I really liked Havenfall when it came out, and it ended on such a cliffhanger that it left me anxious for the sequel. As far as completing the story, Phoenix Flame delivered. However, I was actually a bit disappointed by the story.

Let's talk about the things that I really liked first. I was excited to get to travel to one of the other worlds in this book. Fiordenkill is a world that is filled with ice and frost, and just so happens to be the home planet of Brekken, our main character's crush. Getting to see one of the worlds that was so heavily referred to in the first novel was fun. We also got to learn more about the magic system, which got a bit more flushed out in this book.

The love triangle was done in an interesting way in this book. Maddie, the main character, likes two people - Brekken and Taya. As Taya was absent for a fairly long portion of the book, the love triangle was a bit lopsided. This was an intriguing way to handle it though, and made it different than your typical YA love triangle scenario.

As far as things that didn't really do it for me, there are a few.  To try to spare you spoilers, I will be a bit vague. There is someone from Maddie's past that pops back up in the book, and it should make a big impact on the story and the reader. I didn't really feel that impact. I was not a big fan of this character, and  I didn't really feel like they really should have caused all of the trouble that they did. (Again, I know this is vague, but I don't want to give any big spoilers!!)
I was also just a little underwhelmed by the storyline in general in this book. It seems like a lot happens, but it feels like it doesn't at the same time. It was just a bit lackluster for me.

Overall, this was a decent fantasy. It definitely wraps up the storyline from the first book satisfactorily. I would recommend that anyone who read the first book and really wanted to know what happens next pick this one up.

I gave this book 3 Stars.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for giving me access.

If you loved Havenfall, this sequel is 10X better and will keep you on your toes the whole time! So much happens in this story, that it's amazing that Holland was able to fit so much into one book.

I am hoping for another book since there was an opening for one at the end.....but that's mostly because I don't want to leave the world of Havenfall.

Maddie has spent her summer defending the Inn at Havenfall, but she's not done yet. The Silver Prince has been defeated, but not permanently, and there's still a number of smugglers out there trading illegal magical items. Maddie is convinced these two issues are related, but everyone else would rather focus on one problem at a time. But when her snooping around reveals long-hidden family secrets and the truth behind old legends from the other Realms, Maddie is faced with making the hard choice between saving her family or saving everyone else.

Maddie's appeal to me has always been how very ordinary she is, especially for a girl who has grown up knowing that magic is real. That continues here, making it easy to relate to her as she faces hard choices about whether to listen to the wisdom of her uncle's experience or take the risks that feel right in her own heart. The conflicts, however, seem pretty obvious fairly early in the story, and the questions they bring up are never fully answered in a satisfying way. The pace is also quick that I was left wondering why these two books weren't just combined into one, especially since there is less of that rich worldbuilding which I liked in the first one. I like that the emphasis is on Maddie learning to be true to herself though (instead of her relationship status, which she often refreshingly forgets to worry about), and that the story is resolved in a way that suggests her growth and strength will continue and be appreciated.

3.5 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/phoenix-flame-by-sara-holland-review/

In many ways, Phoenix Flame manages to improve upon the mistakes made by its predecessor, shaping up both the interactions and the character development, while also maintaining the elements that I most enjoyed. Namely (somehow) the romance.

It was quite a summer for Maddie Morrow. After taking over temporary management of the Inn at Havenfall, she was able to disrupt the soul trade, humanize the Solarians, and prevent a coup. Now, with Marcus awake and back in charge, Maddie has been demoted back to #2—an move that she was equal parts crushed and relieved by. Yet with her uncle still recovering, her input is now more important than ever before. And she must do what’s best for Havenfall—no matter the cost.

And yet it’s a price she may not be willing to pay. After all, Maddie is in love with a Fiorden soldier. Mostly. There was a certain girl that made her heart skip a beat…—but she’s gone, locked away behind the Solarian gate. And Brekken is at Havenfall. Brekken, the boy that Maddie grew up and played with. Brekken, the boy that has become a man, one whom has expressed his interest in being with her. If the Inn falls between her and Brekken, what will Maddie do?

