Hazelthorn

"Pain is meant to take up space or else we wouldn't know how to scream."♡ Gothic Horror♡ Botanical Themes♡ Family Secrets♡ A Sentient Garden♡ Toxic obsession♡ MM romanceC.G. Drews has secured a spot as a go-to horror author for me. From the first page, they masterfully transport the reader into an alternate reality steeped in dread and eldritch horror. The botanical elements lend and almost uncanny coziness, until you realize that the garden has teeth and an endless hunger.I especially enjoyed the allegory for the rich feasting on the bones of the poor in order to feed their insatiable desire for power and wealth, and the subsequent monsters that are created by the perpetuation of that system.The plot kept me guessing, and not for a moment was I ever completely certain what the truth was until the final revelation. I will absolutely be revisiting this author and recommending to those who enjoy the lighter side of horror.The audio, though single narration, was executed tremendously. Michael Crouch's performance is top-notch and suited the characters perfectly. Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the gifted ALC.I leave you with a favorite quote from the book:"There is nothing else to 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... Let me ruin myself on you."

I read Hazelthorn in August and raved about it in my stories I fully meant to make a proper post. I had said if there is one thing C.G. Drews will do, it’s write about two yearning idiots who are hopelessly in over their heads and in love. I still stand by that, but the book is so much more.It’s two boys with sap in their veins and secrets in their teeth, tangled in abuse, grief, loneliness and a feral magic they don’t understand. A love threaded with thorns and sorrow.It’s giving: I love you, but I might kill you if you don’t kill me first, because the woods are watching and they always collect.It’s a creepy, unexpected, gothic fever dream of a novel.

Omggggg this book! It kept me up late needing more of the story, I was constantly surprised by the twists and trying to piece everything together. But it all comes together so perfectly, especially all the little details. CG Drews writes beautifully, using language intentionally to match the setting and the whole thing was just perfect. Probably my fav book of the year!

"It's lore between them now - he will always be a bloodied plaything and Laurie will always leave him to die because this is what they are to each other: two boys forever trying to sink their teeth into each other's throat."Evander has three rules - he must never leave the estate, he must never go into the garden, and he absolutely cannot be left alone with Laurie, his guardian's grandson, under any circumstances. Not after Laurie tried to kill him.By now it should come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of CG Drews. Don't Let The Forest In destroyed me in the best way possible, so I went into Hazelthorn with high hopes - it's one of my most anticipated releases of the year. And readers, let me tell you, it surpassed my expectations. This is the perfect queer gothic horror for the fall season.Like in DLTFI, we have two disastrous boys who are drawn together - Evander, who is sickly and unable to leave his room, and Laurie, who once tried to kill him. When Evander's guardian dies suddenly, he and Laurie must join forces to get to the root cause. Drews knows how to write relatable characters and I was immediately sucked in by Evander."He wishes he wasn’t like this, wishes he could stand even parallel to normal and be someone who fits next to those his age, who goes to school and kisses an appropriate amount of pretty people and isn’t bothered by things like an odd seam in his clothes or the very existence of socks."Some of us just aren't built for the world that everyone else seems to exist in just fine, and Drews always finds a way to represent that in their writing. And every time, it makes me want to cry from being seen.And Laurie, oh Laurie"Pain is meant to take up space or else we wouldn't know how to scream."Both boys have secrets, but will they bring them together or tear them apart?I don't want to get into the story too much to avoid spoiling it, but this absolutely had me on the edge of my seat. The fact that I had to stop reading for sleep and work was absolutely criminal. As always the prose was beautiful, and Drews really knows how to write in a way that makes you feel viscerally.If you enjoyed your trip to the forest, perhaps you should take a walk through the garden too...

Woah. This book is… woah.I’m honestly torn between “what the hell did I just read?” and “oh my god, I need more of that immediately.”This story is hauntingly beautiful. CG Drews crafts an atmosphere that’s equal parts gothic nightmare and tragic poetry. The MMC is a self-loathing boy locked away in a sprawling, decaying mansion filled with secrets and danger at every turn. He moves through life consumed by an insatiable hunger he can’t understand, torn between longing for the boy who once tried to kill him and craving the twisted love of his cruel, manipulative guardian—the same guardian who keeps him imprisoned, drugged, and experimented on…before he is mysteriously murdered.The entire book thrums with eerie, gothic suspense and emotional chaos—I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to uncover the truth. Drews’ writing is visceral and immersive, painting every grotesque and heartbreaking detail so vividly that it lingers long after the final page.That said, please check your trigger warnings; this story dives deep into trauma, obsession, and abuse in ways that are both disturbing and devastatingly human.