Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hazelthorn is the most haunting yet beautiful story I've ever read. Following Evander's heavily controlled and mysterious life in the Hazelthorn estate, this story takes readers on a journey that will stick with them in ways that can't be explained.

I loved this book so much that I'm almost terrified to review it. Don't Let the Forest In was one of my top books of 2024. I didn't think it could get any better than that story, but Hazelthorn shows us how lucky the book community is to have an author like CG Drews writing in our lifetime. They are such an undeniable talent and there will never be a time where I'm not desperate to read their next book.

The first thing I noticed when starting this book was the breathtaking atmosphere. It's incredible to see how Drews can reach out and pull readers into the setting they've created. It's impossible to read this book and not feel like you're right there in the Hazelthorn estate with the characters. Description and setting are my favorite parts of any fantasy book and I don't think I've ever seen them done so well.

I'm not sure where to begin with how incredible the characters are. Each individual has an outstandingly deep and unique personality. Without a well-written character, it's easy for a book to struggle. Drews, however, has mastered character building in a way where even inanimate objects seem to have personality and depth. The story is emotional on its own, but the connection readers will form with these characters makes those more intense plot points hit so much harder.

Along with the characters, Drews writes the most wonderful relationships. Whether it's love or hate, everything is incredibly well thought out. The love stories in their books are eternally complicated but still so beautiful that you'll never be able to stop thinking about them.

And the ending... I never knew what was coming with this story. The last few pages took me on a rollercoaster I wasn't quite sure I wanted to get off of. Without saying too much about how it made me feel for spoiler reasons, I want to make it known that there could not have been a more perfect ending for this book. The last pages were exactly what they needed to be and I love them with my entire heart.

I could truly go on and on about this book forever. There is so much to love about this story. There's body horror and a garden with a mind of its own. There's love and hate. There's beauty and terror. Everything you could ever want is placed carefully onto the pages of this book. Hazelthorn wrapped its vines around my heart and squeezed as tight as it could, only letting go when the time was right. The seeds of this story have grown in my mind and taken their permanent place there. If any book will stick with me forever, it's this one.

Review on Goodreads (sophreadingbooks https://www.goodreads.com/sophreadingbooks) as of 3/16/2025
Review on Instagram (sophiesreading https://www.instagram.com/sophiesreading/) expected 3/19/2025

Don't Let the Forest In was one of the first books I reviewed on NetGalley so I was so incredibly excited when I was approved for Hazelthorn. Overall, just what another amazing book by C.G. Drews. Gothic horror/fantasy is my favorite niche-genre so I've read a ton of these kind of books and this was just a home run. Once again, Drews did an excellent job making the garden just as creepy and dangerous as the human villains of the story. Honestly, by the end it was more of a complicated character than some of the people ever were. I love how the author makes them autonomous beings, without being overly fantastical. They added enough conflict and ambience without overtaking the importance of the other characters.

Speaking of the characters, they were all so well done and interesting, even the antagonists who were honestly kind of one-note. Evander was a sympathetic and exhausted character who went through an amazing character journey throughout the book. His fight to overcome his "weaknesses" and find his own form of strength was so heartwarming and compelling. He was a great representation of how society often wants to "other" people with disabilities and/or mental health issues by vilifying them pushing them out of the public eye. Laurie was a complex and tragic character who was trying desperately to get out from his family's thumb while also trying to help the boy he loved. Their romance was so endearing and had a very natural development that had me rooting for them, even when I probably shouldn't have been. And then the rest of the Lennox-Hall family played a great true villain role with absolutely no chance of redemption. They did great in adding to the dread and unsettling nature of the story.

The best way to describe this book was that it was a perfectly atmospheric and creepy story, that didn't sacrifice character development or plot just for scares. In the end, Drews is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I will always be eagerly awaiting their next book.

<b>ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.</b>

<i>5 ☆</i>

This is a mind consuming book. There was so much to this book I can’t believe I thought it would be normal in the beginning. It was messy but also beautiful. I was actually really surprised with the twists and turns. I felt the same fascination as I did when reading The Spirit Bares Its Teeth.

Whoever wrote in their review that this was the most autistic book they’ve ever read… I kind of understand what they mean.

This was seriously so incredible. At first I was worried that the rich mansion wayward kids thing has been done before, but this read was absolutely exquisite.

