Omg this book! Where do I start?!?!? The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater is such a good story. This is so lovely... 5 stars from me. So so good.

Maggie Stiefvater’s The Listeners is a lyrical and haunting exploration of connection, creativity, and the unseen forces that shape our lives. Blending her signature poetic prose with a sense of eerie mystery, Stiefvater crafts a narrative that feels both deeply personal and profoundly otherworldly.

The story revolves around characters bound by secrets, whose lives intersect in unexpected ways as they are drawn into a web of supernatural intrigue. Themes of belonging, obsession, and the cost of truly listening—to oneself and to others—are beautifully woven into the narrative.

Atmospheric and thought-provoking, The Listeners is a mesmerizing tale that will resonate with fans of magical realism and introspective storytelling.

Maggie Stiefvater is a master of subtle horror and mysteries, brought to life through her love for detailed surroundings and light shifts in mood. With 'The Listeners' that skill decisively gets to prove itself to an adult market and doesn't fail to envelope one in its mysteries and intrigues throughout the story.

I took a class in college called "the weird, the eerie, and the uncanny" where we read shirley jackson and lovecraft watched hitchcock and lynch and unpacked questions precisely like the one maggie stiefvater said she posed herself when writing this book: "what do you call the genre that approaches fantastical elements with awe instead of terror?" where she landed on Wonder, we decided that genre was simply Fantasy, as a collective. i was so eager to read this book precisely because of the way she handles this genre of hers, Wonder (and Fantasy), in the raven cycle, easily my favorite series of all time. as I have grown since the first time I picked the series up in high school, so too has my interpretation of the elements of that series, and I see the matured version of the themes of class and yearning that first bubbled up in trc make their way into the listeners, with some added explorations of thematic questions like "what is luxury, really?" the writing, of course, brings an emotional magic far outside of the literal magic of the plot; even descriptions for the most mundane objects and actions become preternaturally awe-some in the true sense of the word. this, too, is a return to one of the aspects of the raven cycle that makes it so special to me, even all these years later. in the dream thieves, ronan is thrust ("shoved" or "pushed" I believe is the word used) into a dream, and one of the first, tone-setting descriptions we get is "the air grinned." in the listeners, the tension in the avallon has come to a head, and "the air shimmered" to match. this is a debut, an entrance into the world of adult storytelling — a transition that stiefvater has written about for her newsletter, in an article that gives a surprising amount of insight into the process — but in some ways, it feels more similar to the raven cycle than anything else of hers I've read. it feels like a homecoming, but also an evolution, a reinforcement of strengths and a trimming of weaknesses. this book isn't even out yet, but I already need whatever story she tells next.

Over a decade has passed since I was transported by Maggie Stiefvater's writing in Shiver. While a lot of the finer details of Shiver might be lost to me, Maggie Stiefvater was imprinted on my brain as an author that could really transport you through their writing. For this reason, The Listeners was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025.

From its first chapter, I was fascinated by the Avallon Hotel & Spa and my attention was demanded by each new character introduced. The plot is character-driven with countless deviations from the central story. However, each pivot provides meticulous detail to characters no matter how minor they may seem. The story slowly ticks along and is held together by references to a mystic force - sweetwater. I really loved this mythical element, and the complexity it gave to the character of June. My only wish was to have more insight into the mystery of the fourth bathhouse and June’s relationship with it.

I found myself simultaneously not wanting the story to end, and still so satisfied with its clever, though predictable ending. The tension built particularly well in Part 4. Finally, I loved that when I really started to doubt the realism and faithfulness to historical fiction, the Author’s Note really put me in my place. An incredible amount of research and accuracy has been poured into this novel. I can’t wait to tell everyone I know to read this book in June!

First, thank you to Headline and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first ever read by this author (Yes, I know, how? I plan to read The Raven Cycle this year do no worry) and in retrospect I think it was best since it’s very different from her previous work. Her first adult novel as well. An historical fiction set after Pearl Harbour happened, in the beginning of WWII and based on real events twisted with eerie Appalachian magic. Enough to be curious, right? I definitely was and it did not disappoint.

