Take the haunted mansion setup, add a few of the usual twists, and inject a colossal amount of atmospheric gardening imagery, and the result is an unsettling juxtaposition of beauty and violence.

You follow Evander, a boy confined in the decaying Hazelthorn estate. When Evander inherits the estate under suspicious circumstances, other potential heirs descend on the mansion. What follows is a horrific spiral of mystery, memory, and monstrous love. The garden is creepy, the characters are dangerous, and secrets are having trouble staying buried.

Be prepared for some misery. The main characters have not had easy lives, and their trauma is on full display. There's body horror. There's abuse. There's tortured souls. Tenderness and pain are difficult to separate in this story about a boy whose past experiences with affection have always involved torment. Evander is also neurodivergent and queer without the language to fully understand or articulate himself, and his experiences with things like love and relationships are not going to be normative. For him, intimacy, hunger, desire, pain, violence, and fear are all fundamentally entangled, and his story is understandably dark. Issues around disability and queerness are not sanitized or watered down at all. It can be devastating and unflinching. A novel this visceral really shouldn't be so magnetic and mesmerizing, but it is. It's compulsively readable, and there's something sinister in how captivatingly lovely such a dark story can be.

At the book's heart is a reminder that history can't stay buried. It's always alive, and it's breathing. You can try all you want to march forward through time, but the more you ignore the past, the angrier it gets. Eventually past and present will collapse in on each other, and this book is asking what happens if you're not prepared for it. The answer: things get violent. Past and present collide, and it's messy. It's painful. No one escapes unscathed as history continues to leave its mark on the body and on the earth.

All gothic fiction is obviously about the past haunting the present, so Drews isn't doing anything new here, but this book does an exceptionally effective job of integrating the violence of time's collapse directly into the atmosphere. Rather than just throw us a bunch of traditional images of gothic rot and decay, the first chapter opens with a sad sickly boy in a crumbling manor that seems like it belongs in either Victorian England or the Antebellum South. It feels like historical fiction, until Evander suddenly mentions WiFi and computers. It's jarring to suddenly discover this story is happening in the twenty-first century. As I was reading it, I could feel the way the past and present weren't just woven together; they were also slamming into each other. The friction is tangible, and as the story progresses, the tension only increases.

If any of what I've said sounds interesting, you should first be warned that the prose might be a little purple. For me, it's lush and ornate, but it's not going to land for everyone. Each line kind of reads like it could unironically double as the title of a Fall Out Boy song. Some readers may find it angsty, edgy, melodramatic, and overwrought. Others will think it's lyrical, rhythmic, intriguing, and utterly intoxicating. The style is pretty consistent across the author's other work, most obviously Don't Let the Forest In, but here, it's paired with some of Drews's tightest pacing. Evander's thrilling journey made my internal organs feel like they were being rearranged. It wasn't comfortable, but I love any novel that makes me feel something so strongly.

~Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a Digital ARC. All opinions are my own.~

ADD THIS TO YOUR FALL TBR.

I loved this book. It’s delightfully gross. Hauntingly lovely. Filled with vivid descriptions that keep you firmly rooted in nightmare gardens and crumbling estates. It’s got a murder mystery, horrible relatives, and two wonderfully feral boys whose fascinating relationship kept me turning the pages.

One thing I also particularly enjoyed about this one was just HOW awful the rich villains are. They are so nasty and vile, and the book, in that way, acts as a brilliant exploration of awfulness of excess, the danger of greed, and the way the wealthy exploit the earth.

My recommendation: read it outside, surrounded by dirt and green and crawling things.

I've been sitting on this review for a full week trying to figure out how to explain that I'm not DNFing this book because it's bad- but because its just very much not for me. And thats okay! I got roughly 25% of the way into my ARC of Hazelthorn, and I keep picking up other titles instead of continuing this one, so it's time to confront my procrastination and label it a dnf.

Thing I loved:
- Autistic protagonist
- Claustrophobic environment where both the space & the feelings it evokes are very well explored, I also really enjoyed the sections where Evander is locked in his room and he spirals and the way that that is depicted on page and in the writing
- Lies and mystery and intrigue! I got up to the point family dynamics started being introduced and enjoyed that. I love a character making a red string wall

Things that weren't for me:
- The writing style, it's very lyrical-esque without quite fully committing to being entirely lyrical. I kept getting lost in it and losing track of what was happening or being described
- The geography of the house/estate was very confusing to me. It might be intentional since Evander is lost and disoriented, but combined with the writing style I found it hard to figure out where rooms were in relation to each other and where Evander was at any given moment
- The fact that the secondary protagonist/love interest is pretty immediately introduced in a way that clues the reader in to the fact he WILL be a love interest. I was hoping for a little more build up/tension that had to be resolved but Evander's kind of a lost puppy who is desperate for Laurie's attention. I also wasn't prepared for just how *much* of the narrative would be centered on their relationship/dynamics

Overall, I'm sure this book is fine. I think if I finished it I would probably give it 2 or 2.5 stars and be disappointed but also understand it's just not my genre. Botanical Horror as a subgenre is still very nebulous, and I wanted to love it but perhaps it's not meant to be. The constant use of plant metaphors was incredibly grating to me, but I think could be evocative to others. I still want to give "Don't Let The Forest In" a try, but I will mostly be waiting for C.G. Drews to release an adult horror (I believe they have one in the works?) to see if thats more my cup of tea.

CG Drews is such a delight to read. I loved Don't Let the Forest In, and I loved Hazelthorn even more. Each chapter was thrilling and filled with twists and turns I never saw coming. It was like A Series of Unfortunate Events mixed with Ready or Not in the best ways possible, and I will never get tired of reading Drews' books. They always bring a unique, fresh, horrifying story to the table and I am so happy to have received an ARC from the publishers yet again. Highly looking forward to the next book.

This was absolutely wonderful! Beautifully written and cleverly plotted, everything about this book was amazing! C.G Drews has such a visceral writing style that is at once beautiful and horrifying. The characters were well fleshed out, their relationship complicated and unique. The plot/mystery of this book continuously had me surprised and gasping.
I truly loved everything about it and cannot wait for their next release!

"CG Drews, instant New York Times-bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In, returns with another deeply unsettling and yet hauntingly beautiful tale of murder and botanical body horror, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White, Annihilation, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

When Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn's immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. But Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next.

Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family's dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he's really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more."

Feed me Seymour!

4 stars! 🌹🗝️🩸

“He is just a boy who was once buried alive on an estate full of monsters. And he doesn't know what else about him is real.”

A big thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan’s children group for gifting me with a copy of an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Hazelthorn” is a hauntingly beautiful tale about two boys whose hate for one another grows as wild as the hazelthorn garden outside a lonely boy’s window. Evander has been locked away in isolation since the young age of 10 years old following an accident with his ex-best friend Laurie. Laurie is the grandson of Byron Lennox-Hall who just so happens to own the whole estate, and also is responsible for overseeing at-home care for Evander, keeping him isolated for Evander’s own safety. One day, the door to Evander’s room is unlocked, allowing him to leave for the first time in years. His freedom is seemingly short-lived once Byron suddenly passes away. Evander takes it upon himself to discover who and what led to Byron’s death. He may uncover more than just the truth; he may uncover a true relationship with Laurie despite years of hatred.

What a great autumnal read. Growing up “The Secret Garden” was one of my favorite books/movies of all time so when I read the synopsis for this story, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Evander is so misunderstood and has such a pure heart. I have so much sympathy for his unfortunate situation while being locked away and pried at for the majority of his life. Poor Laurie had to face years of torment at the hands of the people he wanted to trust most - his family. His cold exterior is a mask to keep those he cares about far away from him in exchange for their safety. Both boys are lonely and in need of a person they can fully trust. They slowly peel back the layers of one another’s heart.

The Lennox- Halls are SO greedy and distasteful. Do not like them. Horrid people. Odd family.

If you enjoy eerie stories about overcoming your challenges and discovering yourself - read this. If you enjoy overgrown creepy gardens that over bloom - read this. If you like to be slightly spooked - read this.

❤️

Basically an unhinged botanical horror with a creepy gothic mansion and feral teen boys. Some parts were actually quite gross and visceral to read, but it was entertaining.

Evander lives in the isolated mansion of Hazelthorn with his guardian, Byron. He has three main rules he’s supposed to follow, which includes staying away from Byron’s grandson, the golden but infuriating Laurie who tried to kill Evander when they were kids. But when Byron dies suddenly, Evander is sure someone killed him despite what lawyers and his new guardian say. While he investigates, he discovers secrets that Laurie and Hazelthorn are hiding.

