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?
- Title: The Witch Haven
- Author: Sasha Peyton Smith
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Publication Date: August 31, 2021
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
- Source: Print ARC provided through Turn the Page Tours
- Targeted Age Range: Young Adult
- Content Warnings: Grief, attempted sexual assault, blood, murder both on page and off, stabbing, vomiting, drowning, absentee parents, mutilation of corpses, the main character’s mother resides in an asylum for assumed mental health issues, mentions of asylums, alluded child abuse, discussions of Native American boarding schools, and underage drinking and smoking
- Rating: ★★★★★
Reading a highly anticipated read is always nerve-wracking, but the minute I picked up The Witch Haven, I already knew I’d love it. I was hooked from the first page (which you might’ve seen on my Instagram story) and had to finish it all in one sitting. The Witch Haven broke my reading slump, and reminded me why I love reading — it’s truly magical.
Set in 1911, The Witch Haven follows seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell. Ever since her brother passed away mysteriously, Frances has spent most of her time working as a seamstress, and trying to solve his murder. When her predatory boss attacks her, she inexplicably finds him dead with her sewing scissors in his neck. As the lead suspect in a murder investigation, Frances is sure that she’ll be condemned — until two nurses show up the next day, claim she has tuberculosis, and whisk her off to Haxahaven Sanitarium. Instead of a tuberculosis sanitarium, however, Frances finds herself at Haxahaven Academy, a school for witches. Within Haxahaven, Frances learns to use her magic in a way to assist with her daily tasks, such as sewing and doing the dishes. It isn’t before long that the luxury of Haxahaven, and the safe, mundane ways of practicing magic aren’t enough to quell Frances’ curiosity. When a mysterious boy starts appearing in her dreams, and promises to teach Frances (and her friends) another form of magic, she soon finds herself caught between two different societies. The more she learns about magic, and the secret societies that make up New York City, the more clues she finds about her brother’s murder, and the more tough choices she’s left to make.
As someone whose favorite American Girl doll is Samantha, and absolutely loves Newsies the musical, the fact that The Witch Haven is a historical fiction fantasy made it even more appealing to me. The historical background, worldbuilding, and the setting of The Witch Haven were some of my favorite things, and you could tell how much research, thought and care went into creating the world of The Witch Haven.
I was hooked from the second page, and spent most of The Witch Haven torn between wanting to finish it immediately, and not wanting to leave the world of Haxahaven. There’s so much to love about The Witch Haven — the worldbuilding, found family, dark academia, boarding schools, witches, historical influences, plot twists and betrayals, dynamic characters, among many other things. But at the end of the day, what stood out to me most of all was how grief can impact you in so many ways, how powerful friendship is, and the quiet power and strength that we carry within us.
Frances’ journey is particularly shaped by her grief, and her trauma. It’s a reminder that grief is something that doesn’t just go away, but something that we get used to, and something that is always in the back of our minds. Frances is snarky, she’s kind, she’s hurting, and she’s inquisitive. Her burning desire to find out more about her magic — not for her own powers, but because she suspects it’s linked to her brother’s death, was something that had me hooked. At seventeen, Frances has had to deal with so much pain and so much responsibility, and I just wanted to give her the biggest hug. I wanted closure for her so badly, and really just wanted to see her heal.
At Haxahaven, the girls are constantly told to be in control of their power, and are specifically taught in a way that doesn’t allow them to reach their full potential. It’s no wonder that Frances starts seeking out other ways to learn magic and hone her skills, even if they’re against the rules. But by having The Witch Haven set in 1911, while survivors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire discuss their trauma, Indigenous youth describing the many ways that colonizers harm Native Americans, and (white) suffragists fighting for their right to vote, The Witch Haven is centered around power as much as it is magic — who holds power and how does that affect them, what happens to people without power, and what people can do when they’re given their rights and power to reach their full potential.
The friendships in The Witch Haven were also incredibly heartwarming. Maxine and Lena were both such fascinating characters, and the Frances, Maxine & Lena trio was just sweet to read about. Despite their own motivations and ambitions, they had each other’s backs, and genuinely cared for each other. I loved the found family vibes from this trio, and wanted to know so much more about Maxine and Lena. As much as I love romance, the love between Frances, Maxine and Lena are even stronger, and powerful than any romance that’s in The Witch Haven.
The Witch Haven is filled with twists and turns that I truly never saw coming. While I had some initial gut feelings that things weren’t just quite what they seemed, I didn’t put pieces together until right before Frances did. The Witch Haven was also darker, and more mystery-thriller than I had expected, but I absolutely loved it.
Sasha Peyton Smith’s prose is haunting and lyrical, in a way that is bound to stick with you forever. I know that The Witch Haven is a book that I’ll be thinking about for years to come, and I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel.
Links for The Witch Haven: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Check out the rest of the tour here!
GIVEAWAY
Enter for your chance to win one of two (2) finished copies of THE WITCH HAVEN bySasha Peyton Smith! Open USA only.
Giveaway starts: Monday, August 30, 2021
Giveaway ends: Monday, September 6,2021
Click here to enter. Good luck, everyone!
Sasha Peyton Smith grew up in the mountains of Utah surrounded by siblings, books, and one very old cat. She attended the University of Utah and the George Washington University where she studied biology and public health. She is not a witch, though she does own a lot of crystals and always knows what phase the moon is in. She currently lives in Washington DC.
Photo Credit: Marina Williams
