The O.W.L.: Blog Tour Book Review: Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty +GIVEAWAY

Today I'm excited to be part of the blog tour for Willa of the Wood!

I've seen this one a while ago, and knew it was something I needed to check out!

Thanks to RockStar Tours for hosting the tour. You can find out more about them HERE.

Title: WILLA OF THE WOOD

Author: Robert Beatty
Pub. Date: July 10, 2018
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 384
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Beatty comes a spooky, thrilling new series set in the magical world of Serafina.

 Move without a sound. Steal without a trace.

 Willa, a young nightspirit of the Great Smoky Mountains, is her clan's best thief. She creeps into the homes of day-folk in the cover of darkness and takes what they won't miss. It's dangerous work — the day-folk kill whatever they do not understand. But when Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in a day-folk man's home, everything she thought she knew about her people — and their greatest enemy — is forever changed.

About Robert:

Robert Beatty is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Serafina Series published by Disney-Hyperion, a spooky mystery-thriller about a brave and unusual girl who lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate.

Serafina and the Black Cloak was a #1 New York Times bestseller, has been on the list for more than 45 weeks, and won the prestigious 2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. The second book in the series, Serafina and the Twisted Staff, became a #1 New York Times bestseller in the first week of its launch and earned a “Starred Review” from Kirkus Reviews, which said, “Even better than its predecessor, a sequel that delivers nonstop thrills from beginning to end.” Enjoyed by both young readers and adults, the books are being taught in over a thousand classrooms nationwide. The third book in the Serafina series comes out in July 2017. Robert Beatty has been awarded an additional four-book deal with Disney-Hyperion.

Robert Beatty lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina with his wife and three daughters, who help create and refine his stories. He loves to explore Biltmore Estate and the darkened forest trails where his novels take place. He writes full-time now, but in his past lives, Robert was one of the early pioneers of cloud computing, the founder/CEO of Plex Systems, the co-founder of Beatty Robotics, and the chairman/CTO of Narrative Magazine. In 2007, he was named an Entrepreneur of the Year.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

So I'll be perfectly honest - I have not read the Seraphina books. I've had tons of kids read them and really like them, and they are on my TBR pile for sure! So when I had the chance to review this book set in the same world, I knew I had to be a part of the tour, and I'm glad I did. I can see why students like books written by this author. This book started out jumping right into the action! I was holding my breath from almost page one! I continued to hold it for quite a while. The book continued like that. It had scenes that were filled with tension and action followed by scenes with emotion and character development. Loved that!

I loved the plot of the story as well. I love when characters have to question that they thought was the truth and then struggle through learning what they can and should believe now. Willa does this. Watching her wrestle thought this was great. And I made me really like Willa! And about Willa - LOVED her. She was smart and brave and impulsive. At times I loved everything she did, and at times I wanted to shake her. It made her real - even though she clearly wasn't!

The world building was great. I will say it took me a bit to understand and learn the world of Willa's, but I've always struggled with that when reading fantasy. It takes me awhile to let go of my understanding of the real world and go into the world of a fantasy book. Once I understood the world better I was fully engulfed in it.

Final Thought: Really enjoyed it and really liked Willa. Pushed Seraphina to the upper end of my TBR!

Library Thoughts: I will for sure be adding it to my middle school library!