Book Review: Will o' the Wisp: An Aurora Grimeon Story

Aurora's parents have just died from an accidental mushroom poisoning and Aurora barely survived. Instead of being sent into the foster care system the state locates her one remaining relative, her estranged grandfather Silver. Silver lives out on Ossuary Isle where hoodoo is part of daily life. Aurora struggles to fit in and though she finds the hoodoo customs fascinating, many people on the isle view her as bad luck. The situation doesn't improve when some of the residents start washing up in the swamp. As Aurora becomes friends with the local hoodoo woman, magic and evil spirits come head to head with her grandfathers scientific approach to life.

Prior to reading this book the only experience I had with graphic novels was reading the Elf Quest series as a kid, so I wasn't sure what whether I would still enjoy this genre as an adult. Fortunately the dark story in Will o' the Wisp coupled with the unique illustrations drew me right back in. Even though the story has a dark theme there is some comic relief in the form of Silver's pet raccoon.

Will o' the Wisp is not only a story of a young girls struggle to find out where she belongs but also a fascinating introduction to hoodoo. While most people are used to hearing about druids, wiccans and other more mainstream magic and belief systems, hoodoo seems to remain in the shadows. So reading a book where the practice is just a part of daily life was both interesting and informative. I am really hoping they come out with another chapter in the saga of Aurora Grimeon.

I got to read a digital copy of this book for free through NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review.