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Official Minecraft Novels #10

Minecraft: The Haven Trials

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Journey into a lawless land and take its toughest trials in this official Minecraft novel!

All of Cecelia Alao's friends call her Cece. All one of them. But she and Therese are so close that one friend is all Cece needs. Both at school and in their shared Minecraft world, Cece and Therese are inseparable. Until the night before the first day of school, when Therese sends Cece a message, three words that change

We are moving.

Therese's new home in the USA is 7,000 miles away from Lagos, where the two best friends grew up. Not only is Cece facing secondary school without her best friend, but she's losing the world she built with Therese. But Cece still has hope. Maybe she can't cross the world to get to her friend, but in Minecraft she won't need to. Therese has invited her to a new server--with new friends from her new home--a place called Haven. All Cece has to do is join and they'll be reunited. It's that easy, right?

When she follows the invite, she realizes just how wrong she was. Lost in a chaotic world named Anarchia, Cece learns that the server's owner, a shadowy figure called the Ocury, has sealed off the peaceful land of Haven behind a twisted initiation ceremony called the Haven Trials.

Three titanic tasks. Five lives to complete them. A host of dangerous mobs and griefing players. If Cece fails, she'll be banned from the server forever. There's no way she can do this alone. If she wants to play with Therese again, she's going to have to find new people she can rely on--both in-game and IRL.

No time to lose. . . . The trials await!

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2021

87 people are currently reading
386 people want to read

About the author

Suyi Davies

5 books23 followers
Also known as Suyi Davies Okungbowa (for adult novels)

Suyi Davies is a Nigerian author of fantasy and science fiction. He has written a number of works for younger readers, most recently Stranger Things: Lucas on the Line and Minecraft: The Haven Trials. He was a contributor to the instant #1 New York Times Bestselling middle-grade anthology, Black Boy Joy. He lives in Ontario, where he is a professor of creative writing at the University of Ottawa. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @suyidavies, or learn more at suyidavies.com.

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5 stars
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54 (24%)
3 stars
37 (16%)
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
130 reviews
August 27, 2022
2.5 stars

PARENT DISCRETION ADVISE

If there are parents reading this, and you're thinking this might be a good book for your kid, consider the fact this book does have language. The book has the following words:

- Badass -- Used once
- Hell -- Used twice as slang
- Crap -- Used twice
- Pissed -- Used once

Before anyone gets on my back about this; I am of the belief, even though I'm not a parent, that children's books should be precisely that, and the usage of "adult" language like I mentioned above is completely and totally inappropriate. Yes, we are living in an age where most parents don't really care what their kids are saying and lots of kids do say stuff that would get me in big trouble if I had done the same. They are called bad words for a reason and having them in a novel whose target audience is kids in middle school is appalling. For that reason, this book loses a star for using "badass", and another star for the remaining cuss words. Additionally, these words are BANNED from being used in public Minecraft servers, so why are encouraging this behavior?

This one loses another (half)star because if we compare it to other Minecraft novels, this is far from the best. It had a nice sentiment at the end which saved it from losing additional star in my review, but overall, it wasn't horrible but not great.
Profile Image for Saykrid Smith.
187 reviews
January 8, 2022
Every time I read an Official Minecraft Novel, I want to write one even more than I did the last time I’ve read one. I love the stories that people create from one of the most creative ideas and creativity inspiring games to ever exist. The setting for this story being Nigeria, and seeing that the writer still gave some bits of the culture to the story made it that much better for my reading. I really liked this journey of growth and the turns it took while also showing that growth doesn’t mean the end of things.

