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Spellhaven
In the summer of 1914, Jane Fairchild, a young English musician, is kidnapped by magic and sent to Spellhaven, an island city ruled by magicians. Here, peace and prosperity are maintained with the assistance of Unseen Spirits bound to the service of the Lords Magician. The Spirits must be kept in good humour by the performance of all kinds of shows, dance, drama and music and Jane is one of many people kidnapped from the outside world and forced to contribute to these entertainments for a set period of service. Only Jane is having none of it. She will not perform for her kidnapper, Lucian Palafox, but agrees to undertake an apprenticeship with another magician impresario, provided she is taught magic in return. Jane's forays into magic lead her deeper within the mysteries of Spellhaven, her rivalry with Lucian escalates and the quarrels between them grow strong enough to shake the city to its foundations.
- GenresFantasy
276 pages, Paperback
Published August 17, 2017
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 17, 2025
A very solid book. Not having read a single book by Jane Austin I am assuming the main character is named by her. A central theme is a woman finding her place in a land of magicians. Well written in a withheld style, for a fantasy book anyway. The end result feels unique and that elevates it to a five star level.
July 21, 2017
I first read this as an MA novel (in a class where I made everyone write one before we even started the sessions). I loved it then, and having reread it this week, I love it still. I've waited a long time to see it in print so I can enthuse about it to you all.
Jane is a musician, a flautist, when she meets Lucian Palafox, who tricks her away to Spellhaven, an island in the mist where the spirits must be appeased with entertainment. Spellhaven is a Morrissian fantasy of music, dance, theatre and life, but it relies on the impressed labour of artists from the world who serve three years and then are sent back, whether they will or won't. It is faery. But Jane won't play the game, refuses contract with Lucian and spends her time in Spellhaven trying to understand how the city works.
The writing is delicate, it reminds me of Delia Sherman's The Porcelain Dove. It is slow, gentle and devastating.
Please go buy it.
Jane is a musician, a flautist, when she meets Lucian Palafox, who tricks her away to Spellhaven, an island in the mist where the spirits must be appeased with entertainment. Spellhaven is a Morrissian fantasy of music, dance, theatre and life, but it relies on the impressed labour of artists from the world who serve three years and then are sent back, whether they will or won't. It is faery. But Jane won't play the game, refuses contract with Lucian and spends her time in Spellhaven trying to understand how the city works.
The writing is delicate, it reminds me of Delia Sherman's The Porcelain Dove. It is slow, gentle and devastating.
Please go buy it.
September 21, 2017
(Note: This starts with a normal YA read style, characterization and plot, although Jane matures in the last chapters.)
This magical world lures in and adds exciting twists and tension with every turn.
After completing a musical performance, Jane is approached by a strange man who insists she play a solo performance for him. She declines and finds herself put under a spell, which makes her feet act on their own and lead her to a magical island, Spellhaven. There, the magicians perform shows to keep the demons entertained so that they can continue to live, using their own magical powers. But Spellhaven holds many mysteries, some which should never be uncovered. But Jane does and now, she has to deal with the consequences.
The first chapters opened with a wonderful scene of Jane and her love for music, and it immediately takes off with tension as she finds herself under a compelling spell. Although it was easy to feel for Jane's plight from the first moments, the beginning scenes felt a little rushed and jumbled as there was no time to first settle into Jane's circumstances or surroundings. But after this beginning stumble, the story opens up into a fantastical world and plot.
The writing is gentle yet gripping. The world and scenes unfold with carefully placed details, letting the surroundings gain depth and feel. It's a fantastic island to visit, making it hard to want to leave. Which is important not only for the world-building but for the plot.
There is a lot of light-hearted fun and dreams built into the tale, letting imagination take flight. This throws a great contrast to the darker shadows and secrets Jane faces. But it's much like her own character. She's determined, has a golden heart and is easily liked, but on the same hand, her personality as its own deeper sharp edges and flaws. Some of her decisions leave a sour taste, but she's still a heroine to forgive and cheer on. Even those around her dance on a grey border as their actions and decisions waver from good to evil and back again. It makes for more realistic personalities and keeps the reader guessing the whole way through.
Tension and mystery keep up a steady-pace and make it hard to set the book down. The plot held many surprising twists and kept a logical thread going even with fantastical turns. With a sudden switch in atmosphere, the last chapters take on a different tone and pace from the rest of the novel. The relationship between Jane and her hero rushes to pass time and loses the chemistry which made the rest of the book so interesting. It made the last chapters less grabbing and dulled even Jane's character a little. Although, the ending did pull it back together and close it off to form a satisfying read.
I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.
This magical world lures in and adds exciting twists and tension with every turn.
