A review by erine
Through the Woods by E.M. Carroll

5.0

My first thought: Beautiful.

My last thought: I am so glad I read this in the morning and not before bed like I'd planned.

There is no way I would have slept. The illustrations are gorgeous, full of period costuming, flowing capes, haunting expressions, and every visual element heightens the creep factor. The colors aren't limited to black, white and red, but those are the colors that stick in my mind afterward, and those were the panels featuring the most terrifying elements.

The stories themselves are unrelated, but share a serious spook vibe. I'd summarize, but I really enjoyed reading this without knowing what was coming.

I fondly remember Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories with Stephen Gammell's utterly horrifying illustrations. This volume is much more elegant, but would probably be a fitting recommendation for kids coming off of Scary Stories and looking for more.