AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
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
Scorpion Deep
YA horror - done well
"One of the hardest genres to really get right is young adult horror. You have to balance how much gore, nudity, and sex (often all excessive in horror) with what is appropriate for the age group, or what is expected from a lesser horror novel. C. G. Drews does this superbly in Hazelthorn. My first book by this author but certainly won’t be my last. We are taken to an isolated mansion with two teen boys who’ve grown up together; well sort of. We have murder, amnesia, a wild garden, butlers, greedy in-laws, and a little MM romance blooms. Amoungst all of this our MC, a 17-year-old boy is fighting off panic attacks, ‘episodes’, and crazy ailments while he tries to figure out what is really going on in Hazelthorn. This one had me riveted and flipping pages at top speed to find out what happens. This is a good entry into horror for anyone age 12 or above. I believe many adults will enjoy this one as it is complex without being totally angsty and annoying (given its YA classification and teen MC). I was pleasantly tickled by the ending as it felt both logical and smart. I’ll definitely be looking up more of Drews books as Hazelthorn was a delightfully spooky read with a great murder plot set overtop. Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review."
