Willodeen by Katherine Applegate

This was a brief but well-built world that was introduced to us that is perfect for a younger audience to step into the world of fantasy with interesting questions being raised. The time period that the book is set in is something like an old-timey world but with creatures that are a little more fantastical than our usual, a little less than actual dragons. Nature and people are in an imbalance, and people’s behaviour is not helping mend anything! Willodeen is an odd girl, and she does not want to do things other little girls do. Instead, she spends her time studying the world around her and taking notes. Even after she loses her beloved family, it is not a habit she wants to shrug off. Soon, it seems like only she has information that might save them all. Parallely, we hear the thoughts of someone we are unsure about the existence of. Only when the plot progresses we get to see who that might be. I highly recommend this as a great read for middle grades all the way up to adults. I did not know what I was getting into when I started, but I ended up loving the way the author wove in all the factors that make up the complex web of lives and relationships in a small and not well-off town. I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.