⭐ ARC REVIEW
Title: Hazelthorn
Author: C.G. Drews
Release Date: October 28th, 2025
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: YA Gothic Queer Horror

Thank you NetGalley, C.G. Drews, and Feiwel & Friends for an advanced read copy of this phenomenal book!

Summary: Evander has been forced to live in isolation from within the expansive Hazelthorn estate, under the guardianship of Byron Lennox-Hall, who is known to be a reclusive Billionaire. Evander is bound to strict rules. Never leave the estate, never enter the gardens, and never be alone with Byron's grandson, Laurence, who once tried to gravely harm him. Evander's world begins to quickly fall apart when Byron dies unexpectedly and under suspicious circumstance. Evander ends up the sole inheritor of Byron's mansion and it's secrets. To make matters worse, the estate's sentient, carnivorous garden begins encroaching into the house and threatening the life of all who live there.

✅ What I Loved:
-The descriptions and the atmosphere of the garden were pure MAGIC. I felt so engrossed and enchanted by the horror that lurks within the estate. Plant horror is such a niche genre, but damn does it work so well. Think "little shop of horrors" but in my opinion, even scarier.
-The body horror and romance were done so well. They were descriptive without being too dramatic of a prose for a young adult audience.
-The energy, story, conflict and relationship of Evander and Laurie was so tumultuous. I loved the back and forth, the yearning, and the obsession of these two.

It's got toxic plants, it's got queer romance, it's got body horror! What more could you ask for!? C.G. Drews really blew me a way with this one. I have not read any previous work, but I'm about to double back and do so! This was such a great read, I was so engaged, and it was actually quite jarring at times, much more than I expected for a Y.A so don't sleep on this one! This is going to live with me for a little bit, and I'll probably re-read during spooky season!

I received this as an arc from NetGalley.

I was super intrigued by this author and this story, but unfortunately it was not the book for me. I wish I had read Don't Let the Forest In before requesting this, as that way I would have known that this author's writing style was very much not my taste. I think if you enjoy their flowery, poetic prose, you have a good shot of enjoying this book!

WRITING STYLE
I need to be mean for a second to get it out of my system: the writing in this was so pretentious and obnoxious and it totally impeded my ability to connect to the story and it's characters. I had to take breaks while reading because I would just need a chance to breathe, and it was always jarring to try and get back into it. I would have skimmed through most of this book just to finish it, but that was an impossible task with this writing, so I had to just plod my way through. I also don't think it was as clever as it was intended to be.

...but as I mentioned, this is very much a "me" problem, as I prefer more straightforward prose in my novels. None of the lines in this were impactful to me, because every line was so extravagantly crafted. (Also, the author needed to kill more of their darlings, because they just didn't fit.) This kind of writing demands perfection; any time a word didn't fit in perfectly (in my opinion, I suppose), it would interrupt the flow of the narrative. Or sometimes the writing would end up just being inaccurate, e.g. "dead silence" immediately followed with the sound of someone's shoes on the floor.

This writing style also made the dialogue sound weird. Either it would be more accurate to how people actually talk, which juxtaposed oddly with the descriptions, or it would match the rest of the writing style but not sound like something people would actually say. (And sometimes the dialogue just wasn't good, like it was clearly put it just to further the plot.)

I also noticed a lot of repeated words and phrases, and I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but I didn't like it (again, my preference!!)—Evander's hair was almost always "his curls," and lots of things "curved like" other things.

PLOT/STRUCTURE
I'm sure this is tied into the writing style, but I found there to be a lack of overarching plot to this book; I had a hard time discerning where things were going, and which events and characters were important. There was a very forced ~murder mystery~ element, which was so not compelling—you could tell that was never supposed to be the main plot, but it stayed around a bit too long. I guess it was circled back to at the very end, but not in a way that I found satisfying. Also, Evander was NOT a good detective! He was like "I'll just draw upon detective stories I've read, easy peasy!" and then would make fuckass deductions (I don't think we were supposed to find his deductions stupid, but I certainly did).

I found much of this story to be "and then this, and then this, and then..." There was one part in the middle that had some action and I actually enjoyed it, but then things fizzled out again. There were a couple of ~big~ reveals, but I found them both to be rather anticlimactic. I have notes about other minor things, but I'll just let those go.

CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Not to make everything a problem with the writing style, but I could not connect with these characters. Right away Evander keeps being like "wow I keep being assertive and aggressive, nothing at all like the quiet gentleman Mr. Lennox-Hall raised me to be!" but we as an audience never get to SEE the gentleman version of Evander, so it doesn't mean anything. I never really got a handle on who he was and how we were supposed to view him—well ok I suppose we're supposed to be sympathetic, but I didn't care enough. I also never got a handle on Laurie and why he never just came clean with things he knew about. The other characters were all just cartoonishly villainous, not at all threatening (which I assume they were supposed to be).

I'm mixed on Evander's autistic traits. For most of this, I actually thought they were well done and naturally incorporated into the larger story, yay! But the big reveal at the end kind of soured me a bit.

Also, I was annoyed by the romance between Evander and Laurie. By the end it made sense, but during the majority of the novel I just didn't get it. If there had been more of a platonic bond as well I might have bought into it, but it was just this weird attraction that felt out of place.

Final Thoughts
Even if the writing style had been more palatable for me, I'm still not sure I would have enjoyed this book that much. I don't think it's horrible and irredeemable, but it certainly has an intended audience that I am not a part of.

Absolutely disturbed once again in the most delightful way by CG Drews latest twisted tale. I found something so raw and personal in Evander’s character, almost horrifying how relatable he was written as a neurodivergent reader, and the angst of his self discovery that the world and the people within it turn out to be more monstrous than he could’ve ever imagined them to be. Drews has outdone themself once again

Thank you @netgalley for this amazing arc.

First of all I devoured this book! I'm OBSESSED with this author and their writing. So this is basically a story about Evander, who is a boy trapped in his personal nightmare. He's been locked in his room for the last seven years being drugged to stay compliment and waked up covered in bruises and no memory. Basically we have a poor 17 year old alone, scared and confused all the time and thinks because his guardian is kind to him when he behaves that he's loved. There is so much pain within these characters and abuse I just want to wrap these boys up and hold them. Without spoilers just know this is a masterpiece and I loved it just as much as DLTFI

Evander has no memory of his life before he was buried alive. He just knows he is an invalid, and is locked in his bedroom, and given medicine every night. He is not allowed into the gardens of Hazelthorn, the estate of his guardian. He is told that his parents died in a car crash, the same crash that took the lives of the only other young person in the house, Laurence’s parents.

There is something wrong about the garden, but Evander does not know what. Something sinister. He is told never to go there. And so he doesn’t. Until his guardian dies, and the relatives come in to pay their respects, and see what they can do about Evander who is apparently the sole heir.

I just have to say here that I don’t like horror. So for me to not only like Hazelthorn, but to be drawn in from the first page is a major accomplishment on the author’s part. So, for those who say horror is not for them, they might want to reconsider. The author has the writing down so well, you will be drawn in before you have time to say, oh, but I don’t like this genre.

I like how the horror keeps getting more and more horrible. We are shown things slowly, so we know there is something going on, even if we and Evander, whose view the story is told from, try to discover what is so wrong about the garden. And why Laurence tried to kill him, by burying him there.

Anything else would give too much away. Oh but I can say that there is a thirst in Evander. He is not sure if it is lust, or love or what for Laurence.

Oh, and all the stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 28th of October 2025.

I really liked this. It was very easy to become immersed in the world and become attached to the characters.

I love CG Drew’s writing. I’ve been keeping up with each publication since The Boy Who Steals Houses and have yet to be disappointed.

This is my first CG Drews book and just WOW.

