The Witch Haven
- Downloads：8319
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-20 11:21:26
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sasha Peyton Smith
- ISBN：1797135147
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Libby Frazier
，
Let me first say this， this book is one of the most beautiful books on my shelf - with and without the dust jacket。 Sure， I may have judged the book by its cover when I originally purchased it， but the concept also seemed intriguing。 Unfortunately， I was a tad disappointed。 I feel like it didn't need to be 437 pages。 It didn't really pick up action-wise until the last （at most） 100 pages。 It was incredibly repetitive in a lot of places and was incredibly slow in others。 However， I am giving it t Let me first say this， this book is one of the most beautiful books on my shelf - with and without the dust jacket。 Sure， I may have judged the book by its cover when I originally purchased it， but the concept also seemed intriguing。 Unfortunately， I was a tad disappointed。 I feel like it didn't need to be 437 pages。 It didn't really pick up action-wise until the last （at most） 100 pages。 It was incredibly repetitive in a lot of places and was incredibly slow in others。 However， I am giving it three stars because of those last 100 or so pages。 If the entire book had that pacing， I would've rated it much higher。 I loved the trope of 13 witches working together toward a common goal， and rebuilding a toxic and corrupt system。 。。。more
Ashley Hudson
，
This was a solid meh book。 I thought about giving up on it at several points。 It was good but nothing special。 The ending also felt like it wrapped up way too quickly。
Becka
，
I DEVOURED this book - a wonderful story about power， how to use it， and building the life you want。 and it made me want a cinnamon roll so badly。
Brittany
，
How I Came to Read This Book: I saw some interesting reviews for this one on Goodreads and off and basically in pining away for The Last Graduate to be available bought this thinking it'd be on a similar level。The Plot: Frances Hallowell is poor and working herself to the bone in a dressmaker's shop after her brother is murdered and her mother is carted off to an insane asylum in his wake。 Everything changes however， when a shocking incident causes her to awaken some magic powers within her， an How I Came to Read This Book: I saw some interesting reviews for this one on Goodreads and off and basically in pining away for The Last Graduate to be available bought this thinking it'd be on a similar level。The Plot: Frances Hallowell is poor and working herself to the bone in a dressmaker's shop after her brother is murdered and her mother is carted off to an insane asylum in his wake。 Everything changes however， when a shocking incident causes her to awaken some magic powers within her， and she's carted off to Haxahaven， a school for female witches learning to control their powers in a world that demands propriety of women at all times （the book is set in 1911）。 Frances craves learning more about her powers however， and a young Irishman named Finn， an acquaintance of her brother， might be the ticket to doing so。 As Finn trains Frances in ways to expand her powers， she becomes more desperate than ever to determine who murdered her brother， all while dealing with a seedy underbelly of magic that exists in New York and seems to be at odds with everything Haxahaven stands for。The good & the bad: Hmmm。 I am lukewarm on this one。 I'd say it's a solid B+， particularly from a novice writer。 But I can't recall the last time I've read a book that both felt surprising and inevitable at the same time。 There's a lot going on here， a lot more than I described above， and I appreciate the spinning plate artistry of it all， particularly as many， many little plot elements come together in the big twisty-turny final quarter of the book - a trick I usually appreciate。But I think what it comes down to in terms of my slight disappointment in this book is the simple fact that the premise is basically: "What if there was a magic school but it actually kinda sucked？" Because for a large chunk of the book Haxahaven does suck for Frances， and she spends a good deal of it trying to escape the school both easily and falsely。 By the time she feels protective and sentimental about the school， I was kind of like "Yes but。。。you've spent 80% of the book complaining so。。。why do I care？"The "magic" in this book， overall， isn't super interesting or used in a fresh way。 The angle of having witches control their magic， while on the nose for the era， ultimately stifles the excitement of discovering your powers， which is typically what sparkles in these "hey I'm a witch" books。 I also felt， era-wise， that this book was a little 'modern' for 1911。 The writing， voice， and behavior of the characters felt a lot more in tune with the likes of Libba Bray's The Diviners， minus the 1920s slang。 What's also super odd to me in terms of finding this a bit trying to get through is in theory， the author set up a lot of interesting questions from the get go and sprinkles more mysteries throughout。 And yet somehow I didn't find them that memorable or compelling - yes I kind of cared about William's murderer， but finding out who it was never felt that urgent compared to all the other things happening in the story （until of course， you uncover whodunnit）。 