I really wanted to love everything about this book from the synopsis, but I found it touched a little too close to situations my son's girlfriend experienced in high school. Self harm is a scary topic and you end up having to tread lightly in order to reach the audience in an impactful way. I had to put this book down and try to look into what the writers intent was. I believe it was from a very personal and well meant thought out process. I am sure it resonates with many a young adult struggling to find a solution for their inner demons but I honestly could not finish it this time around. I am going to give it another go after I step back a minute and can get to a place where I can be more objective.

It was good for what it was. I kind of enjoyed the idea behind it and the blurb...but not really the book. I had no idea she self harmed. At all. No warning given. But overall it was okay. It could have done without the self harm. I mean there is a freaking witch in it. No duh I'm going to love that!

DNF at 45%

The synopsis was interesting, but what really sold it for me was the comparison to Mara Dyer. I went into this book with really high hopes.

Tori was an okay MC. She's going through some things and an upheaval in her life and her coping mechanism is cutting. It happens often and in scenes where it's not happening, she's constantly pushing on the healing wounds. Sadly, that habit seemed to define her. Nathaniel and Tori's friends Drew and Magda had potential, but they fell flat.

...and that basically describes the entire story.

It's all so bland. What I'm assuming is supposed to be build up and mystery is boring. There's no tension or spark. I read to 45% before skipping to 75% and I couldn't find anything redeeming in those sections there to continue further.

I'm rating it 2 stars because technically I did read over half and while the idea is intriguing, the execution was sorely lacking.

**Huge thanks to Hyperion for providing the arc free of charge**

I tried really hard to finish this book but it just didn't work for me.

Tori’s dad passed away over a year ago and since then the family had lost their home. Thankfully and surprisingly, Tori’s mom was sent notice that the family was to receive property and a house on land in Chaptico, Maryland. With no other choices, the family moved to a very small town in southern Maryland. While out in the cemetery, by the giant dead oak, Tori cut herself and watched as the blood dripped from her arm and into the soil. As the ground shook, a hand reached out of the soil. Nathanial Bishop pulled himself out of the ground, reborn from a curse hundreds of years old. Tori lived on Slaughter land and the Slaughter’s history was long and wrought with secrets that both Tori and Nathaniel are twisted into. It is up to Tori to unravel that history and find out what brought Nathaniel back from the dead and who is trying to stop those secrets from coming back as well.

I am thankful that The Suffering Tree by Elle Cosimano was no disappointment and just as gripping as Nearly Gone. Written from multiple viewpoints, the reader gets dialog from Nathaniel and Emmeline’s time as the story unfolds in present time. Ms. Cosimano does a wonderful job at weaving a long family history involving a powerful land owner and two child indentured servants from England. I feel I must mention that the main character uses self-harm to maintain stress levels. I thought that this was pretty gutsy for a writer to have a main character involved in this, but it worked and it was fitting to the story. It was nice that, in the end, Tori felt like she didn’t have to do that anymore. I also have to mention that I thought it was really cool that the story took place not to far from where I live so seeing familiar cities and counties was pretty neat! Then there’s the end…the end. I truly loved the end and sat for a while afterwards and just let the tears flow. I’ll have this story in the back of mind for a while. I completely recommend The Suffering Tree by Elle Cosimano. Summer is coming and this book deserves to go vacation with you!!!

The Suffering Tree is a YA fantasy novel with intriguing characters, historical aspects and an unsettling feud which is ready to blow. I enjoyed the storyline but there were many issues that somewhat irritated me.

One of my qualms is that self-harm is a very pivotal part of the story. According to the Disney book website, The Suffering Tree is aimed for 12+ year old's. I disagree here, purely from being so soon out of high school. I don't think children of 12, 13, 14 etc should read about this in detail. Also, there's no warning in the blurb. Which is in poor taste.

Self-harm is portrayed in a poor way. It actually creates a positive outcome for Tori as it raises Nathaniel from the dead. Positive connotations are never applicable towards teenagers who are often impressionable. Tori's self-harm is also not referred to in a bad way by those around her, and it is not resolved by the end.

The overall mystery of the book was really interesting. I loved the premise, I just wish it had bypassed the problematic aspects. An enjoyable part of every muster is not knowing who the antagonist is. Tori changes her suspect list throughout, but the ending is truly spectacular story telling.