There’s content warnings at the beginning so take a look before reading, because this does get into some heavy topics and the descriptions and details get pretty gory and gross and violent. Evander is kind of pitiful at the beginning, very sickly and doesn’t know much about the world and can barely talk to anyone. Based on the acknowledgement at the end i believe he is supposed to be autism-coded, and that does come through. But he goes through quite the character development.

There are some other truly awful characters that pop up through the book, and even in the short scenes that come up you can tell what kind of people they are (not much to peel back, but I think that’s the point). It’s hard to say much without spoilers because there were several twists present (some more obvious than others, but there were some that were shocking). But the writing here was excellent, really building the mood with each word it used. At times it was actually disgusting but I loved it.

If you liked this author’s other novel, Don’t Let the Forest In, then you’ll definitely like this one. I personally liked this one more in terms of pacing and plotting. This author does horror (particularly botanical-related body horror) so well!

Thanks to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't love CG Drews's debut, but really wanted to, so I was cautiously optimistic about their next book—and I very much enjoyed it! The botanical horror, the atmosphere, it was all so delicious. I do think the prose is still too purple, but perhaps I'm becoming more accustomed to it as I read more of Drews's books. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a solid gothic horror!

My first ever CG Drews read and I will admit that this was a good pick! I could relate to Evander, aside from the eldritch horrors in his life, and that made me feel invested in this murder mystery in a gothic garden type of book. Even though I had a hunch about what would happen I still fell for each twist and turn. The inclusion of body horror really put the icing on the cake for this story even that the pacing felt slow at times. There is something whimsical about mixing nature with horror that I love.

Thank you Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This was everything I could have hoped for and then some. I absolutely adored Don’t Let the Forest In, so I had high hopes for this, and it far exceeded my expectations.
Everything about it was perfect. The imagery, the mystery plot, and the HUNGER (both the scary and romantic sort). These two boys were both so lonely. The back story? Everything that Evander went through? THAT ENDING? My heart couldn’t take it 😩 (Yes, I did in fact sob)
Hazelthorn is dark and brutal but will grip you from the very beginning and keep you up reading far past your bedtime.
I can’t recommend this enough.

currently convincing all of my friends to read this as soon as it comes out

ive never so closely related to a character in terms of me being a system, hazelthorn battling with not knowing things when it came to losing time/episodes. i cant even form words right now all i can think about is this book

i Wish i could put gifs in here because i would put like 14 different ones describing how i feel right now because i don’t know how to use words.
im not even into botanical horror but c.g. drews just hooks you so well that you like it anyway

i read and rated don’t let the forest 5 stars back in january, that being my introduction to c.g. drews and oh my god has this cemented them as one of my favorite authors
definitely going to try to fit their backlist into my tbr for the future

RAHHHHHHHHHHHHH im melting into the floor boards

the ONLY critique i have for the writing of this book is the use of repetitive words in a sentence, but that might just be me! loved it nonetheless!!

Yeah so I’m emotionally distraught now. Utterly undone. This book has left me breathless, reeling in the best, most agonizing way possible. C.G. Drews is a master at botanical horror and ripping out my heart (in the best was possible)! 🍃

The imagery is, as always, absolutely enthralling. I could feel the vines coiling around my ankles, the dirt embedding itself under my fingernails. The garden wasn’t just a setting, it was a living, breathing thing, pulsing with hunger and intent. It writhed with wanting, so much wanting. It was all-encompassing and all-consuming. There was never a moment when it wasn’t trying to worm its way inside the gothic mansion our MC, Evander, is confined.

Evander and Laurie had me rooting for them, to make it through this so they could be free, be together. To love wholly and undefined. Softly, and ruinously.

I do not want to give anything away because like Don’t Let the Forest In, you just HAVE to read and experience this yourself. Let the garden in a little and see what stares back.

As alway, a huge thank you to Netgalley for this wonderful arc! ✨

Hazelthorn is full of crawl-out-of-your-skin botanical horror and in my opinion surpasses Don’t Let the Forest In in terms of story. I thought the beginning dragged a little bit and some of the plot points were predictable, but once the story picked up I was so enamoured by the writing I didn’t care. There were good portions of the book in which I had to cover the bottom half of each page to avoid jumping ahead just to make sure everyone was okay!

Love this part of the author's note: "Hazelthorn is a story of queer and autistic rage and of being pushed over the edge. It is a story of the horror of being denied autonomy. It's also about internalized shame and being at your worst before crawling your way towards self-acceptance."

