A Review of Through the Woods, by Emily Carroll

‘It came from the woods. Most strange things do.’

Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss.

These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll.

Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there…

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Rating: 5/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: this is not your average bed time tale; gorgeous, creepy artwork with gorgeous, creepy writing; an examination of the things you find in—and the things that follow you home from—the woods; if these five spine-tingling stories do not warn you away from the woods, I don’t know what will

GUYS, I got this from the husband for Christmas (among many other books I’ve been dying to read! I’m so excited!) But more importantly: this book is breath-taking! Thank you, husband, for being awesome and consistently enabling my bookish addiction!

The artwork in this graphic novel is gorgeous. It’s obvious Emily Carroll poured her heart and soul into crafting this read (or, perhaps, sacrificed a few annoying relatives? given the contents, this wouldn’t surprise me) Either way, there is a fine blend between artwork and poetry/prose that Emily Carroll treads in this book—and it’s blended beautifully. The pages are filled with dark shadows, moody lines, and blinding white space. The craftsmanship could almost tell the story by itself; the writing is just the cherry on top of a very large, very sweet sundae.

These tales are DARK, and serve as a warning—don’t go into the woods. You never know who you’ll meet…or what will follow you home. The contrasts are staggering: gorgeous, melodic writing against a backdrop of nightmares and horror. I’m not sure I could pick a favorite story—they all stand so well on their own, together they create a melody of fear and haunts. That being said…they ARE dark, and probably not suitable for reading to young children before bedtime. I mean…unless you want them sleeping with you for the rest of their lives, in which case, have at it.

The five stories are quick, striking reads—I picked the book up just to read the first few pages and found myself, some thirty minutes or so later, closing the last page. This book sucks you in—between the gorgeous artwork and the melodic writing, you’ll find it very difficult to set aside once you pick it up, so make sure you have time to finish it in one sitting!

I LOVED this book, and have immediately found it a home on my shelves in full beautiful glory. I’d recommend to lovers of horror, “fairy tales,” and The Brothers Grimm. For myself? I have a feeling I’m going to need to look into more of Emily Carroll’s work.