Like there are tons of little puzzles that are dropped into the story that are all resolved perfectly by the end， but somehow I never found myself super eager to get there and unravel them？ My best guess as to *why* that's the case is there's a bit of a sagging middle here。 Frances' mission seems set relatively early - to collect elements to conduct a dangerous spell that will help her speak to her brother one more time and find out his murderer - but it's almost like that storyline takes *so* long to resolve itself， and then does all at once， alongside picking up dozens of other plot elements that just kind of existed and popped up prior to that。 A few final things of note。 I appreciated that a good chunk of the book was about sisterhood and bond between Frances， Lena （an Indigenous character！）， and Maxine （an LGBTQ character！）， but again， with all the agitation Frances had toward Haxahaven it didn't。。。totally。。。land as strongly as it could have。 There is also a love triangle， which is kinda annoying and unnecessary to be honest， in my humble opinion - if you stripped out the parts about Oliver， would the book change fundamentally？ I can't think of a key part of the story that would be royally impacted by his disappearance， other than perhaps the watch， but that could have been worked in here another way。Again， this book is pretty good for a first-time writer， and the last quarter is filled with whiplash and intensity。 But yet I still found myself kind of eager to get to the end not because I was excited， but to just be done with it。The Bottom Line: A pretty solid debut novel that's not exactly overstuffed， but didn't prop up its core plot as strongly as it could have。Anything Memorable？: No。2021 Book Challenge？: Book #50 in 2021！ 。。。more
Lori Yvette Fernandez Lopez
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was so prepared to give this book more stars until the last 5 chapters or so。 Frances was so stupid！
Jessie
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really struggled with this book。 The writing was very good and atmospheric and I loved that you get dropped in immediately。 I also was really intrigued by the fact that this magic school doesn’t solve all of the main characters problems。 It felt subversive to make Francis resent this school trying to train down these women even with their powers。 Even in this universe where women have these powers they still have to learn household chores and be weighted down with the responsibility to use mag I really struggled with this book。 The writing was very good and atmospheric and I loved that you get dropped in immediately。 I also was really intrigued by the fact that this magic school doesn’t solve all of the main characters problems。 It felt subversive to make Francis resent this school trying to train down these women even with their powers。 Even in this universe where women have these powers they still have to learn household chores and be weighted down with the responsibility to use magic the “right” way while the men get to do whatever they want。However good the concept was， however， I felt disconnected almost the entire time。 I’m not sure if it was the pacing or what but I was completely uninterested in Francis as a character。 Another reviewer mentioned that her entire personality was her brother’s death and I really feel like， for me， that hit the nail on the head。 She takes for granted all the friendships at the school and the possibility that she could still learn magic there- especially a magic as dangerous and uncontrollable as literally having the ability to force people to do what she wants。 I was kind of horrified the way the book doesn’t grapple with the nature of her power at all。 I’m not saying Francis had to be likable， in fact some of my favorite parts about her were her conflicting thoughts and the way she tries to deal with the less “good” thoughts she has。 But the insidious way her powers manifested was just kind of something cool she could do and a tool that they could use and then it was just dropped。 I loved her friends and I wish we got more of them。 Maxine in particular。 Why set up this juicy mystery of how Maxine discovered her powers but then leave that thread entirely open ended？ There was a ton of potential with Finn- subverting the dream boy soulmate trope but I felt the reveal at the end was way too rushed。 I didn’t really understand his plan either and wish it had maybe been foreshadowed a bit more。 （Also what’s the deal with Francis’ mother？ Was there no more mystery there？ Her father？ I felt like that was setup to be interesting and then…nope）This book had a ton of potential and I think a lot of people will really like it， but for me I just felt disconnected。 I will definitely read whatever the author writes next because I do think her writing is great and she has a lot of thoughtful， interesting ideas。 。。。more
Joanne
，
