Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by ghostboyreads
Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
4.0
"They didn't need two hearts. They could share Andrew's, even if it was a bruised and sorrowful thing. their rib bones would twine together in a lattice to protect them from the worst of the world and they would always be together; they should never be apart. He began to cut."
Don't Let the Forest In is as beguiling and beautiful, as it is nightmarish and gruesome. It's essentially a dark, twisted fairytale for adults, this brutal little novel is absolutely packed to the brim with sickening body horror, horrifically gorgeous illustrations and wonderful, stunning writing. This is the exact kind of story that will make a home right inside of your ribcage. There's just, so, so much to love here, and it doesn't stop at the lyrical prose or the insanely creative plot, there's some utterly fantastic representation here, and some extremely important conversations take place during the ghastly story. Stories of toxic, completely obsessed with each other queers will always be amongst some of my favorites, and this one delivers on that front, too.
Don't Let the Forest In is, absolutely a YA story, don't let yourself be fooled by reviews of how dark this is; while yes, it's a horror story, and yes there are monsters and horrible, awful things do happen, it is still YA, and the writing reflects that - this isn't a criticism, either, it's a truly fantastic piece of YA fiction, it's just important to understand it for what it is. It's like the most enrapturing of nightmares, it frightens but you will never, ever want it to end. What a soul-shattering, heart-breaking experience this turned out to be, it brings this off-kilter, everything is going wrong, what the fuck did I even just read kind of vibe. Towards the end of the story, it sort of really spirals out of control, what starts off as a grim yet lovely fairytale descends into absolute carnage.
Don't Let the Forest In is as beguiling and beautiful, as it is nightmarish and gruesome. It's essentially a dark, twisted fairytale for adults, this brutal little novel is absolutely packed to the brim with sickening body horror, horrifically gorgeous illustrations and wonderful, stunning writing. This is the exact kind of story that will make a home right inside of your ribcage. There's just, so, so much to love here, and it doesn't stop at the lyrical prose or the insanely creative plot, there's some utterly fantastic representation here, and some extremely important conversations take place during the ghastly story. Stories of toxic, completely obsessed with each other queers will always be amongst some of my favorites, and this one delivers on that front, too.
Don't Let the Forest In is, absolutely a YA story, don't let yourself be fooled by reviews of how dark this is; while yes, it's a horror story, and yes there are monsters and horrible, awful things do happen, it is still YA, and the writing reflects that - this isn't a criticism, either, it's a truly fantastic piece of YA fiction, it's just important to understand it for what it is. It's like the most enrapturing of nightmares, it frightens but you will never, ever want it to end. What a soul-shattering, heart-breaking experience this turned out to be, it brings this off-kilter, everything is going wrong, what the fuck did I even just read kind of vibe. Towards the end of the story, it sort of really spirals out of control, what starts off as a grim yet lovely fairytale descends into absolute carnage.
"He would always be in this moment, his fingers on dead skin, his neck tilted back so he could look up and up and up while inside him a scream began that would never stop. A boy hung from the trees, vines noosed around his neck and thrust down his throat. Leaves curled out of his ears, still growing, his clothes torn where rose thorns had caught against flesh, all the better to find blood on which to feed."
It's such a wonderfully refreshing thing, to have a novel full of important talking points that don't detract from the plot itself, there's some brilliant explorations of mental health right in the middle of some jaw-dropping horror, and somehow, it really, really works. Two main characters left alone to fight monsters, and 'don't go into the woods, there's monsters' are very common tropes at this point, but never once in this story did it feel overwrought, it felt fresh, new and exciting and extremely fun. Don't Let the Forest In is an engrossing, delightfully messed up little story, one that's just, so very gorgeous. True to the horror genre, it starts out a little slow, but it's absolutely worth the wait. Hypnotic and tragic, this haunting and macabre novel is the best example of YA I've read in years.
"For a vicious moment, Andrew thought of slipping his fingers into Thomas's cut. Taking hold of his rib and breaking it. Pulling the soft crumbling bone from his chest and sewing it into his own. They'd be forever together, rib against rib, fused in gore and bone and adoration."