A review by tori_renee_reads
Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

There are monsters in the forest, and they are coming for us all. 

Don’t Let the Forest In follows Andrew, a boy who writes twisted fairytales for his best friend Thomas who draws them. Monsters who shave the skin off your face and others who have roses for eyes. Their senior year is full of secrets - arguments, feelings, and the monsters in the woods. 

By chapter 2, I was hooked and couldn’t come up for air until I saw Andrew through to the end. The relationship between Andrew and Thomas feels like suffocating or plunging into water so deep you can’t come up. There are so many twists and turns to this story, just like being lost in a forest. I feel like I can’t dissect the plot the way I want to without giving things away. 

My only negative is that some descriptions became repetitive after a point, but I don’t think it detracts from the story. If you like dark, twisted stories set at a boarding school next to a forest full of secrets, then you will like this book. The magical realism is done well and just adds to the layers in the story. The horror in this reminds me of Mexican Gothic but done a million times better which is impressive since this is YA, and I find that YA usually holds back q but more. 

I was surprised how much this story gripped me and definitely recommend checking it out when it releases this October! It would definitely be a perfect fall read. 
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