Trigger and Content Warnings: （view spoiler）[This book features vomit， blood， gun violence， mutilation of corpses， historical abuse of Native Americans， and attempted rape。 （hide spoiler）]I'm a bit of a sucker for any books involving witches， but The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith in particular sounded like it was written for me。 Witches， a magic school， and a murder mystery？ All I needed to hear to have me immediately ordering myself a copy。 And what a story！ Exciting and gripping， I really Trigger and Content Warnings: （view spoiler）[This book features vomit， blood， gun violence， mutilation of corpses， historical abuse of Native Americans， and attempted rape。 （hide spoiler）]I'm a bit of a sucker for any books involving witches， but The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith in particular sounded like it was written for me。 Witches， a magic school， and a murder mystery？ All I needed to hear to have me immediately ordering myself a copy。 And what a story！ Exciting and gripping， I really enjoyed it！Frances is weighed down by the grief of losing her brother， William， four months ago， murdered and thrown into the river。 The police have no leads， and it looks like his murder will go unsolved。 When Frances is attacked by her boss late one night， she accidentally kills him when her seamstress shears fly through the air and embed themselves in his neck。 Soon after， two "nurses" show up to take her to Haxahaven， a school for witches disguised as a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients。 The discovery of magic and her own power leaves Frances stunned and thrilled， especially when she realises magic might help her to solve William's murder。 But Haxahaven is a school that teaches control and safety， not how to fully embrace your magic， and soon feels like a prison。 When she discovers notes being left for her on her pillow， pushing her to fight for justice， she meets Finn， a boy who was friends of her brother with magic of his own， who wants to help her figure out what happened to William。 He agrees to teach her and her new friends Maxine and Lena how to use their power， casting spells from an ancient spell book Maxine， a Finder， found buried in the woods。 One that includes a spell of resurrection - a way to contact the dead。 Frances is desperate to learn and grow to be strong enough for the complicated spell and find out who killed William， but her growing power has come to the attention of a rival secret society of magicians that covet power in all forms， putting her and her friends in danger。 Frances must decide where her loyalties lie and who to trust， before her world goes spinning out of control。The Witch Haven is a bit of a slow burner， but one that was completely captivating。 It's hard not to compare a book with a magic school to other famous magic schools， but Haxahaven is not what I was expecting at all。 It's a school of it's time。 If those with magic don't use their power， it can turn inward and cause them to go mad。 But these witches are still women who live in a time where they are to be seen and not heard。 The school teaches it's students how to use small magics for household chores， and nothing more。 Small ways they can use their power to keep themselves sane， but without being anything other than proper ladies。 They have another class on how to control their emotions - which is just a lesson where the teacher gets the students to relive traumatic experiences over and over again - to prevent magical outbursts caused by strong emotion。 Rather than learning how to utilise her magic， Frances is taught how to smother it， and the thrill of discovering she's a witch and has magical ability soon wears thin。The lights in Frances' life that make it all bearable are Maxine and Lena， the friends Frances makes。 There's a strong theme of sisterhood in The Witch Haven， of the bonds of friendship。 I loved both Maxine and Lena， but I do wish we got to know them better。 When the spell book is discovered， and when Frances meets the mysterious note leaver and discovers it's Finn， the focus for Frances is on getting to the point where she can perform the resurrection spell。 We don't really get to know many of the characters besides Frances as well as I would have liked， as time passes quickly。 For a while， not a huge amount happens。 Frances grows in frustration at her classes and how restrictive they are， and in impatience to cast the resurrection spell， while she sneaks out each week with Maxine and Lena to practice magic with Finn， and figure out how they're going to get what they need for the spell once they're ready。Even though it's slower paced than some books， and not a huge deal happens for a while outside a few things I can't discuss， I was still captivated by this story。 Maxine is confident and full of spunk， and just so funny， and Lena is loyal and brave， but a little more responsible， and I just loved the three girls' friendship and seeing them interact together。 Saying that， the mystery element really gets you questioning things， and I got to a point where I didn't know who to trust and started suspecting almost everyone， even when I didn't have anything concrete to pin it on。 The entire time， you just know there's more going on than Frances realises， that there's more to Haxahaven and the disturbing Sons of Saint Druon， the secret society of magicians and other powerful men。 When more bodies of boys are found in the river， Frances becomes certain this is bigger than just her brother。 