Hazelthorn

Publication Date: October 2025 |Thanks NetGalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: Not a book for everyone, but those tolerating botanical body horror will love the imagery as well as the characters.

4/5 Stars

Book Summary: Billionaire Byron Lennox-Hall took in Evander as a child, and in order to keep him safe has kept him relatively secluded in the estate of Hazelthorn. Evander must avoid going into the gardens and has been told to avoid Byron’s grandson Laurie, as he tried to kill Evander years ago. For some reason though, Evander is obsessed with Laurie. When Byron dies suddenly, Evander takes advantage of a new found freedom and his inheritance of Hazelthorn. As the secrets of the Lennox-Hall family come to light, Evander finds himself drawn closer to the growing garden. He quickly realizes that the garden is out of control, and has a taste for blood.

My Analysis: There is something about CG Drew’s writing that sticks with me. Even having read Don’t Let the Forest In quite awhile ago, I still find myself thinking of it from time to time. I have a feeling it will be the same with this one. Not everyone will enjoy this book. You have to like or tolerate botanical body horror as it is the main feature of this story. It is excellently done however, and the writing is simply beautiful. In addition to the plant horror, trigger warning for child abuse. The characters are interesting and all of them have their own individual flaws, which I appreciated. The story itself mostly revolves around the characters and their growth and relationships. It was very intriguing to see Evander’s character change from beginning to end. I did think that the ending was a little abrupt, but things are were wrapped up enough to satisfy readers. I’m curious to read more reviews on this one and see others thoughts. Overall, if you’re looking for horror and can take the botanical descriptions, this is a solid novel.