This is a 10/10 MM YA dark fantasy enemies to lovers twisted mystery. The MC Evander is everything pure and raw that a 17 year old boy can be. The angst, anger, and need for understanding and comfort is not only so human, but something anyone can relate to. I wasn't expecting this book to hit so close to my heart. I loved this story, I loved Evander and Laurie, their dynamic and relationship- as it unraveled page by page. As someone who has trouble dealing with their emotions I felt a kindred to Evander.
One quote stuck out to me among the rest,

"Sometimes he just wants to crawl out of his own skin and peg it on a washing line to air out for a bit while he takes a long nap somewhere cool and dark."

Evander lives in the forgotten wing of Hazelthorn estate, confined to his room and fed medications daily to ward off his “episodes”. When his caretaker suddenly dies, and the estate is left to him, he must rely on Laurie, the boy who tried to kill him 10 years ago, to try to solve the mysterious death, and the truth about who he is.

C.G. Drews has done it again, y’all. This book is so creepy and dark and twisty. The main characters have so much depth to them, I adored and feared them at the same time. The writing was so incredibly gorgeous and descriptive, I felt like I was running barefoot through the gardens with Evander. Drews has a distinct talent for creating atmosphere that sucks me in right away. This story is ultimately about self-hatred, and learning who you are and how to accept that. While I don’t live in a crumbling mansion surrounded by plants with a mind of their own, I related to Evander and Laurie in more ways than one, and I think many others will be able to see themselves in these characters, as well. Hazelthorn is a perfect example of why I still love YA books at almost 31 year old.

I am extremely grateful to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up

I absolutely love the way that C.G. Drews writes - it's dark, lyrical, haunting, messy, and honest - and the gothic horror vibes were impeccable. I absolutely ate up Hazelthorn with a spoon.

For the first half of the book, I thought Hazelthorn was going to be a solid 5-star read for me, but I had to drop my rating for the second half of the book as I found it to be quite repetitive in both the storyline and the imagery. Don't get me wrong, it was still amazing, but I just wanted something a little deeper by that point.

I would have LOVED to see the book venture even further into the story of Laurie and Evander's past history, and I really needed something more to help me become/stay interested in the new family member characters that were introduced in the latter part of the novel. Still, Hazelthorn was a fun way to kick off my fall reading season, and I think people are going to love this one for their Spooky Season TBR lists!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I went into this blind. Like I do for every book I read. I loved the cover and heard good things so I requested the ARC and got it. I enjoyed this one very much! Will definitely read more from this author.

"He is an autumn leaf, meant to be pressed between the pages of an old book and forgotten."⠀
⠀
C. G. Drews, Hazelthorn ⠀

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Hazelthorn by C. G. Drews is a masterpiece that just NAILS the botanical horror genre. I adore books set in haunted spaces and the huge, lonely mansion and vast, wild gardens drew me in immediately. I already love the writing style and descriptive prose that is a hallmark of C. G. Drews' work, and this story did not disappoint.⠀
⠀
The eerie and slightly unhinged narration of Evander is beautiful and haunting. The way he sees his world and how he relates to the other people in the mansion is a fantastic look into the mind of a character with autism. I also enjoyed the aloof love interest Laurie, and his family with their suspicious, sinister vibes. I appreciated the authors inclusion of autistic and queer characters that didn't need any explanation. They are just who they are. ⠀

Hazelthorn is a sumptuous horror made to be devoured in the dark Autumn months where death and decay are suddenly beautiful. ⠀

cg drews you did it again...

i always get scared writing a review for a book like this because i know i don't have the talent to describe what i was feeling while reading. this authors writing style is vivid and at times gruesome, but it all comes together to try and describe feelings that are almost indescribable. it tries to let others understand how it feels to feel surrounded but at the same time far away and out of touch.

the story is haunting and truly creates a world of its own. while reading the story felt like ivy growing and growing until it finally grows into something unruly and too hard to keep track of.

there are a few plot twists but that isn't what makes this book so capturing, instead the descriptions is what keeps you turning the page. Evander is full of meaning and all parts of him weaves together into growing rage and emotions overflowing.

in the acknowledgments the writer shares a quote that i feel sums the story up perfectly, "This is a story of monsters, but the only monster Evander finds in the mirror is self-hatred, and maybe one day he'll accept the truth of that.
Maybe you, too, will someday be kinder to yourself"