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Haphaven
Ever-superstitious Alex Mills will do anything to avoid a jinx. Picking up pennies, knocking on wood, collecting rabbit's feet . . . you name it. That is until she steps on a crack and it actually does break her mother's back. To save her mom, Alex must follow Hubbub Caskside, a trusty leprechaun, on a journey through the end of a rainbow to Haphaven, the world where all of Earth's superstitions draw their power. All she needs is a rabbit's foot to save her mom, but she soon discovers the lucky article won't be so easy to retrieve. Not only is the rabbit's foot guarded by Haphaven's most formidable creature, the Jinx, there's also a forest full of trees that knock back if you don't knock on wood, people named Penny who do not like to be picked up, and a particularly vindictive black cat who will not be crossed.
As Alex finds herself desperately searching for a way to save her mom, she learns of a mysterious connection between her family's fate and the rulers of Haphaven. With her mother's life on the line and her own fate at stake, Alex must find the strength within herself to unlock the mystery and take back control of the superstitions that have controlled her life, even if it means crossing the Black Cat once and for all.
As Alex finds herself desperately searching for a way to save her mom, she learns of a mysterious connection between her family's fate and the rulers of Haphaven. With her mother's life on the line and her own fate at stake, Alex must find the strength within herself to unlock the mystery and take back control of the superstitions that have controlled her life, even if it means crossing the Black Cat once and for all.
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2019
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208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
February 22, 2020
"Yes. Let's do it. Magical land. Evil monster. Mystical antidote. I'm in." -- Alexandria 'Alex' Mills, page 26
In theory, Haphaven sounded (plot description) and looked (that badass cover art!) like it should've been a 'sure-thing' as a sci-fi/fantasy book. The appealing protagonist is a very superstitious young teenager - Alex still refers to her age as twelve, even though she's thirteen - whose family history has been affected by some unusually severe bad luck. Still mourning the tragic death of one parent, and now with the other unexpectedly hospitalized in grave condition, she sets out on a journey into a mysterious land that is peppered with all sorts of luck-related aspects and tokens (four-leaf clovers, rainbows, black cats, etc.) in the jinx mix. While I liked the character of the baseball bat-wielding Alex - she boldly disregards her personal safety to move heaven and earth in her effort to save her ailing mom - she is deserving of a stronger, more coherent storyline than this initial adventure.
In theory, Haphaven sounded (plot description) and looked (that badass cover art!) like it should've been a 'sure-thing' as a sci-fi/fantasy book. The appealing protagonist is a very superstitious young teenager - Alex still refers to her age as twelve, even though she's thirteen - whose family history has been affected by some unusually severe bad luck. Still mourning the tragic death of one parent, and now with the other unexpectedly hospitalized in grave condition, she sets out on a journey into a mysterious land that is peppered with all sorts of luck-related aspects and tokens (four-leaf clovers, rainbows, black cats, etc.) in the jinx mix. While I liked the character of the baseball bat-wielding Alex - she boldly disregards her personal safety to move heaven and earth in her effort to save her ailing mom - she is deserving of a stronger, more coherent storyline than this initial adventure.
April 25, 2019
This started off a bit slow but I was absolutely loving it by the end. Alex is a preteen who follows all the superstitions. One day she finally listens to her mother, steps on a crack and breaks her mother's back. Then she gets transported to Haphaven, the land of the Leprechauns where she goes on a quest to heal her mother. It's got a definite Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz vibe to it in that we're in another world that definitely feels a little dangerous and off kilter. I like how the author played with some of those familiar fairy tale tropes. By the end I was completely all in and rooting all out for Alex.
Received a review copy from Lion Forge and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Lion Forge and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
January 20, 2019
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley
actual rating: 3.5
It took me awhile to warm up to this title, but by the end I really enjoyed it. The story takes a little bit to get going and the art style - while not necessarily 'bad' - took some getting used to as well. Overall though it ended up being a fun story about a superstitious girl from our world traveling to the world where all these superstitions come from and ultimately figuring out how to take control of her own life. There were some great side characters as well and it was definitely a fun and unique read.
actual rating: 3.5
It took me awhile to warm up to this title, but by the end I really enjoyed it. The story takes a little bit to get going and the art style - while not necessarily 'bad' - took some getting used to as well. Overall though it ended up being a fun story about a superstitious girl from our world traveling to the world where all these superstitions come from and ultimately figuring out how to take control of her own life. There were some great side characters as well and it was definitely a fun and unique read.
