The Devils Tree left me feeling a little disappointed as this was one I had been excited for and flicked through the pages quickly. But as the story went on it felt a little to on the nose for the story attempted by the author. The writing style is concise and doesn't leave the reader confused as to what is happening but the plot of the story, as well as the characters, could have been better worded and worked.

Axl Malton's The Devil's Tree is a spooky, fast-paced, horror/psychological book that you want to be sure you read well before you go to bed. The writing is very descriptive, and in some places, dark, but for the majority of the book it's one you can't put down, and you repeatedly make sure no one is around you as you look over your shoulder over and over again to make sure it's safe before climbing into bed and pulling the covers over your head, while leaving the lights on. I don't know if Mr. Malton has written other books or not, but I will definitely be keeping an eye out especially around the Halloween time frame, in hopes that he has some new fights coming out to scare the readers with!

The story telling is fantastic; you get a deep dive into all the important characters without the book being to long.
You may have some confusion on why some characters are there, but it all ties together and I promise you haven't figured out what needs to happen until the end and even then the end gives you something to think about.

This is a good horror mixed with fantasy that will keep you wanting to read until the end.

I got about 50 pages into this book and decided to DNF. It is 2024 and the author thought it was appropriate to use “stop being a pussy” as a way to hype himself up to doing something scary…it ruined the entire book for me. granted that isn’t saying much because this book is slow and boring and there is so much that could have been left out

Excellent! This. was, simply put, an extremely well executed story. It did not rely on any absurd plot twists or over the top gore, just well written characters and a solid horror story. Highly recommend.
Definitely looking forward to more work from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

This book had me in the first chapter. This is the way to start a book. From the start it grabbed and kept me hooked. I needed to know what happened and how it was going to end. I thought this was a great book having never read anything by this author before. Look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I’ve just finished reading The Devil's Tree: A Novel by Axl Malton. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book. The writer does an excellent job of creating that small town feel. You get to know the characters and become invested in their lives.

With the disappearance of one teen years ago and now the recent disappearance of a young boy, the village is put on edge. Is it related? Who would take a child? Is there someone in their town that’s a monster? You quickly get drawn into this mystery as you meet all of the townspeople and the new couple that has just moved in with their little girl. They moved to the village to escape the crime and turmoil of the city but did they?

This novel has a unique storyline that keeps you interested throughout. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy small village/folk horror. I think you’ll find it’s a novel full of tension with very diverse characters. Some you love, some you hate and some you hope get what they deserve, in the end




#TheDevilsTreeANovel #NetGalley

I am a huge fan of horror movies and books and this book did not disappoint. The mystery of a missing girl, something evil lurking in the woods, and all happening in a small town. Could not put this book down.

This is the first horror book I have read as I tend to stay more on the side of fantasy, but this book might bring me to the dark side. It was a good book but at times I felt that there could of been something else added to the story. Overall a great book !

it was very hard for me to get into the book. i couldnt get into the story. i wish itg would of given me a scare at some point. it was long enough to do that.

4.25 stars

Axl has written another banger here. I was hooked from page one. The tension, characters, and atmosphere all lead to a great horror story that I loved getting lost in.

This is such an amazing book. Loved the writing in this book and everything done in it. Loved the characters so much.

Never read any books by this author but this is another solid horror book by it up and coming author very creepy with a good storyline can't wait to read future novels by this author,
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

This is a supernatural horror novel that has just about anything you could want from this genre. Small town, creepy woods, scary legends about witches and the Devil, an absolutely horrific human antagonistic, and a mystery steeped in secrets. Yep, that ticked off so many boxes for me and my horror tastes that there was no way I couldn't like it!

A young woman went missing eighteen years ago. Her boyfriend at the time is now a police officer in their small town but her disappearance has haunted him all these years. He's in a loveless marriage and regrets some of his life choices.

When two men go alone into the woods only to come out and butchering their own children, fear grips the community. The men claim no remembrance past going in the woods.

A psychiatric hospital has a truly despicable man running it. And when a female nurse suspects something illegal and immoral happening, she will try to expose him. But he's always steps ahead and, now, her life is in danger.

All of these elements come together throughout the novel and the connection is in those woods. Something evil, something that's hungry, and something that seeks revenge is coming for the souls of the entire town.

This book has a few great twists which takes it in directions you wouldn't think and really keeps the readers on their toes.

It's written wonderfully and the pages seem to fly by because I didn't want to put it down.

I highly recommend this book.

First Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the ARC of this book. I would also like to thank the author for sharing this story. I literally could not put this book down, I was hooked on this dark, insidious tale that had me guessing to the very end. I didn’t really care for the descriptive scene with the cat. Overall I really enjoyed this book. Definitely recommend.

First of all Thank You NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the chance to read this ARC. I read multiple genres and although I like horror I can be quite picky. This book was a home run for me! It started off a bit like a police procedural but then the nefarious mystery behind The Devil's tree started to make itself known. The characters were well developed. The last action scene was really well written. I enjoyed this book very much. So glad I was able to read it.

A great horror story that sucks you in from the first page..In the middle of the forest in a dried reservoir theres a dead tree that locals know to stay away from as it oozes evil. Thank you Netgalley and publisher. Deliciously scary.