Book Review: Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews

“He knows what it is to be buried alive, the feeling of dirt in his mouth and the quiet fitting around him like a well-tailored grave. Sometimes Evander still tastes it under his tongue, that rich earth clotting between his molars. He should have grown out of the memory by now, but he belongs to it, and not in a gentle way.”

C.G. Drews, Hazelthorn

Review:

I am inexplicably drawn to C.G. Drews’ books. I’ve been dabbling more in the horror genre lately, and I keep coming back to this author. The premises are so interesting.

Evander is isolated and tormented in the Hazelthorn estate. When his caretaker dies and leaves everything to Evander rather than his grandson, Laurie, suspicious eyes fall on him. Evander is sure that Byron Lenox-Hall has been poisoned, but by whom? He seeks out Laurie for help, even though the two boys have been forbidden from seeing each other after a violent incident as children.

Every time I thought this book couldn’t get wilder, it did. Never in a million years would I have guessed the twists at the end, which honestly left me with more questions than answers. I enjoyed this more than Don’t Let the Forest In, but I still struggled at times trying to follow along. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Beautiful and immersive writing.

What I didn’t like:

• Maybe it’s because I’m still new to horror, but I was so confused by the end.
• The romance felt shoehorned in and distracted from the rest of the story. It was a weird dynamic, too, especially once the twist set in.

Afterthoughts:

For C.G. Drews’ books, my taste is more aligned with You Did Nothing Wrong. I’d still pick up another horror, because the writing style is fantastic.

Where to buy the book: