The Witch Haven
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-14 09:51:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sasha Peyton Smith
- ISBN：1534454381
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
An instant New York Times bestseller！
The Last Magician meets The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy in this thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy following a young woman who discovers she has magical powers and is thrust into a battle between witches and wizards。
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。
Before she can be condemned as a murderess， two cape-wearing nurses arrive to inform her she is deathly ill and ordered to report to Haxahaven Sanitarium。 But Frances finds Haxahaven isn’t a sanitarium at all: it’s a school for witches。 Within Haxahaven’s glittering walls， Frances finds the sisterhood she craves， but the headmistress warns Frances that magic is dangerous。 Frances has no interest in the small， safe magic of her school， and is instead enchanted by Finn， a boy with magic himself who appears in her dreams and tells her he can teach her all she’s been craving to learn， lessons that may bring her closer to discovering what truly happened to her brother。
Frances’s newfound power attracts the attention of the leader of an ancient order who yearns for magical control of Manhattan。 And who will stop at nothing to have Frances by his side。 Frances must ultimately choose what matters more， justice for her murdered brother and her growing feelings for Finn， or the safety of her city and fellow witches。 What price would she pay for power， and what if the truth is more terrible than she ever imagined？
The Last Magician meets The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy in this thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy following a young woman who discovers she has magical powers and is thrust into a battle between witches and wizards。
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。
Before she can be condemned as a murderess， two cape-wearing nurses arrive to inform her she is deathly ill and ordered to report to Haxahaven Sanitarium。 But Frances finds Haxahaven isn’t a sanitarium at all: it’s a school for witches。 Within Haxahaven’s glittering walls， Frances finds the sisterhood she craves， but the headmistress warns Frances that magic is dangerous。 Frances has no interest in the small， safe magic of her school， and is instead enchanted by Finn， a boy with magic himself who appears in her dreams and tells her he can teach her all she’s been craving to learn， lessons that may bring her closer to discovering what truly happened to her brother。
Frances’s newfound power attracts the attention of the leader of an ancient order who yearns for magical control of Manhattan。 And who will stop at nothing to have Frances by his side。 Frances must ultimately choose what matters more， justice for her murdered brother and her growing feelings for Finn， or the safety of her city and fellow witches。 What price would she pay for power， and what if the truth is more terrible than she ever imagined？
Reviews
Jessie Brown
，
Oh my god this book。 I love love love it so much。 My poor heart。
Rachael Telford
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I was wishing for a book that felt like the HBO series The Nevers- this one nailed it。
Marybeth Buskirk
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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
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@SimonTeen I won this book， and thankfully it was for young adults。 Thus I shared it with my grandchildren who are always eager to find good reading。 This book met their criteria， and they are looking forward to reading more by this author。 Thank You Simon and Schuster。
Justin
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4。25 stars
Kailey Steward
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DNF at around 25%The writing is beautiful and the plot is well-thought out but I just could not get into the story。 I knew going in it would be hard for me because anything historical I struggle with。 Nothing of the craft was wrong as far as I could tell—it was a well-written book！—it just was not for me。
Ms。 McKinney
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Good， but predictable。
Brooke W
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This book was so good！ It pulled me right in with fast-paced action and amazing writing！ The main character， Frances， had a raw and original voice that I loved reading。 The writing took me into her head and there were great comparisons/similes。The characters were great！ They were unique and kind。 I did have a few issues with some of the characters but not too many。 I was obsessed with the pacing！ It was exactly was I love， the speed of light。The world building was fascinating！ There were so many This book was so good！ It pulled me right in with fast-paced action and amazing writing！ The main character， Frances， had a raw and original voice that I loved reading。 The writing took me into her head and there were great comparisons/similes。The characters were great！ They were unique and kind。 I did have a few issues with some of the characters but not too many。 I was obsessed with the pacing！ It was exactly was I love， the speed of light。The world building was fascinating！ There were so many different spells and even though it’s set in 1911 New York， it felt like I was in a new world when magic was involved！I fully recommend！ There were beautiful sisterly relationships/found family and a spectacular magic system！ 。。。more
Olivia
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This may be one of the few books where the ending made me knock off a star。 Everything was resolved but it was super chaotic。 More than a few times， I had to re-read because I was like， wait what？
Karri
