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directorpurry's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Pedophilia, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
sonygaystation's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Cool concept but muddy execution. Especially towards the end. Plus i felt the slurs and vitriol to express racism was so unnecessarily too much
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Child death, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Racism, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Murder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Body shaming, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Deportation, Pregnancy, and Infidelity
andromeda_1998's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The ghost tree is one of those books that isn’t really in my favorite genre but that I do like to read now and then. It’s refreshing to read something different. Now, what did I think of the ghost tree?
Summary
This book is about Lauren and the other residents of the little town named Smith’s Hollow. There town is a quite peaceful one. Nothing ever really happens is Smith’s Hallow accept for the murder of Lauren’s dad of course almost a year ago. While her family is still healing from his death, strange things are starting to happen. Two broken bodies of out of town teens are found in the backyard of a villager and now it’s up to Lauren to find out the truth about the murders.
Characters
This is a though one. These characters are very well done but the aren’t written to please. They symbolize all different kind of people from Bigots to friendly mothers. There are characters with toxic ideals and there are characters that you will want to root for. Christina Henry doesn’t shy away from racism as well. If your looking for a book with lovable characters then this isn’t it. Are you looking for realistic characters? This might be the book for you.
Worldbuilding
The ghost tree is set in a world like ours so there isn’t a lot of world building but it has some twists that are well done. The only thing I miss is clear rules for the “magic/supernatural ” parts of this book.
Plot
The book started really strong but in the middle of the book it lost its flow for a bit. I feel like that has something to do with the repetition of the storyline. Towards the ending the book finds its way back on track. Just hand in there!
Writing style
Christina Henry had a way with writing that makes all the story’s she writes read like a fairytale. It’s a really compelling way of writing that I don’t get enough of.
Overal thoughts
This book is a good read for readers that are looking for a start in the horror genre. It’s fast, witty, a bit creepy but not to scary. I would recommend it to ages 14-18 but 14 years old is on the younger side of things.
Summary
This book is about Lauren and the other residents of the little town named Smith’s Hollow. There town is a quite peaceful one. Nothing ever really happens is Smith’s Hallow accept for the murder of Lauren’s dad of course almost a year ago. While her family is still healing from his death, strange things are starting to happen. Two broken bodies of out of town teens are found in the backyard of a villager and now it’s up to Lauren to find out the truth about the murders.
Characters
This is a though one. These characters are very well done but the aren’t written to please. They symbolize all different kind of people from Bigots to friendly mothers. There are characters with toxic ideals and there are characters that you will want to root for. Christina Henry doesn’t shy away from racism as well. If your looking for a book with lovable characters then this isn’t it. Are you looking for realistic characters? This might be the book for you.
Worldbuilding
The ghost tree is set in a world like ours so there isn’t a lot of world building but it has some twists that are well done. The only thing I miss is clear rules for the “magic/supernatural ” parts of this book.
Plot
The book started really strong but in the middle of the book it lost its flow for a bit. I feel like that has something to do with the repetition of the storyline. Towards the ending the book finds its way back on track. Just hand in there!
Writing style
Christina Henry had a way with writing that makes all the story’s she writes read like a fairytale. It’s a really compelling way of writing that I don’t get enough of.
Overal thoughts
This book is a good read for readers that are looking for a start in the horror genre. It’s fast, witty, a bit creepy but not to scary. I would recommend it to ages 14-18 but 14 years old is on the younger side of things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Vomit
bearregretsthis's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book covers heavy topics such as murder, child death and pedophilia which some readers may find uncomfortable.
A great novel for anyone searching for a horror and dark fantasy. Although Lauren is the protagonist each chapter switches perspective and involves a diverse cast, each with a unique plotline. I found many of the characters loveable and others I loved to hate. For someone who struggles to read larger texts the book kept me hooked until the very end.
I have previously read The Lost Boy by Henry and I hope to read more of her works however I found this story slightly less enjoyable than the work I had previously read; however the book is nonetheless a great read.
A great novel for anyone searching for a horror and dark fantasy. Although Lauren is the protagonist each chapter switches perspective and involves a diverse cast, each with a unique plotline. I found many of the characters loveable and others I loved to hate. For someone who struggles to read larger texts the book kept me hooked until the very end.
I have previously read The Lost Boy by Henry and I hope to read more of her works however I found this story slightly less enjoyable than the work I had previously read; however the book is nonetheless a great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Police brutality
leahrosereads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a wonderfully weird book. With a haunted woods (which instantly made me love it a bit more), a witch and a monster - I don't need much more in my horror.
I could've done without the racial slurs and slut shaming. I get that this was set in the 80s, but it was a bit much at times.
I could've done without the racial slurs and slut shaming. I get that this was set in the 80s, but it was a bit much at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
sarahasyouwish's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I liked the creepy forest with something sinister and supernatural haunting the town. The element of people forgetting what was happening was interesting. I didn’t like the toxic female friendship at the center and the very unhealthy relationship one of them has with food. The book lacked suspense for me and crossed into the overly angsty YA territory for me, which prevented it from being more than three stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Gore, Racism, Racial slurs, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcoholism
mooska93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
sheryl_macca's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
In Part 1 of The Ghost Tree we're introduced to siblings Lauren, 14 and David, 4. With the loss of their father still very fresh in their minds, they both start to experience unexplained visions but say nothing to anyone. They live with their frazzled mother in the small town of Smith's Hallow which in the mid 1980's is full of teen angst, bigotry and money worries. When two girls are brutally murdered the town has some strange ideas why.
Part 2 gives us the wisdom of Lauren and David's grandmother, Jo. She tells the children of the legend of Smith's Hallow. Her house on the hill, as the legend goes, was once home to three witches who placed a curse on the town.
Part 3 brings the tragic legend to life for the towns folk of Smith's Hallow and especially for Lauren and David. The founding families have been unknowingly bound together throughout the history of the town, until now. They are suddenly threatened by an anomaly in the curse which changes the future of Smith's Hallow and for everyone in it t .
The Ghost Tree is a fairytale mixed with lots of teenage drama. Although my copy of the book was listed as adult fiction it feels very YA. It reminded me of the TV series The Vampire Diaries but without the glossy beauty and sexiness. It's somewhat predictable and structurally simple but I enjoyed the escapism, the 1980's references and the budding awkward romances. The swearing is most definitely not YA appropriate but it's rare and shocking when it happens. The descriptions of the bodies are also too graphic for YA but not graphic enough for a horror devotee like me.
Part 2 gives us the wisdom of Lauren and David's grandmother, Jo. She tells the children of the legend of Smith's Hallow. Her house on the hill, as the legend goes, was once home to three witches who placed a curse on the town.
Part 3 brings the tragic legend to life for the towns folk of Smith's Hallow and especially for Lauren and David. The founding families have been unknowingly bound together throughout the history of the town, until now. They are suddenly threatened by an anomaly in the curse which changes the future of Smith's Hallow and for everyone in it t .
The Ghost Tree is a fairytale mixed with lots of teenage drama. Although my copy of the book was listed as adult fiction it feels very YA. It reminded me of the TV series The Vampire Diaries but without the glossy beauty and sexiness. It's somewhat predictable and structurally simple but I enjoyed the escapism, the 1980's references and the budding awkward romances. The swearing is most definitely not YA appropriate but it's rare and shocking when it happens. The descriptions of the bodies are also too graphic for YA but not graphic enough for a horror devotee like me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, and Gun violence
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