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A review by emcroff
Willow Born by Shanna Miles
2.0
I was provided access to an ARC of Willow Born through NetGalley. The book is expected to be published in ebook format on June 1, 2017 by Rochelle and Reed publishing. It is marketed as a “stand alone Paranormal Fantasy.”
The description of Willow Born immediately grabbed my attention because I’m a sucker for Southern gothics and fantasy steeped in Southern culture. I’m also a sucker for witchy books that promise covens (usually a sign of a whole lot of powerful female characters). Unfortunately, the book didn’t live up to my excitement and left me feeling pretty “meh.”
Summary (some potential mild spoilers)
Willow Born opens with the main character, sixteen-year-old Collette Hognose (though, honestly, I think I was a solid third of the way through the book before I learned her last name) being plucked from a lake. We quickly learn that Collette is an empath who died fifty years previously and has somehow been resurrected (returned from “the Void”) for reasons that are never really explained and through magic that is similarly vague.
Though Collette is surprised to find herself returned, her guardian/imp/imaginary friend, Raphael, is expecting her and places her in the hands of an attorney (”Uncle Silas”) who, with the help of his niece, “Summer,” is tasked with helping Collette re-assimilate into society.
Through a school project investigating her own murder, Collette meets Miss Collins, who reveals that Collette is part of a long line of Willows, a coven of witches descended from slave women brought to the Carolinas. The book then focuses on Collette learning to use and accept her powers, falling in love with the boy who plucked her from the lake who has secrets of his own, and myriad Stereotpyical Teen scenes (shopping with friends, flirting with boys, etc.) However, as more and more girls in the area go missing, it’s clear there is evil afoot and Collette may be the only one able to stop it.
Thoughts on Willow Born
I really wanted to like this book, and I spent a lot of time wondering if the reason I didn’t enjoy reading it was that I’m probably older than the target audience. Ultimately, though, I decided that the book had good ideas but was poorly executed.
The actual experience of reading Willow Born was similar to when someone tries to explain a very elaborate dream they had once. While you can tell the person obviously though the dream was incredibly detailed, incredibly real, and so so cool, you’re inevitably left confused because the details just don’t come through. It’s obvious that Shanna Miles could envision these characters, places, and plot points, but her vision never really stands out through the page, and it leaves the reader somewhat lost and confused.
By the end 300+ pages, I felt like I really cared about only one of the characters (Miss Collins), and honestly, I’m not even sure I understood even the basics of who each character was supposed to be. Each character seems to be more of a stand in for a role/trope (e.g.the Reluctant Protagonist, the Best Friend, the Love Interest, the Pretty Mean Girl, the Responsible Adult), and beyond that one-note casting, no character develops into something more nuanced or three-dimensional.
The plot is similarly hazy and undeveloped. Transitions between places and times were unclear, and I frequently found myself flipping between pages to figure out when and how we got to a new place or time. The flow of the story is strangely interrupted by scenes that seem totally out of place--a random surprise karaoke session, a visit to a haunted house, etc. And by the time we reached the end of the book, there were vastly more questions left open than answered. This might be fine for the start of a series, but for a “stand alone” book, it’s highly unsatisfying.
The strongest point of Willow Born is its mythos/magic. Magic in this world is firmly rooted in judeo christian history. Willow witches mark themselves with crosses, their spell books include the Bible, and angels have been sighted and recorded by local news. However, even on this point, Willow Born sends mixed messages. The universe is clearly one in which angels, and the Christian God are real and powerful, but so are water nymphs and trolls. While there is clearly great power at work, Collette is explicitly told time and time again that there is no magic, only science. While the world-building is Willow Born’s strongest point, it is still lacking the necessary development to feel fully believable and realized.
The “romance” piece (because, remember, this is marketed as a paranormal romance) feels shoe-horned into a world that doesn’t need it. There’s little chemistry between the two characters, and the “development” of the relationship mostly involves an overprotective high school boy assigning Collette bodyguards (because reasons?) to walk her between class and ignoring her when she tells him to leave her alone.
I can’t touch on some of the other unbelievable parts of the book without giving spoilers. Unfortunately, while Willow Born had some ambitious potential, it falls flat, and I can’t recommend it.
The description of Willow Born immediately grabbed my attention because I’m a sucker for Southern gothics and fantasy steeped in Southern culture. I’m also a sucker for witchy books that promise covens (usually a sign of a whole lot of powerful female characters). Unfortunately, the book didn’t live up to my excitement and left me feeling pretty “meh.”
Summary (some potential mild spoilers)
Willow Born opens with the main character, sixteen-year-old Collette Hognose (though, honestly, I think I was a solid third of the way through the book before I learned her last name) being plucked from a lake. We quickly learn that Collette is an empath who died fifty years previously and has somehow been resurrected (returned from “the Void”) for reasons that are never really explained and through magic that is similarly vague.
Though Collette is surprised to find herself returned, her guardian/imp/imaginary friend, Raphael, is expecting her and places her in the hands of an attorney (”Uncle Silas”) who, with the help of his niece, “Summer,” is tasked with helping Collette re-assimilate into society.
Through a school project investigating her own murder, Collette meets Miss Collins, who reveals that Collette is part of a long line of Willows, a coven of witches descended from slave women brought to the Carolinas. The book then focuses on Collette learning to use and accept her powers, falling in love with the boy who plucked her from the lake who has secrets of his own, and myriad Stereotpyical Teen scenes (shopping with friends, flirting with boys, etc.) However, as more and more girls in the area go missing, it’s clear there is evil afoot and Collette may be the only one able to stop it.
Thoughts on Willow Born
I really wanted to like this book, and I spent a lot of time wondering if the reason I didn’t enjoy reading it was that I’m probably older than the target audience. Ultimately, though, I decided that the book had good ideas but was poorly executed.
The actual experience of reading Willow Born was similar to when someone tries to explain a very elaborate dream they had once. While you can tell the person obviously though the dream was incredibly detailed, incredibly real, and so so cool, you’re inevitably left confused because the details just don’t come through. It’s obvious that Shanna Miles could envision these characters, places, and plot points, but her vision never really stands out through the page, and it leaves the reader somewhat lost and confused.
By the end 300+ pages, I felt like I really cared about only one of the characters (Miss Collins), and honestly, I’m not even sure I understood even the basics of who each character was supposed to be. Each character seems to be more of a stand in for a role/trope (e.g.the Reluctant Protagonist, the Best Friend, the Love Interest, the Pretty Mean Girl, the Responsible Adult), and beyond that one-note casting, no character develops into something more nuanced or three-dimensional.
The plot is similarly hazy and undeveloped. Transitions between places and times were unclear, and I frequently found myself flipping between pages to figure out when and how we got to a new place or time. The flow of the story is strangely interrupted by scenes that seem totally out of place--a random surprise karaoke session, a visit to a haunted house, etc. And by the time we reached the end of the book, there were vastly more questions left open than answered. This might be fine for the start of a series, but for a “stand alone” book, it’s highly unsatisfying.
The strongest point of Willow Born is its mythos/magic. Magic in this world is firmly rooted in judeo christian history. Willow witches mark themselves with crosses, their spell books include the Bible, and angels have been sighted and recorded by local news. However, even on this point, Willow Born sends mixed messages. The universe is clearly one in which angels, and the Christian God are real and powerful, but so are water nymphs and trolls. While there is clearly great power at work, Collette is explicitly told time and time again that there is no magic, only science. While the world-building is Willow Born’s strongest point, it is still lacking the necessary development to feel fully believable and realized.
The “romance” piece (because, remember, this is marketed as a paranormal romance) feels shoe-horned into a world that doesn’t need it. There’s little chemistry between the two characters, and the “development” of the relationship mostly involves an overprotective high school boy assigning Collette bodyguards (because reasons?) to walk her between class and ignoring her when she tells him to leave her alone.
I can’t touch on some of the other unbelievable parts of the book without giving spoilers. Unfortunately, while Willow Born had some ambitious potential, it falls flat, and I can’t recommend it.