Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - The Low, Low Woods

The concept was intriguing, the athmosphere was deliciously unsettling and the art was absolutely gorgeous. The artist and the colorist worked incredibly well together.

I really enjoyed the first half. It took time to establish the world and set the mood.

Unfortunately, the ending felt like reading a brief summary of the events. I wanted it to slow down.

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enyltiak's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Such a gorgeous and haunting graphic novel—the horror of it compounds as you read and discover what is truly happening in Shudder-to-Think. Strange and horrifying and I absolutely loved it.

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aknah5's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

Everything about this book is beautifully crafted and haunting. For someone who is very cautious when approaching horror, I found The Low, Low Woods to be oddly welcoming. It's as though it goes deep into the psyche, draws out a repressed nightmare, and says "It's okay, you're not alone--we've imagined this too." Using magical realism, TLLW unleashes the horror of an unchallenged, unrestrained patriarchal society in the confines of a small Pennsylvanian town and, through the lives of our young adult heroines, moves through the enduring generational violence of that society as well as the critical awakening and resistance against it. I recommend this book as a potent piece of contemporary Gothic literature and with that recommendation, I would post this one notice: Sexual assault is not just a vague haunting theme in this novel; it is immediate and it is throughout.

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celinegaghadar's review

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Very dark and unsettling! I liked the art and thought it matched well with the story but found it a bit difficult at times to understand and interpret the drawings because of the perspective/ supernatural nature. Some unresolved parts but feels very akin to most other short stories. If you like YA spooky mine stories, this felt similar to To Break a Coven by Alison Ames.

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anemonima's review

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dark tense fast-paced

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

3.25

I didn't know this book's horror was about sexual assault and I think it should be specified on the comic. I didn't like that the monsters were never explained and that all the plot was summed up in one volume. Also I'd like to add the fact that the art is really bad, it doesn't feel adequate for a comic like this one.
I ovehyped myself about these comics and I regret it.

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charrlee's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Queer women of color and uncanny horror, what more can you ask from a graphic novel?

Carmen Maria Machado and Dani have created a wondrous narrative around monstrosity and autonomy through an exploration of the corporeal. Truly, there is so much to interrogate and tease from within these pages; questions of temporality/spatiality, the relationship between women & the environment, the choice of memory (and privilege of forgetting), and the heartbreaking realities of sociopolitical and gendered violence. After finishing the comic, I have still been pondering and realizing new connections and avenues of thought; that, my friends, is the mark of a pretty damn good story. It's difficult to exactly mark how many astounding (yet horrific and challenging) themes are covered in so few pages, and the visuals only mark to further emphasize these points. That being said, The Low, Low Woods is one of the darkest -- I mean down right horrific -- graphic novels I have read, so do read with caution. Machado is masterful in utilizing the power of silence, and her work (along with Dani's brilliant art) is a beautiful, yet tragic homage to all victims of abusive power.

Also if you like:
*Greek mythology
*Magical mushrooms
*Witchcraft
*Deer women <3
AND SO MUCH MORE

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bashsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The Low, Low Woods absolutely took my breath away. The setting of an old coal-mining town in poor, rural Pennsylvania was so well-chosen and so integral to the story. That aspect blew my mind. The art style is beautiful and haunting. El and Octavia are both compelling characters, and their main conflict makes sense and jives well with the rest of the plot.

The twist is heartbreaking, but I gasped as all the pieces clicked into place. Even though it is a fantastical story, it is incredibly REAL.

I loved this so much I'm almost incoherent. Go read it!

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