Through The Woods

Author: Emily Carroll

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror, Short Stories

Release Date: July 15th 2014

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 208

ISBN: 9781442465961

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Through The Woods is a graphic novel that I have been meaning to read for quite a while now. It is endlessly talked about in the online book community and I really wanted to find out what all the hype was about.

The first, and most common thing, I kept hearing about Through The Woods was how creepy it was. Many suggested to not read it in the dark. Honestly, I thought people might be acting a little dramatic, but I will say, after reading through the five short stories within Through The Woods, I definitely got chills while reading a few of them.

I wouldn’t say that Through The Woods scared me or caused me to have nightmares, but there were moments that really did creep me out. The illustrations definitely helped. They are filled with dark and monotone shades with pops of red and other bright colours that really highlight the creepy moments within each story.

Right away, the introduction of the graphic novel was creepy and oddly relatable. I think my least favourite story was the very first one, Our Neighbour’s House, as it ended with a slightly vague ending that I’m not sure I really understood too well. My favourite had to be the very last story, A Nesting Place, that genuinely gave me the creeps.

The stories all had an almost poetry-like quality to them which I really enjoyed. The entire graphic novel was a really quick read, but that did not take away the level of darkness from each story at all.

Emily Carroll did a fantastic job in curating five stories that will honestly give you the heebie jeebies. I’m extremely happy that a Canadian author/illustrator is getting such high recognition and praise for her graphic novel.

I highly recommend reading this graphic novel if you’re looking for dark and creepy stories that contain illustrations that successfully accompany each of the stories within.