March 26, 2019
This is an okay graphic novel. I'm all for fantasy, but this one really requires the reader to suspend disbelief.
Alex Mills is extremely superstitious. She won't even celebrate her thirteenth birthday because she's worried about bad luck. After she steps on a crack and somehow gives her mother psychosomatic paralysis, she's thrust into the world of Haphaven, where all superstitions come from.
I think part of the problem I had with this one is that it looks like a young adult title. Alex is not drawn as a girl who's just turned thirteen. She looks far older. And so, as I was reading, I kept forgetting her age and then getting slammed out of the flow of the narrative by the juvenile plot elements: the talking cat and rabbit, the jinxed gun that shoots ice cream cones (among other things), Alex eating the equivalent of a Happy Meal (toy included!). The subject matter and age of the main character suggest that it's a middle grade title... but the illustrations just don't fit.
I also didn't particularly like Alex. She goes to a new world, and the first thing she does is kidnap a leprechaun. Then she snatches a rabbit. It's like she has no respect for this world at all. She thinks she knows everything, and yet, she's one of the most ignorant characters in the whole story.
The cat villain is just plain ridiculous. He might as well have been twirling his whiskers like a mustache. There's no nuance to the storyline about his takeover. Once another character contradicts his version of events, they're believed without question and the rest of the story goes from there. I would've liked to see a little more doubt. We've got two versions of events, and the one that Alex and her friends choose to believe is the one that fits with their biases. It could've been more interesting had the conflict not been so black-and-white.
I'm not having great luck with graphic novels this year. This one isn't terrible, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Younger audiences might get more out of it than I did... but only if they like the style of illustration. I think it might be hard for thirteen-year-old readers to relate to a supposed thirteen-year-old who looks like she's at least twenty.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lion Forge for providing a digital ARC.
Alex Mills is extremely superstitious. She won't even celebrate her thirteenth birthday because she's worried about bad luck. After she steps on a crack and somehow gives her mother psychosomatic paralysis, she's thrust into the world of Haphaven, where all superstitions come from.
I think part of the problem I had with this one is that it looks like a young adult title. Alex is not drawn as a girl who's just turned thirteen. She looks far older. And so, as I was reading, I kept forgetting her age and then getting slammed out of the flow of the narrative by the juvenile plot elements: the talking cat and rabbit, the jinxed gun that shoots ice cream cones (among other things), Alex eating the equivalent of a Happy Meal (toy included!). The subject matter and age of the main character suggest that it's a middle grade title... but the illustrations just don't fit.
I also didn't particularly like Alex. She goes to a new world, and the first thing she does is kidnap a leprechaun. Then she snatches a rabbit. It's like she has no respect for this world at all. She thinks she knows everything, and yet, she's one of the most ignorant characters in the whole story.
The cat villain is just plain ridiculous. He might as well have been twirling his whiskers like a mustache. There's no nuance to the storyline about his takeover. Once another character contradicts his version of events, they're believed without question and the rest of the story goes from there. I would've liked to see a little more doubt. We've got two versions of events, and the one that Alex and her friends choose to believe is the one that fits with their biases. It could've been more interesting had the conflict not been so black-and-white.
I'm not having great luck with graphic novels this year. This one isn't terrible, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Younger audiences might get more out of it than I did... but only if they like the style of illustration. I think it might be hard for thirteen-year-old readers to relate to a supposed thirteen-year-old who looks like she's at least twenty.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lion Forge for providing a digital ARC.
January 14, 2019
After so long, I have finally read something I can rate with 5 stars, without any remorse. This story is extraordinary and intelligent. As description says, Alex is superstitious girl, who doesn't want to celebrate her 13th birthday (of course, 13, bad number, nah), but her mother wants her to. So Alex in angrily mood just steps on a crack - aaand there goes mother's back. How to change that? Easy. With a little help of a kind leprechaun and few others. Storyline is interesting, mysterious, funny. In one moment close to end it is predictible, but the way it was all described and actions of the characters were totally bandages for that, so you won’t see that as a flaw. I liked those murderous trees and the imps in Slugwood forest, I liked that it was a little scary though childish. Art is nice and strange, I can’t wait to see other work by Louie Joyce. I enjoyed every little bit of this comics.
