3.5 stars

“Their greed slips down their chins like saliva, and their eyes are black pools of lustful want”
This was my first book by C.G. Drews, and it was a weird, gothic ride that I really enjoyed. The prose is stunning—structured and lyrical, yet bizarre and hauntin. Drews has such a unique writing style that perfectly builds this eerie, gothic atmosphere.
I loved our main characters, Evander and Laurie. Their bond was intriguing and complex. I just wish we had gotten more detail about their shared past. It felt like there was so much emotional weight there, but it wasn’t explored as deeply as I hoped. I wanted to feel more of their history and connection as the story unfolded. I also wanted to understand why things happened the way they did between them
There were so many “Hah??” moments that kept me on my toes—twists, turns, and eerie reveals that made the story exciting, especially in the beginning. But honestly, some parts, in my opinion, just didn’t hit like I hoped.Still, I genuinely enjoyed the journey.
Note : Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for giving me this arc

This book devoured me whole and I’ve somehow lived to tell the tale. I think a lot of people may find it challenging to read: it’s gruesome, gory, and full of truly despicable characters who do unimaginable things. All of that was neither here nor there for me, but the depiction of Evander’s heavily-autistic-coded episodes and inability to fit in with other humans were both deeply, soul-shatteringly relatable and difficult for me to read.

But, ultimately, the journey depicted, the revelations revealed, the growth (so much growth!) achieved were all worth it. The pacing really picked up in the last third and I finished it very quickly for how slowly I started. The setting truly shines and is visceral in its vividness. I hated most of the characters not for how they were written (beautifully) but for how they acted (disgustingly). Their relationships are deeply messed up and maybe a little problematic, but then that totally fits the story and its takeaways.

All in all, I won’t hesitate to recommend this one when it’s out later in the year! Many thanks to the author and publisher for this ARC.

C.G. Drews does botanical horror so well! If you loved Don’t Let the Forest In, go ahead and read this one too. I don’t want to say too much and give away the plot twists, but C.G. Drews writes them splendidly. I thought I sensed something amiss or strange about our narrator, but I did not guess where this book was going. But all the clues were there when I looked back at the book which is so satisfying. It makes for entertaining rereads and books I can reread and continue discovering new things each time are my very favorite.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

There is something about this novel that feels like it is carving me from the inside out. Having grown up in New England, the setting felt so incredibly, eerily familiar. That fact is only bolstered by Drews’ incredible descriptive talent. (I don’t think that this qualifies as a spoiler, but there is a description of soured milk that will continue to stick with me and disturb me viscerally as someone who absolutely despises the smell of non-turned milk.) Their descriptions only heighten how real the Hazelthorn estate felt.

Evander, as a character, is somewhat familiar. As someone who is autistic and was made to mask in order to get through school, his rage and overall journey through this novel was incredibly healing. I’m not sure if a younger Sparrow would have read this book (I’m only recently getting into the horror genre), but, if this book had been available to them, they should have read it.

The twists, the turns, the horror, the romance, the introspection, the mystery, all of it is impeccable.

This novel is going to continue to live with me, Drews’ words acting like the garden that they had written about. I want to lay down in the dirt, weeds tangling in my hair, and just scream. Please go out and order a copy of this book, request a copy for your local library, gift this story to any horror-loving friends and family, etc.

This is a deliciously gothic story from the beginning. When Evander's billionaire guardian is poisoned, suddenly Evander is free to learn the secrets of the mansion and its gardens. He's been locked up in his room for as long as he can remember, and now he's able to explore. With his dying breath, his guardian told him to stay out of the garden, which is full of poison plants. But it seems that the garden holds some other secrets as well, and Evander is determined to discover them. Unfortunately, greedy relatives are now after his inheritance, and he doesn't know whether or not to trust Laurie, his guardian's true grandson, to whom he's obsessively attracted to and repulsed by.

I'd give this more stars except that I found all the relationships abusive and the romance bit cringey because it romanticized abuse. Although, I did enjoy the gothic and forbidden garden bits.

Thank you, CG Drew, the publisher, and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Temporary verdict 3.5/5 stars

I have a reason for this rating, and that’s because I want to read this book again and re-review it when it’s closer to its release day. The reason for this is that while I think CG Drews is an immensely talented writer, I, for the life of me, can’t get past the 40% mark of this book.

