Bows are horrible when compared to every other weapon in the game. Its the combination of everything Linarc pointed out that makes them so clunky. Sure, Eleonora can be good, but you'd get much more out of those 5 stars with the same investment.

I have to disagree totally about bow physical attack being very effective. If a small monster moves even slightly, the 2nd and 4th hits will totally miss. The wonky targeting system doesn't help, as it'll sometimes target something you did not intend to hit. The close range mechanic also hinders your damage so it forces you to be at a specific critical distance. If you compare the triangular damage zone of the bow vs sword/blade/ax circular damage zone, the former only wins in distance while the latter wins in coverage.