Most often, in horror, the journey is about uncovering what, exactly, is creating the terror. In Christina Henry’s THE GHOST TREE we know, almost from the beginning, what’s causing the grisly murders in Smith’s Hollow and why. In less skilled hands, that would make for a less than spooky story. In Henry’s, however, the are still plenty of uncertainty and creeping dread to be had as evil breaks its usual pattern and runs unfettered through the woods, the town, and memory.
Perfect for 2020’s upcoming spooky season.

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry is a modern day fairy tale set in the 80's. A town is cursed by a monster that lives in the woods is it a serial killer or something more. This book is creepy it is a combo of the original Pied-Piper tale, that lead children away with his tune, and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow in a totally 80's world. I've read a lot of books about the 80's recently, and I feel this book nailed the grime and dirt of the 80's; the rampant smoking underage, the cool cars, the mischief of parents letting kids run wild through the neighborhood, and the torn/ripped jeans. The Ghost tree had a great opening scene that carries the book, there's clever writing about the curse on the town and the towns people. I wanted a little bit more from this novel than I got, I thought the present day body count was too low for this type of story. I would like to thank Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced copy. The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry is published on 9-8-20.

The Plot: The quiet town of Smiths Hollow has a murder, not an ordinary murder, but bodies of two young girls ripped apart, with only their heads remain. The police investigating the murder go through the motions but seem to soon forget, as well as the woman that discovered the bodies. Not all forget the one's that remember say it's not July yet. Alex a police officer who recently moved to the town notices how the town forgets and investigates the crime making a horrific discovery, that a young woman dies every year in July, it is currently June. Alex makes the discovery that a woman didn't die last year but a man with his heart ripped out. Lauren and David are the children of Joe who died last year of getting his heart ripped out. Lauren and David both have physical reaction when both the girls are murdered like they can feel it, and a trance went over it. Lauren and David are the key to stopping this monster in the woods.

What I Liked: The story is great, Christina Henry is so good at coming up with high concept ideas and this story is no exception. I love the 80's vibe, this story did it really subtile and not in your face with it like a lot of books. I liked the towns reaction to outsiders and the curse in general. The backstory was cool and really thought out. I did like the power hungry mayor that knows everything but has his own interest at hand. I loved David the best character, with his cool psychic visions and predictions. The supernatural element the book nails. I like the climax a lot, it was action packed.

What I Disliked: the love interest for Lauren, Jake. Jake is in college and has recently turned 18, Lauren is 13 and about to start high school. Jake says lines like I've been into you for a long time, which is super creepy. I could not get behind this love interest at all. I was disappointed that only a couple murders happen, when there could have been way more, there's a pretty good finally that finally has some death but too little too late.

Recommendations: I recommended Alice by Henry with a 3 str rating which I rarely ever do, but it looks like I'm going to do it again. I'm barely going to recommend this one, it's a great idea, even it I think the execution could have been a lot better. The story had an epic potential but it just didn't reach that level. If you like stories in the 80's then you will like this one. If you like stories about small towns with big secrets then this might be the story for you. I rated The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry 3 out of 5 stars. I'm going to keep reading Henry we're gonna totally connect one day I just know it, I still get excited for her ideals on books she has written like The Girl in Red, apocalyptic Red Riding Hood, I have to check that out!

The Ghost Tree is not a reimagining like Christina Henry's other work like Alice or The Lost boys though, with a bit of imagination, it does give off Sleepy Hollow vibes. Instead, she gives us a coming of age story with a young female protagonist in a small town horror setting. There's a folkloric feel idling behind this beautiful eerie cover. Set in the 1980s, the story revolves around teenage Lauren, though this is not a nostalgic tale leaving you fondly recalling those days. This is an account of monsters, violence, and a curse laid on a provincial town and all its residents.

