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okaymalak's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
kylielovesbooks's review
4.0
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This barely got 4 stars, I liked the first one much better. I felt like this one was very slow paced and not a lot happened. I also wish the ending was different. I can see why it played out how it did, I just wish it had gone in another direction.
I liked the characters, Willa and her family are so loyal to each other and it's so heartwarming. We meet a new character, Adalaide and I loved how she fit into the story. Nathaniel (Willa's adopted father) was so determined to keep his land and keep the forest safe from the loggers and it really showed a different side of the humans to Willa and the Fearans.
While I did like the overall plot of the book, I felt like it took forever to get there. From the first book, we know that the main goal is to stop the loggers. It just felt like we went the very long way around to get there.
This is technically a standalone that can be read without reading Willa of the Wood, but I feel like while it would make sense, a lot of things would make a lot more sense if you had also read Willa of the Wood.
I did overall enjoy the book a lot, just not as much as the first one.
This barely got 4 stars, I liked the first one much better. I felt like this one was very slow paced and not a lot happened. I also wish the ending was different. I can see why it played out how it did, I just wish it had gone in another direction.
I liked the characters, Willa and her family are so loyal to each other and it's so heartwarming. We meet a new character, Adalaide and I loved how she fit into the story. Nathaniel (Willa's adopted father) was so determined to keep his land and keep the forest safe from the loggers and it really showed a different side of the humans to Willa and the Fearans.
While I did like the overall plot of the book, I felt like it took forever to get there. From the first book, we know that the main goal is to stop the loggers. It just felt like we went the very long way around to get there.
This is technically a standalone that can be read without reading Willa of the Wood, but I feel like while it would make sense, a lot of things would make a lot more sense if you had also read Willa of the Wood.
I did overall enjoy the book a lot, just not as much as the first one.
phyrre's review
3.0
You can find my full review on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Den, here.
Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Book Tours for copies in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I’m going to admit that I didn’t love Willa of the Wood, even though it seems like everyone else did. Beatty has a fantastic writing style, though, so despite that, I definitely wanted to check out the next book in the series. Willa of Dark Hollow felt stronger than the first book to me, and I enjoyed it a lot more.
Willa of Dark Hollow is a love letter to conservationism and a thoughtful look at how interconnected the world is, touching on big themes like family, impact, and self-sacrifice.
Even though it’s touted as a standalone, I wouldn’t recommend reading it as such. I feel like it would lose a lot of impact having not read Willa of the Wood first, and readers are likely to be somewhat confused jumping into this book without previous knowledge of the series. This book is also dark, surprisingly so. I’d recommend it only for upper middle grade readers who are more mature and can handle death and violence.
My Thoughts:
- Willa of Dark Hollow puts the dark in dark fantasy … which makes sense, because it’s even in the title! I normally like dark fantasy, but I’m not used to it in middle grade, so it caught me by surprise! Make no mistake that this book is dark. If you enjoy books that will raise goosebumps along your arms, you will love this one. Beatty does the creepy factor so well that it made me shudder a little at times, which was fabulous! Of course, given that, this book likely isn’t for less mature middle grade readers who may not be ready for the violence and death. The book isn’t needlessly dark, necessarily, though. It’s historical, so it’s set in a tumultuous time in the Appalachian Mountains (the Great Smokey Mountains). There’s an interesting underlying narrative about killing needlessly. In a world where Willa can commune with and understand the trees and their souls, this extends to the trees, too, as settlers are moving in and cutting them down. There are some interesting scenes, too, about whether killing is the answer to stopping killing and where/how the cycle ends (or if it ends).