This story was so incredibly immersive. The descriptive imagery was BEAUTIFUL. I wanted to literally live in the pages of this book. Also, the way they intertwined the botanical vibe within Evander's train of thoughts felt so impactful to the experience. I also found Evander's unreliable narration to be very endearing.

I looooved the storyline between Evander and Laurie! I was apprehensive about Laurie in the beginning, but grew to love him pretty quickly.

The plot was very fun, we love a little murder mystery. Some twists I predicted and others I didn't. It dragged a little in the beginning but not enough to stop me from reading. By the 40% mark, I was fully invested.

For a YA book, I did find it a bit gorier than expected, but I personally loved that about it.

4.5 ★

DNF… 50% of the way in and literally nothing has happened? I get it’s a gothic story, but I’m not interested AT ALL.

ALL the stars!

"He is just a boy who was once buried alive on an estate full of monsters."

I was instantly clawing my way out of the ground, tasting the dirt in my mouth and feeling it caked underneath my nails. CG Drew's writing is so immersive that it had me in a chokehold of snaking vines, its thorns biting deep into my skin. Drews can build a hauntingly beautiful gothic atmosphere like no other!

This is such a unique and raw story that had me savoring every word, greedy for more time in the day, and unable to refrain from squealing my reactions out loud. The pain, despair, and desire dripping from these pages had my heart aching and swooning. Just like Don't Let the Forest in, this story is going to be living rent-free in my mind for ages, both instant favorites.

These characters! GAH, I wanted to tuck them into a warm embrace and tell them everything would be alright and that nobody would hurt them anymore 😭 Laurie, who hides behind a mask of sarcasm and Evander - the sweet boy who keeps wondering "what is wrong with me?" forever holds my heart.

"Who tells you to be quiet all the time?...
Pain is meant to take up space or else we wouldn't know how to scream. F*ck making your agony silent to avoid disturbing others. Maybe they should be disturbed."

I swear I highlighted half the book, it was impossible to narrow down my favorite quotes any more than this. Sorry, not sorry?

"I'd split my bones, I'd open my throat, I'd do anything to be near you and have even one second with my mouth against yours."

"You should've called for me. If you put my name in your mouth, I will always listen."

"People only scream with rabid hope caged in their lungs like a thousand thrashing wings because they still think someone is going to save them."

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC! My thoughts are my own.

I will admit that I went into Hazelthorn a little more skeptical after Don’t Let the Forest In didn’t grip me like I had hoped it would. Fortunately, Hazelthorn was much more like what I had hoped it would be.
Once again, the writing is just gorgeous. I just thoroughly enjoy the descriptiveness and the imagery that comes with it. The plot was really interesting. I didn’t see the twist coming. All of the “wait, what?” moments kept me interested and wanting to know what the heck was going on. That said, there were a few times I had to reread pages because I found myself a little confused on what was happening.
Overall, it is definitely a solid read. It was spooky and entertaining. Thank you to NetGalley, C.G. Drews, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

After reading and LOVING C.G. Drews' Don't Let the Forest In, I was in desperate need of another book just like it. It's safe to say I had very high expectations for Hazelthorn because of this (and because my name is Hazel!) and I can confirm every one of my expectations were exceeded. Somehow this book was even better than I thought it could be! The gothic estate was the perfect setting for Evander and Laurie and it all fit together so perfectly. I had absolutely no idea what the plot twist would be until it happened and I was shocked. I admit it took me a few days to get through the first quarter of the book but as soon as things REALLY started happening I couldn't put it down and stayed up until all hours of the night to finish it. In my opinion everyone should read this book as it is possibly my favorite book of the year.

oh my gosh I loved this book! This was exactly what I needed and what I hoped it would be.

This is my first time reading anything by C.G. Drews (Don't Let the Forest In is hanging out in my TBR), and I absolutely loved their writing style! The pacing, the way the story was laid out, even the way it looked on the page was phenomenal. Definitely will be checking out their other books.

I loved the plant illustrations that we see throughout this book too. It really helped the story to have visuals of some of the plants discussed.

I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator, and Evander is the most fabulous unreliable narrator! He doesn't know what is real, what is a memory, if he is having an "episode." It made the story so much more impactful and interesting by having a narrator who is just as lost as we are.

The mystery of what happened to the grandfather in this story is not the strongest element of the book in my opinion. I figured it out pretty quickly, but the rest of the twists were amazing! This is definitely going to be in my top reads of the year.

Thank you so very much to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, C.G. Drews, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and in no way are influenced by the manner in which I received it.

Dripping in atmosphere. If you've ever wanted to read a horror novel set in a gothic mansion with a wilderness that seems to be overtaking everything, this is it. It's also very gay, which is an added bonus for me.

Evander has been locked inside a single room of the mansion of a billionaire for as long as he can remember. He's frail and ill, and he must remain in this room for his own benefit. But one day, his door is mysteriously unlocked. Evander decides to venture from his room, and finds Laurie, the boy who tried to kill him in his earliest memory. The boy he can't help but obsess over.

I don't think this was a perfect book, but I could not put it down. It's written gorgeously, the reveals continued to surprise me even when I thought I'd figured it out, and I loved the two main characters.

4.5.

No genre has had the staying power of the gothic horror story. Set in ancient locations, draped in shadows, and populated with tragic heroes, these tales of terror have been luring readers into the darkness for nearly 300 years. From Mary Shelley to Shirley Jackson, the gothic tradition has moved steadily forward through time, stewarded by authors who weave new worlds of woe from the fabric of a genre that—much like its protagonists—refuses to die.

Bestselling author CG Drews is contributing a new addition to this beloved genre with their latest novel Hazelthorn (pub date details).
In Hazelthorn, orphaned teenager Evander has lived a sheltered life at his guardian Byron Lennox-Hall’s estate ever since his parents were killed in a car accident seven years ago. Perpetually sick and deeply traumatized by a violent incident with Byron’s grandson Laurie, Evander has lived by a strict set of rules that revolve around staying in his room and far away from the hungry gardens encroaching on the manor. But everything changes when his wealthy caregiver dies under suspicious circumstances and leaves his fortune to Evander, rather than his blood relatives. As the deceased’s selfish family descends upon the house, and Evander grows closer to the intoxicating Laurie, the manor’s new owner must weed out the killer and uproot the mystery of Hazelthorn itself.

Drews is a proven master of their craft, and Hazelthorn is no exception. The lush story unfolds with the rich sensory experience of an ornate garden. Scenes and scenarios that feel contained to one portion of the story suddenly spread, their roots stretching to affect the plot in surprising ways. Characters unfold like flowers, from the bud of introduction to a fully realized blossom, as Drews carefully tends the reader’s expectations in one direction before revealing the true nature of what they have cultivated.

As with so many wonderful gothic tales that came before it, Hazelthorn propagates aspects of its tone from other works within the genre. Yes, there are hints of We Have Always Lived in the Castle’s chilly voice and Jane Eyre’s twisted romance, but also present is the delicious melodrama of Flowers in the Attic and even the wry humor of the whodunnit mystery. Just when Hazelthorn appears to be one type of story, the pages turns and suddenly it becomes something more. Among all these influences Drews weaves a poignant love story alongside an ever-escalating ecological body horror that will make readers squirm even as they lean closer to the page.

Hazelthorn is a wonderful new variegation that combines gothic melodrama, surreal body horror, and intriguing mysteries into a horror novel that reads like V.C. Andrews-meets-Knives Out. It simply shouldn’t be missed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I think a lot of people will really love this book, but it just wasn't for me. I loved the atmosphere and the botanical horror vibes, but the actual story definitely dragged at times. 

This wasn't a bad book by any means and it was beautifully written, but it just didn't live up to my high expectations for it. 

It might be one of those books that just didn't come to me at the right time, so I'd still definitely recommend it to people who like CG Drews.

„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 GORE
🥀 Body Horror
🥀 Generational trauma
🥀 LGBTQ representation
🥀 Disability representation

What I liked:
- The setting! A dark manor with too many empty and forgotten rooms, surrounded by an overgrown garden full of strange plants.
Its only inhabitants are a paranoid billionaire and a sick teenager, unable to leave his room.
- The constant feeling of doubt the author created. Everyone and everything felt extremely unreliable- especially the main character, whose perspective is the only one we get. He's often in and out of
consciousness, missing huge parts of the day. Combined with the uncanny setting and strangely behaving relatives, the book made me feel like I was in a constant fever dream myself.
What I didn’t like:
- Nothing, really. Maybe I wasn't always that interested in the murder mystery, but only because I constantly wanted to read more about the weird garden.

Thank you Fierce Reads Team and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review! I just finished this one and really loved it (5 stars for sure). It's a gothic, atmospheric fever dream that will stick with you. An old, gothic mansion with an overgrown carnivorous garden, and a family with deep rooted secrets? Say less.

This one is for fans of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, and the movies Knives Out and Crimson Peak. The first half of the book really built up the atmosphere and tension, and it kept you guessing about everyone and their intentions up until the last page. I definitely plan to re-read this, and think it would be the perfect Fall read - which is great since it's out in October! It’s YA, it’s gothic, it’s creepy in all the best ways. The whole story just oozes dread in this quiet, elegant way.

I would highly recommend this read!

C.G. Drew's "Hazelthorn" was incredibly suspenseful and dark without ever being "too much" for the younger Audience it was aimed at in my opinion. The Author did an amazing job with Evander's narrative voice, the build up of all his issues and trauma and lack of autonomy blended so well he really did feel human and not just a one dimensional fantasy story character.

Evanders lack of autonomy-- before and even after suddenly coming to inherit all his guardian owned, is the main focal point of the story and the insidious truth hiding beneath the flashiness of the vines and mystery. Take all the fantasy away and the horror of it all would remain the same, and it adequately reflects on Evander's general mental state and his actions throughout the story.

Despite Evander's lack of autonomy he is absolutely a plot mover and not someone moved by the plot.
I had immense gratification and sometimes horror (the garden scene) watching him assert himself or follow his own impulses whenever he could.

While reading Hazelthorn I was determined to figure out the ending and how all tied together before it came to pass, and that is yet another thing Hazelthorn was really good at, keeping the truth shrouded and hacking away at it piece by piece in a way that had me coming to multiple conclusions and still not sure of myself until the reveal finally happened. The reveal that had me genuinely clutching and shaking my ereader in triumph as it had been part of my fifty fifty guess... but i digress.



--Not a spoiler but does semi allude to the ending ahead--

This book only loses a star for me because of Evander's relationship with Laurie. The book gives a strong start for the two characters, and still does well when you get to the heart of the story then starts to lose pace a bit. I feel like their ending was much too rushed. Both characters on their own are equally fleshed out and strong characters in their own right. We do get interesting moments between the two, but I feel like it falls a little flat after the reveal. We go from a solid progression between the two to suddenly speeding up a lot faster. I just feel like something is missing towards in terms of relationship decelopment. But that just may be the nature of it being a single book story.

Overall I really enjoyed my time reading this book! Thank you to the Author and publishing house for allowing me to review it.




This review also appears on storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/cfb069e5-6414-4a02-b5c1-7c87673d18fa?redirect=true

I think I’ve discovered a new favorite author with this one!! I love how they describe and world build, it really grabbed my attention for the entire book. I had a lot of fun with it and none of it fell flat (yayyy)

This was highly anticipated for me and it did not disappoint! So atmospheric and haunting. This is one that will stay in my brain for a long time to come. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan children’s publishing group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review