The Terror of Willow Falls -Jay Bower

4/5 stars

The Eyebiter is back! Having read The Conservator’s Collection, I was so excited when Jay announced he was releasing an origin story. This answered so many questions that I had and made me really curious about where this world goes from here!

Jay really knows how to build suspense, and he did a wonderful job of keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting for Joey’s big discovery. The Terror of Willow Falls was so atmospheric, and I loved the small town setting. I live in small town, Illinois, so this was a fun nod to what it’s like to live in a small town. I do wish that he would’ve leaned more into the sheer disbelief that city people have when they come downstate to small towns and their weird reactions to certain things, though.

Joey about drove me nuts with his refusal to do things that would actively help him, but I think that’s part of what made him a great main character. He was a kid who thought he knew how to handle the situation and found out too late that he was in over his head. He serves as a good reminder that often the most necessary lessons in life are sometimes the harshest to learn, but we have to keep pushing through regardless and keep living.

The Terror of Willow Falls is a very solid story, and Jay is already teasing more stories in this world! I’m so intrigued by the characters and how they will evolve to catch up to Eyebiter’s Revenge. Big thank you to Jay for giving me the opportunity to read this early!