Hazelthorn

De: CG Drews

Narrado por: Michael Crouch

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.

"Genuinely creepy … Lush, angsty, queer horror."—Kirkus Reviews

©2025 CG Drews (P)2025 Recorded Books

Couldn't finish.

Recommended by several TikTok and Pinterest book reviewers. I got through half of it. Not my thing.

More of the same

I read Don’t Let The Forest In before I read this one. Loved the first book. This one was more of the same but not as good. The story line was kind of similar and the leads were very annoying.

Let it rip you apart

So visceral. This book was captivating from start to finish. She rips you apart in the best way possible.

So GOOD!!!

Dark, and lush. A rotting fever dream of discovery and acceptance. A questioning of self and reality. Equal parts horrifying and endearing. Full of the yearning, angst, and twisting prose that I have come to love CG Drews for. I forced my self to savor the story of Evander and Laurie because I simply did not want it to end. The ending was excruciatingly perfect. I could not have enjoyed this more and will definitely be revisiting it again soon! A garden I would feed myself too without hesitation.
Michael Crouch did a beyond phenomenal job of bringing these two characters to life. The emotion in the dialogue, the distress, the yearning. All of the side characters were distinct and memorable as well!

love the book the last hour and a half ir repeated tho.

Another Amazing Gothic botanical horror with a side of queer romance that rips your heart out and makes you sob over a poetic love we all dream of!