There is something about the way that CG Drews structures their stories that loses me around this section. I had the same issue when I received the arc for their other novel, “Don’t Let The Forest In” and my overall experience with that novel was underwhelming. However, I still see so much potential in this author, so I was excited to be chosen for this ARC.

Many of the issues I found with that other novel were not present in this one. There was a massive improvement in terms of character, plot, pacing, and more.

I still find that this author needs to expand their vocabulary a bit. I know that this is nature themed, but there are various other words than “rot” to describe something foul. I honestly started rolling my eyes every time I came across that word. Yet, I can easily overlook this and focus on the story. Still, I can’t bring myself to finish this novel even after restarting it. I wish I could say why this was. CG Drews, as I’ve stated, is a talented writer and storyteller, but I’m simply not connecting with this particular story.

At this moment, I think I need some time to reread it after I’ve had a decent amount of space. Hopefully, a third read-through will allow me to make it to the end and give a proper, more in-depth review.

Again, thank you, CG Drew, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.8 ⭐️
The premise of this book was refreshing to read, the best way to describe it would be botanical horror gothic queer story.

I’ll start with what I liked;
1. Botanical horror is a captivating and sometimes uncomfortable image depicted through body horror. There were times my skin was crawling with some of the depictions.
2. The atmosphere, the scenery, the botanical descriptions were all enjoyable for me
3. The writing is beautiful!

What I was indifferent about:
1. I didn’t realize this was a YA story until I started reading and it’s hard for me to focus on a love story when your main characters are under 18. This is a personal gripe I have with literary works and I know this is not everyone’s experience. I personally like my characters to be older
2. I had one problem with the Lawyer, I don’t want to spoil it but how did he even figure out what was going on?

Things I didn’t like:
1. I kept losing steam when reading, it starts off great then the pacing slows down and about 50-60% I almost DNFd it because it was taking too long to get to the point.
2. Personal opinion but If you have adhd, the pacing can be a problem. You start figuring out patterns and process the information so fast that you almost spoil the twists by figuring out what’s going on before the book tells you. This won’t apply to everyone obviously but this was my reading experience.

Overall maybe I’m not the target audience but I can see this book being loved and raved about. This book had a lot of topics I love, botanical eldritch-esque horror, gothic manor, body horror, and mystery.

Hazelthorn follows Evander, who was taken in by his wealthy guardian from a young age. For his safety he is not allowed to leave the estate, go into the gardens or be alone with his guardian’s grandson Laurie. Everything gets flipped on its head when Evander’s guardian mysteriously dies leaving the estate to none other than Evander himself.

Having this be my first CG Drew’s book left me feeling awestruck. As others have said it’s better to go in with as little knowledge as possible & just experience Hazelthorn for yourself. That’s what I did & wasn’t disappointed by the journey.

What stuck out to me was the almost lyrical or poetic style of their writing. It was not only easy to visualize the characters but also their emotions. I felt like I was on this journey with the characters, feeling their raw emotions through the pages.

Everything felt perfectly timed in its delivery as to not overwhelm the reader but also give information. I was so drawn into the writing & story that I didn’t get close to knowing the twists or the ending Drews gives us in this story.

Thank you to NetGalley & the punisher for the arc!!

“Pain is meant to take up space or else we wouldn’t know how to scream.”

Once again, CG Drews wrapped me in thorn coated vines and dragged me deep into a horrifying tale that I didn’t not want to be released from.

For anyone who has been denied their bodily autonomy, been gaslit into submission, told they’re too emotional or overreacting, this book is for you. The rage pours from the pages as something relatable and insidious.

I wanted to protect Evander, and Laurie, with my life throughout this book. I wanted to rage along with him as everyone around him gaslit him into oblivion, to the point where he questioned his own sanity.

I was sobbing by the end, almost forgetting that this book is horror, when all I felt was love for Evander and Laurie.

C.G Drews has magic in their veins. I truly didn’t think anything could top Don’t Let the Forest In, but this blew me away. (If you haven’t read Don’t Let the Forest In, I implore you to read it TODAY!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group gifting me a free copy in exchange for a review.

[Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy of this book.] “The garden wants you back.” This book feels ALIVE! Behind the turmoil, the murder mystery plot, the twisted queer romance, the body horror, and all the other exciting stuff happening in the story, the plant imagery is there, growing, creeping, and seeping. It really felt like the thorns, vines, roots, and buds tormenting the characters were sneaking out from between the pages. It’s an intoxicating read, rife with lush descriptions of botanical happenings and our main character’s despair and cravings. The reveals and twists abound and kept things exciting all the way to a brutal but satisfying finale! I went in unsure about the YA label, but it was a really exhilarating read that I consumed so quickly.

This book was beautifully written and plot twists got me on every page. I have already recommended this to all of my friends and will be getting a physical copy when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book :)

I greatly enjoyed it. The pacing kept me invested from the first page to the last, as something was always happening and every scene added to the overall plot. No parts dragged or seemed unnecessary.

I really liked Evander as a protagonist and Laurie was also a very lovable character. I found myself consistently rooting for both of them, and I think the ending of the book did them both justice.

The plot went in a direction I wasn’t initially expecting, but definitely not in a bad way. I think the fantasy elements were woven into the plot nicely and really added to the overall atmosphere/aesthetic of the story.

After finishing the book, I did still have some questions left, but I think overall everything was explained sufficiently and all the big loose ends were tied up. There are only two main things I think could’ve been improved upon a bit, at least in the immediate aftermath of my finishing this story (I may think of some other stuff later on).

The first one is the biggest, and it is that I feel the specifics of how the magic works in this story could’ve been a bit more fleshed out. The second is more of a nitpick, and it is regarding a specific plot point that I feel didn’t get entirely resolved by the end of the book. It was kind of explained, but in my opinion, not fully.

These issues, however, did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, so I am rating it 4 out of 5 stars. I think I will definitely be reading more books by this author in the future, as so far I’ve enjoyed two of them and I can only assume future books will be as, if not more, enjoyable as Don’t Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

oh my gahhhhh C.G. Drews is the monarch of botanical body horror because i didn't think it could get better after Don't Let the Forest In and it did!! because firstly, that cover is just gorgeous? and i loved the gothic mansion setting of Hazelthorn twined with a murder mystery and family drama and that garden pushing its way in.

i thought the plot was a little slow at first but boy did it ramp up once things start coming to light. i love the central mystery of who Evander actually is and why doesn't he have any memeries from before Laurie 'tried to kill him'. the resolution to this blew my mind because i absolutely did not see it coming yet i couldn't think of a more fitting end and beginning for Evander and Hazelthorn. (spoilers!!) i never thought that Evander would come from the garden following Laurie's sacrifice when he wanted a friend. like. oh my god?? i have no words.

the attraction between Laurie and Evander is just, carnal, for lack of a better word. i love the build up of tension throughout the series, and the allusions to Laurie and Evander yearning for each other the past seven years they didn't speak. the ending was just, chef's kiss. with Laurie being mended by the garden and choosing to stay with Evander (aka Hazelthorn) who is now an eldritch horror garden monster. he knew what he was and he wanted him anyway. this hurts my soul.

" there is nothing else for me but the hollow spaces i've carved out for you. i knew i'd cut myself to pieces on you if we ever had the chance to touch, but i wanted to. "

" don't leave me, please, don't leave me. i am worse without you. "

even (especially) if it's all the same genre of queer botanical body horror i will continue to read everything C.G. Drew writes.

Oh my lord, CG Drews does it again. Like Don't Let the Forest In, Hazelthorn mixes botanical horror with queer romance and an element of mystery. There is also autism rep which is always so wonderful to see and it is done so well!

The characters. My dear Laurie owns my heart what a sweet precious tortured boy.

It also gave my The Secret Garden vibes but make it horror and queer which YES PLEASE.

CG Drews is so good at writing super dark atmospheric stories.
This stand-alone book is full of botanical body horror, and it makes me think of Hawthorne's short story Rappaccini's Daughter.
This book is so suspenseful, and really visceral.
If you enjoy gothic horror, this story is for you.
A dark and rotting good time. : )

🥀ARC REVIEW🥀

Thank you, @netgalley and @macmillanusa for the ARC of Hazelthorn by @paperfury ! I was so excited to read this book and jumped right in.

First, C.G. Drews’s prose is just incredible. The style of writing is poetic and visceral. How she connects the Earth and emotion, hunger and want, is so immersive and detailed. She described the dirt at one point, and I swear I could taste it. Her writing has so many layers that when you read it, you feel compelled to read more, dissect it, and read again because you might’ve missed little moments that expand on the larger story.

Now to the plot—NO SPOILERS. The story was gripping and nerve-wracking. The flow of events was as distorted as Evander’s (the MC’s) emotions and memories. There is a linear story being told, but as you walk in Evander’s shoes, confusion, fear, pain, and curiosity take you.

C.G. Drews does a great job representing the emotional ups and downs of someone on the spectrum and really diving into the mind of the complexities of trying to connect with others and even with oneself. I could tell that the world was so foreign to Evander, and yet he forced himself forward anyway. The twists and turns of the story were so good I stayed up until 3am to finish reading it. I was just on the edges of my seat the whole time and I couldn’t put it down.

🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀/5⭐️

Hazelthorn is chaotic in the best way! I loved the murder mystery aspect, and there are so many other twists and turns in this book (and I didn’t foresee any of them). It has the perfect amount of horror and gore, while also giving beautiful descriptions about the garden. I’d just played Strange Horticulture before reading this and that turned out to be a great combo!

My only complaint is that the book does feel very similar to Don’t Let the Forest In at the beginning because of the writing style, but I got over that pretty quickly.

I loved the ending and felt that it tied everything up perfectly. Thrilled to have been able to get an ARC, I’ll definitely be recommending this one when it comes out!!!

this book is absolutely beautiful!!! don’t let the forest in has been on my tbr forever and now i cannot wait to read it even more.

this is such a gorgeous story about identity and family and love and autonomy i cannot express enough how deeply this resonated with me as someone who has suppressed themselves for so much of their life and is still working up the courage to try not to. the writing is otherworldly you’ve never heard plants written like this. the main characters were so loveable as you got to know them and the way this story builds the antagonist is crazy.

i won’t be moving on from this one for a while and i cannot wait to buy it once it comes out!!

"God was stronger than me when he made Adam and didn't fall in love with him"

WOW. This book was haunting. It was beautiful. It was, simply, everything. This is my first book by @paperfury and I can't wait to read more.

The story follows Evander, reeling in the wake of his caretaker's death, attempting to make sense of the world around him, his untamable yearning for fellow ward, Laurie, and the dangerous garden surrounding the estate.

The writing is wonderful and evokative. The imagery is striking. The story itself is beautiful and devastating. I don't want to give away too much of the actual events themselves, but trust me this is a must read for anyone who is a fan of Gothic queer horror.

5/5⭐, more if I could.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

“What if the worst of us is the only part that’s real?”

Shew, this was a wild ride. The story is told from the perspective of Evander, an isolated 17 year old boy who lives under the care of an old reclusive garden-tending billionaire after his parents died in a car accident.

Evander is not allowed to leave his room, visit the property’s expansive gardens, or spend time with his guardian’s grandson, Laurie. So, you know- not strict at all, super normal stuff.

Except Byron dies unexpectedly and he leaves his massive fortune to Evander- not Laurie. Who also tried to kill Evander years ago, by the way. And though Evander doesn’t remember why, he does know that he hates Laurie.

So there are lots of mysteries to uncover in this story. Did Byron get murdered, and if so, who did it? And why did Laurie try to kill Evander all those years ago? And what’s going on with the garden?

Hazelthorn answers all of these questions in the most deliciously bizarre and vibey ways. It was obvious some weird botanical stuff was going on and the explanation was very satisfying. And sometimes great stories are dragged down by clunky writing, but CG Drews’s beautiful prose really added to the experience.

Hazelthorn is a story about a garden and greed and murder and love, and I’m truly looking forward to having it randomly pop into my brain all summer when I’m tending to my garden. 🪴

Thank you NetGalley & Feiwel and Friends for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.