- Beatty combines gorgeous writing with powerful, evocative themes that will leave readers with plenty to think about after they set the book down. There’s no doubt that Beatty is a fantastic writer! I mean, look at this quotes. *points to quote boxes* They are fabulous. I was struck over and over again by the power of his writing, and I enjoyed reading some passages multiple times just to soak them up. It isn’t just the gorgeous writing, though. Beatty tackles some really big themes. Conservation is obviously a big one. For Willa, who can hear the trees and feel their souls, cutting them down is nothing short of murder. She weeps for each individual tree, of course, but also the magic of the forest that dies with them. One really big theme is the idea of interconnectedness. If the trees die, the animals die, and a whole cycle of death occurs. Slowly, Willa realizes that humans are a part of the chain, too, whether she likes it or not. And the things they do today will decide what happens tomorrow. It’s such a wonderful message for young readers to grapple with!
- And the sibling/family bonds! *chef’s kiss* Willa has been adopted into a human family, but she still sometimes questions her place in it. Being a sister is hard, and she doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with her human sister. However, they both share a deep love for their father, and at no point is Willa treated like she doesn’t belong. It’s so heartwarming and lovely to see her have a place in this family, and that even as she may question it (as adopted children often do), her family doesn’t.
- The fantasy elements of this are woven wonderfully into the historical setting, creating a magical effect. While magic played a role in the first book, I felt like this one delved into it more. The reader gets to see more of what Willa is capable of, as well as being more immersed in the magic of the forest, even as it’s dying. Willa’s magic is as wondrous as it is dangerous, and we get to see both sides of that in this book. There’s a strong sense of the magic is what she makes it, basically, and she has the ability to choose which direction to go. There’s a really dark atmosphere in the book, but it’s offset by all these wonderous things, too. I thought the balance was struck nicely in this book. Yes, magic can do horrible things, but it can do amazing things. I enjoyed the dichotomy of it and the fact that Willa did get a choice in the matter. Like so many things, it’s more about how you wield it than the thing itself.
Sticking Points
- There were what felt like inconsistencies in the book, things I think middle grade readers will probably overlook but which jumped out at me. I noticed this a lot about the first book, and while I thought it was handled better in this book, it was still there. I’ll list a few examples which I don’t think will spoil anything:
- Willa repeatedly decries how she helps people/animals and doesn’t hurt them … except she’s done just that. Repeatedly.
- At one point, Willa says she forgives wolves for killing animals to eat because that’s in their nature, and she extends that idea to her father … but not to all humans?
- Characters in this are either good or bad … that’s it. There’s no nuance. I think this is what leads to the majority of the inconsistency about the characters, because it's almost like there's an attempt to introduce nuance but then it's quickly rolled back again.
- Faeran children are born as twins, and their names are palindromes, which is cute, buuuuut … there’s an emphasis on the fact that Faeran don’t speak English. They have their own language, so it makes no sense at all that their names would be palindromes in English, which apparently has very different sounds. And their language doesn’t have a written component. I highly doubt middle grade readers will notice or care about this, but darn it, as someone who loves languages, this bothered me!
Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Book Tours for copies in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I’m going to admit that I didn’t love Willa of the Wood, even though it seems like everyone else did. Beatty has a fantastic writing style, though, so despite that, I definitely wanted to check out the next book in the series. Willa of Dark Hollow felt stronger than the first book to me, and I enjoyed it a lot more.
Willa of Dark Hollow is a love letter to conservationism and a thoughtful look at how interconnected the world is, touching on big themes like family, impact, and self-sacrifice.
Even though it’s touted as a standalone, I wouldn’t recommend reading it as such. I feel like it would lose a lot of impact having not read Willa of the Wood first, and readers are likely to be somewhat confused jumping into this book without previous knowledge of the series. This book is also dark, surprisingly so. I’d recommend it only for upper middle grade readers who are more mature and can handle death and violence.
