Hazelthorn – C. G. Drews

Knives Out meets Belladonna in this gorgeously gothic queer YA horror and dark romance about an inherited estate, murderous relatives, and a garden with a taste for blood, from the New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In and The Boy Who Steals Houses. 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 though 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 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 TidesA 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 UndergroundCG 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 WrathIn 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 DrownA 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, author of It’s Only a GameThe eerie creeping atmosphere and Drews' way of mixing horror with romance, especially that obsession that Evander has, just makes this book so consumable. I was struggling to put it down . . . can't wait to be emotionally devastated by whatever CG Drews writes next. -- Julia S, Dymocks Bookseller ― Netgalley About the Author CG Drews is the author of A Thousand Perfect Notes, The Boy Who Steals Houses, and Don't Let the Forest In. CGs work has been translated into five languages and was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal and won the 2020 CBCA Honour Award. CG lives in Australia, never sleeps and is forever buried under a pile of unread books.