Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Through the Woods

Really liked this read.
First of all it is visually great.
Second of all it was the perfect amount of horror/spooky for me. It was mysterious and a little scary but in a way that's really nice to read (especially for Halloween/in the fall or winter). The short stories were varied but each one was captivating. They were fast paced but didn't end leaving you unsatisfied (and if it ended in mystery it fit the story well).
I got sucked in and read everything at once but it was also a pretty quick read which was nice and perfect for my reading mood.

Content Warnings

caughtbetweenpages's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This has been on my radar for quite some time and I'm thrilled that I happened to pick it up during the spookiest of seasons this year. Carroll's collection of bite-sized horror is ominous and foreboding and sometimes fucking nasty in turns, and I loved every bit of it. There are nods to old, familiar fairy tales (A Lady's Hands are Cold feels incredibly Bluebeard-esque, though with a decidedly happier ending), but there's a very Carrollesque bent to all the stories that make them feel unique to her, and not just because her illustrative style is so distinct. My favorite was the closing story, The Nesting Place, maybe because it touches on so many of my own personal fears. If anything, I wish there was a greater thematic throughline between the stories, so that the framing device of the introduction and conclusion (very Red Riding Hood, but the HEA hasn't and may never come) felt more appropriate (for lack of a better term? maybe of use?), OR that there was no framing device whatsoever, and the story collection was just presented as-is. I also just wanted there to be more of them, not because the collection needed it to be good, but because what is there is so good that I didn't want it to end.

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fadingmoths's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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suspiciouspinecone's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Quite scary, but I wish I got more from some of the stories, especially the first one, I genuinely don't know what happened at the end. Most of the others felt much more complete.

I don't usually read horror, so this was a nice change of pace. The art was really good, set the tone.

Content Warnings

casdelvo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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