Lauren seems to be your typical teenager. Afraid that she is being left behind by her best friend in favor of boys and makeup, Lauren is still grieving the death of her father the year before. The Ghost Tree in the forest has always been their place to meet but since Miranda has other interests, Lauren goes alone, and while there she has frightening visions of the two girls recently found in pieces in a neighbors yard. Languidly, what's unraveled is a grim narrative of the secret the residents of this small town have been maintaining unknowingly for years.

There's no denying that Henry has beautiful prose. There's a moment in which Lauren's grandmother tells the story about three witches during the town's early days. Spellbinding and captivating, it definitely shows that the author's strong point as a narrator lies in recreating fairytales. While the rest of the story was intriguing, it didn't appeal as strongly as this section. Not to say it didn't have its merits, but there's nothing better than that ethereal fairytale aura woven viva voce.

Henry's narrative ebbed and flowed like a backwoods creek—sometimes quietly burbling along and at others racing white-capped over stones. This mystery is one that doesn't make sense until it suddenly does. It's that "ah-ha" moment where you realize everything was perfectly orchestrated to lead to that moment. The ending redeemed any slower qualities the book may have had, giving a gratifying confrontation and conclusion, bringing the curse full circle.

Holding on to her dark fantasy roots, Christina Henry delivers a brutal dose of nostalgia with her 1980s throw-back small town horror novel The Ghost Tree. Lauren is about to turn 15, and her life has been difficult lately. Her mom has been on her case about every little thing, her best friend Miranda is more interested in boys than hanging out at the Ghost Tree in the woods like they used to, and, oh yeah, Lauren’s dad was brutally murdered in those same woods a year ago. But her life is about to get a whole lot harder when the dark curse that has a tight hold on their small town of Smith’s Hollow starts to go off the rails and things get even more dangerous and terrifying than they already were.

Henry does an amazing job revealing the dark underbelly of small town life. As someone who grew up in a small town, the world Henry builds is very realistic and all the more terrifying for it. Smith’s Hollow feels so much like my own small home town. The woods we would play in, the rumors about witches and big scary houses, the annual festival and fair days every summer, the relationships you would have with everyone else in town, the politics unique to small town life...but I hope my small town was never in the clutches of a centuries old curse that delivered carnage and terror in exchange for prosperity.

There are many twists and reveals throughout The Ghost Tree that will keep you on your toes. Henry includes a rich mythology, and while there certainly are many moving parts and increased complications in her narrative, she succeeds in keeping a very tight plot. Her writing style is exciting and intimate, making you very invested in the story and characters.

The Ghost Tree felt a bit like Stephen King’s IT in that Lauren is faced with the dark events of her childhood and her coming of age. And the way that hate works as an infection and a tool of dark supernatural forces throughout the town feels a lot like Pennywise to me (in the best way). And I feel I must mention that fans of Stranger Things will surely enjoy this book. This was my first Christina Henry read, and I cannot wait to dig into her other series!

This book had a great premise! I thought the writing was very good and the story well fleshed out. It read a bit younger than I was expecting though. If this would have been written for an older audience it could have been truly terrifying, but as it was, I still really enjoyed it. Loved the fairy tale aspect woven throughout. I will definitely check out more from this author!

3.5 stars

What a perfect spooky read that kept me turning the pages! I really love Christina Henry and knew i had to read this one! Once again she didn't disappoint! Thank you for this e arc!

Woowee that was a suspenseful horror read.
Creepy woods, a child who know things, mysterious deaths, lack of memories, family history, curses, witches and him, who is him ?!? This tale was twisted so well I really had no idea if “it” was really real or was it was a, What I don’t know. Every mystery was revealed a bit then retracted a bit so I was left with barely a guess and a lot of goosebumps. Suspense plus horror plus a coming of age all while it is going down ! I was glued to the pages, lost sleep and avoided my family to read this and don’t regret it. :P Wait till you see how it is at the end. My mind was blown, never saw that.
Trigger alert, some seriously nasty racial slurs and evil characters
I received a copy from the publisher for an honest review

This has been the third book by Henry that I’ve read and I’m starting to notice a pattern. When I first heard about this book, it sounded like something I would love. Girls going missing and a monster in the forest, all happening in a small town? It was my kind of thing.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was how it followed around the different characters in the town. I loved seeing things through their perspectives and it felt like I definitely got to learn more about the world they all lived in this way. It’s also one of the things that I love about Henry’s work. Her writing just flows so smoothly that it’s really easy to get lost in the pages and not realize how much time has passed.