After completing a musical performance, Jane is approached by a strange man who insists she play a solo performance for him. She declines and finds herself put under a spell, which makes her feet act on their own and lead her to a magical island, Spellhaven. There, the magicians perform shows to keep the demons entertained so that they can continue to live, using their own magical powers. But Spellhaven holds many mysteries, some which should never be uncovered. But Jane does and now, she has to deal with the consequences.
The first chapters opened with a wonderful scene of Jane and her love for music, and it immediately takes off with tension as she finds herself under a compelling spell. Although it was easy to feel for Jane's plight from the first moments, the beginning scenes felt a little rushed and jumbled as there was no time to first settle into Jane's circumstances or surroundings. But after this beginning stumble, the story opens up into a fantastical world and plot.
The writing is gentle yet gripping. The world and scenes unfold with carefully placed details, letting the surroundings gain depth and feel. It's a fantastic island to visit, making it hard to want to leave. Which is important not only for the world-building but for the plot.
There is a lot of light-hearted fun and dreams built into the tale, letting imagination take flight. This throws a great contrast to the darker shadows and secrets Jane faces. But it's much like her own character. She's determined, has a golden heart and is easily liked, but on the same hand, her personality as its own deeper sharp edges and flaws. Some of her decisions leave a sour taste, but she's still a heroine to forgive and cheer on. Even those around her dance on a grey border as their actions and decisions waver from good to evil and back again. It makes for more realistic personalities and keeps the reader guessing the whole way through.
Tension and mystery keep up a steady-pace and make it hard to set the book down. The plot held many surprising twists and kept a logical thread going even with fantastical turns. With a sudden switch in atmosphere, the last chapters take on a different tone and pace from the rest of the novel. The relationship between Jane and her hero rushes to pass time and loses the chemistry which made the rest of the book so interesting. It made the last chapters less grabbing and dulled even Jane's character a little. Although, the ending did pull it back together and close it off to form a satisfying read.
I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.
August 18, 2017
The way magic is used in Spellhaven's plot makes the basis of the storyline unique. Lords Magician, as they are called, kidnap people with significant talent in varied forms of the arts. These singers, musicians and artisans of every kind are kidnapped by the use of magic and sent to the island of Spellhaven. Spellhaven is home only to the various clans of the Lords Magician, the artisans and the Unseen Spirits. Once at Spellhaven these artisans are used for the sole purpose of appeasing and entertaining the Unseen Spirits residing in Spellhaven to maintain their overall good disposition. All this seemed tailor made for some interesting reading but I was soon disappointed and was disappointed to the end.
The story revolves around main character, Jane, and starts from the time she is abducted. You hope to feel the highs and lows of her ordeal but they just weren't there. The rest of the characters, as with Jane, I didn't feel I got to know them well enough to have much of an investment in what was to come for them. Acts of magic were few and far between and the majority lacked any real substance. The interaction with the spirits for the most part wasn't really an interaction in the sense of being directly with or from a spirit, more of an exchange of general actions and reactions. As with the magic, actions of or for the spirits were few and far between, again the majority lacking real substance. Seemed like a missed opportunity for some dynamic scenarios. The greatest occurrence with the Unseen Spirits comes in 2/3 of the way into the book and things flattened even more from there on. The last 1/3 of the book relates very little to the first 2/3 almost to the point of being its own little story. I hate to say it but it felt like it was dragged out for the sake of lengthening the book. The meat of the information given that held any relation to the storyline could've been covered in one chapter.
I believe there was a good, unique basis here that with further development could've been a great read but, as is, unfortunately it's not a book I'd recommend.
The story revolves around main character, Jane, and starts from the time she is abducted. You hope to feel the highs and lows of her ordeal but they just weren't there. The rest of the characters, as with Jane, I didn't feel I got to know them well enough to have much of an investment in what was to come for them. Acts of magic were few and far between and the majority lacked any real substance. The interaction with the spirits for the most part wasn't really an interaction in the sense of being directly with or from a spirit, more of an exchange of general actions and reactions. As with the magic, actions of or for the spirits were few and far between, again the majority lacking real substance. Seemed like a missed opportunity for some dynamic scenarios. The greatest occurrence with the Unseen Spirits comes in 2/3 of the way into the book and things flattened even more from there on. The last 1/3 of the book relates very little to the first 2/3 almost to the point of being its own little story. I hate to say it but it felt like it was dragged out for the sake of lengthening the book. The meat of the information given that held any relation to the storyline could've been covered in one chapter.
I believe there was a good, unique basis here that with further development could've been a great read but, as is, unfortunately it's not a book I'd recommend.
August 18, 2021
'...that is how magic is done, by taming spirits?’