But more pressing concerns highlight the end of Maddie’s summer. The black-market trade of soul-bound silver has been disrupted, but is far from over. But now she has a lead on the illicit trade network, one that requires her to go undercover inside Fiordenkill, a winter wonderland that she’s always wanted to visit. But this visit will be rife with danger—despite the presence of a particularly distracting soldier—and Maddie must use all her cunning if she’s to end the trade, once and for all.

Too bad Maddie doesn’t have any cunning.

Seriously, it might’ve been a more interesting read if Maddie was a bit brighter, a bit more cunning, a bit darker, a bit more riské. But she’s not, and that’s that. But she’s still a teenager—young, immature, immortality-complex, dumb, all the realistic stuff. Phoenix Flame highlights a coming-of-age series, and part of growing up is learning to fail and overcome your mistakes. And Maddie makes a lot of mistakes. And that’s fine.

The story is a decent enough adventure; containing enough twists and turns to keep it interesting, yet it never blew me away or surprised me with its choices. As I’ve said before, Maddie’s maybe not the best narrator, but she’s what we’ve got, and tells the story well enough. I enjoyed the glimpses we got of Fiordenkill, but ultimately found them too few and lacking in any interesting detail. Literally all I can remember now is that the land was snowy and cold—the description and world-building really could’ve delivered more of a punch.

The magic system of Havenfall is… a letdown. To be honest, I forgot that magic was a thing for a great portion of the text, only for Maddie to use it once near the end and immediately drop the subject. I remember in the first book how she discovers her ability and uses it to overcome the Silver Prince. It was a surprise and a joy to her. Not so much in Phoenix Flame. No “she practiced to improve her skill” or “she still marveled in her use of magic”. Not even “oh, she had magic, too”. It’s just not mentioned. As for what and how it works… I dunno. That’s never explained, either. It’s just another missing piece in what could’ve turned out to be a great story.

The romance continues to be the main draw of the series, a phrase that continues to baffle me. Young love burns bright—and Maddie’s love life is achingly familiar, in an awkward teenage sort of way. It reminded me of my first love: the prickle of heat surrounding every stolen moment; the burning embarrassment of pretty much anything else; the indecision, the constant turmoil of emotions, the lack of anything approaching experience akin to being tossed in the ocean with a tiger strapped to your chest. Instead of the gawky, awkward, cringey, will-they won’t-they of normal YA romances, so far Sara Holland has managed to capture the nostalgia that comes with your first crush, your first love (at least, for me). There’s still plenty of awkwardness, but it’s all on a learning curve. And both Brekken and Taya create plenty of opportunities to learn, though each in different ways.

TL;DR

Phoenix Flame is the second book in the Havenfall series, and manages to build on the relative successes of Havenfall, while simultaneously correcting some of its mistakes. The story is solid but won’t blow you away with its inventiveness. The plot is interesting, with a few twists and turns and decent character development. The world-building and description continues to leave something to be desired, and the whole fantasy aspect of this fantasy book needs some serious work. As in Book #1, the main allure of Phoenix Flame lies in its romance. A bundle of emotions and no idea what to do with them made me nostalgic for my youth—but unlike the cringe-worthy, awkward, fumbling experience I’m used to seeing in YA lit, this provided something more thoughtful, more delicate, more unique. And I’m completely surprised that I continue to recommend this serious for its romance. While the story and description and characters still could use some improvement—young love continues to impress.

Phoenix Flame, the sequel to Sara Holland's coming-of-age fantasy Havenfall, picks up right after the first story ends. Maddie Morrow is still at the Inn at Havenfall, the crosswords between magical worlds, and working towards a new peace treaty between the realms - as well as trying to put an end to the horrific soul-silver trade.

It's a rich world - or rather worlds - to play in, and I enjoyed getting to see a little more of the realm of Fiordenkill as well as Havenfall. The stakes, too, are if anything higher than in the first book, with a handful of different threads coming together with consequences for Maddie's family, the souls trapped in black market silver, and entire worlds. But trying to pull together all these high-stakes threads in only 272 pages is ambitious, and Phoenix Flame doesn't quite succeed across the board. The result is emotionally moving but too fast, too messy, too brief; I want more development of every plotline, and more complexity with the solutions Maddie and her companions work out. Still, it's an exciting read - I just wish there had been more of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for the advance review copy!

No, you're in mourning over all that we could have had. I'm not. No sir. These tears are for a completely different reason. Not at all related to finishing this book.

I'm still not convinced I didn't just read a very clean first draft and not a book about to be published in a week. I will be the first to admit I am disappointed in this sequel. It's very smooth reading, and the recaps of what happened in the last book were well done, but it is completely unmemorable. When I read Havenfall last year, it was a pleasant surprise. A magical hotel with portals to different worlds was so intriguing, and the plot was unexpectedly twisty and engaging. It was nothing like I hoped for and yet everything I wanted. And now it seems that everything that worked in Havenfall has abandoned its sequel, leaving behind the shell of an absolutely weak fantasy.

If I receive a book that barely breaks 270 pages, I expect it to be tight. I want to finish coiled like a spring from the intensity of the plot. Instead I am left asking if that was really the best you could give me. This felt so disconnected from the first book that I firmly believe this story was not intended as a duology. There was a great struggle to build a meaningful story here. The book revolved around the terrible soul trade that was brought up in the first book, but all it did was highlight how weak this story was. Thinking back, and I'm shocked to realize this, but I don't think anything was actually resolved. The stakes felt so low because even though this was supremely boring, there was still no space to dig into anything exciting. Far too much time was given over to discussions on plans that never come to pass because they're overtaken by what I suppose were plot twists. Yes, we do get to see one of the portal worlds, but it felt rather pointless.

Further not helping the story, these characters were very bland. My initial problem with Maddie was that she is a black and white personality desperately in need of some spice, and sadly that is still the case. As the main character, there was never any real challenges for her to face. The others either carried her through or everything worked without a hitch. She is somehow capable of doing everything without actually knowing how, and it's disheartening. I'm sad to say that the rest of the cast all blended together too. No one person stood out as a favourite to me. There is some great LGBTQ rep, but nothing to write home about. For instance, Maddie is bisexual. The first book built up a whole potential love triangle (corner?) between her, Taya and Brekken. Except ... the surface was never scratched. There's one kiss between her and Brekken, and the end result of either potential relationship is just dull and lacking any resolution.

There was an extra bonus chapter at the end from a different character's perspective, but after skimming the last 75 pages, I did not bother. Does it open things up for more in this universe? Is there more resolution? Possibly, but an extra ten pages could not save this book from its shortcomings. I'm incredibly grateful to Raincoast Books for the ARC copy, especially since I really did want to see what came next, but this was truly a waste of a fresh premise.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for an e-arc of Phoenix Flame! All opinions are my own.

Phoenix Flame picks up right after the events of Havenfall. I won't tell too much about the plot because it will spoil Havenfall. Basically, in Phoenix Flame, Maddie has to make the hardest decisions of her life to continue working on what her mom and uncle started.

I really enjoyed Phoenix Flame! It was super fast-paced and revolved around the mission Maddie's mom and uncle started. Maddie was trying to bring down some illegal actions within the story. I did like how Sara Holland showed character growth among all of the characters. We also learned a lot more about each character as the story went on. Overall, solid book and I'd be happy if there was a third book (I'm not sure there is, but I'm hopeful!).

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for letting me read an e-ARC of Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland! I read Havenfall last year and I loved it, so I was really excited about reading the sequel/ending of the duology. Unfortunately, while I thought that Phoenix Flame was fine, I don't think it quite lived up to the high standards that Havenfall set (which, let's be real, happened with Sara Holland's other duology too- I loved Everless but I didn't like Evermore very much).

Phoenix Flame 3/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

Maddie thought her problems were over. She saved the Inn at Havenfall—a sanctuary between magical worlds—from the evil Silver Prince. Her uncle the Innkeeper is recovering from a mysterious spell that left him not quite human. And there are still a few weeks of summer left to spend with her more-than-friend Brekken.
But there’s more work to be done to protect the Inn—Maddie must put an end to the black-market trading of magical objects and open the Inn’s doors to the once feared land of shapeshifters.
As she tries to accomplish both seemingly impossible tasks, Maddie uncovers secrets that could change everything. What if saving everyone means destroying the only home she’s known?

Let's start by talking about the things I enjoyed about the book. The cover is gorgeous- I loved both the Havenfall and the Phoenix Flame covers and I think they both go really well together and are super striking apart as well. The colors on Phoenix Flame are incredible. In the actual book, I liked how the plot moved pretty fast, so it wasn't like you were ever waiting for things to happen. It was also a really quick and easy read, which is super nice sometimes. The whole idea of phoenix flame armor was really cool and I loved that Maddie was able to travel into other realms in this book. I still really enjoyed the world building and I think if there were more books set in this world, maybe from someone else's point of view, about ending the soul silver trade and how all of that happens, I would definitely read them.

Now for the things that I didn't like- I felt like there were so many plot threads that were introduced and then not fully explored in a way that felt like things made sense. Things sometimes just felt thrown together and tied with a bow. Maddie annoyed me so much and was so self centered throughout so much of the book- she was so angry with Brekken for not caring about her and her feelings, but did she once even think about him and his feelings? Did she once even ask herself about how he might be, not knowing how his mother was or if she faced any consequences for helping them? And then all the stuff with Taya and that half formed love triangle- if it's going to be a love triangle, put in some more tension from all parties. If not, don't put in hints where there don't need to be hints!

Overall, I'm glad I read Phoenix Flame, because I did love the world building and the general storyline, even if our main character got on my nerves pretty often. I'd definitely recommend reading it if you read and liked Havenfall because it was nice to finish the story and see what happens to the Silver Prince and everyone else- just don't go in with any expectations. Phoenix Flame comes out on March 2nd, so check it out then!

First of all, thank you to Bloomsbury and Net Galley for the eARC!

Havefall was one one of my favorite underrated 2020 release, so I was very excited to dive into Phoenix Flame!

Phoenix Flame picks up not too long after the events of Havenfall. Maddie is trying to put an end to the black market trading and comes to terms to what she found out earlier this summer.

While I enjoyed parts of the book, I feel like Havenfall should have been a standalone. I also am glad to hear I didn't imagine Maddie's confusion in book 1 and that she did development romantic feelings for a female character, but over all? Was this book necessary to tell the story? Probably not.

Rating it 3.5, rounding up to 4.

I keep seeing this referred to as a duology in the reviews. Seriously? Is this the last book? Because things are NOT wrapped up. I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars, but if this is a duology, then it's a firm 3 stars.

I still loved the world building and the idea of these different realms convening at Havenfall as a neutral zone. I like the addition of the armor as a way to travel between the realms and the unexpected layer of the mom & Cadius' relationship. However, that relationship is something that I consider to be left unfinished. There just seems to be more there.

The fast pace of this book is both a blessing and a curse. I loved how fast it moved, but I think the pace made us skip through parts that needed a bit more bulk and explanation. I felt like the first book really set up the plot well and the second book should have answered more questions. It touched on some of the questions I had, but I still feel that some were left unanswered.

Also, there's a bisexual love triangle in here that just feels unnecessary. This is coming from a girl that loves a good love triangle. I think it felt unnecessary because Maddie has apparently been in love with Brekken since forever and he knows her in and out. Then, Taya comes along and doesn't really have a spark with Maddie, but she's kind of rough around the edges and mysterious so Maddie is suddenly in love with her too. Meh. The idea of a bisexual love triangle is new, but I felt like Taya was being forced on me when there just wasn't much there.

I'm gonna choose to believe that another book will follow this one. This series is so creative and it needs some more expansion and explanation. Maybe I'll just keep my fingers crossed for a third installment.

It took me a little longer to get into this second book than the first, but once the traveling between worlds started I became invested again. Still I felt like things moved just a little too quickly. I didn't always have time to process what had just happened before I was smacked with new information. It felt like the subplots were all fighting to be the main plot so by the time we got to the big confrontation I was a little underwhelmed because it didn't feel like much uild up had happened. Plus I felt like the characters and their relationships weren't developed much further at all. There hasn't been a third book announced as far as I'm aware, but this felt more like filler than a conclusion.

Phoenix Flame, while having an excellent premise and awesome aesthetics, suffers from the same problems that Havenfall did. It's short and thus feels rushed. What could easily have been a 400-500 page book is under 300 pages. What could easily have included more world-building opportunities and scenes that would give more to the plot gives the bare minimum. I was about 2/3 of the way through and wondering how everything could be resolved in such a short amount of time. Well, it was... sort of.

Which brings me to the ending. It was disappointing and anti-climatic. Maddie spends most of this book hunting down information about the soul trade while also balancing her duties at the inn to keep peace between the realms, but there isn't any definite conclusion on what happens with either of those. The big confrontation at the end resolved so easily. Maddie also makes many rash decisions that are easily fixed and have no direct consequences.

I love the concept. I love the different realms and the cultures that form each one. I love the idea of hunting down a black market soul trade scheme and repairing the rips between the realms. I even love Maddie's relationship with Brekken. But the execution of this didn't work. I was left with more questions than answers.

Readers who enjoyed Havenfall will probably like Phoenix Flame, but I wouldn't expect this to be a series that will last.

This duology has two of the most stunning covers I’ve come across in the past couple years. Both of them deserve extra scrutiny because they convey images you may not initially notice.

The premise of Havenfall is intriguing – a neutral territory that hosts annual summits for citizens of different magical worlds. It reminds me a little of The Continental Hotel from the John Wick movies. I looked forward to being back in that setting and continuing the adventure with these very likeable characters. After finishing the first book I had mixed feelings, but had an idea where the sequel might go and wanted to continue with it. When it headed in the direction I’d hoped – exploration of one of the other magical worlds – I was excited. For about fifteen minutes. Because that’s about the length of time spent there.

Phoenix Flame is a relatively short novel, coming in under three hundred pages, and that’s probably why the story feels so rushed. Without revealing spoilers, I’ll say a few relatively important plot points are glossed over and barely touched on. Surprising developments are dealt with and dismissed in a few paragraphs or pages. I was left with lots of questions, but had to shrug my shoulders and move on. When I finished the book, I honestly thought there must be a third in the series because a major plot thread was left dangling in the wind. After checking on Goodreads, I learned that wasn’t the case.

This series held my interest and contains fascinating world-building and diverse characters I enjoyed spending time with, but left me with too many questions at the conclusion. If both books, or even the second book, had been longer or the series expanded to a third novel, I think it would have offered a more complete story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I think I wanted to like this more than I actually did. Phoenix Flame somewhat wraps up this portal fantasy duology, although it does not have a satisfying conclusion to the love triangle our bisexual heroine finds herself in and that was disappointing.

Things I loved about this? The rich descriptions of Havenfall and the parallel worlds, the ideas behind the world building. All really cool and evocative.

Things I didn't love? The "too dumb to live" heroine who somehow manages to escape all her exceedingly rash and stupid choices relatively unscathed. The aforementioned lack of satisfying romance. The many plot conveniences. And I have a fairly high tolerance for convenient things happening, but this required a lot of suspension of disbelief. And coupled with my other issues, it made it hard to really buy it.