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Fabulous book！ Really hoping this is the start of a series。
Indyyy
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Well written and not what you think but also what you think and despite the framework it's a character driven story， an expose and love poem to grief itself and the human condition of moving on。 No， really。 Except that one creep。 F**k that guy - I knew it was creepy。 Well written and not what you think but also what you think and despite the framework it's a character driven story， an expose and love poem to grief itself and the human condition of moving on。 No， really。 Except that one creep。 F**k that guy - I knew it was creepy。 。。。more
Cyndy Deleon
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I loved this book so much！
Lisa
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Very enjoyable。
Rachel
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I was hooked from the first line - "The East River smelled distinctly of death。" The story was a bit insta-lovey at points， but I felt like the other aspects of the plot more than made up for that。 I really enjoyed the historical aspect and seeing how， even though the school taught women and girls magic， the students were only allowed to learn spells that would help them with the traditional roles they were expected to fill。 And how Frances bristled at that and felt like there had to be more。 I I was hooked from the first line - "The East River smelled distinctly of death。" The story was a bit insta-lovey at points， but I felt like the other aspects of the plot more than made up for that。 I really enjoyed the historical aspect and seeing how， even though the school taught women and girls magic， the students were only allowed to learn spells that would help them with the traditional roles they were expected to fill。 And how Frances bristled at that and felt like there had to be more。 I also loved the strength of the female friendships represented。 So many YA books seem to focus only on romantic love， but this one did an amazing job of exploring the platonic love of deep friendships as well and showing how important and valuable it is。 。。。more
Tochi Ubesie
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An intense and interesting read full of rollercoasters。
Sequoia
，
3 stars。Review coming soon！
Caitlin
，
BETRAYED
Lisa Shafer
，
It seemed fresh and original at first， but then the plot became so very predictable: 2 cute boys （1 "rough，" 1 "refined"）， hit on all the current social trends （Indian boarding schools， hate the rich --- unless， of course， they have cute sons -- trust women more than men -- even if some of those women aren't trustworthy）， the obvious person is the killer， protagonist makes stupid decisions because she doesn't bother to find correct information before making those decisions。However， the protagoni It seemed fresh and original at first， but then the plot became so very predictable: 2 cute boys （1 "rough，" 1 "refined"）， hit on all the current social trends （Indian boarding schools， hate the rich --- unless， of course， they have cute sons -- trust women more than men -- even if some of those women aren't trustworthy）， the obvious person is the killer， protagonist makes stupid decisions because she doesn't bother to find correct information before making those decisions。However， the protagonist is likeable and realistically teenage， even though most of the other characters are flat and mere stereotypes。 The setting is good， and historical elements of NYC are given （women's suffrage， Triangle Shirtwaist fire， police corruption， museums）。It's not a bad read for a teenager， but it's not a great book。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Received through FirstReads。。。So this was officially a "young adult" book， though I've never been able to figure out just exactly what that means（is there a list of elements）？ I would have rated 3 1/2 stars， but as we all know， 1/2 stars are like the worst thing ever and goodreads will never have that option。 The book itself was entertaining。 I felt like it was very similar to a lot of books out there， young person discovers magic powers， etc。 While the background and settings were described wel Received through FirstReads。。。So this was officially a "young adult" book， though I've never been able to figure out just exactly what that means（is there a list of elements）？ I would have rated 3 1/2 stars， but as we all know， 1/2 stars are like the worst thing ever and goodreads will never have that option。 The book itself was entertaining。 I felt like it was very similar to a lot of books out there， young person discovers magic powers， etc。 While the background and settings were described well， the characters themselves were very one dimensional。 There was just not too much life or relatability。 。。。more
Sarah Ballinger
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4。5 stars
Marcella
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Historical fantasy， magic， witches， and more。 I enjoyed this book a lot！ Fav characters is Maxine （sorry， Frances） bcs I love her determination。 Finn and Oliver。。。 well I like them both for different aspect :））Love the world building so much！Saw the twist coming from a long way but that letter in the ending aaaaaa I need 2nd book ASAP :'） Historical fantasy， magic， witches， and more。 I enjoyed this book a lot！ Fav characters is Maxine （sorry， Frances） bcs I love her determination。 Finn and Oliver。。。 well I like them both for different aspect :））Love the world building so much！Saw the twist coming from a long way but that letter in the ending aaaaaa I need 2nd book ASAP :'） 。。。more
Marissa