Another problem was that the POV shifted a lot between past and present and between our main characters. This might just be on my e-book version, but I didn't know who I was reading sometimes. I usually have no problems with shifting POV's. But I do require some indications as to who and when I'm reading about for comprehension.

Tori, Nathaniel and the Slaughter family are all engaging and relatable to a degree. The secondary characters maybe not so much. This correlates to Tori feeling like an outcast or 'transplant' to the town. So I take this more of a chosen method of writing instead of lack of planning.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but I hated the more graphic scenes of self-harm. I also disliked knowing younger audiences could read this without knowing.

After her father's death and her family's eviction, Tori Burns, her mother, and younger brother, Kyle, move from Washington DC to Chaptico, Maryland; a small town with a lot of history. She's received an inheritance of a house and land from a man named Alistair Slaughter - she's never met him, never heard of him - and his family, who can trace their roots back to Chaptico for generations, are none too happy with it. Tori hates every moment of being in this new house and (first name) Slaughter, who takes every chance he gets to be spiteful and nasty to Tori and her mother, and things only get crazier when a young man claws his way out of a grave under the oak tree in her backyard. It's no zombie movie: Nathaniel Bishop was an abused, indentured servant for the Slaughter family in the 18th century, and he's been brought back for something - he doesn't know what just yet. Tori shelters him in the shed on her property, and tries to make sense out of the weird dreams she starts having when Nathaniel shows up. As she and Nathaniel try to figure things out, Tori uncovers the Slaughters' dark history and finds herself a part of the mystery.

The Suffering Tree is a paranormal mystery that hinges on self-harm. There's blood magic throughout the book, and the entire plot is set into motion once Tori - who self-harms - spills her own blood on the property. With references to rape, abuse, racism, and slavery, this is a novel that tackles some very big issues. Tori emerges as a strong character who struggles with cutting as a way to deal with the pain of her father's loss and more recent stresses as the novel unfolds. Her mother isn't a strong character at all, preferring to handle her daughter's psychological issues by asking her if she's okay and suggesting therapy throughout the book.

Teens are going to love this one. There's suspense and the pace is intense. Booktalk with historical YA mysteries, like the Jackaby series from William Ritter; Stefan Petrucha's Ripper, and Stephanie Morrill's The Lost Girl of Astor Street.

My thanks to NetGalley and Disney Book Group-Hyperion for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

This book NEEDS a warning of some sort. There are some VERY graphic images of cutting/self harm in this book, which can negatively affect someone who is thinking about doing it, is currently doing it or who has suffered from it. Just walking into it without any warning can be harmful. It also shows it in a "positive" light in that when the MC hurts herself, she gets this hot guy who cares about her, who gets her to fix herself. And then when he goes away, the only way to get him back is for her to hurt herself again. THIS IS DANGEROUS THINKING.

I cannot recommend this book unless it is used in a clinical setting, where the reading of it is guided as a way to expose faulty thinking that self-harm will bring about a magic prince who will fix you.

1 star, because of the self-harm. If it was handled in a better way, 3? The writing was good, the rest of the subject matter interesting enough to read more, but it was all very dark and sad. I would not avoid this author, but I'm not going to go out of my way to read anything else she produces.

I absolutely love this book.

Buy it ...you will be happy you did.

So here is the book that threw me for a loop. There is absolutely no mention of self harm anywhere in the synopsis, and I was entirely surprised when it happened. Not only this though, but it was a very graphic and detailed description of the main character cutting herself. It was majorly triggering and stomach turning and I needed to put it down immediately. It happens early on in the book, in the first three chapters or so. So, major trigger warning on this title.

First I want to state that overall I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the story line, and the back and forth between the past and the present. I'm a big fan of historical fiction and fantasy and this felt like a bit of both. The characters were approachable and maybe not always likeable but relatable. However, I will say that I am surprised that this was published by Disney because of some of the much darker themes in the book. I think that there should be a trigger warning for this book for those who suffer with self harm and cutting, but the entirety of this book revolves around that. I personally would not want my teenager reading this, as I feel the themes are a bit too dark. But if you knew someone struggling with self harm and cutting this might be a good novel to read if only to maybe get a glimmer into what they might be feeling in order to do the things that they do. I also feel like the mother in the book was a bit of a conundrum as one moment she was an over protective momma bear, and the next she didn't seem to care when Tori went off to do her own thing at all hours of the day.

