Through the Woods by Emily Carroll is a standalone graphic novel. This review will be spoiler-free.

‘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… (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Eerie. Captivating. Unsettling. The perfect graphic novel to read each Halloween.

This book was spooky in all the right ways. It is a collection of five short stories, plus an introduction and conclusion. I tried to pick a favorite story, but I honestly don’t know which one to pick. They were all so good. The stories are Our Neighbors House, A Lady’s Hands are Cold, His Face All Red, My Friend Janna, and The Nesting Place. 

These stories were spooky and thrilling. I literally could not put the book down. I picked it up in the book store with the intention of reading a few pages before deciding if I wanted to buy it. I finished it in the aisle of the store because I could not bear to put it down and wait till I got home. The stories were that all-consuming.

The graphics in this book were stunning. It probably took me double the amount of time it should have to read it because I spent so much time staring at the artwork. As for the graphics, I think that A Lady’s Hands are Cold was probably my favorite. I loved the way the lettering was intertwined with the pictures. I was able to see exactly what Carroll had imagined.

My only complaint is that I felt a few of the stories were left unfinished. There was no resolution for more than one story. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I think that Carroll would have been better off giving us a few more pages. It probably would have bumped her up an entire star. I hate knowing I will never know the ending of these stories. Thankfully, I do not feel this way about all the stories. Some of them were perfect the way they were.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend ti to all the Halloween lovers out there. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

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