I am very into graphic novels and comics at the moment. I'd seen Through the Woods floating around for a while and wanted it. Before that, I wanted it because the author's name was so similar to mine (and so I was intrigued).
I'm so glad I put this on my wish list. It's a quick read, I read the whole thing in less than an hour. The art style is glorious, I love it. It differs slightly between each story but it is all tied together, by the use of colour especially. I enjoyed her art so much that I then went on a hunt for more, and will heartily recommend Anu-Anulan & Yir's Daughter and The Prince & the Sea for any who might want a taste of her work before buying it in print. Do yourself a favour, though, and buy this book.
The stories are effortlessly creepy, and definitely spoke to the teen, Point Horror obsessed version of me (who I still revert back to every now and again) but in a much more satisfying way. Emily Carroll is good at what she does.
The book itself is well produced, the paper choice is perfect and the finish on the cover is wonderful though I am unsure what it actually is. It brings something very tactile to the book and as the stories themselves are tactile in their own way, it's very well suited.
All of the text is written by hand, which is a lovely touch and makes me envious of her handwriting. It's easy to read and the layout really works for each spread. Overall, I love it. It's definitely a winner.
It wouldn't be fair of me to leave this without some visuals, so here are a few spreads to get you interested (trust me, you want to be interested in this book)!