But neither she nor we have any real clue。 I read with discomfort filled with a quiet buy persistent thread of dread。 Things were going to get bad， and I didn't know why or how or who it would involve， but you could just feel it creeping ever closer， and feeling like every decision made was potentially a bad one。 I was just constantly wondering what the hell was going on， and worried for the three girls。 I couldn't put it down until I figured it out， and I knew the truth。But then things really pick up。 The last quarter of the book is epic。 Things kick off in a big way and there are shocks and twists around every corner。 I knew something wasn't right， but I didn't really know。 I never could have guessed just how bad things were until the crap hit the fan。 Oh my god， it was gripping and incredible， but so twisted and sinister， and just incredibly messed up！ It was a case of jaw dropping twists where your jaw just keeps dropping lower and lower as things just get worse。 I couldn't believe it even as it was happening， and it was terrible and tense and disturbing， with no clue as to how things would end。 It was just absolutely brilliant！I loved how The Witch Haven is quite feminist， and how things were so unfair for women at the time， that there were expectations for all women， even those with money。 And I also loved how diverse this story is！ It touches on the subject of poverty， as Frances is quite poor， and before Haxahaven， most people she knew were， too。 Lena is Native American， and tells of her childhood forced into a school run by nuns， and the horrific treatment of the children attending said school， and of her tribe - and how she was taken away again to attend Haxahaven。 No labels are used， but Maxine likes girls。 And Haxahaven takes all girls。 '"Haxahaven is rather good at finding every magical girl in the area。 Rich， poor， any race， from any neighborhood， girls whose parents thought they were boys upon birth， girls who are only sometimes girls， girls who are still deciding， people who are neither boys nor girls。 We train them all。 The men are left to their own devices。 They do what men do。"' （p74-75） The way The Witch Haven ended， it looks very much like there's more to come， so I think we can safely bet on a sequel， and I'm so excited！ I very much look forward seeing where Frances' story takes her next， because this was epic！ I highly recommend this twisty and sinister magical murder mystery！ 。。。more
love_yourshelf
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Where to start？ Where to start？ This book didn’t really do anything for me。 It was your average historical fantasy with some paranormal fantasy。 The premise sounded interesting but the execution was lackluster: the writing was simple， I didn’t like the pacing of the plot and don’t get me started on the characters。 Long story short， I didn’t like most of them。 100 pages in and I felt attached to no one。 Sure， I can empathize with the situations these girls have been in to have made them end up in Where to start？ Where to start？ This book didn’t really do anything for me。 It was your average historical fantasy with some paranormal fantasy。 The premise sounded interesting but the execution was lackluster: the writing was simple， I didn’t like the pacing of the plot and don’t get me started on the characters。 Long story short， I didn’t like most of them。 100 pages in and I felt attached to no one。 Sure， I can empathize with the situations these girls have been in to have made them end up in Haxahaven School for Witches or Frances grief but in the end I felt no connection。 If I had to choose a favourite out of them though， I would choose either Maxine or Lena。Another thing is that this book is supposed to be set in 1911 New York City and it gave off the dark vibes that come with the times but I never really felt emerged in it’s atmosphere。 It was written in a too modern writing style/dialogue for me to get into 1911。 You could have taken the some of the scenes from the book， placed them in modern day New York and never really be able to tell the difference but that’s just me。 You can attribute the dark vibes to the fact that it’s fantasy。 Though I did enjoy the references to some historical events。 I was in US History last year and in this book they mentioned a horrific event called the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire （which in their time happened a few months ago） and I was not expecting to see an event we learned about in a book。 I don’t know why。Overall， it was a meh book。 。。。more
K R I S T Y
，
3。5 Stars
Mackenzie
，
Absolutely wonderful and original， really hope she makes a sequel but honestly a great stand alone if she leaves as is。 The character development was phenomenal and each person was so well written。 Even the side characters had great heart wrenching back stories to match the tone of the story。 Absolutely amazing
nerdy。bookdragon
，
