Saturday, November 15, 2008

Willow by Julia Hoban

The story of Willow, a teenage cutter who's addiction to the razor stems from the night her drunken parents were killed in a car wreck. The twist is Willow was the one driving the car that rainy night when she lost control of the wheel. Now it is hard for her to face the world without feeling like a murderer. The only glimmer of hope in her life is Guy, the love interest who is unwilling pulled into the drama of Willow's life.

A typical young adult novel. True it is the common "teen issues" that draw readers into these kinds of stories, but it can be said reading about these issues over and over again tend to make the genre a bit stale. Credit can be given to the author for trying to add a new twist to the tale yet it still can be put into the category of "just one of those teen books." There were some problems with pacing. For instance at times you don't realize a conversation takes place in two settings and by the time this is noticed you can not pin point the place were the transition occurred. The love interest was stereotypical for a teen novel, always popping up in the right places and being undeniably perfect. But again it is the "perfect relationship" image that young girls fawn over. The novel did end on a good note though. And although some people may view it as unrealistic, or soap opera like, or wonderfully sweet or perfect, you at least could put the book down without waiting for the sequel to find out if Willow's addiction was truly dealt with.

Since this book is about a cutter, some images described may not set right with young, or perhaps even mature readers, if they're sensitive to blood. Some inappropriate language and at one point Willow and her love interest Guy decide to have sex. Not much detail is mentioned, but still, it may not be appropriate for young readers.

Reviewer Age: 15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Holly Springs, North Carolina United States of America