The mugs of ale rattled on the table between them and Violante’s head jerked as though at a tug on her hair. She said, calmly, ‘Tame is the wrong word. Learning to deal with the spirits, to humour and engage with them, that is what magic is.’ [loc. 598]
Summer 1914: Jane Fairchild, an accomplished flautist, receives an unwelcome approach from a strange young man -- and finds herself compelled to journey to Spellhaven, a magical island untethered from the world she knows. Spellhaven is sustained by the magic of bound spirits, the Unseen Audience who must be appeased with song, dance, art and theatre. Jane's role, like that of so many in the city, is to keep the Unseen Audience happy. But Jane is stubborn: she refuses a contract with Lucian Palafox, the man who brought her to Spellhaven, and instead makes a deal with Lucian's rival Bohemond. Jane agrees to serve the Audience, to be part of Bohemond's company, in exchange for being taught magic.
Naturally, this does not proceed as Jane had hoped. She comes to understand the bargains and bonds that maintain Spellhaven, and she encounters people -- beings -- who seem to exist outside those bargains. And when cataclysm strikes, she finds herself back in wartime England with a horde of refugees ...
I loved the worldbuilding here, the echoes of faerie isles such as Hy Brazil, the notion of art as payment for magic. There was a dreamy, unanchored sense of the passage of time, both in Spellhaven and after Jane's return to London. Sometimes an hour might pass between scenes, sometimes several months. However, I didn't really engage with Jane, whose angry detachment from Spellhaven life was entirely believable but also somewhat distancing. It wasn't always easy to relate to her emotions, or to understand her actions. And I was alienated by the way that she seemed to have no emotional ties in England: "Could she have written? Jane had never thought of it... She had not missed her family and she had not considered their feelings for a moment." [loc. 3551] When she does form an emotional bond, it seems to come from nowhere.
Despite these criticisms, and the occasional inelegant or unpolished sentence ('Jane put her fists in her mouth to stop herself screaming'), I enjoyed the novel very much, and was especially intrigued by the hints of Spellhaven's rich history, and the interactions with the 'real' world beyond the encircling mists. And I went straight on to Unerman's other novel set in the same world, Ghosts and Exiles.
Purchased 2019 after meeting (and being on a panel with) the author at Eastercon...
July 2, 2018
"Spellhaven" is an example of expert, well thought out world-building to the point where I hope to see sequels set there in future! The characters are at times admirable and engaging and at other times infuriating—aren’t we all. The story itself has been well summarized by a number of other reviews here, so let me just say that it’s very much like a period piece within a period piece…or perhaps, a period story with a high fantasy story wrapped inside it. Sandra Unerman has achieved a difficult thing by coming up with a new angle on magic in a way I have not yet seen in other novels. Though I think it is quite impossible to drum up anything even close to original anymore, "Spellhaven" allows the reader a chance to see its magic world through a very different lens.
Our heroine, Jane, is a young woman with a mind and will of her own, when spells are not forcing her to abandon her home. This is both an admirable quality and an irritating stubbornness that traps her and frees her, taking the reader on an emotionally complicated journey. Other characters only give fleeting glimpses of themselves to the reader, whereas others yet are nakedly on full arrogant display.
I will say that I most enjoyed the first two thirds of the story more than I enjoyed the last third, which changes setting and is almost like a separate tale of its own, or a very long post script. But I do appreciate the last third, too. I don’t always like the way things turn out in a novel, but I can respect it as it’s own, separate being over which I have little to no control. Like life.
Read "Spellhaven" if you enjoy magic, fantasy mixed with history, characters that don’t always (or often) cooperate and if you don’t mind a tale that ends with some ambiguity and strong but mixed emotions.
Our heroine, Jane, is a young woman with a mind and will of her own, when spells are not forcing her to abandon her home. This is both an admirable quality and an irritating stubbornness that traps her and frees her, taking the reader on an emotionally complicated journey. Other characters only give fleeting glimpses of themselves to the reader, whereas others yet are nakedly on full arrogant display.
I will say that I most enjoyed the first two thirds of the story more than I enjoyed the last third, which changes setting and is almost like a separate tale of its own, or a very long post script. But I do appreciate the last third, too. I don’t always like the way things turn out in a novel, but I can respect it as it’s own, separate being over which I have little to no control. Like life.
Read "Spellhaven" if you enjoy magic, fantasy mixed with history, characters that don’t always (or often) cooperate and if you don’t mind a tale that ends with some ambiguity and strong but mixed emotions.
August 24, 2017
This book offered a unique magical world. Magic was controlled by spirits and the inhabitents need to keep them happy through performances and the arts. The main character, Jane, was kidnapped and brought to Spellhaven so that she could perform for the spirits.
I really enjoyed how the story took no time to get started. I liked Jane's character early in the book. She was angry and had her own agenda. However, as the story progressed, I disliked her attitude more and more. The way the story is written, you do not get the opportunity to know more about the other people that she meets and becomes friends with. I found it hard to get into the book because I could not get to know the characters and I disliked Jane.
