Havenfall

There is nothing worse than spending summer interning at an insurance company. Maddie boards the bus to the mountains of Colorado instead, to Havenfall. It is her family’s legacy, on her mother’s side, an inn run by her uncle for the different magical realms that converge there in a safe place. However, the Solarians, a dangerous group cast out and sealed off from the inn, have found a way back, and this promises danger. After Maddie’s uncle is hurt and falls unconscious, Maddie steps into the innkeeper’s position way sooner than she had expected. She had hoped to take over the inn after years of learning, but now she just hopes she won’t ruin everything he has worked so hard to maintain.

This tale is reminiscent of the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, or the Trylle series by Amanda Hocking. There is so much adventure and suspense with the turn of every page. Maddie’s determination to save everything she loves even as she questions her capability makes her real in the midst of a make-believe world. The pacing is quick and the surprises many, and readers will be disappointed only to learn that the sequel is not expected until 2021.