My Thoughts:
- Willa of Dark Hollow puts the dark in dark fantasy … which makes sense, because it’s even in the title! I normally like dark fantasy, but I’m not used to it in middle grade, so it caught me by surprise! Make no mistake that this book is dark. If you enjoy books that will raise goosebumps along your arms, you will love this one. Beatty does the creepy factor so well that it made me shudder a little at times, which was fabulous! Of course, given that, this book likely isn’t for less mature middle grade readers who may not be ready for the violence and death. The book isn’t needlessly dark, necessarily, though. It’s historical, so it’s set in a tumultuous time in the Appalachian Mountains (the Great Smokey Mountains). There’s an interesting underlying narrative about killing needlessly. In a world where Willa can commune with and understand the trees and their souls, this extends to the trees, too, as settlers are moving in and cutting them down. There are some interesting scenes, too, about whether killing is the answer to stopping killing and where/how the cycle ends (or if it ends).
Lying on the forest floor, a fallen tree would take months, sometimes years, to die, and even then it wouldn’t be truly dead. Lichen and mushrooms and tiny flowers would grow from its sides. The small beginnings of new trees would sprout from it. Beetles and millipedes and other tiny creatures would live beneath its aging bark. And foxes would make dens in the hollows of its bones. A tree in the forest didn’t die in the normal sense of the word—it changed shape into a thousand other lives.
- Beatty combines gorgeous writing with powerful, evocative themes that will leave readers with plenty to think about after they set the book down. There’s no doubt that Beatty is a fantastic writer! I mean, look at this quotes. *points to quote boxes* They are fabulous. I was struck over and over again by the power of his writing, and I enjoyed reading some passages multiple times just to soak them up. It isn’t just the gorgeous writing, though. Beatty tackles some really big themes. Conservation is obviously a big one. For Willa, who can hear the trees and feel their souls, cutting them down is nothing short of murder. She weeps for each individual tree, of course, but also the magic of the forest that dies with them. One really big theme is the idea of interconnectedness. If the trees die, the animals die, and a whole cycle of death occurs. Slowly, Willa realizes that humans are a part of the chain, too, whether she likes it or not. And the things they do today will decide what happens tomorrow. It’s such a wonderful message for young readers to grapple with!
- And the sibling/family bonds! *chef’s kiss* Willa has been adopted into a human family, but she still sometimes questions her place in it. Being a sister is hard, and she doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with her human sister. However, they both share a deep love for their father, and at no point is Willa treated like she doesn’t belong. It’s so heartwarming and lovely to see her have a place in this family, and that even as she may question it (as adopted children often do), her family doesn’t.
Willa began to wonder about the interconnections, not just between the people, animals, and trees living in these mountains at this moment, but between the past, present, and future. Maybe the only way out of all this was time, to somehow use time to her advantage. The decisions her grandmother had made long ago had caused things to happen this very moment she was living through now. And the decisions Willa was making would cause things to happen in the future. And so it was, for every Faeran and every human. Maybe she’d been thinking about the world too simply. It wasn’t just interconnected—it was a mesh of interconnections across time, as thick as the soil was deep.
- The fantasy elements of this are woven wonderfully into the historical setting, creating a magical effect. While magic played a role in the first book, I felt like this one delved into it more. The reader gets to see more of what Willa is capable of, as well as being more immersed in the magic of the forest, even as it’s dying. Willa’s magic is as wondrous as it is dangerous, and we get to see both sides of that in this book. There’s a strong sense of the magic is what she makes it, basically, and she has the ability to choose which direction to go. There’s a really dark atmosphere in the book, but it’s offset by all these wonderous things, too. I thought the balance was struck nicely in this book. Yes, magic can do horrible things, but it can do amazing things. I enjoyed the dichotomy of it and the fact that Willa did get a choice in the matter. Like so many things, it’s more about how you wield it than the thing itself.
A black phantasm of a fox darted past, grazing her calf with a searing slash of burning cold. A huge, plunging mountain buffalo as black as charcoal crashed through the undergrowth and smashed into a group of fleeing loggers. An immense elk with long black burning horns speared a man against a tree and engulfed him in black flames. They were the spirits of Dark Hollow, past and the present, every one of them as dead and deadly as the next.
Sticking Points
- There were what felt like inconsistencies in the book, things I think middle grade readers will probably overlook but which jumped out at me. I noticed this a lot about the first book, and while I thought it was handled better in this book, it was still there. I’ll list a few examples which I don’t think will spoil anything:
- Willa repeatedly decries how she helps people/animals and doesn’t hurt them … except she’s done just that. Repeatedly.
