Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this beautiful ARC. I absolutely loved the illustrations of this graphic novel. My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough and ended rather abruptly.

Thanks to Mad Cave Studios for an ARC of this title.

I was pleasantly surprised by this short graphic novel. I am a fan of horror media especially when it is steeped in culture and Whisper of the Woods is fully immersed in its Romanian setting. Everything from the language to the clothing is present, making the setting much more immersive.

The art style is an extremely important element as it is a graphic novel, and I enjoyed the sketchy style as well as how some of the pages were composed. The way the clothing is drawn in particular really drew my interest. I loved seeing the details of the clothing that is unique to Romanian culture and other Eastern European nations.

The supernatural elements were also unique to Romanian folklore, which I enjoyed learning about in the story. I even researched it on my own because it got me interested in the topic.

Overall, it was a good short read that scratched my horror itch.

Thank you Mad Cave Studios, Mad Cave Studios Inc. and Netgalley for the advance copy of this comic book.


I thoroughly enjoyed reading the comic book; its narrative and visual representation were exceptional. The focused storytelling captivated me, avoiding unnecessary details and maintaining intrigue until the very end. However, if I may offer one suggestion, it would be to enhance the journey of Adam in gaining access to the folklore of Hoia Baciu. Instead of the villagers readily sharing all the information with him upon his arrival, it would be more engaging if Adam had to work harder to uncover their secrets.

Here are the aspects that work effectively in the comic book:

Adam's unwavering determination to find Val.
The compelling story and captivating visuals that complement each other flawlessly.
A satisfying ending that leaves a lasting impression.
On the other hand, one aspect that could be improved upon is the ease with which Adam acquires the information. It would be more immersive and authentic if he had to face challenges and obstacles while delving into the folklore of Hoia Baciu.

I highly recommend this comic book to anyone who appreciates horror, haunted forests, and supernatural folk tales. Its enthralling content is guaranteed to leave readers thoroughly satisfied.

Short and sweet graphic novel about scary haunted woods in Rumania.
The story gets right to the point considering it’s only 90 pages long but I think this could’ve been more enjoyable if we got more background story about the characters and the haunting itself.
Nevertheless I really enjoyed reading it and the art style was very pretty.

This held such eerie and doomed vibes and I was 100% here for that!

The ending proving that the supernatural cycle continues, and there seems to be no end in sight leaves just the right taste in your mouth; fear and intrigue.

Moral of the story listen to local residents when they tell you about dangerous supernatural creatures/legends.

(I received this title from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
Whispers of the Woods, by Ennun Ana Lurov and Micah Myers, is a very short comic book about Romania’s most supernatural forest, Hoia Baciu, and the creatures that lurk inside. In less than 100 pages, the author tries to evoke a sense of creepiness and eeriness, something that is achieved in some of the pages but not all of them, thus making the rhythm quite irregular and the characters flat in their mission. They simply do not have time enough to develop or to share their true intentions. The ending is extremely abrupt as well, sadly.

4,25⭐️

I'm trying to guess how a 90 pages long comic managed to inject pure fear under my skin, but I'm afraid I don't have an answer. I loved it.

Perhaps it's a fact that "Whisper of the Woods" is about part of Romanian folklore that isn't used too frequently. Transylvania means Dracula, and Ennun Ana Iurov takes us somewhere else, into a small village on the edge of the forest. With Adam, who's best riend just went missing in the woods, and who's a foreigner, we're trying to find out what actually happened. The artstyle is really nice, colors work perfectly for setting, which blended with interesting plot it makes a great comic.

It's very short, but uses its length to the full. Cannot not recommend to everyone who likes spooks different than obvious monsters!

It's not often that something scares my but boy did this do it. Even with a simplistic art style this still manages to be tense and spooky through the whole quick story. Quite short so there shouldn't be many excuses to skip this amazing graphic novel.

V short and sweet comic about a scary Romanian folktale involving, surprise surprise, a jilted woman and the world of men she wants to obliterate.

Whispers of the Woods is a short graphic novel that follows a story of Adam, who after the mysterious disappearance of his friend, despite the locals' warnings of iele and the witch's premonition of his death, finds himself traveling to Romania's Hoia Baciu forest in search of him. With each passing night, he becomes increasingly aware of the strange happenings around the forest.

This was a very quick and fun read. The illustrations were gorgeous and really added life to the story, especially with the use and selection of colors. However, my main complaint is that I wish the book was a little bit longer so we could have understood the characters better and avoided the abrupt ending, as it could've benefited the story if it was more fleshed out.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Very short story, I would have preferred there to be more to this. It feels abruptly unfinished. It would make a cute zine, but not a library book.