The book is extremely fast paced, which is good and bad. It makes is quick and easy to read, but it also doesn't allow time to really develop things fully. Basically I LOVE the world and the set pieces, but I really didn't like the main character, the lack of romantic resolution, or the number of plot conveniences. Which is a shame because this had so much potential. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really loved the concept of Havenfall. A neutral place where inhabitants from other worlds can come and visit earth, and with each other. I didnt really connect with the characters, but the world was amazing and I knew I wanted more of that, and hoped that in the sequel I would be able to connect with the charaters more.

However I had the same feeling after finishing this book as the last one. I still didn't seem to be able to connect with any of the characters. So I a hard time caring what happened to anyone. I understand wanting to stop the soul trade and find your missing family members, but Maddie went off the rails alot. She made promises knowing full well that she was probably going to break them..

I did really like getting a glimpse of Brekkens home, and meeting his mom.. Also they had ice wolf puppies which were super cute.. I dont want to get into any spoilers, but Phoenix Flame does answer quite a few of the questions Maddie had about what happened to her brother Nate.

I do think that if you loved Havenfall there is a good chance you will enjoy this one, I think that this series just isn't for me.

After the events in the previous book and the stopping of a major evil, things seem to be getting back to normal at Havenfall, finally. This place has always been a place of so much comfort for Maddie. She is still trying to sort her feelings out when it comes to how she feels about Taya and Brekken. But, at least with Brekken, it seems that a MORE might actually be possible, like she has been wanting for so long.

But, there is still more work to be done at the Inn. And in the process of these tasks, she discovers something that flips her whole world upside down. Upon the discovery that someone very dear to her is alive instead of dead as she thought for so long, her plans have taken a tailspin, creating new problems and obstacles she must overcome in order to make everything right again.

Among all of this, Maddie is still trying to sort through her feelings for Brekken and Taya. And while I love both of these characters, I get the unfortunate Gale from The Hunger Games vibe from Brekken and fear that his position as a soldier will always be the most important thing to him.

Let me first start by saying that I loved Havenfall! The idea of a neutral meeting place for different realms was so intriguing to me and I had an absolute blast reading about it in book one. When Havenfall ended, I was left wanting more! I couldn’t wait for the sequel.

Fast forward to finishing Phoenix Flame and I am a bit underwhelmed. I didn’t connect with this book as much as I did with the first one. I felt like everything was rushed so it was hard for me to really get into the story. In all honesty, I think Havenfall should have just been a long standalone.

While I didn’t love this book, there were still parts that I enjoyed. I’m happy that we were able to see a glimpse of another realm. That was one thing I had hoped Sara Holland would add to the sequel so I was excited when it happened. I also really enjoyed the ending. For the most part everything was wrapped up and my questions were answered. There’s one thing that was left open which I’m kind of curious about. I don’t know if that was done just for interpretation or if the author plans to explore the character’s story more. I would definitely be interested in more books set in this world.

Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland is a half-baked, rushed fantasy that was just okay.

As sequel, it works fine, but don’t expect too much going in and you’ll all right.

I knew I wanted to read Phoenix Flame because I enjoyed Havenfall. And after rereading my review for Havenfall, I found myself nodding in agreement to many of the points I made before.

Holland didn’t learn from her mistakes in Book 1, and in fact the problems seem worsened in Phoenix Flame.

Phoenix Flame Review

As a story, and a plot, Phoenix Flame is good. Everything that happens is perfect and I have no complaints. Fans of the series will enjoy where Phoenix Flame takes them and the interesting twists that occur along the way.

The primary problem for is that the Havenfall series should have reasonably been a trilogy.

I don’t know what it is with publishers these days, but I’ve been seeing a rise in the duology. And they’re fine when done well, but readers want trilogies or longer.