This was definitely a “GoodRead” and I would recommend this book to all. Age does not matter. There’s something to be learned for all ages.
Profile Image for Bailey.
119 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2023
3.5 ⭐️

I was gonna give this 4 stars but the ending was a little unsatisfying

I can’t believe I actually really liked this book 😭 I would’ve finished it yesterday but I went out downtown and wasn’t able to read it until this morning at 8:30😵‍💫😵‍💫

No fr tho this book was actually really good. It was sitting at thalia on sale for €6 all summer and I finally bought it after all summer 😭

I’m gonna recommend this book this book to everyone it’s so childish but fun
4 reviews
August 9, 2022
Great book for children who love minecraft. It shows friendship and how it can grow over time. Overall a great book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ms. Yingling.
3,928 reviews607 followers
January 8, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Cece lives in the Gemstone Estate in Lagos, Nigeria with her mother and father, and is just about to start secondary school when she gets a text from her best friend Reesa that her family is moving! Cece rushes down the block to her house only to find that she is already gone. Her father is able to contact the family and find that they are on their way to live in Scottsdale, Arizona. Cece and Reesa were big fans of the videogame Minecraft, and had a subscription to a separate realm/server where they created Silver Oaks Park. This wasn't filled with as much adventure as the rest of the Minecraft world, but the two friends spent a lot of time there building their own universe. Cece is angry that her friend has left and destroys the sign to Silver Oaks Park, and then is worried that her action has ruined the game. Instead, she finds that the subscription has run out. However, Reesa has made new friends in the US who have invited her into a new game which ends at the Haven. In order for Cece to be able to talk to her friend (since the family's Nigerian phone number no longer works), she must pass three trials in the game to get to the Haven. At first, it seems impossible, and it's even harder since she is also trying to fit in to her new school. It's hard without her best friend, and she notices that most of the new students sit alone. There are some girls who are mean, but mostly Cece is just ignored. She does finally make a friend in Joachim, who talks to her about Reesa and the Minecraft game. Joachim lives with his grandmother and isn't as well off as Cece, so she tries not to make him feel bad when he doesn't have a game console. He eventually joins the game from his phone. Cece has a lot to learn in this particular game, but does manage to make steady progress through the levels, befriending a character named the WereDragon. Will she be able to complete the Haven Trials in order to contact Reesa again, and will their friendship manage to survive their separation?
Strengths: The best part of this book was how Cece's experiences in school and in the game were very parallel, and lessons she learned in one aspect of her life carried over into the other. It made for some interesting connections, and underscored the importance of friends for middle school aged readers. The information about Cece's school, neighborhood, and family were interesting to me, and the Minecraft adventures will be interesting to my readers. There was plenty of Minecraft detail; I know this because there were huge swaths of the book I didn't really understand. There was more world building and supply laying in than in other books I have read, and fewer villagers and mobs running about attacking people, which I enjoyed. Cece was a sympathetic character, and I think I will remember more of the plot of this book than of the others in the series. I'd love to see more books by this author.
Weaknesses: I felt that the character of Joachim could have been fleshed out a bit more. He ends up being a good friend to Cece both in real life and in the game, but still remains a bit one dimensional. I feel there were hidden depths to him that would have been interesting to explore.
What I really think: There are so many Nigerian authors who write adult novels, but relatively few in the middle grade arena: Okorafor's Ikenga and Nwaubani's somewhat more Young Adult Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree being the only two I can think of, although there are a few other African writers whose work has made it to the US, like Baitie's Crossing the Stream (Ghana) and Ochieng's Playing a Dangerous Game (Kenya). There have been several studentsin my school from Nigeria, and many others who have family connections there, so I would love to see more realistic fiction books set in African countries. I've read Baptiste's The Crash, Fry's The Voyage, Lee's The Shipwreck, Drayden's The Dragon, as well as Brook's The Island and Lafferty's The Lost Journals, and Valente's The End. I need to read Brooks' The Mountain when my Follett order arrives. None of these have written to my hard drive, so it's good that my students want to read these just because they are Minecraft related. I will remember a little more about this one thanks to the intriguing glimpse into school life in Lagos, but would have been happier if the whole book had been about Cece's experiences there rather than in the video game world.
Profile Image for Felix.
39 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2022
Spoiler alert!

Starts out rather promising, and it's a nice enough story about making new friends after your best friend moves away, but it is supposedly based in Nigeria while only making a token effort on mentioning class issues. The climactic battle with the Ender Dragon was also a bit of a letdown because it goes relatively smoothly compared to the fight against the Wither. I'd also have expected the server admins to know that the Wither is a tougher boss to fight than the Ender Dragon and thus switched around the last two trials.

