Cover Image: The Devil's Tree

The Devil's Tree

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Member Reviews

This was Susan McCauley's debut novel, and it's honestly pretty good. It was a perfectly creepy ghost story. Truthfully I wish the book had been longer! This had so much potential to be longer and much more suspenseful. I wanted more of Kaitlyn and Hunter's relationship before the accident. I wanted more of Dylan and Kaitlyn's growing feelings for each other. I loved Agatha the ghost's haunting story, but wish it was more detailed and I wish it took longer to piece everything together. Overall, it was an enjoyable quick creepy read. I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick YA ghost story read!

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Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about a haunted evil tree that no only scares visitors but tries to kill them. The concept of this sounded interesting but after requesting it I saw that it's a YA and immediately regretted it. I still gave it a shot though and unfortunately it wasn't for me.

As a whole, I thought the story was decent and the mystery behind this tree of evil spirits was fun, but the main character was just too much for me. I get that she is a teenager with a tough upbringing and she is going through a lot but my goodness...she was the most unlikable character. In the beginning I tried to look past her nasty thoughts and attitude she had with her "friends" but it just felt constant. She seemed like a nasty person and it was distracting for me. I am fine with unlikable characters but for some reason she just rubbed me the wrong way.

I did enjoy the hauntings of some of the ghosts though and found that a lot of the moments were very atmospheric..loved it. Some of the gory graphic parts actually reminded me of King's Pet Semetary and added to the creepiness of scenes. So much fun! I did have empathy for some of the characters and was rooting for them by the end.

I recommend this to people who are fans of YA and for younger folks who are new to horror/ghost/possession books. Also, for people who are more into plot than character driven stories.

3/5

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The Devil's Tree is your typical teenage horror story. Kaitlyn has been dating her boyfriend Hunter for 2 years now. One night, they decide, along with Kaitlyn's best friend Kesha and Hunter's best friend Dylan, to check out "The Devil's Tree," a local legend. After hearing some strange noises, the friends are quick to leave, but Hunter no longer has control of the car and ends up crashing. Only Kaitlyn and Dylan survive.

Attending the funeral together, Kaitlyn and Dylan see the ghosts of their former lovers and realize that their spirits are trapped. In order to free them, they have to solve the mystery surround The Devil's Tree.

It took me a long time to realize what time period this was supposed to take place in because of the obsession with race and they backwards ways people talked and thought in this small town. Kaitlyn herself also struggled with race, even if she "did not see color" which is harmful in itself. That aspect of the story really bothered me.

Actually, Kaitlyn in general bothered me. She kept saying how bad she had it and no one else had it as bad as her. She never understood the struggles her black friend was going through in the racist town and always thought her own problems where bigger. This is not to that Kaitlyn did not have problems, she did, but to compare her struggles to that of a black girl in a small town is highly inappropriate.

This book is a quick read, despite that. It had every typical trope a horror book like this would have and continued it's problematic ways with a certain gay character. There was on touching moment that I thought was written well and that was when Hunter and Kaitlyn were saying goodbye for the last time.

Other than that, I probably would not recommend this book to anyone.

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The Devil's Tree
by Susan McCauley
BooksGoSocial Publishers

Wow, this was an amazing ghost story/horror story! It's a young adult book that features ghosts, a demon, people that are evil as the demon, four close friends, a haunted tree, courage, love, dysfunctional families, and friendships.

I loved how the writer painted the typical town with the racists, the drunks, the rich, the poor, the judgmental and those that aren't. She also captured the realistic life of teens, of family issues regardless of wealth or status, of racial issues, even religious issues. All of these blended smoothly into the story.

One of the boys wants to go to the haunted tree to have an article in the paper, if they can come up with something new. That day changes their lives forever! I don't want to give spoilers but there are some very spooky scenes, nerve racking situations, great twists, creepy atmosphere, and just plain scary at times.

The book is so good! It's going in my favorite file! The ending was emotional and I almost cried! I am not a person that cries easy so if you are, have tissues ready. I enjoyed this book so much. I couldn't put it down once I started it.
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this wonderful book!

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This book is an old fashioned ghost story and was surprisingly good, it’s aimed at up young adults but I’m in my 40s and I enjoyed it too. Set in Texas there is a tree where nothing grows and there has always been rumoured stories surrounding it, so when Kaitlyn’s boyfriend Hunter is convinced to go to the tree by his best friend Dylan she reluctantly goes along and they soon find out the rumours are true.

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This is a story based off of a actual place, and whose story I am familiar with - so I was excited to read this story. I was not at all disappointed. This book is good for what it is, a perfect story to sit down with and read by a campfire (which I did) and have some scares for the night. However, it is simple and easy to predict. Which was very disappointing.

A teen named Kaitlyn is tricked by her boyfriend Hunter to go on a sort of ghost hunt with his friends, unfortunately at the end of the night two of them end up dead. It’s up to Kaitlyn and Dylan to find closure and answers.

