Review of Hazelthorn by CG Drews
Title: Hazelthorn.
Author: CG Drews.
Genre: Horror, Gothic, LGBT, Thriller, Young Adult
Year Published: 2025
My Rating: 5/5
Blurb:
CG Drews, acclaimed 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 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.
Review
Hazelthorn is a spellbinding gothic tale the sinks its teeth - or thorns - into you with enthralling, visceral prose and compelling mysteries and relationships. The novel opens by illustrating 17-year-old Evander's current circumstances. He is confined to his bedroom; seldom interacting with anyone other than the elderly butler who makes him take 'medicine' every night to lull him into a deep, prolonged sleep. From this alone, the air of mystique and intrigue already develops; the reader can tell something isn't quite right in the manor of Hazelthorn and that this medicine isn't what it seems. In my opinion, the 'medicine' is a way to silence him; reflecting how people silence and disenfranchise 'undesirables' and attempt to remove their autonomy due to their divergence from 'normality'. With this in mind, it is evident within the novel how the author has struggled with being autistic or, rather, how people have treated them because of their autism.
The treatment of people that deviate from the norm is a major theme in Hazelthorn and struck a chord within me. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 30 and am currently debating getting an autism diagnosis after my ADHD assessor brought it up. I could pick a lot of quotes from this book to highlight this, but one that really resonated with me was spoken by Laurie:
*"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."
Both Evander and Laurie are ignored and are viewed with disdain by the characters of the novel. They find themselves in a shaky alliance after Evander's bedroom door is unlocked by an unknown person and he finally escapes his prison. Downstairs, he reunites with the sardonic Laurie, who he feels mystically drawn to despite him trying to kill Evander and subsequently attempting to bury him alive in the gardens of Hazelthorn many years ago.
However, despite wanting answers from Laurie, Evander is determined to seek out his guardian - Laurie's grandfather Byron Lennox-Hall- and confront him regarding his recent imprisonment. During this short encounter, his guardian dies after he takes a sip of seemingly poisoned tea. With his dying breath, Byron claims that Evander must never venture into Hazelthorn's gardens, despite the world outside of his bedroom finally being opened to him.
Following Byron Lennox-Hall's death, we meet a cast even more suspicious than Laurie. Dawes is the cunning and quiet lawyer, who has replaced Byron's usual attorney and visits Hazelthorn to read and enforce the will. A few days later, Byron's formidable sister Oleander moves in, followed by her dreadful children Bane and Azalea. Bane is a detestable man and easily fits in the spoiled rich boy trope. Azalea pretends that she is better than her family, but she just wouldn't dirty her own hands.
Amongst the chaos of the house, Evander needs to uncover the truth behind Hazelthorn, his imprisonment and his guardian's murder. He feels immensely drawn to Laurie and trusts him more than he ever could the other Lennox-Halls, despite aforementioned attempted murder. This leads to Evander allying himself with Laurie, as neither of them trust the other Lennox-Halls or Dawes. Their adventure takes them to places that they can never turn back from, and they learn to trust each other.
Hazelthorn was one of the best books I have read this year. It was so compelling and woven with enthralling and haunting prose that I read it in a day. I was suffering from a cold and it kept me energised and awake as I feverishly (literally) kept reading to find the answers to my questions. Despite being a tale of body horror and blood, I found the tale to be poignant and emotional.
At its core, Hazelthorn is a novel about being outside of the margins, whilst those inside treat you abominably. It's about finding love and friendship in other people who have also been marginalised and finding a home in them. As someone who is neurodivergent, I resonated with this novel completely; it has been woven into me and will forever be a part of me.
Thank you to NetGallery and the publishers for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.