Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Genre: Graphic Novel/Fairy Tales/Horror
Release Date: July 15th 2014
Book Length: 208 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: 5/5


Blurb (lifted from GoodReads):
'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...

I picked this book up because I love fairy tales and I'm really trying to read more graphic novels. This book did not disappoint. Through the Woods consists of 5 different tales, all of which I would consider fairy tales in their truest form. These tales are dark and twisty and macabre, just like the original Grimm fairy tales tended to be. The writing was beautiful and simple, but it really had the ability to kind of get under your skin. And the artwork compliments the stories so beautifully. There were plenty of panels in this book that I know would have kept me up all night as a child.

Not every story in this book was created equal. The book starts off with an appropriately creepy tale about three sisters whose father leaves them one day and never returns. With everyday that passes after the father was supposed to return, one sister disappears in the middle of the night after seeing a man in a wide brimmed hat. This story was a good introduction for the stories to come. It was mildly unsettling, but much less scary than the rest. The second story was by far my favorite. The main character is wed to a man she doesn't really know and at night she hears this woman singing this incredibly creepy song about how her husband has killed her and she cannot rest until she is whole again. That's all I'm going to say about the story, but it was beautifully illustrated and written. You can practically hear a voice singing the song as you're reading the story. I loved it ever so much.

The next story was about a man who killed his brother and is now basically haunted by the act. This story was not as visually impactful as the others, but the inner monologue of the narrator made the story really creepy. The fourth story, about two friends, one of whom can see the supernatural, was probably my least favorite. Although, I'll be honest and say that I was kind of distracted when I was reading it. The final story, about a girl who goes to live with her brother and his wife was a close second in the race for best story. I don't want to really give anything away, but it was terrifying. Just simply terrifying. This story would've definitely given me nightmares had I been a child reading this. I also really liked the little nod to Little Red Riding Hood in the conclusion at the very end.

All in all, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It was right up my alley. It was creepy and grotesque and the artwork was amazing. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes fairy tales. My only complaint is that I wish this book was longer.