I’ve previously heard about the author's character work and prose. Now I understand all the praise. The writing transported me up the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia with such an ease as well as thought the rooms and backstage "staff only" restricted areas of the luxurious Avallon Hotel! The characters were so compelling, complex and well written too. From June, our enigmatic General Manager to Tucker, the very bureau-minded federal agent of this operation but also, Sandy, Pennybacker, the whole staff and of course, Hannelore.
Even if we mostly follow the story through June’s journey, as the caretaker of the sweetwater, I loved the three POVs, they were very complimentary.
The mysterious "magical" elements were so interesting too. Some people hear the water laugh, speak? Some say it heals. One person especially is afraid of it, while June seems to understand it. 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. It definitely raises more questions than answers, but it didn’t bother me personally. It’s an atmosphere I really enjoy.

The pacing was so good. I couldn’t put it down - especially towards the end! (I ended up reading until 2 am one night without really noticing). I highlighted so many quotes.. I’m just sad I can’t fit everything in here -nor share everything since some of them could spoil some parts.
I found it so interesting that the story follows this side of the war, through the diplomatic plot. It’s not something I’ve seen/read about before.

It’s definitely a story that follows you a long time after. I can feel it. Like the sweetwater itself flooding near.

I absolutley adore Maggie Stiefvaters writting style. The atmosphere in this book was immaculate. The story itself hit a bit too close home for what is going on right now around the world for my comfort, but I guess that makes it so very important.

Maggie never misses. By far one of my favorite reads in January, Stiefvater has written a beautiful story about the human condition. It’s stuck with me and I can’t wait for the official release.

Check in The Avallon for a poetic experience in which the beauty of luxury and the ugliness of World War II intertwin with each other. A charming cast of characters will lead you into a story of magic realism and romance and the unreality of war times far from the war.

I wonder if Stiefvater would have ever suspected how well timed this book release would be. History tends to rhyme, after all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for a review copy of this novel. I have long been a fan of Maggie Stiefvater’s storytelling in her YA novels, which I read as a librarian of children’s services. Her manner of creating worlds and a sense of place is vivid, but also she also adds a witty twist or otherworldly charm that makes her stand out from other writers. This novel, though not quite like her other novels that have stronger elements of paranormal or fantasy threads, still contains those wonderful aspects. This novel woos you, slowly enchants you, just like I imagine the Avallon hotel would if it were real. There’s a definite charm in the novel and the hotel with an undercurrent that’s unsettling, but despite that unsettling feeling, you have to know more. And as the hotel’s name suggests, the hotel has an otherworldly suggestion that hints at perfect happiness.

The Avallon Hotel, situated in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia is a place of luxury, especially in the onset of the second World War and June Hudson knows its value and as its manager is famed for maintaining its perfection in the wake of the recent death of its owner. June grew up in the surrounding mountains, dirt poor and definitely strange, but as someone who knows the sweetwater that flows from its mountain and made the hotel famous. But that sweetwater, the hotel and June find its match when the government appropriates the hotel to house Axis power diplomats, their staff and other well known figures of these countries who’d resided in the USA. Secrets, lies and betrayal are their currency and for June, who relies on her ability to keep the contentment and happiness of her staff and guests at a high level, she finds her heart mind and soul at risk amidst the turmoil. Her surprise support and quiet help through this is not the owner’s lothario son, whose long declared admiration and love for her is belied by his constant carousing in New York, but the taciturn FBI agent, himself a former resident of the locale. His own fear and rejection of his very roots have driven him to be a man of the agency, to reject anything personal, something the sweetwater itself challenges the moment he arrives.

The novel is powerful on many levels and its thread of what might be described as magical realism embodied in the sweetwater that permeates the book is so seamlessly part and central to the story that somehow the reader is committed to its truth and existence just as it pulls the truth from those who are near it. The novel is inspired by real events which contributes to its magic in a way, because the alchemy that such a gathering, with the tension of war surrounding these people, could only have created something out of the ordinary. In Maggie Stiefvater’s hands we get a novel filled with richly drawn characters, compelling in their depth and humanity, their flaws and struggles. We also get a tense filled plot with twists and turns that keep the pages turning, and we get wonderfully wrought sentences and some wit that lets you know that in Stiefvater’s hands you have a wonderful book. Highly recommended.