Or really even pay much attention to any kind of detail. Maddie doesn’t seem to learn from experience. At first I chalked this up to her being young. She is continually pelted in the face by evidence that she somehow ignores. Maddie is young and (apparently) not very bright. Now while Maddie isn’t the best gumshoe (we’ll get to that), she is young and naïve, but also skeptical, making her an excellent target for romance.Ī detective, however, she is not. Instead of the cringe-worthy, awkward teen romance I was expecting, Havenfall proves to be a soul-searching, confusing story of teenage attraction that-while still awkward-seemed more real than the faerie tale romance you’d expect. Maddie is bi-having fallen in love with Fiorden soldier Brekken, whom she first met at the Inn, but also seasonal worker Taya, who is a mystery that Maddie just can’t seem to solve. The romance somehow drew my attention, which is usually not a good thing. I mean, the fantasy is alright-an interesting enough premise and world-building, decent execution and plot, but with underwhelming extraplanar beings, magic system, and character development. While it’s a decent fantasy adventure, the romance within the story is actually what captured my interest. Havenfall is equal parts adventure, fantasy, romance, and mystery. This door is known as the Stargate, and through it… wait no.

So, at Colorado Mountain there is a door that opens to many worlds. Now Maddie, with little help and less clue of what to do, must take charge, run the Inn in place of her uncle, prevent any more Solarians from entering via the door while hunting down the one that has already come through. The Solarians are shapeshifting monsters that prey upon humans and have been banned from Earth for a generation. And the trouble doesn’t stop there.įor a being has slipped through one of the dormant gates-one to the world of Solaria. Marcus has been attacked and survives in a coma. But soon after she arrives at the Inn for the summer of her 18th birthday, those dreams quickly become a reality.

She even has hopes of taking over for her Uncle, Marcus, someday. Maddie Morrow, the niece of the Innkeeper of Havenfall, has always spent her summers working at the Inn. Nowadays there are only two gates open: one to Fiordenkill, the other Byrn. Havenfall is a crossroads between worlds-and serves as a meeting place and sanctuary for the delegates from any number of worlds. Deep within the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Havenfall.

Havenfall by sara holland