The Witch Haven - by Sasha Peyton Smith

About the Book

Whisked away to Haxahaven Academy for Witches in 1911, seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell soon finds herself torn between aligning herself with Haxahaven's foes, the Sons of St. Druon, to solve her brother's murder or saving Manhattan and her fellow witches.

Book Synopsis

A New York Times Bestseller

The Last Magician meets The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy in this "spectacular, singular, and spellbinding" (Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue) 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?

Review Quotes

"The Witch Haven is a dazzling debut -- a wonderfully thrilling, sinister take on a secret school for witches. Sasha Peyton Smith deftly balances a nuanced exploration of loss with a page-turning magical romp through 1911 NYC. I grieved, raged, and swooned right alongside Frances."--Jessica Spotswood, author of Born Wicked

"A beautiful story filled with sisterhood, mystery, and interesting magic. This book will keep you turning the page with immersive prose and clever, memorable characters. I will be dreaming about this story for a long time."--Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep

"A positively spellbinding debut. Smith has crafted a delectably immersive mystery packed with magic, enchantment, and an absolute powerhouse cast of women."--Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars and Teeth

"As dark and lush as it is utterly enrapturing, The Witch Haven is sure to enchant."--Alexis Henderson author of, The Year of the Witching

"Smith opens a trick door between bruising history and glittering fantasy, to a place that will leave you drunk on secrets and dreaming of magic (and murder). The Witch Haven is spectacular, singular, and spellbinding."--Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue

"The Witch Haven is a mesmerizing atmospheric historical fantasy fraught with spellbinding magic, mystery and nail-biting twists and turns." -- B&N Reads

"The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith is a dazzling historical fantasy novel about a school for witches in 1911 New York City." -- PopSugar

"Devotees of Libba Bray's The Diviners will enjoy debut author Smith's affectionate group of witches breaking through straitlaced expectations in a historical New York." -- Publishers Weekly

"This intensely dramatic story presents Gaelic-influenced magic as a means to empowerment and shows the strength in sisterhood." -- Kirkus

"Mystery and adventure abound in Smith's spellbinding debut." -- Booklist

About the Author

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.