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Overall a decent debut。 At times it was creative and unique， other times it tended toward the cliche YA tropes。 Maybe this isn't a book I would have picked out for myself but I did enjoy it， and I'd probably read a sequelThings I liked:+ A good look at a character who is processing grief， and the complex emotions that are part of that journey+ Strong female friendships （Lena especially）+ Lack of sex， but a tasteful teasing。 I especially liked Frances being depicted as being thoughtful about her Overall a decent debut。 At times it was creative and unique， other times it tended toward the cliche YA tropes。 Maybe this isn't a book I would have picked out for myself but I did enjoy it， and I'd probably read a sequelThings I liked:+ A good look at a character who is processing grief， and the complex emotions that are part of that journey+ Strong female friendships （Lena especially）+ Lack of sex， but a tasteful teasing。 I especially liked Frances being depicted as being thoughtful about her body and her physical responses to characters+ I liked Frances's search for alternatives when she was dissatisfied with her options （ex: the midnight market being a third way of life compared to the school and social club）Things that were eh:- The world building and historical setting and physical settings seemed more like stage props than an element to fuel storytelling。 At times it was hard to feel like I was in 1910s New York。- Pseudo love triangle （can YA be done with these as a genre yet？）- The ally turns villain （predictable trope）- Rather cliche depiction of witches， not much creativity in this even when looking outside Haxahaven。 - Attempted rape as the triggering trauma for magic。 Seems like there are other ways to traumatize a female character that don't need to involve sexual assault。 It felt like a cheap go to instead of a truly invasive moment。Things I am 50\50 on:* Clear feminist values， right to vote， pro education， pro women being autonomous decision making agents。。。。 On the flip side I wasn't thrilled with most of the men being depicted as power hungry and dismissive or controlling towards women。 I'm not sure if I'm willing to excuse this as just being a reflection of the era。 Why not have both strong men and strong women and they don't necessarily have to be at each other's throats？ * Social justice commentary。。。 It was interesting to include and Lena was a good character for it， but it also felt anachronistic and unnecessary to the story* Frances got a bit whiny in her angst and misery。 While it played a vital role in telling her story， her character development ignored a lot of the rest of human emotions even in the scenes where she was supposed to be feeling love， happiness， desire 。。。more
Anna
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This was great！ I was really shocked by the ended and I realllllllly hope that this is a trilogy of some sort。 （I mean， it MUST be。 That ending？！？）。 So a couple of things I really liked and didn't like about the book。。。🌕Romance was there！ It was a large part of the plot and helped steer the story and character decisions🌕Making the friends you meet your family🌕Magic and the way the writer described it🌕School setting！ I love a good school setting with magic and fantasy🌕The suffragette movement was This was great！ I was really shocked by the ended and I realllllllly hope that this is a trilogy of some sort。 （I mean， it MUST be。 That ending？！？）。 So a couple of things I really liked and didn't like about the book。。。🌕Romance was there！ It was a large part of the plot and helped steer the story and character decisions🌕Making the friends you meet your family🌕Magic and the way the writer described it🌕School setting！ I love a good school setting with magic and fantasy🌕The suffragette movement was a semi-big part of the story🌕Character that was Native American during the suffragette movement made her viewpoints interesting and awesome🌑I wish it was longer， but I also hope there are more books to continue the story🌑the ending seemed to just pop out of nowhere。。 sort of。。 🌑more world-building🌑they were sort of trusted into the story。。。 and sometimes it was hard to feel for the charactersYeah！ So。 I give it 5 stars because I was really excited while I was reading it。 It was just enough to be great and I hope that there are more books in the series！！ She really left you on a cliff hanger :O 。。。more
Hannah Rowan
，
Well I certainly wasn’t expecting that turn of events。
Christy Tate
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definitely one of the best young adult books to come out this year（so far）。
Patricia
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I wanted to like this but was ultimately disappointed。 It took me 2 weeks to read what should have been 2 days， because it was just dragging on and on， thread the needle moan moan moan， my brother is dead， whine whine whine。 Then the ending happened too fast with too much blood （total red wedding）。 I think the worst part is that you could subtract the magic from this book and not much of the plot would change… if there is a sequel， I wouldn’t read it。
Mighty
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Up front honesty - I received this book as part of a Goodsreads giveaway so I feel obligated to give an honest review。 It was an easy read that I completed in a single day。This book is set in the early 1900's during the early suffragette movement。 Although the book only uses it as a time setting backdrop， in a way it's themes do have an early feminist movement to it。 It follows a young Francis as she discovers that she has magic and is taken to a 'sanatorium' that is really a school for witches。 Up front honesty - I received this book as part of a Goodsreads giveaway so I feel obligated to give an honest review。 It was an easy read that I completed in a single day。This book is set in the early 1900's during the early suffragette movement。 Although the book only uses it as a time setting backdrop， in a way it's themes do have an early feminist movement to it。 