The writing in this book was so engrossing - the way that Drews brought the language of the garden into all aspects of this book was fantastic. There are some definite content warnings re: abuse, and I peeked at the end too early and got unnecessarily sad but I actually really loved the the way the two main characters' history developed over the course of especially the second half of the book. I'm excited for pub date - I am definitely recommending this to all my horror people in October. Thank you Macmillan for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

An exquisite gem of a novel. Drews has the incredibly rare ability to intertwine the horrifying with the hopeful and keep readers invested in every single step of the story.

“Pain is meant to take up space or else we wouldn’t know how to scream. Fuck making your agony silent to avoid disturbing others. Maybe they should be disturbed.”

Plant horror, my beloved. Hazelthorn absolutely has my heart. This was such a beautiful book, and despite not having a heartbreaking ending made me cry upon finishing it. The language was absolutely stunning and atmospheric. The main characters were deliciously complicated and rage-filled. I honestly have zero complaints which is super rare for me. This book was disturbing in all the right ways. If you're interested in twisted, dark, angry novels definitely pick this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

4/5 stars
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This book is full of vines and rot and botanical imagery that pulls on my love for horror and nature. I devoured both "Hazelthorn" and "Don't let the forest in" by CG Drews. Before discovering CG Drews I wasn't aware this book genre was missing from my life. There's absolutely no turning back now. I'll just have to read everything they write.

Hazelthorn is a scrambled combination of "The Secret Garden" By Frances Hodgson Burnett and "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" By Shirley Jackson. And it just works so well. It's obsessive, desperate, haunting, and steeped in sinister moss and rotting flesh. You won't be able to put it down. Vine tendrils will keep pulling you back in.

Drews always strives for including diverse representation in their books and if that is something you look for as a reader you won't be disappointed. This book is a great combination of Autism spectrum disorder, a flesh eating garden, and an LGBTQ+ love story.

The cover is gorgeous. The dedication is perfect. And the printed text is very detailed. Reads who like flowery and poetic descriptions will enjoy this. CG Drews definitely utilizes and treats writing like an art form. Which is refreshing and something I really enjoy about their books.
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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for providing me with a e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, CG Drews and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the eArc of Hazelthorn.

This book blew me away. CG Drews has a very poetic way of writing. It's so descriptive, it draws you in, grabs you and doesn't let go. I really related and enjoyed the representations of this book. Knowing people in my life that are Queer, Autistic, ADHD and just in general, different. CG Drews portrays how devastatingly lonely being different can be and what lengths, wishes almost not to be. There is also acceptance and love within his writing.

The elements and pacing of this book worked really well, it flowed and I pretty much read this in one sitting. As with his previous book Ive read, Don't Let The Forest In. I loved the illustrations with in Hazelthorn, so much so, I wish there was more,


5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishing for providing me with this ARC!

This book was so atmospheric and spooky; I was engrossed by the vibes. I was on edge the whole time reading and physically squirming at some scenes. The third act was phenomenal and gripping.

I really wanted to love this but had a lot of difficulty connecting to our main characters. I am autistic and so I loved that aspect of Evander and related to it heavily, but the rest of his personality I just felt removed from. I felt similarly with Laurie—got a lot of smirks from him but not much depth for a lot of the book.

Right from the beginning I knew Hazelthorn was going to be a love letter to rot and decay. This book was dark, gory, lush, and wild. Evander’s character was so unique and complex that even though I predicted he wasn't totally human, I was still shocked at every twist and turn the story took. The reader looks Hazelthorn right in the face from the start, they just have to dig to truly see it. CG Drews is one of the greatest voices of YA horror that I've read in a long time.

I ate UP “don’t let the forest in” & was soooo excited to get approved for this book. I am a sucker for gothic books & this exceeded my expectations. a haunted mansion? a creepy garden? an eerie, unsettling plot? OMGGGGGG. this book hit every mark & then some. CG Drew is quickly becoming one of my auto buy authors.

I was impressed! I really like YA fiction and I have consumed a lot of it. This concept was fresh, which is always nice to read. Also! THE COVER! Wow, it is so pretty.

A huge and expansive thank you to Macmillan Publishing and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews in exchange for review.

5/5 stars

I didn’t know that the immaculate atmospheric vibes and eerie feelings I got from “Don’t Let The Forest In” could be topped, however Drews has done it again. Hazelthorn is my favorite read of the year so far and I know it’s only March but I’ll likely feel this way for some time.

Everything about this book spoke deep into my soul: the longing, the mystery, the lack of trust and desperation for understanding, the mystical magical compendium of poisonous botanical beauty and horror.

Random side note: I’ve been planning to get a tattoo “sleeve” on my leg of poisonous plants and feel so inspired to add Kings Sleep and everything else mentioned within this story into the design — a little piece of Hazelthorn with me forever that most likely will be able to travel across property lines (lol).

