Havenfall

I recently signed up to Illumicrate, a subscription based book club, and this was the first novel I received from them. My first thoughts were the cover looked gorgeous and the concept sounded intriguing - an Inn at the cross-roads between worlds.

This book is very much a YA book, and unfortunately I am not meaning that in an especially positive way. The amount of teen angst in this book is somewhat overwhelming and masking what is essentially an interesting story and world building exercise. Honestly, I would have much rather read the politicking of the various different worlds than the overwrought heartache of the main character, which just got a bit wearing after a while.

It is a shame - there is a good book buried in there. It may have worked better as a novella with some of the more love triangle bits cut out of it. Good reads lacks a granularity to its ratings, so this would probably be a 2.5 based on its potential, but the execution just was not quite there.

I usually like to listen to my YA Fantasy books, but this one wasn't so bad to read. Once I started reading, I quickly got into the story and the world Sara Holland created.

It's contemporary times, with the added Adjacent Realms, worlds connected to Earth through doorways in tunnels deep in the Rocky Mountains. Every year, delegates from these worlds meet at Havenfall, in peace, to make trade and political deals. One of these worlds was cut off years ago and have been feared ever since.

The world building and magic systems are well explained. I found myself immersed in them! A YA book wouldn't be complete without a love triangle. I think Maddie is leaning one way, but I will see if I'm right with the second book.

The climatic scene did not disappoint. Well, I guess scenes. There is the quiet reveal before the big showdown. It was a slow build. I found myself skimming ahead of the characters because I got there before they did. But the fight scene was good, a couple of cliffhangers and I'm wanting to know their fates.

Yes, it is a duology. I've already started the second book.