Volume 5 introduces us to the massive, monstrous creature in the woods which had previously only spoken to Emmy and her sister Kammi a handful of times and on each occasion proved it was too dangerous and disturbing to be trusted. At the start of this volume, Emmy is dead in conversation with the creature, known only as the Abandoned, as it reveals to her its connection to the Family and to her own history. In so doing, Emmy finds out a fair amount about herself and just how dangerous the Family can be. Unfortunately for Emmy, this isn’t the end of the troubling events in Harrow County. A band of hunters has arrived and they mean to hunt a very uncommon game: the Abandoned. It’s up to Emmy to convince them that enormous monsters in the woods are not the kind of prey for which you should ever go hunting.

While I liked a lot of the information revealed in this volume, it’s a lot more exposition than I’d prefer. At least half of this volume is the Abandoned describing what led to the structure and goals of the Family and the reasons why Emmy should stay as wary of them as possible. The hunt of the Abandoned on the other hand, was appropriately horrifying and forbidding and set the stage for the next volume quite nicely.

This was also the volume that made me realize that a fair amount of my love for this series is due to the artwork by Tyler Crook. The first two issues of this volume are illustrated by Carla Speed McNeil and I have to admit to being disappointed with them. I love Crook’s watercolor style and his willingness to make things not perfect. McNeil’s style is less expressive than Crook’s and the way she drew the expressions on some of the character’s faces was downright silly looking. I didn’t hate it but I was very happy to have Crook’s illustrations back again in the second half of the story. That almost mystical feel that comes naturally to watercolor and his habit of transitioning between details and sketches is a large contribution to the creepy feel of this series and it just isn’t the same without that.

Harrow County is a series that I just can’t put down. I love the connection that Bunn and Crook have as creative partners but I think this volume is weakened by the heavy exposition and change in art. Rather than being an integral part of the story, it felt like filler and more heavy-handed storytelling than I’m used to from Bunn. Hopefully Hedge Magic will mark a return to what I love about this series. This one was barely three stars for me.

Full series review here