Back to the non spoiler review: I have so much to say about this book but want to post as spoiler free so those who are curious about this book can see how much I loved it without worry of ruining their own experience.

The characters are so well imagined and thought out I could easily visualize every single one of them. Drews writing is comprehensible but with so much depth that I was so wildly sucked into the moment and wasn’t considering the bigger picture for my theories and was fully taken by surprise by the shocking twists and turns the entire way through.

In my opinion this is a perfect book, I’d change absolutely nothing. If you are considering, please read this book! I will be full strength pushing this to all my friends who read because I know they’ll love it.

Thank you so much! I absolutely devoured this. (When’s the next book?)

This book was a masterpiece. It makes me rethink all the gardening I have to do in the upcoming weeks at my home in all honesty. The way the author writes is poetic in a way that pulls you in and makes it hard to ever put the book down. I loved every second and will be immediately buying a copy for my shelf and recommending it to everyone. I also didn’t know which characters to love, hate, trust, or be uneasy about. Overall, well done and 5 stars.

This book wrapped vines around me and dragged me down into the dirt rot bury me and I thanked it kindly. Once again, CG Drews delivered a fantastic, horrifying story laced with delicious, all-consuming romance. I devoured this book and I want more.

The haunted forest mixed with a pretentious, rich family and a boy who’s been told he’s broken made for an amazing story of horrific hunger. The way Hazelthorn hates the Lennox-Halls was divine. The prose, as always with Drews, is perfectly atmospheric for the haunting feeling of the Hazelthorn estate.

An absolute perfect book if you enjoyed Don’t Let the Forest In or if you’re looking for a haunting book about a boy who’s just a little bit wrong and has an insatiable hunger for the boy who tried to kill him.

I’d like to read this book forever. C.G. Drews is one of my top favorite authors and they should be yours too.

4.25/5 stars
I went into reading Hazelthorn with almost no knowledge besides that it was queer garden horror and that I LOVED the cover. Honestly, I’m happy I went in with know idea what was in store. I loved the atmosphere and how everything felt so alive in such a twisted and sinister way.
Hazelthorn is classified as YA, but doesn’t shy away from darker themes of familial trauma, child abuse, and obsession. It also has several depictions of gore throughout—to be expected in a horror book, but not for those who are negatively affected by descriptions of blood and guts.
Oftentimes, the language felt flowery in a self indulgent way, which felt strange for a teenage boy (no matter how recluse), but while reading I thought it lent itself to the atmosphere. Though I took note of this, I got to a point during the book where I realized the overly flowery language was very intentional and served a very specific purpose to the story besides just atmosphere. Sometimes the sentiments were a bit repetitive, but I didn’t mind it. They felt like a peek into the brambles of Evander’s brain.
I loved the mystery of the book and the dynamics of the characters. There were some elements of the mystery that I did predict, but I didn’t have an exact idea of what was happening. Greed, resentment, and blood were essential characteristics of each relationship. What I love about a lot of horror is— despite any supernatural, paranormal, or fantastical elements— the real monsters are people. We definitely saw a bit of that in Hazelthorn as well.
I highly recommend Hazelthorn, especially if you like scary plants, queer disaster bois, and being unsettled in an almost romantic way.
Enormous thank yous to Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends for approving my ARC request on NetGalley!

A twisted fantasy about a garden with a taste for human flesh and the obsessive relationship between two haunted teenage boys, HAZELTHORN kept me up until 2 in the morning. Deeply disturbing and original, it's The Secret Garden but make it gay and murderous. CG Drews' prose is stunning as always. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of one of my most anticipated books of the year in exchange for an honest review.

Deep within the hills of New England sits Hazelthorn Manor, where within these walls, Evander is a sickly, helpless boy. When his caretaker dies under mysterious circumstances and leaves his entire fortune to him, Evander must sort through a murder mystery and the secrets of a family for whom greed outweighs guilt.

I found the concept intriguing, though not what I was expecting in a Horror novel. I would consider this story to fit more as a dark romantic fantasy. Still, I would recommend it, as long as you know what to expect going into it.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel!

I was extremely lucky to receive an arc of this book after reading the authors first book Don’t let the forest in, Which was one of my most favorite novels of last year! So when I saw I was able to read this book I was ecstatic. Drews provides another thorny and sickly tale of love and horror. They weave a tale of a mysterious boy and an even more mysterious family. We have our untrustworthy main character Evander, a dangerous grandson of billionaire caretaker and formidable family members.