Showing posts with label through the woods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label through the woods. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2014. Hardcover. 208 pages.

This is, hands down, a book that I will come back to many times to reread over and over.  I received this book as a gift a few months ago and had yet to dive in, but I've been in a little bit a slump - what with university and other books I've been reading - and I knew I wanted something refreshing, short, and captivating. Through the Woods delivered all of those things and added more than I imagined.

Through the Woods contains a few relatively short, quick stories, but they have so many layers and so much depth that I truly feel like I would never get tired of them. These tales are all undeniably beautiful, haunting, and spine-tingling. Emily Carroll is a master at telling stories that say a great deal in very few words. The images contribute wonderfully and convey just as much as each word, causing both elements work hand-in-hand. This book is mystifying, beautiful, terrifying, and captivating. I'm not so sure I would recommend reading it at night (unless you're into feeling terrified alone in the dark). Though to be honest, I feel like this would be so much fun to read on a stormy night with some soft lighting (or candles) either by yourself or reading aloud with a few friends or family members. That would bring this book to a whole other level... but I digress.

The pages and illustrations are gorgeous. I love the glossy pages with colors so vibrant you feel like you're holding a much more expensive book in your hands. (I felt overwhelmed with how beautiful it is.) The colors are so vibrant and have a wonderfully haunting quality due to their vibrant hues - the reds and blacks dominate and draw attention to the most captivating parts of each image. It's truly a masterpiece.

Overall, Through the Woods will be receiving a very ecstatic five stars. Go read it!


                          

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Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio, illustrated by WIlliam Stadht
Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates
Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine