Under the Willow Tree: A Dark Fantasy Thriller

by Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr.

A family curse. A monstrous secret. A witch facing the darkness in her bloodline.A standalone. Start anywhere in the series!

When young witch Emily dreams of a faceless man beneath a massive willow tree, she knows something ancient is calling her home.

A forbidden spell cast by her mother and aunt twisted Emily's uncle into a creature of rage and hunger. Now the curse is waking again, and it wants her.

To break it, Emily must return to the willow and face the monster her uncle became and the power inside her waiting to awaken.

Some secrets demand a sacrifice. Some monsters are born from love.

Read Under the Willow Tree today.

38 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2026

About the author

Mystery & Thriller Author Blending Noir Atmosphere with Anime‑Inspired Intensity

Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. is an award‑winning mystery and thriller author who blends gritty noir, fast‑paced action, and a touch of anime‑inspired intensity into every story he writes. ✨

He’s the creator of the Griffin Knight Universe — a world of haunted detectives, impossible choices, and cases that drag you deep into the shadows of New York City and beyond. Critics praise his work for sharp pacing, atmospheric tension, and characters who walk the razor’s edge between justice and obsession.

Miguel grew up loving crime fiction, pulp storytelling, and anime series with big emotions and bigger stakes. Those influences shape the cinematic style and emotional punch of his books today.

When he’s not writing, he’s world-building, outlining new mysteries, or diving into the next supernatural twist for his Twilight Nightmares anthology. He lives in the Buffalo, NY area, usually with a notebook full of ideas and a cup of coffee within reach. ☕📚

⭐ Fun Facts About Miguel

He outlines most of his stories by hand before typing a single word.
He’s obsessed with atmospheric rain scenes — which is why so many of his stories take place during storms.
He keeps a dedicated notebook just for plot twists.
Anime influences his pacing, character arcs, and emotional beats more than most people realize.
He drinks way too much coffee when drafting. ☕
He loves exploring abandoned or historical locations for story inspiration.
He’s always juggling multiple story universes at once — and somehow keeps them straight.

⭐ Favorite Authors & Influences

Miguel draws inspiration from a wide range of storytellers across mystery, thriller, fantasy, and psychological suspense. Some of his favorites include:

● J.K. Rowling — for world-building, character arcs, and long‑form narrative payoff
● Freida McFadden — for sharp, addictive psychological twists
● Stephen King — for atmosphere, dread, and character‑driven tension
● Riley Sager — for modern suspense, pacing, and high‑concept mystery hooks

These authors influence the cinematic style, emotional punch, and twist‑driven structure found throughout Miguel’s own work.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
NEW READERS START HERE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

If you're discovering my work for the first time, welcome.
Here are the best entry points depending on what you love:

➡️ LOVE GRITTY DETECTIVE THRILLERS?
Start with:
DO NOTHING (Griffin Knight #1)
The flagship novel that introduces the world, the tone,
and the emotional core of the Griffin Knight Universe.

➡️ WANT SUPERNATURAL OR DARKER STORIES?
Start with:
TWILIGHT PERILS
A collection of standalone supernatural shorts with
psychological tension and atmospheric horror.

➡️ WANT A QUICK SAMPLE OF MY STYLE?
Try a short story or anthology entry for a fast,
cinematic hit of noir, action, and character depth.

➡️ WANT THE FULL MIGUEL EXPERIENCE?
1. DO NOTHING
2. Continue the Griffin Knight series in order
3. Read Twilight Nightmares between books
4. Explore new releases as the universe expands

Choose your path and enjoy the ride.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Follow me here on Goodreads to get updates on new releases, behind‑the‑scenes notes, and upcoming stories.

Exclusive editions available at the author's shop.

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

Emily's mom sends her to live with her aunt, but won't spill the beans on what's going on. Emily's all, I'm having this crazy recurring dream about a tree, and then BAM, she sees it in real life. Was this the big secret her mom was hiding? She's gotta get to the bottom of it. Will she finally unlock some family secrets?

This book was super short and creepy, worth the read, 39 pages.

Thanks to Book Sirens for sending me an advanced copy to read and review.

[Julie Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was going along at a good clip, giving just enough information to keep me reading. Strained family drama, unanswered questions, strange dreams; these all make for a good story. Then BAM! the story ended. I understand it’s a short story but I feel there was more that could have been said and still have kept it short.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Bianca ‎♡‧₊˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a review with BookSirens.

I was more constructive in my official feedback.

This was god awful. Some stories are meant to be short stories, this is not one of them. If anything it would need to be a full book for it to work. I don’t know if the author is capable of doing that though, as the writing is extremely stiff and unpolished. I genuinely couldn’t tell what time period this was supposed to be set in as it kept jumping back and forth between modern language (couldn’t, didn’t) and very dated language (henceforth).

It needed a lot more explanation about background information and backstory. Details were kind of just thrown in and with it being a short story it just didn’t work. I was so confused the whole time.

There were also numerous grammatical and spelling errors that really took you out of the story. The ending also felt slapped on last minute, whereas the meat of the story at least felt kind of thought out. Almost like the author was like “…Idk how to end this lemme just stick something in here.” And then never bothered to go back and check it again.

I think the story itself has some potential but this draft is just not polished enough to be released.

[BookishDogMamaKate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Under the Willow Tree by Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr.

Emily lives with her Aunt Lilith and family. She was sent away by her mother to keep her protected….part of family secrets Emily had been kept in the dark from knowing. But is the dark already waiting for her? In her dreams? In her waking moments? Under the willow tree?

I don’t want to give spoilers especially with a shorter story. This tale hits the ground running with rich witch culture, suspense, hidden family history, missteps with a grimoire, sacrifices and curses coming back to battle.

It packs so much quality into only 32 pages. I wanted to keep reading. To know what happens next! I’ll need to see what else this author has!

Definitely recommend.

I received an advanced reader copy from Book Sirens. This is my voluntary and honest review.

[Wendy Armitage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witches, magic, spells, curses and monsters. Nothing about this short story needs to change.

It is a perfect quick read before settling into bed. Or if you have 30 minutes to spare.

But as I was really getting into it, it finishes like that.
I need to know what happens.
I have questions
I need answers

I would love to see a follow up.
I need there to be more!!!


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Carol Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast paced, suspenseful read that had me wondering what will happen next. It’s a quick short story that is reminiscent of campfire horror stories. I was pulled in instantly and quickly became invested. Unfortunately, I think the short length worked against the story. I would love to read this as a full length novel. This was my first read by this author and I was very happy with it and will look for more by him.

Thank you Book Sirens for allowing me yo read an advanced copy of this short story.

[Chevy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I appreciate a short story but this one ended so abruptly leaving me with many questions; I wish it had gone on a little longer to explain a few things or have another short to follow; maybe even a 3rd short to be a prequel.

[Zachary Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under the Willow Tree is a fast-paced, atmospheric dark fantasy thriller that wastes no time pulling the reader into its eerie, witch-centric world. The story follows Emily Ashthorne, a young witch who awakens from a chilling dream to find her physical appearance completely transformed. As she digs into the mystery behind her sudden changes and a forbidden family curse, she is thrust into a dangerous hidden realm beneath a massive, ancient willow tree.

[Pat Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of events in a short story. I enjoyed it very much. Emily is sent to her aunt’s house to keep her in the dark about magic and cursed family history. I received an advance review copy for free, and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lex 🥀 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens for the ARC of this book!

3.5 ⭐️
Under the Willow Tree is a fast paced, dark, atmospheric horror. It follows Emily, a young witch with a mystery backstory that even she isn’t aware of. Family curses and secrets to unfold, we walk with her while she uncovers it all.

Overall, this was a lovely book! It kept me engaged, I loved the eye for detail and the authors way of writing. I was hooked throughout. Miguel has a very detailed way of writing and I loved that, I could picture the entire book perfectly. My 3.5 stars come from the lack of descriptors when it comes to Emily, specifically her “frowning.” It was overused constantly throughout the book, and took away from the quality of detail of the rest of the book.

[Paul Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short story but there are so many questions. It feels more like a skeleton of a story and could be really interesting when fleshed out. Breathe some life into these characters, put some meat on their bones, and throw in a nervous system to connect the pieces and give them support

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think it is difficult to write a short story well. Character development, their motivations, the descriptions that make a story come alive often get left out. The details that makes a story cohesive, that makes the plot move forward, often get left out. I try to leave this bias at the door when I read short stories, but this one unfortunately perfectly illustrated why short stories are difficult to do well.

I am a firm believer that for a short story to be well written, it needs one singular goal that our protagonist is working towards. And technically this story did that? But along the way we introduced a monster, a curse a few other characters whose motivations were unclear? Our protagonist gives pretty strong “not like other witches” energy. In order to fully lay out why I didn’t like the story, this review would contain spoilers. This plot was a full length novel in 39 pages. We have a fight scene that doesn’t make sense because it alludes to a long drawn out battle with a few sentences. We have family members who have unclear motives, a curse, that doesn’t make sense, a monster that doesn’t seem consistent for the way the curse is described, prohibited areas of a castle (because apparently we’re in a castle for some reason?), characters who maybe died maybe didn’t? I could continue. If our story remained about Emily and her dream (this is not a spoiler it’s the first paragraph) then the story could have been well flushed out. However, the additional elements along the way are never explained, and they make the story confusing.

[Debra Ramos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a vey short, fast paced, atmospheric horror thata pulls you in from the very first page. We follow a young witch with a mysterious past as family curses and long buried secrets unravel.

I was instantly hooked and completely invested. The tension builds quickly, and the story never loses its grip. It's one of those read you fly through because you need to know what happens next.

My only downside is the length. While the pacing worked, I couldn't help but wish for more depth and exploration. I would absolutely devour this as a fulll length novel.

Overall, is a gripping, haunting bite of horror that leaves you wanting more.

Thank you to the author and boolsirens for the eARC, this is my honest review.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review, after some thought.

Short horror fantasy read, involves monsters and an inherited curse. I enjoyed the concepts and characters, but for me, and this is my opinion. You might love it. It read like a story not completely ready for publishing.

Solid concepts, not scary enough for me. The dialogue was at times a bit stiff, and some of the sentences. For me, the shock horror factor we were clearly meant to feel, was lacking.

Again, this is my read of it only. You may love it.

It’s also an advance review copy, it may get better before being published.

[Karlee Holcomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast paced, suspenseful read that is surrounded in secrets. Under The Willow Tree is a short story that would be a great campfire horror story. I don’t want to give too much away due to how short this story is. That wouldn’t be too fair of me to do that haha. We follow Emily who was sent to live with her aunt Lilith and her family by her mother. Sent away to be protected from dark family secrets… This dark is already coming for her despite her mother’s wishes, but not much can be done when it starts with your dreams…

I received an advance reader copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily!

[Megan Haymes · Rating 4 out of 5]

For such a short story, Under the Willow Tree does a great job of creating an atmosphere with the creepy, ominous feeling hanging over the story.

The whole time I was reading it, I felt like I was watching an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark. I could totally see a show like that adapting this story into an episode.

It was a quick read, but it succeeds in so many things that most authors to struggle to achieve in 800+ page books. I’m super impressed with Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr.’s ability to capture that ominous edge and witchy lore in just 38 pages.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Red Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This short story delivers plenty of chills with its dark secrets, family curse, and more that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The author did a great job writing this one and I really enjoyed both the characters and the satisfying, eerie ending. I especially loved the horror elements woven throughout, which added a truly unsettling vibe. Overall, it's one that I highly enjoyed and would easily recommend to any horror fan looking for a quick scary read.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good horror sleep read style story.

Well written and quick to read. Honestly wish it was a bit longer as really got into it, and then it was over. But it did wrap up well, just one of those stories were you start reading, get sucked in and then bam out of nowhere it's last page.

Nothing too over the top, just a good over all horror story that was a good read right before sleep.

Worth a read if you want a short read or want to know what the author's style is.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy for free and am voluntarily leaving this review.

This was a quick read at 39 pages, but it definitely packed a punch. I loved the creepiness of the stranger, the weirdness that nature plays and the horror events that happen. The family secrets and curse were interesting to explore.

[DarkStar's Book Cavern · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like reading notes for a first draft of a novel that has yet to be realised. It tried to pack too much in to a short story format and would have been better if worked on more and put out as either a novella or a full fledged novel.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ginger Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like short stories, but I felt this one was too short. It kinda just ended without a really satisfying conclusion. And I was interested in the story, so that's a shame. I don't think the author is bad, this story just should have been longer. I received a free copy of this story and write this review voluntarily.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of events in a short story. I enjoyed it very much. Emily is sent to her aunt’s house to keep her in the dark about magic and cursed family history. I received an advance review copy for free, and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

[Micki-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick 38-page dark fantasy story about family curses, forbidden magic, and a monster born from a family’s darkest secrets. Emily’s recurring dreams lead her back to the willow tree, where she must confront the creature her uncle has become and the dangerous power awakening inside her.
🌳🧙‍♀️🖤

[Jerri Bosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens for my Review Copy of this book.

Wow, what a gripping and fast-paced short story!

Under the Willow Tree is a mere 39 pages long, perfect if you want to immerse yourself in another world quickly and only have an hour to spare.
Emily is sent to live with her Aunt and keeps having strange dreams about a tree, it is only when she stumbles across the tree in real life does she realise that her dreams may not just be dreams after all...

I loved the pacing of this story, honestly it had me hooked from the first word. The plot developed really quickly, and it really held my attention. I did not want to stop once I started.

I would have loved for this story to be longer, there's so much more that could be added to this story - and the ending was so abrupt!

I do admire the Author's mention of use of an AI cover before the story started, however I am very much against the use of AI art so this is something I did not appreciate.

4*

[Miguel Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another story with Emily. Please check it out and let me know what you think.

If you notice anything that needs to be fixed, please let me know. Thanks.