March 21, 2019
'Haphaven' by Norm Harper with art by Louie Joyce is a story about luck and superstition and what one young woman will do to fix things.
Alex Mills was raised on superstitions by her father. It's been handed down in the family from her great great grandfather and Alex lives by the rules. When her father's luck runs out and her mother has an accident that could only have been caused by breaking a rule, Alex gets help to turn things around. She ends up in a strange place called Haphaven and makes a group of strange friends along the way.
I really liked this story. The worldbuilding was interesting and the characters weren't bad. The art wasn't my favorite, but it works for the story. This would be a decent young adult graphic novel to recommend.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Alex Mills was raised on superstitions by her father. It's been handed down in the family from her great great grandfather and Alex lives by the rules. When her father's luck runs out and her mother has an accident that could only have been caused by breaking a rule, Alex gets help to turn things around. She ends up in a strange place called Haphaven and makes a group of strange friends along the way.
I really liked this story. The worldbuilding was interesting and the characters weren't bad. The art wasn't my favorite, but it works for the story. This would be a decent young adult graphic novel to recommend.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
August 11, 2019
I tend to put up my defenses going into fantasy books because so many writers feel they can just do whatever the hell they want, whether or not it makes sense. I was quite surprised and relieved when this fantasy about superstitions actually set up a consistent mythology, played fair within it, and even had fun with it. Delightful.
June 27, 2019
I went in blind to both the author and the work - sometimes it isn't a bad idea to judge a book by it's cover.
January 12, 2019
Superstitious Alex Mills goes to great lengths to avoid bad luck - never walking under ladders, picking up pennies, carrying good luck charms - but none of her caution can stop the loss of her dad in a freak accident, nor the spill her mom takes onto the ground. Alex is hardly surprised when she discovers a real live leprechaun having sprung the toy surprise in her breakfast cereal, and she's more than happy to go on a quest with him, to Haphaven, in an attempt to restore her family's luck -- but nothing there goes quite like she imagined.
A really wonderful graphic novel for young adults about the importance of taking matters into their own hands.
A really wonderful graphic novel for young adults about the importance of taking matters into their own hands.
March 3, 2019
Definitely a unique fantasy read, despite some familiar tropes. How it plays with the tropes (chosen one, family legacy, twists/reveals) makes it worth a read. (e-galley from NetGalley)
March 21, 2019
An amazing book about luck and superstition. Gorgeous art! The kids in my library are going to love this...
Beware there’s a harrowing Toy Story 3 esque scene towards the end of the book that had me on the seat of my pants
Beware there’s a harrowing Toy Story 3 esque scene towards the end of the book that had me on the seat of my pants
January 16, 2019
I didn't like this one. Didn't like the originality, it just seem force, kind of too much, not well balance and everything. The illustrations were fine, not minus or plus. The story and the characters were okay but not interesting and I never really felt attached to them. Not for me!
April 28, 2021
Just another average "I'm going to another universe to save my beloved" story. With average art, too.
March 25, 2019
Adored what I saw of this book. I didn't read it deep enough at ECCC, but looking forward to diving deeper this weekend. Beautiful art
March 20, 2019
Haphaven by Norm Harper, Louie Joyce, and Lion Forge is a free NetGalley e-book that I read in late January.
This book had scared me. My family has a history of believing in superstitions and the supernatural. I found this to be troubling, entertaining, well-illustrated and quite grown up. I could see owning a hardcover of this
This book had scared me. My family has a history of believing in superstitions and the supernatural. I found this to be troubling, entertaining, well-illustrated and quite grown up. I could see owning a hardcover of this
January 15, 2019
I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of the book.
I didn't exactly know what to expect when I first grabbed this book, but I am very glad that I did! It was so different from any graphic novel I have read before, and I'm so glad for it. For one part, the representation was awesome (our main character is a 13-year-old mixed race girl with a black mother and a white father). There was talk of jinxes and curses, and there was the eventual take over of the original beliefs of being stuck following the rules that should not work.