Personally, I’m partial to the 4-5 book series. If I’m going to take the time to get to know characters and a world, I don’t want it to be over in just 2 books.

I’m sorry.

I hope publishers read this and wake up.

Phoenix Flame was rushed, and events that happen happen too quickly or too easily and they don’t give the reader or the characters time to process what’s happening.

I’m not saying that existing scenes should have been lengthened, but rather that we could have had a ton of additional scenes to build up to big reveals.

Phoenix Flame Summary

Phoenix Flame picks up with Havenfall left off, I think.

The peace summit from Havenfall is still going on, though I believe a few days have past.

There are still two weeks left of the summit and the entirety of Phoenix Flame takes place during that two week time period.

The Silver Prince has been defeated and sent back to his realm in Byrn. But the soul trade that Maddie uncovered in Havenfall (that is that Solarian souls were being locked away in silver and then traded) is still going.

Maddie’s goal, which is contradictory to what every other level-headed person in this story wants, is to ignore the wisdom of her elders and do her own thing to stop it, instead of waiting for help.

Maddie's Attitude

Along the way Maddie ruins a fair bit, and even when her uncle, Marcus, is on board, she still sees the need to keep him in the dark about her plans.

The thing is, Marcus doesn’t ever even get upset at her.

Destroy an entire building and kill a bunch of people? Oh it’s okay, someone else will take the blame. Deceive her uncle and destroy parts of Havenfall while fighting the big bad enemy? Not a big deal!

Marcus actually apologizes for Maddie needing to feel like she had to deceive him. And she doesn’t get in trouble at all for what she did.

But probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard was Maddie’s willingness to sacrifice the lives of everyone, not only on earth, but in all the realms.

For what? All to save her mom who has been in jail for the last 15 years, was on death row, and made her peace with dying.

When everyone else tells her sacrificing her mother is for the greater good, she stands up and says “No! I won’t let you do this” then she storms out, and no one chases her. No one stops her. Over the next 3 days while she’s plotting, and some people know she’s plotting, no one confronts here.

They just let it happen. Some of them help.

Plotholes

Maddie gets this golden gauntlet that helps her not be sick in other realms. And she wears it around at a ball, like no one will notice.

And the author acts like its this hidden item no one can see. A gauntlet is a metal glove that’s big and bulky. It’s kind of hard to miss.

Then later when a character is wearing the gauntlet under what I can only assume is a hoody, and the hoody is hit with a fireball, exposing the skin, this metal gauntlet, A) doesn’t save the individual from being hurt and B) isn’t noticed at all by the enemy.

It’s a cool concept, but I’m not sure the author thought this through that well.

What I might be annoyed about most is that the author ends the book early, hinting at what might happen during a conversation that I feel would have been very exciting to witness.

She only needed to write another 2-3 pages to include it in the story. That’s it. I’m rather frustrated with that.

Closing Thoughts

I would normally write about the things I like. And I don’t like writing negative reviews.

And for what it’s worth, I’m still giving this book a 3/5 stars.

But I struggled to come up with anything in here that I truly loved. It was a good book, plotholes and attitude aside. I read the whole thing in 3 days, which is really fast for me.

It was engaging and interesting. But the little niggles stuck with me and wouldn’t let go.

If you enjoyed Havenfall and want to see what happens, go for it. But if you were fine with how Book 1 ended and don’t care to read more, you won’t miss anything really.

Pheonix Flame is the second book in the Havenfall series by Sara Holland. It picks up a few weeks after the events of Havenfall. In many ways, this book felt full of filler and, in many ways, left me unsatisfied. While the storyline is full of action, the characters themselves fell flat. They lacked depth, and I found Maddie's relationships to be downright confusing. I would have loved to see more character development and would have enjoyed exploring the different lands a bit more.

I really loved the first book and really hoped to love the second, and thankfully I was right to read this second installment! The sad part is that it could it could have been gayer, but I am still happy with he way it ended!