broke my heart. The author knows what they did. It's not gay (A little bit of sapphic love is given to a side character but it's not in the forefront) but it slaps.

This was a fun ride, but it didn't blow me away. I wanted this to be full of loveable characters, but found it lacking in personality. The story saved the book for me though, as I was totally invested in what was going to happen.

Thank you for the e-arc!

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this book due to it only being available in PDF format. I do look forward to reading it upon release.

I am judging this book not by the plot but it's format. PDF file. Not kindle. The book was good (2 chapters I read) bit because the font was too small fir me even after one inch enlargement I simply could not finish reading it.
What a shame! The book started good !!! Only, if it was available in kindle format I would definitely finish it and loved it!

I am unable to download this book to my Kindle at this time. Still hoping to read it at some point, because this book sounds really good!