I liked this story and it was enjoyable! It is definitely not too serious. It does read like it’s YA. This will be more relatable to teens, as I’m older and felt like Kaitlyn was just annoying at times - obviously due to the age difference. This book is not too serious, or truly scary - but it is fun. It’s also obvious for the first chapter that Kait will end up falling for dylan. The book is surprisingly romance heavy, and not as focused on scares and mystery which is a big downside. Though both characters are likeable (took time for me to like Kait), I did not really care for romance in a horror book. This is a good book for a road trip, or someone not looking for extreme horror.

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A few miles from town stand The Devil's Tree. The local lore is that the tree is evil, cursed and deadly. Nothing grows on the tree. Old Joe tried to cut it down and was killed. When four teens decide to photograph the tree one of them angers the spirit of the tree and then there is hell to pay.
I'd list The Devil's Tree as YA that would be enjoyed by adults. I enjoyed this book. I liked the way that the story evolved into the reason for the curse, how the curse manifests and how Kaitlyn solved the mystery and worked on a plan with Dylan and the Father. This was an enjoyable creeper of a story. Thank you #netgalley for allowing me to read and review #TheDevilsTree.

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One Saturday Kaitlyn’s boyfriend, Hunter, convinces her to go to the Devil’s Tree. Their best friends, Dylan and Keisha, are also going and are planning to check out the supposed hauntings surrounding the tree.
The fun little adventure turns deadly, when they get into a horrific accident resulting in Hunter’s and Keisha’s death.
Dealing with the heartbreak and devastation, Kaitlyn and Dylan lean on each other, which causes Kaitlyn to start having feelings for him.
Then Keisha and Hunter starts haunting them and they must figure out how to set them free.

This was a fun little story, I feel like I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read this while I was in high school. It could come off a bit cheesy and while I don’t mind that, I think people who love YA would love this.
If you’re looking for something truly terrifying and spooky, this is probably not the book for you. This is more on the “cutesy” side of horror.
If you don’t like romance with your horror, I also don’t think you’d love this one. There’s quite a bit involved, especially when Kaitlyn starts having feelings toward Dylan. I personally didn’t mind this addition, I like a little bit of romance, but I do feel like it sort of detracted from the spooky factor a bit. It felt like the focus was more on the romance at times, then the hauntings and finding out what the Devil’s Tree is all about.
There’s also a bit of humor, when Keisha sees Dylan and Kaitlyn becoming close, she becomes extremely jealous. Those scenes are silly and fun, but I wish they had been a bit more serious in nature.
I liked the whole idea of the Devil’s Tree, it was well thought out and I liked how it all progressed through the story.
If you’re looking for something a bit more lighthearted and fun, I think this is perfect for that.

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Never ending excitement! I couldn't put it down. I was looking for something spooky to read and this is exactly what I needed. Kind of falls in the "teen" category, I think but still would recommend it to anyone looking for a spooky read.

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I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I went into this with low expectations.

I had a few issues throughout the whole book. The characters could be annoying and immature, especially in the first chapter. A lot of things got repeated. The main character kept telling us the same information over and over. It got annoying after a while.

The ending was a little bit of a let down. Everything ended pretty much happily ever after. It just felt unrealistic (I know it is fiction, we just see it too much).

I usually rate based off of how much I enjoyed a book. I definitely enjoyed this. I had trouble putting it down and wanted to know what was going to happen. There is a little bit of a mystery element to the plot and it kept me reading.

I am very glad I read this and see why it has been getting great reviews. I was very pleasantly surprised. 4 out of 5 stars.

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What a great book thoroughly enjoyed throughout read it super quick didnt want to put it down....would definitely recommend this book to others

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The Devil's Tree is such a great YA horror story. A group of friends decide to visit a haunted tree but what are the consequences? I'd been wanting to read a ghost story and this one certainly delivered in all the right ways. Not sure what's scarier, the ghosts or the fact that the town's prejudices are still so real.

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The devil's tree by Susan McCauley .
Kaitlyn wants to go out with her boyfriend Hunter on her Saturday night off. But Hunter convinces Kaitlyn to join him Dylan and Keisha at the devil's tree. But tragedy strikes.
Omg a brilliant read. I loved the story. Kaitlyn was my favourite character. I loved the cover too. 5*.

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I read this book so fast and couldn't put it down! Kaitlyn the character grew so strong in the end and it was a very good book!!! I enjoyed it a alot! The flow of the words and conversations in the story was beautifully written! 5/5

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Beautifully written!

Ghost stories have always fascinated me. The light romance threaded into this one made it even more perfect. With a theme of much needed tolerance for those who are different, violent spirits and demons, and young love, The Devil’s Tree was a book I couldn’t put down,

A curse, a town with deep secrets, and a courageous girl... The Devil’s Tree will leave your heart racing, make you cry, and give you hope. An outstanding book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for permitting me to read and review The Devil’s Tree.

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