Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (Margaret K. McElderry Books) is a collection of short folk-tale-flavoured horror stories woven into a graphic novel. The stories allude to and invert classic fairy tales such as “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Bluebeard” and “The Velvet Ribbon,” and her illustrations set an eerie atmosphere in greys, blues and reds. “The Nesting Place” twists together the best parts of the wicked-stepmother tale with a fresh take on the monster-in-the-woods/monster-within duality to stand out for me as Carroll’s creepiest story. The sentence that best sums up the collection comes from “His Face All Red”: “[It] came from the woods (most strange things do)”—which, in this volume, includes but is not limited to ghosts, parasites, dead brothers, mysterious strangers and murderous husbands. Folk tale and horror enthusiasts will enjoy the strange things that come from Carroll’s mind, and might think twice next time they venture into the woods.