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

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 Don't Let the Forest In is a fascinating read: following Andrew and Thomas, boys whose feelings for each other are obvious to everyone but them. In many ways, it was refreshing to see the two of them emotionally and physically close from the beginning (even though the obligatory pushing each other away had to take place, and Andrews' emotions are nothing, if not complicated). The author did a magnificent job showing Andrew's coming to terms with his asexuality and how it does not really change the burning yearning for Thomas. 

As the two become entangled with the monsters that come from their art and infect the forest near the school, the author paints the terror in the most hauntingly beautiful words, balancing on the thin line between prose and poetry.

The book's weakest part is its middle, between the reveal of the monsters and the ending, which turns many things around, giving an utterly satisfying closure, making me inevitably feel that as a novella, it would've been truly magnificent.
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