Hazelthorn
Cg Drews
(Author)
This title will be released on:
Oct 28, 2025
Description
CG Drews, instant New York Times-bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In, returns with another deeply unsettling and yet hauntingly beautiful tale of murder and botanical body horror, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White, Annihilation, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
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, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:
He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.
That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.
When Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. But Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next.
Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.
Also by CG Drews
Don't Let the Forest In
Product Details
| Publisher | Feiwel & Friends |
| Publish Date | October 28, 2025 |
| Pages | 368 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781250376299 |
| Dimensions | 209.6 X 136.5 X 25.4 mm | 1.0 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
Praise for Hazelthorn:
"Viscerally atmospheric and beautifully eerie—Hazelthorn will take root inside you, drag you into its strange, thorny depths, and make you want to stay there forever. I devoured this book." —Pascale Lacelle, New York Times-bestselling author of Curious Tides
"A beautifully written, modern-yet-gothic murder mystery full of wretched boys, tangled secrets, and a horrifying sentient garden. Devour it, lest it devour you." —Jamie Pacton, bestselling author of The Absinthe Underground
"CG Drews unleashes a gorgeous atmospheric narrative that rots through the boundaries of YA horror and gives the reader a visceral and unsettling tale of murder, mania, loyalty and a garden with much more bite than you would expect. I loved every single second of this haunting book, and the twists absolutely had me screaming. This is the botanical queer horror that readers never knew they needed." —Emily Varga, bestselling author of For She Is Wrath
"In Hazelthorn’s darkly gothic gardens, CG Drews conjures up a haunting nightmare dense with botanical horror, and in Evander, a rage-filled boy to root for.” —Amy Goldsmith, author of Those We Drown and Predatory Natures
"A lush, gothic tale filled with devastating twists, delicious atmosphere, and toxic family secrets. Drews delivers another obsession-worthy masterpiece in Hazelthorn—one that’s as hauntingly beautiful as the eponymous manor." —Kelsea Yu, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of It’s Only a Game and Bound Feet
Praise for Don't Let the Forest In:
A New York Times Bestseller
An ABA Indies Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
An Indies Next Selection
A B&N Best Book of 2024
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Goodreads Choice Award nominee
"Drews paints a gruesome narrative with visceral descriptions of monsters and the violence they enact, while with equal vigor, encapsulating the trauma of loss, disordered eating, bullying, and anxiety, all of which is counterbalanced by a gentle touch addressing asexual identity. ... Prepare for the emotional roller coaster of plot twists, unreliable narration, and a divisive conclusion. Sure to please those interested in modern horror mixed with a touch of fairy tale." —Booklist, starred review
"Compulsively readable. Don’t Let the Forest In lures you into a lush world full of terrifying monsters and codependent boys trying to survive their obsessive art—and each other." —Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times-bestselling author of She Is a Haunting
"CG Drews has crafted a beautiful, horrific novel out of underbrush and ink stains and blood. Perfect for any reader who has looked into the sharp mouths of disturbing fairy tales and found themself entirely at home." —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times-bestselling author of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and Hell Followed With Us
"A bloodied tale of toxic romance and botanical horror, this book will ensnare you like the tendrils of a haunted forest." —Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge and Unholy Terrors
"Genuinely creepy ... Lush, angsty, queer horror." —Kirkus Reviews
"With a lingering terror that will lurk well after you finish, this psychological horror is packed with monsters of fairytale, folklore and so much more. Good luck not getting hooked (and haunted)." —B&N Reads
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