Maggie Stiefvater has been an established author for nearly two decades. She started to make name for herself with Shiver in 2009, the first book in the “Wolves of Mercy Falls” series. However, she is probably mostly known for her paranormal Young Adult series “The Raven Cycle”. In 2025, she strayed away from the young adult target audience by publishing her first ever historical fiction novel The Listeners, where World War II meets magical realism. This book is clearly aimed at an adult audience. How did this transition work out for this author?

About the book

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
Published by Viking on June 3, 2025
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780593655504
Genres: Adult, Historical fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

As the U.S. joins World War II, the manager of a luxury hotel set in the remote West Virginia mountains finds herself charged with the care of detained Nazi diplomats—and the FBI agent looking for a spy among them, by the #1 New York Times bestselling novelist Maggie Stiefvater.

JANUARY 1942. THE AVALLON HOTEL AND SPA offers elegance and sophistication in an increasingly ugly world. Run with precision by June Hudson, the hotel’s West Virginia born-and-bred general manager, the Avallon is where high society goes to see and be seen, and where the mountain sweetwater in the fountains and spas can wash away all your troubles. 

June was trained by the Gilfoyles, the hotel’s aristocratic owners, and she has guided the Avallon skillfully through the first pangs of war. Now, though, the Gilfoyle family heir has made a secret deal with the State Department to fill the hotel with captured Axis diplomats. June must convince her staff—many of whom have sons and husbands heading to the frontlines—to offer luxury to Nazis. With a smile. 

She also must reckon with Tucker Minnick, the FBI agent whose coal tattoo hints at their shared past in the mountains, and whose search for the diplomats’ secrets disrupts the peace June is fighting so hard to maintain. Hers is a balancing act with dangerous consequences; the sweetwater beneath the hotel can threaten as well as heal, and only June can manage the springs. As dark alliances and unexpected attractions crack the polished veneer of the Avallon, June must calculate the true cost of luxury. 

THE LISTENERS is a mesmerizing portrait of an irresistible heroine, an unlikely romance, and a hotel—and a world—in peril.

My review

Expectations

Many other young adult authors transitioned to adult fiction in the past. Sarah J. Maas, Veronica Roth, Leigh Bardugo, Cassandra Clare and Holly Black are the most well-known within the fantasy genre. As I often find such transitions a hit or miss, I wasn’t too sure what to expect of this new body of work by Maggie Stiefvater. I’m still unsure what my opinion about “The Raven Cycle” is, I find it mostly vague. However, a book about WWII always sparks my attention. So naturally, I had to figure out whether this book would be more suitable for me. I did so with little to no expectations though as I really, really didn’t know what to expect. I just hoped I was able to understand the story because Stiefvater’s signature writing style in earlier mentioned series is a bit tough for me. I therefore decided to listen to this book in Dutch, just in case.

Characters

This book has several important characters. However, June Hudson is arguably the main character. She is the general manager of the luxurious Avallon Hotel & Spa, a favourite destination for pampered vacations for the city’s high society. Over the years, June has worked her way up to this position, and the staff and guests are smitten with her. June realizes this without letting it go to her head. The assignment she receives from her superiors weighs heavily on her, as she can no longer care for her beloved guests. She and her colleagues are forced to serve Nazis, even though they don’t want to, especially since many of them have seen their loved ones depart for the front. The author has skillfully developed the inner turmoil this brings, alongside the daily grind of hotel life. The same cannot be said for the character development, which is lacking in some respects. They come across as rather superficial and lack depth. This applies not only to June, but also to the supporting characters, the most important of whom is FBI agent Tucker Minnick. Gradually, you learn more about him, but it fails to intrigue. A young girl, Hannelore, is also interesting. She’s well-developed. As a reader, you immediately understand what’s going on with her, but it doesn’t fit the spirit of the times for this to be clearly revealed. Because these characters lack depth, they don’t stick.

Plot

The plot also fails to impress. In the afterword, Stiefvater indicates that the research and writing process for this book took five years. This brings to light a great deal of new information about World War II. This is the most intriguing element of the story, because the fact that diplomats were housed in hotels as prisoners is barely known. The rest of the plot is rather weak and feels aimless. Magical realism is prominent in the story, as it ties in with the characters. Nevertheless, it adds little and might as well not have been there.

Writing

Compared to other books by this author, the writing style in this novel is easier to follow. Despite the clarity of the story’s location and the shifting perspectives, it fails to deliver a compelling narrative. While the main characters are given voices, this doesn’t disguise the weak plot. The language used ensures it never descends into vagueness and makes the book easy to read.

Final thoughts

Despite Maggie Stiefvater’s The Listeners failing to resonate, it’s not a bad historical fiction debut. Thorough research has revealed new information about World War II in America. This is, in fact, the most intriguing aspect of this novel. The rest of the plot lacks depth. This superficiality also applies to the character development. The magical realism interwoven with the historical facts is quite prominent. Yet, it might as well not have been there, as it adds nothing to the story. This book has potential, but it doesn’t compare to other works on this period of world history.