*this first part is an introduction， skip if you only want the review*This book was my mental support during the first week of university， I couldn't read a word， because I didn't have time， but it was always in my bag and reminded me what I can do once I will have some free time， which I rarely had。 Until a few days ago， when I decided to read this book instead of studying for my exam， yes this book was way too good to not read instead of studying plant names in latin。 And after this long story *this first part is an introduction， skip if you only want the review*This book was my mental support during the first week of university， I couldn't read a word， because I didn't have time， but it was always in my bag and reminded me what I can do once I will have some free time， which I rarely had。 Until a few days ago， when I decided to read this book instead of studying for my exam， yes this book was way too good to not read instead of studying plant names in latin。 And after this long story of my life， here is my review:Our story starts with the female main character， called Frances， for me she seemed like a great character。 I loved how realistic her life was， how hard it was for her during these times when we meet her， and how big character development she has。 From a girl who rarely makes decisions and doesn't know what she would like to do becoming into a powerful and strong being who is not being controlled by anyone。I really loved the twists in the story， I have been always trying to figure out who is a negative or evil character and what could be their motives， and it was a fun thing to look for。 I think this book creates a magical （see what I did there） atmosphere， which can completely suck you in and entertain you for hours without you realizing that you are still reading at 1 am。 and the next day you were supposed to get up at 5 am。 （Definitely didn't happen with me whaaaat）I also adored the friendships that has been going on in the book， those bonds were so strong and I often wished if I could just be a part of their group and just hang out with them a little bit。So if you are looking for a great story， with amazing characters and lots of magic， this is a great autumn read。 。。。more
Maria Malki
，
I wanted to start getting in the fall spirit and found an account on TikTok about this book。 With hesitation I started reading this story but was pleasantly surprised。 It had its main young adult love story and learnings about oneself that often leads to obvious mistakes being made by the character。 However， this was done in a very realistic way even though the story takes place in a world where magic exists。 The characters had a little more depth and complexity about them and I really appreciat I wanted to start getting in the fall spirit and found an account on TikTok about this book。 With hesitation I started reading this story but was pleasantly surprised。 It had its main young adult love story and learnings about oneself that often leads to obvious mistakes being made by the character。 However， this was done in a very realistic way even though the story takes place in a world where magic exists。 The characters had a little more depth and complexity about them and I really appreciated that we even got back story for some of the supporting characters。 If young adult magical stories is your book of choice this is a good one to pick up。 。。。more
Hayley
，
3。75？ starsI really enjoyed this！ Such a unique and interesting setting and premise， I loved the historical period， I loved the characters （Maxine and Lena and Frances， my loves） and while I did see some of the twists coming， there were a lot of really good plot points/twists and turns， and I really enjoyed reading this。 I really loved the relationships between the three main girls， I thought it was just a beautiful friendship。 I really would have loved to see more of Lena and Maxine's backstory 3。75？ starsI really enjoyed this！ Such a unique and interesting setting and premise， I loved the historical period， I loved the characters （Maxine and Lena and Frances， my loves） and while I did see some of the twists coming， there were a lot of really good plot points/twists and turns， and I really enjoyed reading this。 I really loved the relationships between the three main girls， I thought it was just a beautiful friendship。 I really would have loved to see more of Lena and Maxine's backstory/actual lives， but I guess having a book from the POV of one character means that you don't really get that。 Maybe in the next book， fingers crossed this gets a sequel！ The one thing I could've done without is the letter at the end？！ 。。。more
Potterhead Aanya
，
OMG THIS WAS BEAUTIFULDEEPAND BEAUTIFULBUT THE END。。。。。。。。。AHH THE END。。。。。。。I WANTMOREI NEEDMORERTC
Carrie Lewis
，
WHAT—
Ingrid Tiffe
，
A good read， the pacing of the story is inconsistent but I think that may be some of the charm。 Sometimes I experienced annoyance with the characters and their decisions but that means the author managed to make me feel invested。 Touches on a lot of topics and it felt a bit like a checklist at times Feminism - Check， Sexuality - Check， Abuse - Check，Love Triangles -Check and the list goes on。 This is a common mistake nowadays with many things， the book could of been better with a bit more focus A good read， the pacing of the story is inconsistent but I think that may be some of the charm。 Sometimes I experienced annoyance with the characters and their decisions but that means the author managed to make me feel invested。 Touches on a lot of topics and it felt a bit like a checklist at times Feminism - Check， Sexuality - Check， Abuse - Check，Love Triangles -Check and the list goes on。 This is a common mistake nowadays with many things， the book could of been better with a bit more focus which is why I rate a 4 instead of a 5。 。。。more
