Through the Woods, by Emily Carroll

Don't go into the woods. There are things waiting there. Strange things. Monstrous things. Hungry things. Things waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting traveler foolish enough to wander off the path.

Artist and writer Emily Carroll's Through the Woods is a collection of five deliciously creepy stories about things that happen to those who dare to venture into the woods. 

A young woman trapped in her house during a snowstorm does the only thing she can: Wait for the thing that took her sisters to return for her

After marrying a wealthy man, a new bride learns too late the awful truth her husband's last wife. A fate that will soon be hers as well?

Two brothers enter the woods to stop a monster that has been terrorizing their village. One brother comes out. The monster is not what the reader first believes.

Two young women make a living fooling people into thinking they can communicate with the dead (they can't really). Then one of them really does become haunted. 

A young girl, home from school for the summer, visits her brother and his pretty new fiancee in their pretty new home. Then the girl wanders into the woods...and learns the horrible truth.

The girl walked safely through the woods at night. It was lucky the wolf didn't find her. Or did it?

Through the Woods is shivery, creepy, and lots of fun to read. The illustrations are gorgeous and vivid. Pick it up and read the stories all in one sitting, or savor them one by one. Either way, you've got a treat in store.

And maybe next time you're faced with the choice of taking the shortcut through the woods, you'll think twice and take the long way around. Because there are things in the woods. Strange things. Monstrous things. Hungry things.

Waiting to pounce.

On YOU! --AJB

Midwinterblood

Centuries ago, on the remote Scandinavian island of Blessed, a viking king is ritually sacrificed in hopes that his death will end a mysterious curse that has been plaguing the land. The curse ended...or did it? Shortly after the king's death, the queen vanishes--only to reappear months later possessing a terrible secret. A secret that would change the island and its people forever.

Flash forward: In the year 2037, investigative reporter Eric Seven visits Blessed hoping to uncover the truth to the claim that the residents of the island have discovered the secret to eternal life. Upon his arrival, he meets Merle, a woman he feels he's known before. As history brutally repeats itself, Eric realizes he has known Merle--in another lifetime. Many other lives, in fact. What follows are seven chapters told in reverse chronological order, summarizing how Eric and Merle's souls have encountered each other again and again throughout the centuries. 

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick is this year's Printz Award winner. But despite the high honor bestowed upon it, the story is lacking. Chapters are too short to allow for much character development, and the way the plot jumps makes the storyline difficult to follow. What's more, clues linking the stories feel forced and are a little too convenient even for fate. Because of this, readers may have a hard time staying engaged. Lastly, the concept (two souls linked by tragedy doomed to follow each other throughout history) is stale. It's been done many times before: "Reincarnation" by Suzanne Weyn, "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell, "The Midnight Club" by Christopher Pike... The list continues.

While mildly entertaining, this one, unfortunately, isn't highly recommended. --AJB

Geeked Out!

Calling all: music geeks, drama geeks, library geeks, math geeks, computer geeks, sports geeks, science geeks, outdoor geeks, comic geeks, Clique-ers, Jedi, Trekkies, Whovians, Gleeks, Jocks, Gamers, Cheerleaders, Marching Band members, animal lovers, Punkers, Rockers, Metalheads, knitters, crafters, scrapbookers, collectors, Team Edward, Team Jacob, Team Whoever, anti-Team, artists, fangirls, fanboys, Otaku, Advocates, Environmentalists, Conformists, Non-Conformists, popular kids, loners, and everyone in between. If this is you, listen up!

No matter what clique or category (or non-clique/non-category) you use to define yourself, chances are there's one thing, one very special thing, that you totally and completely "geek out" over. Whether it's a TV series, a certain band, a hobby, a sport, a book, or whatever. It's your "thing" and, to you, it's the most awesome thing in the world. That's the focus of Geektastic. In this short story collection, some of today's most popular YA authors write about what makes them geek out--and all the humor, heartbreak, and obsession that goes with it. Whoever you are, you'll find something to relate to in Geektastic.