Praise for Don't Let the Forest In:
A New York Times Bestseller
An ABA Indies Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
An Indies Next Selection
A B&N Best Book of 2024
A Carnegie Medal for Writing nominee
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Goodreads Choice Award finalist
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors Choice
A Delaware Blue Hen Book Award nominee
"Drews paints a gruesome narrative with visceral descriptions of monsters and the violence they enact, while with equal vigor, encapsulating the trauma of loss, disordered eating, bullying, and anxiety, all of which is counterbalanced by a gentle touch addressing asexual identity. ... Prepare for the emotional roller coaster of plot twists, unreliable narration, and a divisive conclusion. Sure to please those interested in modern horror mixed with a touch of fairy tale." -Booklist, starred review
"More Brothers Grimm than Disney, Drews' modern-day fairy tale artfully tackles heavy topics, including homophobia, bullying and eating disorders, while skillfully weaving in the dark fantasy elements that anchor the story. Drews' words feel like poetry, almost lyrical in their grotesque execution, and you can't help but keep reading. The story opens with a boy cutting out his heart for love; by the time you reach the final, gripping page, you may feel like doing the same." -The Seattle Times
"Compulsively readable. Don't Let the Forest In lures you into a lush world full of terrifying monsters and codependent boys trying to survive their obsessive art-and each other." -Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times-bestselling author of She Is a Haunting
"CG Drews has crafted a beautiful, horrific novel out of underbrush and ink stains and blood. Perfect for any reader who has looked into the sharp mouths of disturbing fairy tales and found themself entirely at home." -Andrew Joseph White, New York Times-bestselling author of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and Hell Followed With Us
"A bloodied tale of toxic romance and botanical horror, this book will ensnare you like the tendrils of a haunted forest." -Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge and Unholy Terrors
"Genuinely creepy ... Lush, angsty, queer horror." -Kirkus Reviews
"With a lingering terror that will lurk well after you finish, this psychological horror is packed with monsters of fairytale, folklore and so much more. Good luck not getting hooked (and haunted)." -B&N Reads
"Lush [and] immersive ... In their first horror novel, Drews embraces the genre with style and intensity via truly malevolent monsters and compellingly creepy botanical horrors. Readers who enjoy high-stakes stories of obsession, epic battles with monsters of the world and of the mind, and artistically expressed blood and gore will revel in Don't Let the Forest In." -BookPage
"Beautifully cutting and achingly full of writhing love, painful loss, and horrors beyond imagination. Love is a weapon full of cutting ribs and thorns in this gut-wrenching story by CG Drews." -Kaitlyn Mahoney, Under the Umbrella Bookstore (Salt Lake City, UT)
"C.G. Drews' return to young adult fiction is a gloriously gothic exploration of fairytales, isolation and obsessive friendship, set in an elite boarding school and a dark, untouched forest. ... This is a dark and emotional fantasy thriller, and a must-read for fans of dark-academia books like Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House or M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains." -Bella Mackey, Readings (Melbourne, Australia)
Praise for Hazelthorn:
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
A USA TODAY Bestseller
An ABA Indies Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
"Drews' latest starts off as a straightforward whodunit and turns into something that's far more sinister-and delicious. From descriptions of moth-eaten decay to vivid floral imagery, Drews luxuriates in atmospheric prose. ... A uniquely arranged bouquet of terrors, as disturbing as it is beautiful." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Deeply unsettling and absolutely perfect for those who understand the vulnerability at the root of every vicious monster." -School Library Journal, starred review
"Searingly atmospheric ... Evander, who is neurodivergent, seeks 'normality,' a goal gorgeously juxtaposed by his fantastically bizarre surroundings, and by the story's 'normal' people intently portrayed as the true monsters. ... This is devourable horror and romance set against a malicious, vine-choked tapestry." -Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Viscerally atmospheric and beautifully eerie-Hazelthorn will take root inside you, drag you into its strange, thorny depths, and make you want to stay there forever. I devoured this book." -Pascale Lacelle, New York Times-bestselling author of Curious Tides
"A beautifully written, modern-yet-gothic murder mystery full of wretched boys, tangled secrets, and a horrifying sentient garden. Devour it, lest it devour you." -Jamie Pacton, bestselling author of The Absinthe Underground
"CG Drews unleashes a gorgeous atmospheric narrative that rots through the boundaries of YA horror and gives the reader a visceral and unsettling tale of murder, mania, loyalty and a garden with much more bite than you would expect. I loved every single second of this haunting book, and the twists absolutely had me screaming. This is the botanical queer horror that readers never knew they needed." -Emily Varga, bestselling author of For She Is Wrath
"In Hazelthorn's darkly gothic gardens, CG Drews conjures up a haunting nightmare dense with botanical horror, and in Evander, a rage-filled boy to root for." -Amy Goldsmith, author of Those We Drown and Predatory Natures
"A lush, gothic tale filled with devastating twists, delicious atmosphere, and toxic family secrets. Drews delivers another obsession-worthy masterpiece in Hazelthorn-one that's as hauntingly beautiful as the eponymous manor." -Kelsea Yu, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of It's Only a Game and Bound Feet
"Recalling elements of The Secret Garden, Drews (Don't Let the Forest In) deploys crisp prose to spin a gothic psychological thriller rife with brutal twists and gruesome scenes of botanical body horror." -Publishers Weekly
"The strength of the concept, pacing, and atmosphere make it an excellent introduction to the genre-especially as it combines the current popularity of both gothic mysteries and body horror." -Booklist
"Drews delivers an immersive gothic horror story in prose designed to assault the senses and the psyche. The novel explores the all-consuming desire-in this case, literally-for freedom and acceptance in the face of abuse and self loathing. Evander and Laurie's complicated relationship brims with tension as forced proximity brings their repressed vulnerabilities to the surface, providing a solid emotional core and compelling romantic subplot for this dark and cathartic narrative." -The Horn Book
Praise for Scorpion Deep:
"This suspenseful story is a true page-turner with its high stakes, brilliant foreshadowing, shocking revelations, and haunting conclusion that will leave readers wanting more. The immersive narrative is enhanced by evocative, poetic prose punctuated by strategically placed flashback scenes and Heidersdorf's intricate illustrations. ... A gruesome tale of obsession, obligation, and the power of the truth." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This story is full of haunting sea legends, hidden libraries and laboratories, dark conspiracies, adorable baby krakens, and stomach-churning gore. ... Illustrations of sea monsters are scattered throughout, adding to the deeply immersive and unique storytelling. ... Fans of Ryan La Sala and Trang Thanh Tran will devour this lyrical, atmospheric tale filled with nautical horrors and poetic prose." -School Library Journal, starred review
"A pulsating, brutal novel about survival and abuse that will wind itself inside your bones and heart and never leave. What begins as a tender story about friendship and loss soon layers itself in sea-myth and brine. A book of violence and storms (and not just the ones outside our windows), Scorpion Deep is a beautiful and harrowing book about generational trauma and mental illness." -Kathleen Glasgow, # 1 New York Times-bestselling author of Girl In Pieces and The Glass Girl
"No one does tenderly devastating, twisty horror like CG Drews. Scorpion Deep is a virtuosic, fathoms-deep tale of everyday brutality, legendary monsters, and terrible choices that feels both ancient and so very immediate all at once. I remain haunted by it (in the best way)." -Jamie Pacton, bestselling author of The Absinthe Underground and The Hyacinth Labyrinth
"As enchanting and merciless as the ocean itself, Scorpion Deep embedded its stinger in me and wouldn't let go. CG Drews has done it again with this emotional, brutal and truly unique read". -Frances White, bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned
"A salt-sprayed tapestry of aching nostalgia and bone-chilling scares, Scorpion Deep is oceanic horror at its most gutting. Drews weaves together a tale of friendship and loss that is at once deeply unsettling and emotionally resonant, with magnetic prose that will pull you under the waves and never let go." -De Elizabeth, author of She Haunts Me Still and This Raging Sea
"A salt-soaked, intoxicating exploration of friendship, loneliness, lust and (be)longing, Drews has done it again. ... The world of Scorpion Deep lures you into the depths of its watery domain with siren song, liquid kiss and seaweed caress. You'll drown in this story before you realize you're out of air, but what a way to go." -Melinda Salisbury, author of Local Gods
"A monstrous masterpiece exploring the vulnerability and obsession of friendship and the violence of being left behind. With Drews' characteristic wit, stunning prose, and a dark, alluring heart, Scorpion Deep will pull you in and devour you whole." -Kelsea Yu, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of It's Only a Game and Demon Song