Patricia
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This one is going to take some time to process！ Such a powerful story of loss and redemption， sisterhood and friendship， love and betrayal - such powerful emotional storylines all caught up in a few intriguing， endearing and powerful characters。 Frances character starts off as a bit of your classic everywoman becomes something special trope - but it's not overplayed。 It's gentle and tugs you along with her into this strange new world that's apparently been happening all along behind the scenes。 This one is going to take some time to process！ Such a powerful story of loss and redemption， sisterhood and friendship， love and betrayal - such powerful emotional storylines all caught up in a few intriguing， endearing and powerful characters。 Frances character starts off as a bit of your classic everywoman becomes something special trope - but it's not overplayed。 It's gentle and tugs you along with her into this strange new world that's apparently been happening all along behind the scenes。 There are a few mentions of historical events （the Triangle Shirtwaist fire， women's suffrage） that lend a bit of real-world ambiance to this story。 That said， it is also wholly magical and bizarre at times as well！ Sasha Peyton Smith brings you a fully realized world with a heart-wrenching twist at the climax。 Don't sleep on reading this book - it's worth it！ 。。。more
Brooke
，
*3。5
Brend
，
A masterpiece。 A girlboss， gaslight， gatekeep masterpiece。 This book fits every single Taylor Swift song; in this essay I will。。。"Good girls don’t steal daggers and break whiskey bottles over people’s heads。 Good girls don’t have a fire in their chest that begs for more things to burn" "Witches can manipulate other people。I shouldn’t be allowed to manipulate other people。Do I even want to be able to manipulate other people？I think I’m rather good at it。"She's in her reputation era。 Love this for A masterpiece。 A girlboss， gaslight， gatekeep masterpiece。 This book fits every single Taylor Swift song; in this essay I will。。。"Good girls don’t steal daggers and break whiskey bottles over people’s heads。 Good girls don’t have a fire in their chest that begs for more things to burn" "Witches can manipulate other people。I shouldn’t be allowed to manipulate other people。Do I even want to be able to manipulate other people？I think I’m rather good at it。"She's in her reputation era。 Love this for her。 。。。more
Jennifer MacMullin
，
This started off so well， like to the point where I was convinced it’d be a 5 star for me， but then I kept reading and my rating slid down to 3 stars by the end 😅🙈What I liked:•The setting: New York City， 1911， a secret academy for witches， was really cool！ It was dark and gritty and atmospheric•The themes incorporated: at times it touched on feminism， the awful treatment of Native Americans （racism）， sexual assault•For the most part， the writing itself was good and I’ll definitely give whatever This started off so well， like to the point where I was convinced it’d be a 5 star for me， but then I kept reading and my rating slid down to 3 stars by the end 😅🙈What I liked:•The setting: New York City， 1911， a secret academy for witches， was really cool！ It was dark and gritty and atmospheric•The themes incorporated: at times it touched on feminism， the awful treatment of Native Americans （racism）， sexual assault•For the most part， the writing itself was good and I’ll definitely give whatever else she writes a fair shotWhat I wasn’t a fan of:•Pacing: started off great， but dragged a few times in the middle before speeding back up at the end•There’s like a pseudo love triangle and I wasn’t here for it。 Also a thing happened that I didn’t like but can’t explain without spoiling something big•The side characters could’ve been more fleshed out and at first Frances being reckless was fun but I was soon rolling my eyes over how foolish her decisions wereSo alas， this was not really my thing， but hopefully others enjoy it more than I did 。。。more
Rachel & Lindsey
，
this book was sooooooo good。 review coming soon！
Michael
，
Congratulations， you’re a witch！ And you’ve just been accepted into NYC’s hottest magic school， Haxahaven Academy！ Hope you enjoy your new spell-tacular life！ …But what if that life of magic wasn’t all you thought it would be？ What if your witch school was super underwhelming and oppressive？ What if you wanted more？Such is life for teenage Frances Hallowell living in 1911 New York。 Haxahaven seems intriguing at first， but it turns out to be downright stifling。 Students only learn spells for doin Congratulations， you’re a witch！ And you’ve just been accepted into NYC’s hottest magic school， Haxahaven Academy！ Hope you enjoy your new spell-tacular life！ …But what if that life of magic wasn’t all you thought it would be？ What if your witch school was super underwhelming and oppressive？ What if you wanted more？Such is life for teenage Frances Hallowell living in 1911 New York。 Haxahaven seems intriguing at first， but it turns out to be downright stifling。 