Review: Haven by Mary Lindsey

Haven by Mary Lindsey

Series: No

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal

Release Date: November 7, 2017

Format: eARC

Source: Entangled Publishing

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere, He’s used to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.

Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.

Rain Ryland’s life has been spent living on the streets, in shelters and barely getting by with his mother. Her death brings a new start in a new town with an aunt he never knew existed. After surviving the tough city streets virtually on his own, life in the small town of New Wurzburg should be a breeze. But things aren’t what they seem in the insular little town and Rain quickly finds himself in the midst of life and death situations and secrets people would kill to keep hidden.

With the YA market saturated with fantasy novels, I was thrilled to find that the paranormal genre is still alive and kicking in Mary Lindsey’s Haven. Not only that, but Haven is turning the usual tropes on their heads and providing a story that is new and fresh and utterly unputdownable. You’ll find no brooding guys who act like caveman or damsels in distress waiting to be saved. What you do get is a main character who is searching for his purpose and a place to belong and a girl who is strong and capable but in need of support (whether she’s willing to admit it or not). 

Rain comes to New Wurzburg with a past that isn’t pretty. Living on the streets, an addict mother, and time spent in juvenile detention left Rain street-savvy and self-sufficient but also craving family, stability and a sense of belonging. While he has a taste of that with his aunt, it’s when he meets Freddie Burkhart at school that things seem to click into place. But his arrival have also set events in motion that he can’t possibly comprehend and he’s met with silence and evasiveness when he questions strange occurrences. The more Rain pushes for information the more immersed he becomes in the mysterious, and violent secret world churning just below the surface of everyday life. And eventually he’ll have to decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice for the life that’s within his reach.

I loved the world and the mythology that Mary Lindsey created in Haven. I was sucked right in from the very beginning and reveled in the sinister atmosphere. I was questioning every new occurrence and trying to develop theories of what could be going on. I was suspicious of practically every character and that only increased as the story progressed. I trusted no one! There was sketchy behavior, odd explanations, eyes always watching, veiled threats. The feeling of unease only grew and the intensity amped up until I was flipping pages at lightning speed, dying to know what would happen next. And I was never disappointed.

I realize I’m keeping things a bit vague, but believe me it’s better to go in to this one without knowing too much in advance. Lindsey kept the story moving at a breakneck pace with action and mystery, suspense and a little romance that all blended together perfectly. While I typically bemoan the fact that there are too few stand-alone novels being published, this is one book I would love see turned into a series. Haven is a mature YA paranormal that I highly recommend!

Note: I received an advance copy of this title from the publisher. This in no way changes my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

4/5 STARS

Do you enjoy paranormal?
Will you be reading Haven?