NetGalley Review
Given the title, you know this book isn’t going to be a walk in the park.
When I first read the synopsis for the book, I was incredibly intrigued. A mysterious house with a mysterious boy clawing himself out of the ground. However, with the multiple points of views, lack of trigger warning or punishment/consequences, and lack of compelling characters/emotion.
I do like the message the author is attempting to convey. However, Tori ends up getting away with what she is inflicting on herself. Considering that this book is targeted for teenagers/young adults, the issue should’ve been handled a little bit more proactively. It glorifies self-harm. This book, I cannot tolerate.
For some stories, I can handle the change in point of view. But if the book exceeds two, then that complicates things. When I read, I either read the entire book in one sitting or two. Being fully invested at the end of one chapter, I’m completely thrown off if it changes point of view. It takes a minute to recall what the character was doing before they were interrupted by the other.
Overall, I was not completely impressed with the characters. Yes, they each posses characteristics that made them distinguishable from each other. However, they lacked emotion. The emotion that could drastically change someone’s life, within and outside of the book.

This is the kind of story that I've never read before. It seems a historical romance but there are fantasy elements as well. Not sure if this book would be YA in my opinion because of the harsh subjects in the book.

Pros
Ending: The ending was a good one. I felt satisfied with the ending, which should be the case if the book is a standalone.
Lot of mystery: There is a lot going on that you don't understand and it takes almost the whole book for you to get your answers. Things point to some of the wrong people and the wrong places, but you will get your answers in the end!
Different POV's: This book is written from 3 different POV's, which made it very interesting for me. You have the current time, you have the visions Tori is having and there is the history told by Nathaniel. I liked the variety and the way the story is told from different POV's. For me, different POV's don't always work or have the effect they should have. But it worked for me in this book!

Cons
Did not always make sense: There is so much going on in this book that I don't understand. The book had fantasy elements, but I wouldn't call it a fantasy book. The way things evolved didn't always make sense and I'm still not sure I understand what actually happened in the book...
Selfharm/Slavery/Rape: Such harsh subjects.. I'm not sure I would put those subjects in a book that I call YA. It's also weird to me that there is no note or warning somewhere in the synopsis or book-blurb. For people struggling with harsh subjects, it could be a shock to read those passages.
Didn't enjoy it all the time: There were moments in this book when I wasn't that excited to keep reading. I didn't understand a lot of things that were happening, together with the subjects named above, it wasn't always a pleasant read.

A story with a lot of promise. It didn't always make sense to me, Tori was hard to understand as well as her choices. Wouldn't tag this book as a YA, because of the underlying subjects in the book. When you like your casual zombie-boyfriend and a nice mystery and if you're not scared away by the above named subjects, you might enjoy this book.

The Suffering Tree is about Tori Burns, a girl who has moved to a new town that is small and quite biased. The Slaughters, the people who used to own the land her family currently occupies, are quite bitter about the Burns and are invading on their space. Things become even weirder when Tori sees a man come out of a grave. We follow Tori as she digs into her past and the Slaughter family.

What I liked was reading about the Slaughters and Tori's family history. The whole mystery behind why the Burn's got the house was the thing that kept me reading. I did find some of the chapters involving Nathanial's past to be kind of interesting, but at the same time, I kind of desperately wanted to go back to Tori's chapters to find out more about the mystery. There was an LGBTQ character or 2 which was nice to see and I liked the inclusion of magic in the novel. I would have liked to have gotten to know the Slaughters a bit more intimately as well as they are a huge part of the plot. I did like the end but I think the last chapter or two confused the heck out of me.

What I didn't like was the romance and the cutting. First off, let me say, if you are triggered by scenes of self harm, STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS BOOK. The cutting scenes are quite graphic and are spread out over the course of the book. I was reading some other reviews about this book and they pointed out how problematic that this element was in the book, in that it sends a positive message about cutting. I totally agree and think the message this book sends about self harm is quite problematic. All in all, if you are looking for a book that deals with self harm in a healthy way, this book DOES NOT do this at all.