- At one point, Willa says she forgives wolves for killing animals to eat because that’s in their nature, and she extends that idea to her father … but not to all humans?
- Characters in this are either good or bad … that’s it. There’s no nuance. I think this is what leads to the majority of the inconsistency about the characters, because it's almost like there's an attempt to introduce nuance but then it's quickly rolled back again.
- Faeran children are born as twins, and their names are palindromes, which is cute, buuuuut … there’s an emphasis on the fact that Faeran don’t speak English. They have their own language, so it makes no sense at all that their names would be palindromes in English, which apparently has very different sounds. And their language doesn’t have a written component. I highly doubt middle grade readers will notice or care about this, but darn it, as someone who loves languages, this bothered me!
abigailrbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
jackievr's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
rebar351's review
4.0
I loved this duo-logy! I love Willa so much! I think I did enjoy book 1 just a tad bit more! But still so good! Chakra the bear is my favorites!
richardrbecker's review
3.0
When deciding which books we read together, Robert Beatty is one of my daughter's goto authors. We alternate between fantasy and classics or literary fiction. His Sarafina series is one of her favorites.
Willa of Dark Hollow was the first book by Beatty that fell short of expectations. It's a good book but somewhat passive in its plotting — with things happening to Willa more than Willa making things happen. And that's ironic because more than any other story, she considers the consequences of her choices, for better or worse. Except, she wasn't making choices as much as she was reacting to the situations thrust upon her — many without the usual foundation experienced in other books.
"The choices we make in our lives aren't just the paths we take, they are the shape we are turning ourselves into." — from Willa of Dark Hollow
The concept of choice isn't the only theme Beatty attempts to tackle. He is much more heavy-handed in his exploration of the environment. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mainly because the story is partly inspired by the history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And yet, it does become a bit more tiresome as one of several mechanisms Beatty uses to elongate what could have been a shorter, tighter story. (Another is rehashing the same feelings over and over without resolve.)
The book is somewhat saved by its premise. This is a story about the Great Smoky Mountains in 1901, when logging crews began cutting paths through some of America's most majestic forests. Through Willa's eyes and her relationship with nature, we see a point of view opposite of unchecked progress. The woods and its interconnected inhabitants — from the trees to Native Americans — are forced to fight or flee as everything is leveled.
In that regard, it is a sobering story. Yet, at the same time, it doesn't feel like Willa's story. It's just one she happens to be caught up in.
Willa of Dark Hollow was the first book by Beatty that fell short of expectations. It's a good book but somewhat passive in its plotting — with things happening to Willa more than Willa making things happen. And that's ironic because more than any other story, she considers the consequences of her choices, for better or worse. Except, she wasn't making choices as much as she was reacting to the situations thrust upon her — many without the usual foundation experienced in other books.
"The choices we make in our lives aren't just the paths we take, they are the shape we are turning ourselves into." — from Willa of Dark Hollow
The concept of choice isn't the only theme Beatty attempts to tackle. He is much more heavy-handed in his exploration of the environment. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mainly because the story is partly inspired by the history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And yet, it does become a bit more tiresome as one of several mechanisms Beatty uses to elongate what could have been a shorter, tighter story. (Another is rehashing the same feelings over and over without resolve.)
The book is somewhat saved by its premise. This is a story about the Great Smoky Mountains in 1901, when logging crews began cutting paths through some of America's most majestic forests. Through Willa's eyes and her relationship with nature, we see a point of view opposite of unchecked progress. The woods and its interconnected inhabitants — from the trees to Native Americans — are forced to fight or flee as everything is leveled.
In that regard, it is a sobering story. Yet, at the same time, it doesn't feel like Willa's story. It's just one she happens to be caught up in.
jmwilson's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookwormyami's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It was a beautiful, sad conclusion to this duology.