Willa of the Wood has its own storyline, and is not dependent on the earlier books. Although the characters and immediate setting are new, the story holds the same wonder and magic of wild places just out of reach of us “day-folk.” If you don’t know the Serafina series, not to worry. If you are a fan of the Serafina series, you will almost certainly like Willa of the Wood too. Not all of them are the same, and perhaps some of them are actually kind. Soon Willa learns that much of what she and her clan have been taught about the day-folk isn’t true. Things change dramatically after she has a close encounter with one of the day-folk, with his killing-stick and his vicious dog. The only one to care for Willa since her parents died is her Mawmaw, but her grandmother is now old and infirm and must rely on Willa to provide for them both. Though she is a talented thief and good provider for the clan, she is isolated because she is the last woodwitch of her people and follows the old, forbidden ways. More and more, Willa scavenges alone, and she even steals from the houses of the human “day-folk,” whom she has been taught to hate and fear. Willa lives with her clan of forest folk and survives by scavenging.

The heroine of the new book is Willa, a 12-year-old girl orphaned as a young child. The mix of mountain folklore and magic gives you a feeling of lost knowledge just out of reach. Like the earlier books, this one intertwines real-life locations during the late nineteenth century, adding a slight paranormal twist to show us a world that is just-this-side-of-fantasy. While the setting of the Serafina books is the Biltmore Estate and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, Willa of the Wood takes place in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains. Beatty’s enchanting Serafina books, which I have reviewed previously. Willa of the Wood, the latest novel by Robert Beatty, was published by Disney-Hyperion on July 10th, and has already spent two weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. A New Young Adult Novel by the Best-Selling Author of the Serafina Series Reading Time: 3 minutes Cover art for ‘Willa of the Wood’.

Willa and the wood