Also, the ending was a bit too neat and a bit implausible. Anarchia moved from an unusual Hunger Games kind of PVP server to become a vanilla Creative Mode server, and it felt that the author was forcing the metaphor a bit in having Therese and Cece say their goodbyes when Cece said she wasn't staying in Haven, but yet Cece didn't think to invite Therese to the new Haven after it was remade.

So overall, a rather fun read, but I'm inclined to view this one as the weak point in the series (with my favorites being The End, The Voyage, and The Shipwreck (with my 12yo's favorites including those but with The Island and The Mountain near the top).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Samuel.
66 reviews
October 13, 2024
I think that Cece did a good job finding a ally that is called Weredragon-86 and they fought the evoker and defeated a wither but they meat Declan and his crew and fought against each other because they were enemies for a long time in Anarchia,the world that they all spawned when they all tried to get to Haven,the world of fun.And that was exactly what Cece was trying to do.Cece was trying to reach her old friend in minecraft,but she was in Haven. Ceces Minecraft friend Weredragon-86 is trying to collect XP by killing players so she could be the next ocury and can change the game Minecraft better.

ATOS Book Level: 5.1
Interest Level: Middle Grades (MG 4-8)
AR Points: 8.0
Word Count: 50775
Fiction/Nonfiction Fiction
Topic - Subtopic: Adventure-Survival; Fantasy/Imagination-Magic; Interpersonal Relationships-Friendship; Sports/Recreation-Video Games;
Series: Minecraft (Del Rey);
Profile Image for Nick Armstrong.
Author 5 books14 followers
February 18, 2022
Beyond the story (with both A and B tracks which are really good, some key highlights:
- pushing back on bullies but still being friends, bringing people back in after they've behaved badly
- difficulties in moving away, missing friends, friendships adapting to long-distance
- parents that aren't dead or absent, and actually sensible in terms of internet safety for kids(!)

It wasn't Mob Squad (or The Mountain and The Island) which set the standard for Minecraft books, but the characters are believable and fun... and both the kiddo and I wish Davies would follow up with a story from Jo's perspective.

Overall a great addition to a great series of books. You know it's good when the kiddo insists on keeping the book to read further when storytime is over :-D
2 reviews
April 6, 2022
Porter, Abigail <2829poab@sau53.org
to me
Cece's friend just moved and she is unable to play with her friend, what wo
Minecraft the Haven Trials by Suyi Davies is the best book ever.
One reason why this is the best book ever is because it describes really wel
challenges that they have to face.
Another reason this book is the best is that Cece gets to explore different
The last reason that this book is honestly fantastic is also that most of the
structures in the book are either the same or based off of some of them in
I really like this book because it reminds me of Minecraft the Island and the
I would strongly recommend this book. The book to me is for all ages and makes reading fun!
Profile Image for Martin.
54 reviews
November 5, 2025
A Minecraft book written by someone who's never played the game but watched YouTube videos about anarchy servers sounds like a recipe for disaster. Surprisingly, it's not a bad story at all.

I get it—coming up with fresh, engaging stories for Minecraft books is tough. But when you write about someone winning goals on an anarchy server to become the next server admin, it kind of loses me.

Still, I stuck with it because I wanted to see if the girl would find her best friend again. The story is definitely geared more towards girls than boys. It's not a bad book, just not one for the hardcore Minecraft fans.
Profile Image for Samm.
366 reviews2 followers
April 3, 2022
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Great themes about friendship and teamwork and learning to move on from sad events. Most importantly, my kids were enthralled (gasping and laughing out loud) and it entertained them completely for seven straight hours on a road trip! (they are six and nine)
Profile Image for Bree.
169 reviews2 followers
December 6, 2022
This book was cute. It captures the feeling of being a kid and not having control over your life (families moving, bullying, making or not being able to make new friends). It also touched on how some games can help you process things in your real life, and how universal the love of Minecraft can be.
Profile Image for Nick.
139 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2022
A nice mid-level book that surprisingly fell a bit in the litrpg genre. It was interesting to read a book with main characters from a different base culture than my own but also neat to see secondary school kids act really familiar. Loved the added bits of mods/wonder to the server.
Profile Image for Scion Sanjin.
36 reviews
May 1, 2022
Cece is in big trouble. Not only she has to got to go through Secondary School alone, but she lost contact with her best friend, Therese. The last message was a address to a server. This might be the only way to to contact Therese. So, Cece logs in a abandoned world ready to do the Haven Trials.
Profile Image for Master Q.
3 reviews
June 13, 2022
Very Well Written

I have read 5 of the previous books on this series and by far this is the best one. This book really teaches things, must read!
Profile Image for maya garcia.
63 reviews3 followers
August 1, 2022
It was pretty good! I did think it was a little short, but overall an enjoyable read.
134 reviews
January 30, 2024
This book was pretty good. I liked the characters and the story. I would recommend this book.
Profile Image for ☆♡Ellie♡☆.
37 reviews1 follower
December 25, 2025
Awesome... Beautifal... Adventurous... Is that what you're looking for? READ NOW!!!
Tell me, seen a better book? In your life? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!
READ IMMEDIATELY I DARE YOU ITS AWESOME!!!!
Profile Image for Hess.
315 reviews9 followers
March 19, 2025
I am not into Minecraft whatsoever, but 7yo loves it and picked this book up for bedtime. I was pleasantly surprised! Mr Davies is a fantastic author, and I really enjoyed learning about Nigerian culture while our erstwhile protagonist (Cece) romped through a digital hellscape. I thought the interplay between game + real life was done really well, as were her preteen struggles. I particularly liked the way Cece developed throughout the story, which touched on themes like change, acceptance, grief, courage, perseverance, and longing.

A genuinely good book, and one that was enjoyable both for me as an adult, and our son (who loved it). Recommended.
Profile Image for Kerrie.
167 reviews
April 30, 2022
Man, this is a really good read. It got me hooked! It kinda feels relatable to me in some parts, and I really enjoy the plot and the ending as well.
Profile Image for Buch Versum.
1,735 reviews12 followers
November 11, 2022
…SPANNUNGSGELADEN, FESSELND & MUTIGES ABENTEUER…

Minecraft gehört seit Beginn den Einzug in unserem zu Hause zu den Favoriten, so komplex und kreativ. Perfekt um die Fantasie anzukurbeln und einen in die Welt der viel Möglichkeiten zu entführen.


Insbesondere jetzt auch die Möglichkeit zur Lektüre rund um diese Welt zu greifen.

Ich konnte sofort voller Begeisterung zu dem Buch greifen, wurde in eine packende als auch fantasiereiche Geschichte gezogen.


Hierbei wird es auch noch durch eine tolle Freundschaft, mutige Taten als auch eine beeindruckende Herausforderung gesteigert. Die zwei Freundinnen sind wundervoll, beflügeln und beeindrucken mit ihrer Raffinesse sowie ihrer Stärke. Sie wachsen einem viel zu schnell ans Herz, sodass man nur so durch die Seiten fliegt und einem guten Ausgang entgegenfiebert.


Dieses Werk bereitet nicht nur Kindern, sondern auch älteren Generationen Lesevergnügen.

Eine definitive Herzensempfehlung für Jung und Alt. Nicht zu vergessen der pädagogische Anteil dabei, dass das Buch eine perfekte Motivation für junge Leser ist, ihre Liebe zum Spiel auch zwischen den Seiten zu finden.


Ich habe es in einem Rutsch verschlungen, bleibe begeistert und mit Vorfreude auf mehr aus der Welt von Minecraft zurück.


Vielen Dank für das Rezensionsexemplar an den Verlag.
Trotz der Bereitstellung hat dies in keiner Weise meine ehrliche Meinung zum Buch beeinträchtigt.


#Minecraft
#DieZuflucht
#SuyiDavies
#Rezension




Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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