The one thing I do wish was that it hadn’t ended as quickly as it did. Either that or I was expecting a different ending? I definitely noticed it before when I first read ‘The Girl in Red’ and again with ‘Alice’. It definitely left me wanting more and feeling like the story wasn’t yet over.

How creepy! This book has a wonderful mix of witches, beasts and magic. As we read through the story, we find out about a strange witches curse on the town and how things are starting to go wrong.

I do have to say, that the beginning was a little slow for me, that's why I gave the book 4 stars, but once I got into the middle of the story, I couldn't put it down. I also have to bring up the fact that the "Karen" in the story got bitch slapped and it was very satisfying, so thank you for that Christina Henry.

The characters were all wonderful. They each play a part in the story and they play it well.

I've been a fan of Christina Henry's books for a while and this was a great read.

My review will go live on the Book Confessions blog on 9-1-20.

DNF'ed at 25%.

I was excited for a good, distracting supernatural horror read. Unfortunately, THE GHOST TREE too frequently ejected me from its story world with clunky writing and too familiar characters.

The author belabors every point in a way I find frustrating. Every page seemed to have a "hey, did you catch that? Lemme say it again..." section. I *want* to work a little while reading a story. There's no subtlety here, though—it's mostly just "telling".

The atmosphere doesn't build in a way that feels natural. Again, it feels like I'm being *told* it's creepy, but the author calls attention to those moments rather than letting them happen and layer for the reader. Also, the bare-bones "creepy small town" trope is carrying a LOT of atmospheric weight here. But the setting doesn't feel lived in or contain a real sense of time and place.

The POV head-hops in a way that makes me think the author creates scenes like you would in a movie or TV show. It gives more angles to view the world/events, but it makes the characters feel like sketches with a few primary traits. They seem familiar, but flat. Speaking of familiar...

When the mayor was introduced, I immediately thought of two screen characters — the mayors from JAWS and season 3 of STRANGER THINGS. Different settings, similar motivations.

And then, just one page later, we get the THE GHOST TREE's mayor's reflection on seeing JAWS at the drive-in, and how they identified with the film's mayor as sympathetic, with their attempt to keep the town's economy alive. (!!!)

It felt like a shortcut, piggybacking on an established pop culture character rather than making this one a person on their own. And it's *so* on-the-nose. I was surprised it made it past an editor.

In general, (what I read of) GHOST TREE lacks its own identity. The mash-up of other stories and creators—however accidental or unintentional—is too apparent. Stephen King and Stranger Things, certainly. Perhaps some of the 90s work of John Saul? The teenage characterizations and drama remind me of Megan Abbott (though more reminiscent of the lackluster DARE ME, rather than her brilliant THE END OF EVERYTHING).

The author has some strong turn of phrase here-and-there. Beyond the issues above, Henry is clearly a competent writer. The character of Lauren is easy to identify and sympathize with.

I expect some readers will find this a quick-and-easy supernatural scare-fest. Which is great—if it works for you, excellent.

For me, though, it's too clunky and obvious, missing a true hook to keep me invested.

As always, YMMV.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of The Ghost Tree in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings: Racism, Blood, Gore

The Ghost Tree is my first time reading a book from Christina Henry & although I only rated this a three-star, I can tell you that I do enjoy their vibes. It's a female-protag coming of age story? Count me in. Also, I'm here for the spooky -- something that the author clearly delivers on.

Meet me by the old ghost tree.


In general, The Ghost Tree was fine, I don't have too many complaints and I definitely have some compliments. I started this book off strong & then, I just.. kinda.. fell off.

There are a lot of characters in The Ghost Tree and the chapters alternate between exploring each of these characters. I really loved how Christina Henry did this; the multiple characters don't cause confusion and the chapters flow seamlessly together. Very cohesive, very good. Of course, there are some characters I cared about more than others, such as the main character's younger brother who seems to know everything that's going on in the town, even when he's nowhere near.

The Ghost Tree has some pretty gruesome murders & holy wow, was I shook reading this. I'm honestly a gore fan so this was absolutely perfect for me.

There's a heavy mystery aspect in The Ghost Tree & the author tries to throw you off by making another character look suspicious. There are plot twists galore.

It was all fun & games in the beginning of the read, but as I continued flipping pages and started figuring out what was happening, the story started to feel like it was dragging. Although, major props for the last 20% of this book. We're down with a good SHOWDOWN.

Clearly, I found some good when it came to The Ghost Tree & I can see this being well-loved by many.

The Ghost Tree is not my favorite work from Christina Henry, but it is a well-written tale told from two very different points of view. One is a teenager named Lauren, who is more involved in the happening around the small town than she could ever imagine, whilst dealing with getting her period for the first time as well. The other is Officer Lopez. Lopez is a transplant from Chicago who came with his wife and extended family for a new start away from the violence and general freneticness of a large city.
Henry doesn't shy away from social commentary in The Ghost Tree. A good section of it is devoted to a small town's intolerance of outsiders and the change that they seem to bring, spearheaded by one particular stubborn (redacted) that can't understand that correlation is not causation. Some of the scariest parts of this novel are in reading about large groups of people falling prey to group think and engaging in behavior that should simply be no longer acceptable but is.
But that's not all there is too it. A portion of the novel is also a coming of age tale as we watch Lauren not only go through the grossness that is a period for the first time, but alsoo watch as she learns about relationships and accepting that not all friendships are forever things. I think Henry does a good job of mixing the mundane parts of growing up well with the supernatural death and bloodshed that's going on.
And then there's the mystery and magic. Who is doing it? Who is involved? How the hell is this happening? It was a wise decision to write part of the novel from an 'outsider' POV, not only because it works for the restrictions that Henry laid for this world, but also became someone from the inside simply could not have told the tale in it's entirety.
But there are some aspects of The Ghost Tree that I think keep it from reaching it's full potential. One particular character serves primarily as a 'mystical voice' and, y'all, it's just overdone. We need to move away from that particular type of character doing the things that they do. It's a trope that is so tired it really needs just... laid to rest.
It took me a while to get invested in The Ghost Tree, but I never really considered DNFing it. Or skimming. (A bit surprising given my recent attention span and the fact that the book is over 400 pages long.) While this isn't a book that I can shout about from the rooftops, I do recommend it if you're looking for a good, solid, if not particularly breathtaking story.

This is a haunting tale with a chilling and intriguing legend as backstory. The way the entire town collectively behaves to guard its own interests adds to the uneasiness caused by the undercurrent of dread that every resident feels but can't quite identify.

The interview with the author for the podcast adds more to the rich world building for this story.

I love this author, but found this recent novel to be a bit slow paced. I loved the book description and initially, I was very taken by the plot and pacing. But the pacing never really picks up and I found my excitement levels dropping quickly at about 1/3rd of the way through. I don’t want to give anything away, so I will leave this one short and sweet= it’s a good novel, but quite slow..

The star of The Ghost Tree, is definitely the creepy small town vibe where the town of Smith Hollow almost takes a life of it's own, an entity if you will and it is quite clear from the very beginning, that this mysterious town is not right and definitely not your typical small town.

With strange happenings, mysterious murders and town people that just quite aren't right, this is very reminiscent of a town you very well could encounter in a Stephen King novel. Creepy residents and all.

Sadly like most of King's latest books, this novel too relies on blood, guts and gore to make it “scary” instead of actual spooky, look over your shoulder, get chills and want to leave the lights on at night horror.

While this was at times suspenseful and downright cringe worthy with the murders, it sadly lacked the scary ghost story I was so hoping it would be. It sometimes dragged on and on and I couldn't wait for the chapter to end and numerous times had to put it down simply because I lost interest in it.

In fact, the best part about this book were the creepy children (their abilities) and again, the very town itself. The ending was somewhat redeeming but again, this just sadly wasn't what I was hoping it would be but not a bad read by any means.

*Spoilers*

The Ghost Tree was in its entirety a middle-of-the-line book for me.

Part of the issues had to do with my lack of being able to relate to a 15-year-old girl. I struggled here. I feel 15 is a little late for someone to start having their period but as someone lacking in that department, I can't say for certain. Obviously, the writer being a female she would know better than I would. Then there's this disruptive teenage girl quarreling going on between Lauren and her Mother. Karen, her mother, also has issues with the Grandma, so it's a chain of people acting out and getting jealous and no one understands each other. Except for David. David is a 4-year-old and the only one who has any sense. Oh, and by the way, the family is descended from Witches.

The plot of the book revolves around a curse the witches placed on the town which causes a creature that lives inside the Ghost Tree to come out once a year and kill a girl whose name is chosen via lottery by the mayor. The curse makes people forget shortly after the murders so families continue to live in this perfect town without complaint. Families simply forget the girls ever existed. The cycle is broken when Lauren's name is chosen and her father sacrifices himself. Now the creature is unbound by the rules and is hunting people at random to get to Lauren because it needs to consume her even though by joining with her it won't go back to the original once a year rules.

So it's basically a book about a creature wanting to kill one particular girl...but not really because of who she is which makes the fact that she's a witch descended from the family who placed the original curse absolutely pointless. What would have happened if it ate her, to begin with instead of her father? Would the cycle have been broken? Would her bloodline have mattered then?

Another part that I hated was the relationship with her best friend. At 15, they have grown apart. Miranda cares about cars and boys. A lot of the book is Lauren constantly thinking about this friendship falling apart. It was repetitive and frustrating as a reader. Who cares? You grew apart, you acknowledge it, you spend most of the time thinking your friendship doesn't matter anymore, oh well, and you still bring it up.

Maybe teenagers just piss me off.

Frustrating book.

A sweet and satisfyingly, creepy little book!



What is lurking in the woods.... What is tearing the young one’s into itty bitty pieces... shredded...



Lauren is determined to find out what’s doing the killing. She’s been having a few visions but her little brother, David, is having a lot of visions that are leading Lauren down a scary path.



What do the visions mean.... And what did grand ma ma mean about the story she told Lauren ...

Something isn’t right in the little town of Smith’s Hollow. Will they find the answers... Read it and see!

I enjoyed the characters, but I did want to smack a few people 6,000 ways to Sunday. But I digress!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

If you’re looking for a bine chilling read this fall then look no further than Christina Henry’s The Ghost Tree! This is a creeptastic mystery with murder, monster, magic, and mayhem! This is a read you will not want to put down until its very surprising ending!

I’ve pretty much been a fan of Christina since her early days and I was excited for her foray into the horror genre! Her Urban Fantasies tend to have creepy moments, but this was novel that was full on creep fest! I also want to note here, that though our cover descript depicts a teenage heroine, this is still very much an adult novel due to content and the like. So don’t go into this thinking it’s a YA horror story, for it’s not! Just want that advisement to you all early.

The year is 1985, and yes, that’s the year we stick to, we follow Lauren a fifteen-year-old girl out to just have fun for the summer before she starts high school. Though things are already pretty intense for her. Her family life hasn’t been the same since her dad died last November and her best friend, Miranda, is drifting further and further away from her as she matures at lightning speed, trading fun and games for boys, boys, and more boys. This summer though will be different for a whole lot of reasons and its starts with the finding of two murdered girls.

What made this story even more intense and intriguing was how the point of view changed just about every chapter. Now don’t let this confuse you or throw you off. Christina does it in a way that makes it flow so easily. One chapter we’re reading from Lauren’s point of view then she sees her mother about town with her brother and looks away, then we’re in her mom’s point of view who goes about her day then her son starts saying a neighbor is crying, then we jump to that neighbor’s point of view. It may sound confusing, but trust me, it works, it so works! And I actually enjoyed reading from all these different perspectives because this quiet little town of Smiths Hollow is hiding some seriously dark secrets.

For you see, there’s a curse on the town and has been for centuries, cast upon by witches. Every year a girl goes missing in the town, and every year a girl is soon forgotten in this town. This is some seriously heavy juju, bad juju.

One thing that positively delighted me in a weird way was how I started to think that this mayor of the town, who knows exactly what’s going on with these missing girls, act very much like the mayor in the movie Jaws (and probably the book too, but it’s been many years since I read that) and then this mayor starts thinking about the movie and THAT mayor and understanding the mayor’s actions! It was a laugh riot to me since I love that movie and I know Christina does too! It was a great way to throw in a cameo appearance and hello, super scary creature that kills people, more coincidences!

It’s hard to get into the mystery element of this one without diving too deeply into a backstory that comes into play. Needless to say we get to know the hows and whys of this town being cursed. And why a girl gets killed every year. Why no one ever remembers this happening, year after year after year.

It’s a pretty intense story and creepy to boot. So naturally, I was eating up the pages. I was shocked that I was halfway through it only my second day into reading! The words just fly off the pages and the pacing in sooo intense that I just had to see what would happen next. The multiple points of view was a game changer that really kept you on your toes. And every now and we got inside the head of the monster who seemed to have more brain for thought than you’d expect. I was quite pleased with myself when I was able to make some accurate guesses as to the turnout of this one.

If you’re looking for a dark and chilling read this fall, I would highly recommend reading The Ghost Tree! It’s one that will have you looking at forests and old trees with a more careful eye for sure. You’ll be kept up long into the night wanting to reach the chilling and epic ending, just be sure to lock your doors before falling asleep!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


The Ghost Tree releases September 8, 2020

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It read just like watching a horror movie. It had the great setup. It had the slow reveal. It had multiple story-lines converging into one big ending. It had people to root for. It had mystery and darkness!

It was not at all what I expected going in. I won't spoil the fun. I've only ever read The Mermaid by this author before, and it was decent, but this one was a step up. It makes me want to check out her other stories like Alice and Lost Boy and The Girl in Red. I'll definitely be reading more of her work in the future!

I did take off a star because of one thing I predicted way too easily.

Highly recommended for people who like retellings (this is very Sleepy Hollow/headless horseman type story) and horror.

What or who is killing the town’s daughters?

Shortest Summary Ever: 2 bodies have been discovered. (Wait. Make that PIECES of bodies.) And 14 yr old Lauren’s dad was found murdered the year before in an equally gruesome fashion. But the town has moved on - crazies that can’t be found must be the perpetrators, so let’s move on - cases are closed. Except now Lauren’s little brother is having premonitions, and everyone in the town is acting like murder is NBD. Lauren seems to be the only one concerned. What IS happening in Smith Hollows?

Thoughts: Creepy Town with a Stepford Wives vibe, Smith Hollows is the star of this book as the town itself becomes a pulsating, breathing character. It holds alllll the secrets and the older residents know was’sup. 😏 This plot and the kids are the best part of the book because as I’ve said before - creepy kids? ✅ Off to a great start in “things that freak me out in books.”

But... the horror factor was tepid at best. Gore to me doesn’t translate as scary. I’m a firm believer in it’s more scary what you DON’T see (in your head while reading... like a movie). The freakiest books aren’t always the bloodiest. It was also a pretty obvious conclusion. But definitely a book I would buy!

All my reviews available at scrappymags.com

Genre: Mystery/Horror/Gore

Recommend to: if you want a spooky escape to a town where somethin’ just ain’t right.

Not recommended to: if you’re not into gory stuff. It’s heavier in the grit and blood, and brains... some entrails...

Thank you to the author, Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my always-honest review and for making me shun any city with “Hollow” in the name.