The romance in this book was kinda weird for me too. First of all, it felt very instalove-y, which I HATE. If you are going to have romance in your book, you should convince your readers that they should be together! So basically, whenever there was a scene where the characters were kissing, I winced because it felt kind of fake. I also really don't appreciate romances where a immortal person falls for their ex's ancestor. It just grosses me out.

Overall, be a bit cautious about whether or not you want to read this. Be aware of the self harm element of this book and be prepared for some cheesy YA moments. If none of that bothers you, get ready for a YA mystery with historical elements.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was very well written. I was also genuinely surprised at some of the twists and turns, something hard to find in YA novels, it seems. I liked the flashback scenes interspersed with the present day. I do feel like some people may have a hard time with the cutting depicted in the book, but I think that overall the author handled it well.

I really love Cosimano's work-- she has a way of presenting a dark and gloomy, suspenseful atmosphere and is very talented, and I was looking forward to reading this book. The Suffering Tree stars Tori Burns who moves from DC after her family inherits a plot in Maryland from an unknown benefactor. Tori cuts herself and struggles with anxiety. So please be aware if that is a trigger for you. It wasnt my favorite by her but I did like it

The mystery set in small town America where one family has a huge amount of influence had me curious what they were trying to hide. An interesting look at how our past can define our present and our future. Full review is found at the link below.

(I received an ARC of this book on NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

I finished this book a few days ago, and I have carried it with me since then, trying to talk myself into it.

I enjoyed so many things about this book until I realized that the biggest obstacle would never be resolved:

This book glorifies and romanticizes self-harm, to the point where it is actually the means through which the protagonist actualizes her goal. None of her friends call her on this, and her lies to her mother are never addressed.

As a middle school teacher, I cannot recommend this book.

Ohh My Gosh This Book is Fantastic!! Diversity alert!!! LGBT representation as well as the heartbreaking representation of self-harm. I love reading a diverse book without knowing it at first, it’s such a pleasant surprise.

The writing was my favorite part of the whole story and that’s not something I get to say very often. The way Elle describes even the most mundane of things is absolute magic!

I will give a little taste:

Her mother’s wedding band was too loose around her finger since her father’s funeral. She fiddled with it absently, scrutinizing Tori. Her ratty smock hung slack around her too. It was splattered and smeared from work, a brightly colored palette that didn’t entirely manage to hide the hopelessness underneath.

Something about these lines make me want to read them over and over again and I do! I eat it all up and it is glorious.

On a darker note, this book deals with a very difficult subject that I didn’t realize was going to be a part of the book before I started reading it, cutting and self-harm. Early on in the book when the first instance of cutting occurs I was shocked and surprised, it was grotesquely described and was hard for me to read but I couldn’t look away from the page once the scene began.

Cutting is a theme that is deeply woven into this text and for so many people that sort of thing is very triggering and although it does not detract from the novel in any way it is well worth noting here.

Back to the brighter side, I completely and utterly enjoyed every second I lived inside these pages. All the characters were all so real to me, both those in the past and those in present day.

I loved the twists of this novel, both the expected and the unexpected. There were so many moments to love and I am so happy that a lot of them were living in the past. Nathaniel’s past is so painful and raw, but what I loved most was that he never let those moments change the man he is and it made him become such a likeable character for me. Nathaniel is so loveable and protective and in a way that makes me want to protect him and save him from all that happens to him.

Tori constantly breaks my heart in this novel. The way she is hurting and the way she deals with it shows a very broken soul, and there is something in me that makes me want to hold my hand out to her and just be there in hopes to ease some of the pain. All I really want for her is to smile and swim and have fun in life, the things that come her way are insane and I commend her for being able to deal with those things and to deal with them so well.

I also loved the impact her Father had on this story while being dead. Tori’s father was woven so carefully into the pages of this novel and his love felt so strong to me despite his physical absence. Every place in this novel that meantioned Tori’s father either made me want to cry or made me smile or both.

The magic that drove so much of the plot of this novel was also so intriguing to me, and I’m so sad that I feel like I can’t talk much about it here in fear of ruining the experience of it for yourself and so I will leave it alone by saying it was truly mystifying.

This book will engage, haunt, and mystify readers with its very soul. This novel can’t help but prick you at your very core. Imagery, sadness, and the chains of slavery mix to create a dark swirl of a novel that tears at your heart, right to the very end.