Alex runs into a new world hell-bent on saving her mother and doesn't stop to try and understand what is going on around her in this world she knew nothing about. When she finally takes the time to understand what is going on, she is able to understand what to do. I love that because no one is perfect and this story is all about making your own luck.
I highly recommend this graphic novel. The art is unique and so different because it doesn't want to be all pretty and shiny, it is rough, but I feel like it reflects life as it is. Five out of five from me.
I didn't exactly know what to expect when I first grabbed this book, but I am very glad that I did! It was so different from any graphic novel I have read before, and I'm so glad for it. For one part, the representation was awesome (our main character is a 13-year-old mixed race girl with a black mother and a white father). There was talk of jinxes and curses, and there was the eventual take over of the original beliefs of being stuck following the rules that should not work.
Alex runs into a new world hell-bent on saving her mother and doesn't stop to try and understand what is going on around her in this world she knew nothing about. When she finally takes the time to understand what is going on, she is able to understand what to do. I love that because no one is perfect and this story is all about making your own luck.
I highly recommend this graphic novel. The art is unique and so different because it doesn't want to be all pretty and shiny, it is rough, but I feel like it reflects life as it is. Five out of five from me.
September 15, 2023
4/5
This Review was first posted on It’s All Anthony. For more reviews, check out the blog here.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
You know all those superstitions? Horseshoes can be good luck, as well as a rabbit’s foot? Or if you step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back. All that is what this graphic novel is about. In a world where superstitions and luck rules, it can also effect Earth as well, especially to Alex and her family.
To have a world ruled by luck and superstitions is a really cool and original idea. I have never seen this before and I was immediately intrigued when I first saw this. I would have never even come up with this idea either. What I also liked in the story featured is how the two worlds are connection and the history that connects Alex to all of it as well.
Everything in Hapheaven really connects to the story and idea really well, which makes everything flow almost flawlessly. Mostly everything is just interesting and to see how everything works made this a good read.
This Review was first posted on It’s All Anthony. For more reviews, check out the blog here.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
You know all those superstitions? Horseshoes can be good luck, as well as a rabbit’s foot? Or if you step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back. All that is what this graphic novel is about. In a world where superstitions and luck rules, it can also effect Earth as well, especially to Alex and her family.
To have a world ruled by luck and superstitions is a really cool and original idea. I have never seen this before and I was immediately intrigued when I first saw this. I would have never even come up with this idea either. What I also liked in the story featured is how the two worlds are connection and the history that connects Alex to all of it as well.
Everything in Hapheaven really connects to the story and idea really well, which makes everything flow almost flawlessly. Mostly everything is just interesting and to see how everything works made this a good read.
January 20, 2019
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free comic*
"Step on a crack, break your mother's neck." Even though Alex grew up with a superstitious, late dad, she didn't think that her mother's neck would actually break when she stepped on a crack after a fight with her. Now her mother's in hospital and only Alex can save her.
With the help of a leprechaun, Alex has to travel to Haphaven, a sort of Otherworld, to save her mother and learn about her past and family. Will she be able to get the Rabbit's foot needed to save her mom? Can that be done without crossing a black cat?
I enjoyed reading this comic a lot. Alex is a cool protagonist, the story is well written, the comic beautifully drawn.
4,5 Stars.
"Step on a crack, break your mother's neck." Even though Alex grew up with a superstitious, late dad, she didn't think that her mother's neck would actually break when she stepped on a crack after a fight with her. Now her mother's in hospital and only Alex can save her.
With the help of a leprechaun, Alex has to travel to Haphaven, a sort of Otherworld, to save her mother and learn about her past and family. Will she be able to get the Rabbit's foot needed to save her mom? Can that be done without crossing a black cat?
I enjoyed reading this comic a lot. Alex is a cool protagonist, the story is well written, the comic beautifully drawn.
4,5 Stars.
February 3, 2019
Book Reaction: https://nildivision.blogspot.com/2019...
Rating: 3.5 Stars - that place between like and love
I received a copy of Haphaven from Diamond Book Distributors via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Rating: 3.5 Stars - that place between like and love
I received a copy of Haphaven from Diamond Book Distributors via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
January 24, 2019
Alex Mills is superstitious. To the maxcore. Despite knocking on wood and doing all kind of bizarre stuff and rituals, she causes her mother to hurt her back.
