After reading Don’t Let the Forest In, I knew that I needed to read another book by this author. Luckily for me, Hazelthorn was published about a year ago. Once I finally got my hands on this book, I rushed to read it. I don’t regret a thing.

“What does it feel like, anyway, to die with the garden in your mouth?” 

Premise of the book:

Evander is content with spending the rest of his life in his room, where he is safe and being taken care of by his rich guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall. Evander only has three rules to follow: never leave Hazelthorn, never go into the garden, and never be alone with Byron’s grandson, Laurie. However, it seems that Laurie is all that Evander can think about in his room.

When Byron mysteriously dies one day, Evander suddenly inherits everything from him. While everyone tries to play off Byron’s death as nothing more than a tragedy, Evander believes that he was murdered, leading to him starting an investigation…one that Laurie decides to join. 

During the investigation, Evander notices that it seems the garden is refusing to stay behind its walls and that it is hungry for blood. Evander also realizes that this mansion hides secrets that could kill. Evander must escape this bloodthirsty garden, all while making sure Laurie doesn’t stab him in the back again.

“To scream is to believe there is someone out there who cares.” 

Pros/positives:

*Writing style*

The writing style really allowed this book to feel immersive in an unsettling way. The author left things unvarnished and gritty. She didn’t stray from making her descriptions disturbing or from creating unnerving metaphors. My favorite thing is the way she describes the greed of the wealthy as being “like saliva”, dripping down their chins, with their eyes being “black pools of lustful want” (326). It is meant to make the readers have an unsettling visual. 

I’m always enthralled by the way the author manages to write desire. She always does it in such a raw way. She describes Evander as being hungry. It is more than just the average amount of lust, with her taking it as far as to make Evander hungry enough to want to think of eating Laurie. It’s so unsettling, but it fits the characters so well.

*Toxic relationships*

While this is similar to how I talked about the author’s writing style, I particularly appreciate the portrayal of toxic relationships in this novel (both between Evander and Laurie and between Evander and Byron Lennox-Hall). The way that the author shows the codependency that Evander has—like how he was trained to need others—is very well done. Evander relies on the very people who are hurting him the most, like Byron. It was a great demonstration of how hard it is to break the cycle of a toxic relationship once you are in one.

Evander’s need for Laurie ran deep as well, with the two of them leaning on each other for every little thing. Even in the very beginning, you can see Evander’s pull towards Laurie. Evander admits that he is “still obsessed with [Laurie]” (11), even after Laurie tried to kill him. Evander is too curious to stay away, which leads to them having a very close bond. It gets to the point where it is unhealthy for both of the boys, as they care for each other too much for their own good. However, that doesn’t stop them from constantly running back to one another when danger occurs. 

*Setting*

I thought the setting played a crucial role in how the book’s tone was presented. While some might find it a little repetitive or boring, due to the setting focusing solely on the house and garden, I found I liked the isolation that it gave us. 

I enjoy how the garden feels like it never ends, like it has a mind of its own. Although I must admit, I do wish we had gotten to see a little more of it. The garden seemed like yet another character to get attached to and learn more about. It was very intriguing to have different, deadly plants explained, and the drawings of the plants that were mentioned made for an even better addition. It added to the feel of the garden because it had its own nature. 

*Characters*

While reading, I could immediately tell that the characters were the main focus of the book. Evander was so compelling. You could see his deep-rooted trauma in every thought and action of his. He didn’t know how to express himself, and he was as skittish as a rabbit, but that’s what I loved about him. It gave him a chance to grow. He developed throughout the book to get a voice and opinions of his own. He was allowed to move outside of the mindset he was raised in. 

Laurence, on the other hand, starts as nothing more than a cocky, spoiled brat who is overconfident. I liked watching him allow his true emotions to spill over as the book continued. It was always heartbreaking to hear about the trauma he faced, but it made him a deeper character. 

The side characters from the Lennox-Hall family were also enjoyable for me. I must admit, they all felt like they only had the trait of being greedy, but that’s what it feels like the author was going for. Their greed was well-built, too, with each of them showing different ways of being greedy. Oleander swooped in to gain control over Evander, while Azalea tried to seduce Evander with the promise of greatness. Bane was the most violent, as he was willing to do anything to get the money. They seemed to be a big pusher for moving the plot forward, which I also appreciated.

“It walks two fingers down his spine, this feeling he’s never been allowed: curiosity.” 

In between/neutral:

*Plot twists*

The plot twists in this book were not bad by any means; they just felt a little underwhelming. I think my issue comes with how the last book I read by this author, Don’t Let the Forest In, had an amazing, jaw-dropping twist. This book just didn’t do that for me, so I’m slightly disappointed.

*Similar to Don’t Let the Forest In*

This book has a very similar vibe to Don’t Let the Forest In. I didn’t mind in the slightest, as I enjoyed that book. However, if you didn’t like the last book this author wrote, I don’t think you’ll love this one either. I actually had very similar cons for this book as I did for Don’t Let the Forest In.

“If you start unlocking doors, you might find things you don’t want to see. Or worse, you might wake up.” 

Cons/negatives: 

*Lack of plot*

The plot is still not really there. The author heavily relies on the vibes of the book and the characters to get readers through. Evander claims to be ‘investigating the murder of Byron Lennox-Hall,’ but nothing comes from that. He makes one wall of suspects, and that’s about it. Evander occasionally thinks about questioning people or whatnot, but he never actually does anything. The book sets up a plot, but then it seems not to know what to do with it.

*Slow start*

Due to the plot not really being present, it didn’t take me a second to get into the book. The beginning part was slightly slower than I would have liked. Even though Byron dies within the first couple of chapters, I feel like after that, things slow down significantly for a bit of the book.

“He tries, but somehow even trying means he’s failed.” 

Conclusion: 

Pros – Writing style, toxic relationships, setting, characters

In between – Plot twists, similar to Don’t Let the Forest In

Cons – Lack of plot, slow start

Overall – 3.75 out of 5

“Long may you rot”