Review: Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Through the Woods on July 15, 2014
Genres: Horror, YA
Pages: 208
Format: Hardcover

We all know the terror that resides within ghost stories. In Through the Woods we learn what happens when you add terrifyingly beautiful artwork to the mix, crafting a haunting and mesmerizing reading experience. 

In Our Neighbors House, three children are left alone while their father goes hunting. Their father cautions them to go to the neighbors house if he doesn't return after three days.  Once the third day comes and goes with no sight of their father, the terrified girls learn that while you may travel to the neighbors house...you may never return.



A new bride arrives at her home in A Lady's Hands are Cold only to find that the previous lady of the house had never left.



In My Friend Janna, a girl and her friend Janna take advantage of those who believe Janna has the ability to speak with the dead. What Janna doesn't know is that something IS haunting her, her friend the only one able to see the entity.

These are all just a sampling of the five brilliantly terrifying stories within Through the Woods. As a child, when I would hear ghost stories read aloud, I would craft an image of these stories in my mind. Emily Carroll has transformed these visual imaginings into printed art, alternating between stark colors and vivid displays of color to graphically tell the story.

Centering around characters of roughly the same age group, Carroll puts immerses individuals in the midst of terrifying, Grimm-like stories. Unlike the fairy tales, however, it’s not only the bad people that are faced with a terrifying fate; the pure and virtuous are just as likely to be victims.

As an adult, this collection of stories gave me goosebumps, for the stories, combined with the graphics, are terrifying.   The stories alone make this a chilling must-read, but add in the the exquisite artwork and we are presented with a terrifying visual experience (in the best of ways). Carroll doesn’t have a need for a great deal of gore; her art exudes beauty within the horror. A must-read for fans of horror and ghost stories. I borrowed this copy from the library but definitely plan on adding it to my own personal collection. Highly, highly recommended.