Synopsis
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.
He can never leave, he can never go in the gardens and he can never be alone with Laurie, the boy who tried to kill him seven years ago.
But when his guardian is murdered and Evander inherits Hazelthorn, Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer.
As dark secrets unravel, moss bleeds through the walls, poisonous mushrooms flourish beneath the floorboards, and Evander must discover what he’s really inherited before Hazelthorn’s garden demands to be fed.
Review
This burrowed into my skin, rotted me from the inside out.
Evander is kept as a ward inside Hazelthorn Estate, locked in his room to control his ‘episodes’. He definitely cannot be left alone with his billionaire guardian’s grandson, Laurie, who tried to kill him seven years ago.
When his guardian suddenly dies, Evander suspects it to be a covered-up murder, and Laurie is the only one who may believe him.
Creepy things start happening when Evander enters the garden he has always been forbidden from.
Hate, love: everything is twisted.
“Who tells you to be quiet all the time?” Laurie’s words are a low, thickened spill of warm honey. “Pain is meant to take up space or else we wouldn’t know how to scream. Fuck making your agony silent to avoid disturbing others. Maybe they should be disturbed.”
This is a story about rage and anger. Queer and autistic misunderstandings that lead to feeling like an invalid, an other, a monster.
The imagery in here is VIVID. This was gross and bloody and thorny.
This is over the top in everything: prose declarations, actions, but CG Drews makes it work so well.
If you enjoyed Don’t Let the Forest In, you will enjoy this. However, expect more horror, more what-the-heck-is-actually-going-on packed into a shorter book.
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