CG Drews’ previous book, Don’t Let the Forest In, was my favorite books of 2024! I was incredibly excited to read more of their work, and Hazelthorn did not disappoint!

The plot was so fast-moving! Someone was already dead by the third chapter👀! The plot was also extremely mysterious. Whenever I thought I had everything figured out, the mystery went in a new, exciting direction. The story kept me guessing the entire time. (I did have some correct guesses though, so shoutout to me😉) And that ending!! I saw the author say on social media that the heartbreak that we would feel after Hazelthorn would be worse than the one we all felt after Don’t Let the Forest In and… yeah… I am not okay…

I did think the writing was a little TOO flowery in this one. It felt less natural than in DLTFI and a little more heavy handed. Some of the metaphors & analogies felt forced at times in my opinion. I also didn’t feel as connected to the characters in this one. Those two things kept it from being a five star read for me, but I truly enjoyed this and am very excited for CG Drews next release: You Did Nothing Wrong!

Thank you Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own. 

CW: blood, gore, child abuse, medical abuse, ableism, eating disorders, and body horror