I absolutely loved The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater. I love her other books, and was very curious about this one going into it. It took me a little bit to get invested, but once I did I could not put it down. The setting and characters were so interesting to read about. I was so excited for this book, and it did not disappoint.

Fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s previous books (most of which were tagged Young Adult) will find much to love in her new book The Listeners. I hope that a wider range of readers will discover her lush writing, deep character development, and well-researched plot lines through this new book. I was rapt from the very beginning and highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historic novels, and also to anyone who enjoys novels with a little bit of supernatural woven in with their history. 10/10 no notes.

I'm not sure how it keeps happening, but the synopsis for every Stiefvater book I've read seems to utterly fail to properly convey what to expect from the book's contents. I don't know how long I put off reading The Raven Cycle simply because the synopsis sounded flat and derivative. I've decided to stop reading the blurbs for her new releases and simply trust that she will bring the magic I come seeking in her works. Her formula is difficult to express in short form, I suppose. Surprisingly, this book managed to exceed my expectations, though I hadn't set them very high to begin with.

This book reminds me a lot of her other book, "The Scorpio Races," though I don't want to directly compare the two. We have all the delicious ingredients that make up the standard Stiefvater fare: an esoteric magic system with a mind of its own; a quirky, independent heroine who feels refreshingly grounded, as fallible as she is powerful; a strange cast of characters who dutifully orbit said heroine; an old, mysterious building that influences and impacts the story as much as any of the human characters. And, as usual, her pacing of this spiraling, complex narrative is superb. Our time is spent deliberately building out the world, fleshing out the characters, pulling the little details into focus, such that the reader cannot help but be blessed with full immersion. Despite the setting and plot being firmly outside the scope of what I would consider my interests, I was nonetheless deeply invested in June and the Avallon.

I was not as deeply invested in the romance between June and Tucker, though I loved the way we explored June's complicated relationship with Ed and the other Gilfoyles. We get a lot of little flashbacks between June and the various Gilfoyles, and also a decent number of interactions between her and Ed, and I found myself more interested in the family than the brooding FBI agent. The romance certainly isn't the focus of the story, nor does it particularly detract from the greater conflict. I also would have enjoyed spending more time with Hannelore, but the way she is slotted into the story, she still managed to tug at my heart.

Overall, the story is quite enjoyable. I didn't find the central theme or message to be overly profound, but it was definitely the most engaged I've ever been reading a fictional book about WWII.

This is a very strange book for me to review, because I have been fortunate enough to get to know and study with the author over the course of her writing and me reading it (to be clear, I received a copy from NetGalley, I had simply Heard Some Whispers beforehand). As such, having learned a bit about how the sausage is made or how the sleight of hand is pulled off etc etc, I am not entirely the best unbiased judge of how effective the magic trick ultimately is. It's a bit like watching a close-up stage magician perform something extraordinary, but you know exactly how they're doing it, you know? As much as I read The Listeners for pleasure (and it is a very pleasurable experience; I enjoyed myself very much), I also read it for craft and almost-academic purposes. Which is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, an absolutely insane thing for me to be able to say about a Maggie Stiefvater book.

With all that aside: this book rocks. It is beautifully written, impeccably constructed, meticulously researched, and very sure of itself. The characters are strong and compelling, the setting vivid, and the stakes just strange enough to be true. I personally would have liked just a touch more of the magic--I understand why it is kept as subtle as it is on thematic, stylistic, and genre levels, but I, personally, in my folklore-loving soul, would have loved to see the balance tipped just a smidge more in its favor. This might be book of the year for the dachshunds alone (they are excellent), and maybe even the snails, and some of the delightful character names, but there are a handful of spoilery points and thematic elements that I think I need to sit with before I can make up my mind about that.

I really, really liked this book, but was not quite as out-and-out floored by it as I had hoped to be: but Stiefvater is a brilliant writer because she hides her seams so well, and I read a Stiefvater book knowing where she'd put many of them ahead of time, which is a very different experience. Most people won't have that experience, and they're in for a treat.