She journeys to Haphaven, the world where all of Earth's superstitions draw their power. On the search for the lucky rabbit's foot to save her mom, Alex learns that breaking with superstition might be the key to saving her mom, even if it means she could get jinxed along the way.
I loved an intelligent storyline and simple, but beautifully delivered, art. Haphaven contains an exciting adventure, conflict and solution, humour, redemption, and love.
My only issue was with some panels that felt too busy and unpleasant to read.
Great read anyway.
ARC through NetGalley
She journeys to Haphaven, the world where all of Earth's superstitions draw their power. On the search for the lucky rabbit's foot to save her mom, Alex learns that breaking with superstition might be the key to saving her mom, even if it means she could get jinxed along the way.
I loved an intelligent storyline and simple, but beautifully delivered, art. Haphaven contains an exciting adventure, conflict and solution, humour, redemption, and love.
My only issue was with some panels that felt too busy and unpleasant to read.
Great read anyway.
ARC through NetGalley
August 18, 2024
"Haphaven" is a graphic novel created by Norm Harper and Louie Joyce. It's about a superstitious girl who steps on a crack and breaks her mother's back. In order to "fix" her mom she has to travel through a rainbow to Haphaven to break the curse on her family by collecting a genuine rabbit's foot.
Pros: I'm superstitious, so this spoke to me. I enjoyed the Haphaven world and the different perspectives on superstition.
Cons: I would have liked a little more - just a teenie bit - with different kinds of luck and superstition. The artwork was so cool, but some panels were a little dark.
Overall - so creative! I'd recommend this to anyone. It's a quick little read.
4/5 stars!
Pros: I'm superstitious, so this spoke to me. I enjoyed the Haphaven world and the different perspectives on superstition.
Cons: I would have liked a little more - just a teenie bit - with different kinds of luck and superstition. The artwork was so cool, but some panels were a little dark.
Overall - so creative! I'd recommend this to anyone. It's a quick little read.
4/5 stars!
December 16, 2020
I never judge a book by its cover and the one time I did so my expectations haven't been met. The cover for Haphaven is pretty badass. A baseball bat wielding protagonist is an easy sell. The plot is good enough, but not fleshed out to the point where it's enjoyable beyond one looking at this whole adventure as a gimmick. The protagonist isn't likeable enough and the villain is a two dimensional character who needed more backstory and better motivations. I expected more from this.
August 6, 2020
Can we first talk about how much I LOVE that cover art? Like LOVE. The interior art did not excite me as much, but that cover is mwah. The story is fun. A bit of superstition, a bit of luck, a bit of fantasy for what ultimately ends up being a coming of age tale about taking control of your own destiny. It's good, with moments of great.
January 23, 2019
Quick and unique story with lots of entertaining mythology about luck and jinxes and folk superstitions!
March 28, 2019
Norm Harper tells a story about the importance of growing up and overcoming our fears. I really enjoyed this book which I got from NetGalley, in exchange for a fair review. Thank you, Lion Forge.
August 28, 2019
rated as young adult but I think it is actually for younger audiences. Interesting idea but rather simplistic and then to completely forget about the cat? Unrealistic.
September 14, 2022
I loved that! A story about superstitions, very cool concept.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2019
With Haphaven, Norm Harper and Louie Joyce have created an extraordinary work that asks us to consider our own superstitions. The main character, Alex Mills, is compelling and her journey is filled with hubris, pathos, and wonder. It was a sheer delight to read from start to finish.
April 25, 2020
| Reader Fox Blog |
I am not the sort of person who really believes that luck and superstition are real things that genuinely influence the world in ways that we cannot imagine. With that said, I absolutely loved graphic novel, Haphaven by Norm Harper and illustrated by Louie Joyce. Following the tale of a supposed lucky family whose luck has gone wrong, and a very superstitious young girl who took after her father, Haphaven details the journey of Alex Mills as she sets out to save her non-believing mother after having stepped on a crack she'd avoided her entire life when her mom attempts to instill upon Alex the ridiculousness of her superstitions. But finding a way to turn around the bad luck she incurred by stepping on the crack in the sidewalk and, resultingly, breaking her mother's back is not going to be easy in the slightest. When a leprechaun appears in her home shortly after the event to take her on an adventure to Haphaven, the world in which good and bad luck is determined, there is no hesitation for Alex. She knows she must go to save her mom.
I had an immense amount of fun reading this novel and I think one of the things that really made this book for me lay in the family story that Alex's father tells her at the very beginning of the novel, that of their ancestor whose luck ran out and who therefore set off to find Lady Luck and restore what he had lost. But things don't go according to plan. And luck changes for everyone.
Soon, Alex travels to the land of luck and superstitions, setting out to save her mother by getting the rabbits foot and fighting past a jinx to retrieve it. With the help of Penny--find a Penny, pick it up!--a lucky leprechaun, she soon learns that not everything in Haphaven is what it seems and knowing who to trust can be harder than anyone could imagine.
From the hero to the villain, I adored Haphaven. I don't want to get into too many details as it would certainly spoil the story, but suffice to say that there is so much to this graphic novel worth loving. Alex's journey is oodles of fun and while I don't believe in the specific superstitions that Alex does, I did find it to be a wonderfully told story with so many fun and amazing elements. Haphaven is at the end of the rainbow, everyone, and I would highly encourage journeying there.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I am not the sort of person who really believes that luck and superstition are real things that genuinely influence the world in ways that we cannot imagine. With that said, I absolutely loved graphic novel, Haphaven by Norm Harper and illustrated by Louie Joyce. Following the tale of a supposed lucky family whose luck has gone wrong, and a very superstitious young girl who took after her father, Haphaven details the journey of Alex Mills as she sets out to save her non-believing mother after having stepped on a crack she'd avoided her entire life when her mom attempts to instill upon Alex the ridiculousness of her superstitions. But finding a way to turn around the bad luck she incurred by stepping on the crack in the sidewalk and, resultingly, breaking her mother's back is not going to be easy in the slightest. When a leprechaun appears in her home shortly after the event to take her on an adventure to Haphaven, the world in which good and bad luck is determined, there is no hesitation for Alex. She knows she must go to save her mom.
I had an immense amount of fun reading this novel and I think one of the things that really made this book for me lay in the family story that Alex's father tells her at the very beginning of the novel, that of their ancestor whose luck ran out and who therefore set off to find Lady Luck and restore what he had lost. But things don't go according to plan. And luck changes for everyone.
Soon, Alex travels to the land of luck and superstitions, setting out to save her mother by getting the rabbits foot and fighting past a jinx to retrieve it. With the help of Penny--find a Penny, pick it up!--a lucky leprechaun, she soon learns that not everything in Haphaven is what it seems and knowing who to trust can be harder than anyone could imagine.
From the hero to the villain, I adored Haphaven. I don't want to get into too many details as it would certainly spoil the story, but suffice to say that there is so much to this graphic novel worth loving. Alex's journey is oodles of fun and while I don't believe in the specific superstitions that Alex does, I did find it to be a wonderfully told story with so many fun and amazing elements. Haphaven is at the end of the rainbow, everyone, and I would highly encourage journeying there.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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June 1, 2019
Haphaven is an example of taking an intriguing "what if?" and failing to flesh it out into a solidly told story. What if another world existed that's the source of all of our superstitions? Laws in this world, like not crossing a black cat's path or knocking on wood, have somehow leaked into our world as irrational beliefs. What would happen if those superstitions suddenly became real?
It's a fine concept, but the execution in Haphaven is weak. Alex Mills is a young girl who discovers that superstitions are real the hard way when stepping on a crack breaks her mother's back. She magically travels to the other world in an attempt to save her mother. There, she discovers a heaping pile of fast-paced twists that cause the story to lose any semblance of coherency. There's a good idea and a good story at the core of Haphaven (and the art is above average), but the pace is too breakneck for any of the surprising revelations to have real meaning. I was exhausted and confused by the end, more than ready to put the book down.
It's a fine concept, but the execution in Haphaven is weak. Alex Mills is a young girl who discovers that superstitions are real the hard way when stepping on a crack breaks her mother's back. She magically travels to the other world in an attempt to save her mother. There, she discovers a heaping pile of fast-paced twists that cause the story to lose any semblance of coherency. There's a good idea and a good story at the core of Haphaven (and the art is above average), but the pace is too breakneck for any of the surprising revelations to have real meaning. I was exhausted and confused by the end, more than ready to put the book down.
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