[Graphic Novel Review] Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen

A heartwarming story of friendship, loss, and finding your way home from debut author/illustrator Mai K. Nguyen!

Willow loves the woods near her house. They’re calm and quiet, so different from her own turbulent emotions, which she keeps locked away. When her emotions get the better of her one day, she decides to run away into the woods.

There, she meets Pilu, a lost tree spirit who can’t find her way back home—which turns out to be the magnolia grove Willow’s mom used to take her to. Willow offers to help Pilu, and the two quickly become friends.

But the journey is long, and Pilu isn’t sure she’s ready to return home yet—which infuriates Willow, who’s determined to make up for her own mistakes by getting Pilu back safely. As a storm rages and Willow’s emotions bubble to the surface, they suddenly take on a physical form, putting both girls in danger… and forcing Willow to confront her inner feelings once and for all.

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I got this book a while back and meant to read it in Autumn, but I unfortunately didn't get to it in time! Although this book definitely has those autumnal aesthetics that makes me crave pumpkin spice lattees, this graphic novel is one to get you all in your feelings no matter what season you read it. 

Pilu of the Woods tackles way deeper topics than I had expected (that's probably what I get for never reading synopsis's and just getting books off their covers), some of those topics being like grief, anxiety, depression, and how to deal with those emotions. Because the main character, Willow, is younger I think this definitely would be perfect for a younger reader. Especially one that is going through a hard time, or if you want this young reader to learn a little about these topics in an easy way for them to not only understand but in an incredibly relatable and heartwarming way. 

Willow is going through a lot of heartache because of a loss in her family. She's experiencing a lot of pent up anger and emotions and she doesn't really know how to manage her emotions. So instead, she pushes them all down and they cause her trouble once they bubble up and she acts out. She doesn't have many friends at school, she gets into fights both with bullies at school but also with her older sister, who seems to have a lot on her plate trying to step up and help take care of her family after losing a parent. One of the things that Willow feels the most comfortable around is nature and woods. After the fight with her sister, she runs into the woods and finds a friend, who is Pilu. Pilu is this adorable tree sprite/fairy type creature. She has also ran away from home and is experiencing similar emotions and anxiety to Willows, so they bond and allow themselves to be vulnerable with each other. Their friendship is so new but they see themselves in each other so intensely that they connect so quickly, and it doesn't feel weird but instead nostalgic and sweet. 

The art is fantastic. I love the colors, which are very autumnal like I mentioned earlier, but the art style itself is so incredibly cute. The moment I saw the cover in the comic book store I got Pilu of the Woods from and I knew it was right up my alley, but if I had flipped inside it would have been confirmed because I'm in love with so many of the panels. Typically, I prefer a cuter art style so I am not surprised that I loved it so much, even my husband even saw me reading it and commented on the fact that it looked like it was made for me. If you like cute autumn art styles, you'll love this! 

Overall, I obviously loved this graphic novel. I hope the author writes/creates more graphic novels or novels because I loved this one so much. I would easily pick up more by Mai K. Nguyen and I am so impressed with this fantastic debut! I highly recommend picking this one up, especially if you've read A Monster Calls. They're incredibly different stories but I think Willow reminded me of Conor (the main character of A Monster Calls) in the way they both handle their grief.  If you've read it, or plan on it,  I'd love to know/talk about it!

Thanks for reading!