It follows a young Francis as she discovers that she has magic and is taken to a 'sanatorium' that is really a school for witches。 The leader of he school wants all the girls to learn to use their magic for household chores such as sewing， cleaning， cooking， etc。。。 and believes their power is to be controlled similar to how a woman's emotions ought to be subdued and controlled。 This causes much of the social conflict in this story。 Further Francis finds herself without family and is desperate for emotional attachment following the death of her brother， and these emotional attachments also cause much conflict in the story。Analysis of the books: The characters are very realistic， the setting is plausible， and the story is sufficiently complicated to be enjoyable but not too complicated to be confusing。 The ending is a bit rushed but satisfying。 The book stands alone and does not leave you needing a sequel， but easily could support one。 Overall I enjoyed the book。 。。。more
Maria
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What a great debut。 This is such a fantastical read about magic， witches and wizards。 It felt like watching this big， complex movie （ a bit like Harry Potter）。 There are so many spells learnt and such fierce and strong female leads who are not perfect in any way but who grow and learn from their mistakes。 This 1911 setting is full of suffragist movements， tea gowns and an intricate war for power and control of the city。 There are so many plot twists at the very end。 I have to say this book felt What a great debut。 This is such a fantastical read about magic， witches and wizards。 It felt like watching this big， complex movie （ a bit like Harry Potter）。 There are so many spells learnt and such fierce and strong female leads who are not perfect in any way but who grow and learn from their mistakes。 This 1911 setting is full of suffragist movements， tea gowns and an intricate war for power and control of the city。 There are so many plot twists at the very end。 I have to say this book felt a little too long for my taste but this only allowed more character development from Frances and the resolve of her inner battles。 I also loved the representation of queer， LGBT+ characters and different races from the main trio。 This is a story about friendship love that I feel is not celebrated enough。 There is a lot of adventure and romance but that is not the main focus。 I devoured this book， full of hidden secrets and magic battles。 It is such a sad and fun read at the same time， dealing with grieve and so many struggles。 The main characters are powerful and I can’t recommend this enough。 。。。more
Maranda
，
The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton is a young adult science fiction & fantasy novel by a debut author。 Seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell lives in New York in 1911 and makes a living as a seamstress in a small shop。 For the past few months， she has been living in a fog。 Lost to herself after her brother was murdered and her mother was committed， Frances has been living without really feeling anything。 That is， until one day when the shops owner attacks her and a pair of scissors flies through the The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton is a young adult science fiction & fantasy novel by a debut author。 Seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell lives in New York in 1911 and makes a living as a seamstress in a small shop。 For the past few months， she has been living in a fog。 Lost to herself after her brother was murdered and her mother was committed， Frances has been living without really feeling anything。 That is， until one day when the shops owner attacks her and a pair of scissors flies through the air， stabbing him in the neck。 Now Frances can feel a power within herself that she's never felt before and before she knows it， she is swept up by two women all in black and taken to an "asylum" to "convalesce" from tuberculous。 But in reality， she is taken to a school where young witches can learn to control their power。 But something isn't right at the school and as her power grows， Frances becomes the target of a notorious group of magicians。 Despite wanting to learn more about her power， what Frances wants more than anything is to find her brother's killer。 But the path to the truth may be too costly to pay。 I seem to be on a little bit of a witch kick lately and I wasn't sure if I was going to get into the book because of how saturated my mind is with "witches" lately。 Happily， I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book。 I think a big reason for this was because you just knew someone was going to betray Francis and I really just wanted to know who it was going to be。 There's been a lot of historical based fiction where witches， suffragettes and women's rights and empowerment are the focus and the same can be said for this book。 Frances is a woman who just happens to be a witch and even so is to learn how to "behave。" And even though she isn't interested in that she does often relent to the male characters in the book。 But not to worry， she has her day and by the end we see a Frances who doesn't second guess herself but remains strong and sure。 The author does set the opportunity for a sequel but it isn't necessarily needed。 Though， there are a few plot holes that were never wrapped up that would fit quite nicely into a book 2--hopefully， there is one on the horizon。 This was a read that kept me interested and I'd be willing to read more from this author。 This book gets a low 4 stars from me。 That's all for now！-M- 。。。more
Amanda
，
Really enjoyed the twist at the end。 Hope that maybe we will see more of Frances。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Witch Haven
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Witch Haven&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Witch Haven&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0