4 stars!

What a strange, interesting little journey this book took me on! I'm left a little lost but enchanted nonetheless.

June Hudson has Avallon running perfectly, beloved by guests and staff unlike, until the US government takes control of the hotel to house Axis diplomats upon the US's entrance into WWII. I love historical fantasy, books set in hotels, and books set in Appalachia so I was bound to enjoy this! Magic springs? Abandoned mining towns? Mysterious backstories? I ate it up. Even just the historical premise of housing Axis diplomats was super interesting and clearly well-researched, I would love to read more fiction about the same idea. June is a really admirable narrator and her relationship to the staff and the Gilfoyles was shown flawlessly. I think the only place where this loses me was in the political-intrigue aspects where I just had a lot of trouble getting a grip on what was happening and what it meant for the plot. It makes sense for the diplomats and US agents to be vague when speaking to one another but it would have been nice to get some clarification from Tucker or others. Pennybacker I think also could've gotten more time on-page considering how important he becomes later in the story–I assumed he was a side character up until that point.

I'm glad Maggie Stiefvater is doing something different and it happens to line up with my taste. I think a lot of people are going to love this!

Thank you to Maggie Stiefvater and Viking for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

Maggie Steifvater’s foray into adult publishing delivers her classic dose of just-out-of-reach-but-grounded magic, a cast of deeply motivated and real characters, and a setting that builds its walls around you and invites you in.

The Listeners, Maggie Stiefvater’s first adult novel, defies genre, unless that genre is Wonder, as Stiefvater herself described it when introducing her latest novel. Jane Hudson, the manager of a luxury hotel in West Virgina, must balance duty with her values as she and the rest of the staff host detained German, Japanese, and Italian diplomats at the onset of World War II. Overseeing everything are representatives from the FBI and State Department, including Tucker Minnick, the FBI agent with secrets of his own.

The Listeners is a little bit historical fiction, set at the time of America’s entrance into World War II. Stiefvater’s research is evident in the details, from menus and room orders to local and international historical context. These details are seamlessly blended in with the rest of the story in Stiefvater’s characteristic writing style in which emotional truths are equal in value to historical truths.

It’s a little bit romance, budding slowly in the quiet places of a bigger story until it takes up the space it deserves. As with many of Stievater’s novels, the romance is not the point but a part of the story that adds depth to the characters and a slow-burn tension that doesn’t let up.

It’s a little bit horror in many different senses. There’s the real horror of war and of the requirement to cater to and care for the people who represent the enemy in that war. There’s the supernatural horror of forces that could bring pleasure or tremendous pain, suspended in a balance that requires sacrifice to be maintained. This balance between horror and wonder, often the finest of lines, is a major theme in The Listeners. It has been years since I saw Pan’s Labyrinth, but I was struck sometimes as I was reading with memories of the feeling it brought. It, too, felt on the edge of horror and wonder that The Listeners walks.

But where Pan’s Labyrinth skews toward horror, The Listeners is all Wonder. There is a magic to the story that makes me want to Pay Attention: Pay Attention to the tiny ways we offer luxury in our daily lives and to the people who provide those luxuries to us. Pay Attention to what is being given in order to provide those luxuries and if they are worth the cost.

There is a magic to the story that lives outside of the story itself. I’ve thought about it often since finishing and I’m already planning trips and readings and hobbies that I will experience in the real world because the story filled me with Wonder.

There is magic to the way that Stiefvater’s books improve with multiple readings. Her writing is lyrical but understated in a way that makes significant and emotionally powerful events unfold behind the scenes. You catch pieces of them on the first reading but each subsequent reading adds another layer of depth. I can’t wait to read it again.

A gem that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish, with a sort of "twinkle in the eye" vibe. It's easy to fall a little in love with the dashing, witty, and morally-centered characters, beginning with June Hudson and including the Avallon Hotel itself. In the self-contained Avallon environment, Stiefvater creates a magical world where luxury persists; then manages to gracefully, cleverly, and impactful let the real (and often ugly) world intrude; and yet leaves the reader with a sense of optimism and goodness. All in all, this was a fantastic story to start the new year and a book I'd highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC!!

This book made me forget that I actually am not a very big historical fiction fan. I adored this book and enjoyed every aspect of the story. The ending, to me, was exactly what I was hoping for. I have to admit, though, that I cannot say if this book was historically accurate or not, so that did not affect my rating in any way. Overall, I loved this book and every character, side-plot, snail, and the tiniest hint of magic now has my heart. I will be thinking about June and The Avallon and Tucker and Sandy for a while, I can promise you that.

4/5 Stars <3

"The Listeners" by Maggie Stiefvater is a captivating and atmospheric novel that draws readers into a world steeped in folklore and magic.

Not especially transportive and fairly dry, as well. I wasn’t interested in the topic to begin with, but the thought of Stiefvater writing an adult novel sounded promising. I wasn’t drawn to the characters, and I found this hotel, filled with a cross-section of workers of all kinds who all conveniently got along together despite obvious problems associated with the time, felt white-washed. It seemed like something otherworldly was on the horizon, and I have limited tolerance for that unless it’s really compelling. So I dropped it.

I am a big fan of Maggie Stievater’s young adult novels, and thus was deeply excited to receive an advanced readers copy of The Listeners, her very first foray into the genre of adult speculative fiction. As usual, she did not disappoint. It is an extremely original novel that beautifully blends historical fiction was a touch of the magical. I loved the setting of The Avallon, a hotel which is as much a character as the humans who work and reside within it. I admit I found some elements of the plot to be a tad confusing, which keeps me from giving it a perfect score, but ultimately found reading it to be a fascinating and enjoyable experience.

Maggie Stiefvater has always been one of my favorites. She writes worlds that no one has ever thought of before. In this book we have June who runs the hotel and caters to your every need. Over the years she has learned so much about her customers. But when was breaks out and she is tasked with housing Nazis at her hotel she has to change her perspective and figure out where she still fits into this world.
I loved that it's a look at a woman keeping everything together when the world around her is falling apart. Stiefvater builds a world that draws you in and keeps you hooked until the end.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This was unlike any book I have ever read. Our protagonist, June, is the manager of a hotel that caters to your every need, but when war breaks out her hotel becomes a haven for captured Axis diplomats...Nazis. What I love about Stiefvater's writing is the way she slowly unveils more and more of the story while keeping you wholly entranced by the world she is building around it. Stiefvater has described this as her most vulnerable novel, the novel of her heart and when an author says that I KNOW I am in for a treat, and I was not let down. Filled with a wonder that makes even the most commonplace of settings ( a hotel--even if it is a luxury hotel) seem extraordinary in a way that I have only seen Stiefvater do, this is an adult debut you do not want to miss!

5 stars

I’m blown away! Stiefvater perfectly captures the emotional weight of a woman tasked with holding everything together in a world that is falling apart. The setting, both the physical hotel and the historical moment, is rich with atmosphere and sharply observed. It’s not just a story about a hotel; it’s about the people inside it, the choices they must make, and the secrets they keep. This is a book for readers who love character-driven stories, historical fiction with real stakes, and a romance that’s both unexpected and deeply poignant.

I enjoyed this book very much. I liked how the staff were trained throughout the years to treat each guest special and remember their likes and dislikes from year to year and how this very same staff then had to learn to deal with the enemies staying within this same luxury resort. The same enemies that have already killed some of their husbands, sons, fathers and knowing there were more deaths coming and yet treating the diplomats and their families like they were royalty.

I liked the back stories going on and was especially surprised by the ending. Shhhhhh, no spoiler!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Maggie Stievfvater. It was my first. book of hers, but won't be my last!

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group, Viking Penguin and the author for an ARC of this book. I am under no obligation to give a review of this book.