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 finalist
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors Choice
"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
"More Brothers Grimm than Disney, Drews’ modern-day fairy tale artfully tackles heavy topics, including homophobia, bullying and eating disorders, while skillfully weaving in the dark fantasy elements that anchor the story. Drews’ words feel like poetry, almost lyrical in their grotesque execution, and you can’t help but keep reading. The story opens with a boy cutting out his heart for love; by the time you reach the final, gripping page, you may feel like doing the same." —The Seattle Times
"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
"Lush [and] immersive ... In their first horror novel, Drews embraces the genre with style and intensity via truly malevolent monsters and compellingly creepy botanical horrors. Readers who enjoy high-stakes stories of obsession, epic battles with monsters of the world and of the mind, and artistically expressed blood and gore will revel in Don't Let the Forest In." —BookPage
"Beautifully cutting and achingly full of writhing love, painful loss, and horrors beyond imagination. Love is a weapon full of cutting ribs and thorns in this gut-wrenching story by CG Drews." —Kaitlyn Mahoney, Under the Umbrella Bookstore (Salt Lake City, UT)
"C.G. Drews’ return to young adult fiction is a gloriously gothic exploration of fairytales, isolation and obsessive friendship, set in an elite boarding school and a dark, untouched forest. ... This is a dark and emotional fantasy thriller, and a must-read for fans of dark-academia books like Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House or M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains." —Bella Mackey, Readings (Melbourne, Australia)
★ 11/08/2024
Gr 9 Up—Returning to Wickwood Academy isn't easy, but it's the only choice Andrew has, because that's where Thomas is. Thomas doesn't know how Andrew really feels about him, but that's no matter—there's absolutely nothing Andrew wouldn't do for him, anyway. NOTHING. Andrew's twin sister, Dove, was also close to Thomas until last year's mysterious happenings; her current distance is unfathomable and weighing on Andrew, but he can't seem to find a way to get close to her. Andrew discovers that Thomas's haunting illustrations, inspired by Andrew's own darkly fantastic stories, seem to be triggering something monstrous in the off-limit woods behind the academy. Despite knowing better, Andrew can't help but follow Thomas into a dangerous, violent battle with forces neither of them really understands and the highest stakes imaginable. In the darkness, ink and blood are increasingly hard to tell apart, and the lines between the boys' imaginations and reality are, too. This psychological struggle between variations on sanity will have readers on the very edge of their seats all the way through. Beautifully emotional despite much physical and mental brutality, Drews's debut skillfully touches on asexuality, eating disorders, abuse, various mental health conditions, grief, and more. Clearly rendered characters with intense, explosive feelings navigate a creatively violent scenario; impossible to look away from. VERDICT An angst-fueled, twisted fairy tale wrapped tightly in dark academia, exploring the border between love and something more dangerous.—Allie Stevens
2024-08-03
When the monsters they imagine come to life, two boys fight for their lives—and each other.
Andrew Perrault, who’s from Australia, writes beautiful, macabre fairy tales. His roommate at his American boarding school, Wickwood Academy, is talented artist Thomas Rye, who brings his stories to vivid life in paint and charcoal. Andrew’s twin sister, Dove, is all but ignoring him, so he has plenty of time to focus on Thomas’ increasingly odd behavior. Thomas’ parents disappeared just before the new school year started, and Andrew noticed blood on his roommate’s sleeve on their first day back. When he follows Thomas into the forest one night, Andrew discovers him fighting one of the monsters that Thomas has drawn from these stories. The boys soon find themselves coping with vicious bullies by day and fighting monsters by night. At the same time, Andrew struggles to reconcile his feelings for Thomas with his growing awareness of his own asexuality. But when the sinister Antler King breaches Wickwood’s walls, Andrew realizes that he and Thomas may not survive their own creations. This novel, written in rich, extravagant prose, features frank portrayals of disordered eating, self-harm, bullying, and mental illness. Andrew grapples realistically with his sexual identity, and the story has ample genuinely creepy moments with the monsters. Andrew, Thomas, and Dove are white.
Lush, angsty, queer horror. (content warning)(Horror. 14-18)
