Through the Woods- Stories by Emily Carroll
Review by Lauren
Source: book sent for review; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: Journey through the woods in this sinister, compellingly spooky
collection that features four brand-new stories and one phenomenally
popular tale in print for the first time. These are fairy tales gone
seriously wrong, where you can travel to “Our Neighbor’s House”—though
coming back might be a problem. Or find yourself a young bride in a
house that holds a terrible secret in “A Lady’s Hands Are Cold.” You
might try to figure out what is haunting “My Friend Janna,” or discover
that your brother’s fiancée may not be what she seems in “The Nesting
Place.” And of course you must revisit the horror of “His Face All Red,”
the breakout webcomic hit that has been gorgeously translated to the
printed page
Review: When I was randomly sent a copy of Through the Woods to review, I was excited because I love finding new graphic novels – or in this case, graphic short stories – to check out. I hadn’t heard of Emily Carroll before, but after diving into her creepy little tales, I am definitely calling myself a fan.
First off, the artwork in this collection is simply beautiful. The people have an animated/cartoon look as opposed to extremely realistic, but it works, as these are definitely fairy tales gone wrong. The color red is prominent throughout the stories and it really highlights the madness within each one.
As for the actual stories themselves, I think it’s impossible for me to choose one favorite. All of them have a haunting feel that leaves you slightly scared and wondering about the character’s ultimate fate. None of these tales leave you with a concrete ending, which makes sense with the short story format. It also adds more spookiness to everything, though. If we knew what transpired after the story ended, it would ruin the wonder of it all. Though I said I couldn’t pick a favorite among these five stories, I do think “A Lady’s Hands Are Cold” is definitely up there as among the best. It almost feels inspired by Edgar Allan Poe in a way.
To showcase what you can except from Carroll, I decided to share a page from “A Lady’s Hands…” (I do not own the image).
Overall, I am definitely glad that I was given the chance to read Carroll’s work and I suggest many of you to give it a shot too. This would be great for Halloween; which is fast approaching! I will certainly check out anything else Emily Carroll publishes in the future!
Loving the cover and knowing how you love your graphic novels I can understand why you are excited by this one as it does sound that little bit different.
Creepy little tales? Sounds like fun!
I haven't heard of her either but I'm intrigued, it sounds like a great one and I love the picture you shared with us.
The haunting feeling and the beautiful artwork makes this one a great read
Creepy tales and gorgeous illustrations. Check!
Oh, that artwork is gorgeous! I'm so glad this unexpected read worked out so well for you!
I do love scary stories, but I usually want more closure with an ending. The cover and pictures are beautiful. Glad to see you enjoyed this, Lauren. Perfect time of year for a spooky read! Wonderful review! 🙂
The art work in this one.. wow!! I want to read this one now!
Until I read your blog I never realised how many new graphic novels (or short stories) were published. Another great review thanks Lauren.
This sounds intriguing. You're making me want to start reading graphic novels!
xx
Oh YAY I'm so happy you loved this one, Lauren, because I've been interested in this one as soon as I saw that gorgeous cover. I love twisted fairy tales and they all sound like that would fit write in with the original Grimm tales – love that! I'm going to try to get this one from the library. Really great review here, Lauren!
I haven't heard of this one but that cover is simply beautiful!! I'm not surprised that the graphic is too. So happy you liked this one. Great review 🙂
Oooh love the cover.
I like twisted fairy tales, and love all the red. It is one of my favorite colors. This sounds perfect for fall.
I will definitely think about getting this graphic novel to add to my October Readathon pile o'books! Looks fantastic, and I'm always glad you share a page or two showing the graphic novel style.
That sounds like a great book! Thanks for sharing your review. Have a terrific day!
YEAH! Another addition to the graphic novel collection. This sounds wonderful, and I really love the illustrations and the attention to detail in them. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing and, as always, BRILLIANT review Lauren! <3
~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf
Oh, wow. The stories sound amazing. I'm always in the mood for a good scare and can never find books that creep me out enough!
Just the cover art had me sold on the book – isn't it funny how that first impression make such a big difference? I think I'm going to have to try to get a copy of this one.
Have you ever thought of doing a book swap-type of thing on this site? That might be fun!