Students only learn spells for doing household chores and controlling their emotions （patriarchy， amiright？）。 So Frances and her friends decide to break the rules， sneak around at night， and experiment with some powerful， forbidden magic。 What could possibly go wrong？ “The Witch Haven” is a delightfully fresh spin on the YA fantasy genre， starting with the historical aspect。 Turn-of-the-century NYC feels gritty， grimy， and bursting with exciting possibilities。 And despite the old-fashioned setting， the characters are diverse， nuanced， and well-represented （at least from what I could tell; keep in mind I’m a straight white dude with lots to learn）。 The plot starts slow but picks up steam in the second half。 By the last few chapters， them pages were flippin’ fast。 I hope future installments explore some unanswered questions （the mechanics of magic in this world）， underdeveloped characters （cough Oliver cough）， and uncertain backstories （Haxahaven’s founding）。 One thing is certain， though: debut author Sasha Peyton Smith has cast a spell that leaves readers craving more toil and trouble。 。。。more
Nikki S
，
It started off SO。 GOOD。 But once it got to the story， everything was repetitive and I didn't feel like the plot was moving。 I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book， but ultimately I think my dislike for witchy and historical fiction books still won out。 Which us unfortunate because I really liked the opening scene lol It started off SO。 GOOD。 But once it got to the story， everything was repetitive and I didn't feel like the plot was moving。 I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book， but ultimately I think my dislike for witchy and historical fiction books still won out。 Which us unfortunate because I really liked the opening scene lol 。。。more
Megan
，
The description on this really drew me in。 I am a sucker for boarding school/mysterious school stories and historical fiction with women's empowerment。 I loved all of that。 When I started reading， I couldn't put it down。 And then。。。I just felt like the middle got a little bogged down followed by a too-quick rush to the end with too-quick repairs of relationships and a too-easy end to the problem。 3。5 rounded to 4 The description on this really drew me in。 I am a sucker for boarding school/mysterious school stories and historical fiction with women's empowerment。 I loved all of that。 When I started reading， I couldn't put it down。 And then。。。I just felt like the middle got a little bogged down followed by a too-quick rush to the end with too-quick repairs of relationships and a too-easy end to the problem。 3。5 rounded to 4 。。。more
Dana
，
I feel like this book could have been about 150 pages shorter and gotten the point across。 Very little action or sense until the very end， then it was great！ I just wish it was shorter and got to the point quicker。
Natalie
，
I wanted to like this book so much， but I found Frances so frustratingly stupid and naïve。 She literally made the dumbest decisions without logic or thinking about any consequence。 I just couldn't enjoy it。I also felt there was a lack of explanation of the magic system and the world。 It just glossed over all these details。 I hope there isn't a sequel， though if there were it's very unlikely that I would pick it up。 I wanted to like this book so much， but I found Frances so frustratingly stupid and naïve。 She literally made the dumbest decisions without logic or thinking about any consequence。 I just couldn't enjoy it。I also felt there was a lack of explanation of the magic system and the world。 It just glossed over all these details。 I hope there isn't a sequel， though if there were it's very unlikely that I would pick it up。 。。。more
Jessie Brown
，
Oh my god this book。 I love love love it so much。 My poor heart。
Rachael Telford
，
I was wishing for a book that felt like the HBO series The Nevers- this one nailed it。
Marybeth Buskirk
，
I had high hopes for this debut novel， and sadly， it didn't meet the expectations I had for it。 I'd say this book is more for fans of slower plot developments and for things to take near the end to get into the action packed turn the page type of moments。 I wanted to see more of the female friendships explored particularly get a more in depth look of Lena and her tribe， but I did love the focus on found family and the fact that racism especially when it came to the womens suffragette movement wa I had high hopes for this debut novel， and sadly， it didn't meet the expectations I had for it。 I'd say this book is more for fans of slower plot developments and for things to take near the end to get into the action packed turn the page type of moments。 I wanted to see more of the female friendships explored particularly get a more in depth look of Lena and her tribe， but I did love the focus on found family and the fact that racism especially when it came to the womens suffragette movement was all about white rich women for many years。 I think this author will grow as she writes more books and in no way is The Witch Haven bad， it just wasn't my full cup of tea。 I think the strongest thing about this novel is how wonderful and true she writes about grieving someone you loved dearly。 。。。more
Joe Titone
，