I wanted to know about Spellhaven, but Jane tends to explore Spellhaven on her own and rarely accepts help from others. This only presents one perspective and makes it hard to get a good understanding of Spellhaven and its people. Jane's constant independance causes a lot of problems for herself and Spellhaven and I would have thought she would have learned from previous mistakes, but she does not.
The last 1/3 of the book was really offputting for me. I felt that it didn't really fit in with the rest and I was sad that we had left Spellhaven already. I really wish we could have learned more of it and of its inhabitants instead.
This book is an ok read and has a different perspective on magic. However, I found it harder to stay interested the more I progressed.
I really enjoyed how the story took no time to get started. I liked Jane's character early in the book. She was angry and had her own agenda. However, as the story progressed, I disliked her attitude more and more. The way the story is written, you do not get the opportunity to know more about the other people that she meets and becomes friends with. I found it hard to get into the book because I could not get to know the characters and I disliked Jane.
I wanted to know about Spellhaven, but Jane tends to explore Spellhaven on her own and rarely accepts help from others. This only presents one perspective and makes it hard to get a good understanding of Spellhaven and its people. Jane's constant independance causes a lot of problems for herself and Spellhaven and I would have thought she would have learned from previous mistakes, but she does not.
The last 1/3 of the book was really offputting for me. I felt that it didn't really fit in with the rest and I was sad that we had left Spellhaven already. I really wish we could have learned more of it and of its inhabitants instead.
This book is an ok read and has a different perspective on magic. However, I found it harder to stay interested the more I progressed.
July 13, 2018
Several reviews have already summarized this book quite well, so I will just give you some of my impressions. In the first third of the book we meet Jane, a girl who definitely has a mind of her own. She is magically coerced to make a journey on foot and by boat to Spellhaven- her feet moving against her will towards her destination.
Jane is very angry and resentful at her abduction to Spellhaven, especially towards Lucien, her "abductor". This eventually develops into the inevitable love/hate relationship. Jane's interesting encounters with the "Unseen" residents of Spellhaven sprinkled through the second third of the book kept me interested when I thought things were beginning to drag.
In spite of her anger, Jane is saddened by a major tragedy that forces everyone to evacuate Spellhaven, especially since she and Lucien played a part in its demise. This third part of the book deals with Jane's return to London, changed forever by her experiences in Spellhaven.
In conclusion, although parts of the book dragged a bit for me, I enjoyed the author's writing style and her unique world of magic.
Jane is very angry and resentful at her abduction to Spellhaven, especially towards Lucien, her "abductor". This eventually develops into the inevitable love/hate relationship. Jane's interesting encounters with the "Unseen" residents of Spellhaven sprinkled through the second third of the book kept me interested when I thought things were beginning to drag.
In spite of her anger, Jane is saddened by a major tragedy that forces everyone to evacuate Spellhaven, especially since she and Lucien played a part in its demise. This third part of the book deals with Jane's return to London, changed forever by her experiences in Spellhaven.
In conclusion, although parts of the book dragged a bit for me, I enjoyed the author's writing style and her unique world of magic.
August 28, 2017
I give this book the two greatest compliments any book can get: I stayed up much later than I intended reading the book to the end, and I could not stop thinking about it after I had finished it. The world-building here is fantastic, the main character, Jane Shepherd, is a powerfully realized person, one who keeps making decisions I profoundly disagree with but whose journeys and struggles I followed avidly. I love the creepiness and dangerousness of the spirits/fey beings that the human characters interact with, and I fully believe what happens as a result.
Several content warnings should be made for this book: the main character undergoes some instances of assault -- being kissed against her will -- and there is one character who commits suicide in the book.
Several content warnings should be made for this book: the main character undergoes some instances of assault -- being kissed against her will -- and there is one character who commits suicide in the book.
December 19, 2017
An intriguing premise. Jane, a flautist, is spirited away to Spellhaven where the spirits of the city have to be entertained to keep them sweet. Talented musicians, actors, entertainers of all kinds are brought to the city, signing contracts for a limited period (the choice is to get thrown into Spellhaven’s jail for longer than the contract runs for). Jane signs up for longer than the minimum term on condition that she’s taught magic. She wants to force a duel on the magician who brought her to Spellhaven against her will. But time passes and things change – and then there’s a catastrophe. This is a book of two halves, a before and after book. Sadly I found the ending a little too bleak for my taste.
October 7, 2017
The setting was almost a character in itself, and it was really intriguing! However, I was very upset with the last third of the story. :( And it was NOT a happy ending, in any way! I can't recommend it, unless you love depressing endings.
August 25, 2017
I read this when Farah Mendlesohn linked to her review here. I thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the first two-thirds. I did feel the later stages were a little rushed, covering almost a decade in much less than the space given initially to two years. However, the writing is excellent, the world-building compelling and the characterisation superb. Utterly absorbing.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews