Hazelthorn

by CG Drews

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Pub Date Oct 28 2025 | Archive Date Oct 28 2025

Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends

Horror | LGBTQIAP+ | Teens & YA

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Description

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.

Also by CG Drews
Don't Let the Forest In

Advance Praise

"Viscerally atmospheric and beautifully eerie—Hazelthorn will take root inside you, drag you into its strange, thorny depths, and make you want to stay there forever. I devoured this book." —Pascale Lacelle, New York Times-bestselling author of Curious Tides

"A beautifully written, modern-yet-gothic murder mystery full of wretched boys, tangled secrets, and a horrifying sentient garden. Devour it, lest it devour you." —Jamie Pacton, bestselling author of The Absinthe Underground

"CG Drews unleashes a gorgeous atmospheric narrative that rots through the boundaries of YA horror and gives the reader a visceral and unsettling tale of murder, mania, loyalty and a garden with much more bite than you would expect. I loved every single second of this haunting book, and the twists absolutely had me screaming. This is the botanical queer horror that readers never knew they needed." —Emily Varga, bestselling author of For She Is Wrath

"In Hazelthorn’s darkly gothic gardens, CG Drews conjures up a haunting nightmare dense with botanical horror, and in Evander, a rage-filled boy to root for.” —Amy Goldsmith, author of Those We Drown and Predatory Natures

"A lush, gothic tale filled with devastating twists, delicious atmosphere, and toxic family secrets. Drews delivers another obsession-worthy masterpiece in Hazelthorn—one that’s as hauntingly beautiful as the eponymous manor." —Kelsea Yu, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of It’s Only a Game and Bound Feet

"The strength of the concept, pacing, and atmosphere make it an excellent introduction to the genre—especially as it combines the current popularity of both gothic mysteries and body horror." —Booklist

★ "From descriptions of moth-eaten decay to vivid floral imagery, Drews luxuriates in atmospheric prose. Their literary green thumb nurtures intertwining themes of monstrosity and abuse alongside yearning, first love, queerness, and mystery. The slow-burn romance at the root of this blend of gothic and body horror is as tender as it is unforgettable. A uniquely arranged bouquet of terrors, as disturbing as it is beautiful." —Kirkus, starred review