Don't Let The Forest In
A dangerously addictive queer YA horror and dark academia romance
Published on 16. January 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-4449-7804-9 (ISBN)
Description
The deliciously dark and dangerously addictive New York Times bestseller, from the author of the sensational The Boy Who Steals Houses. Wilder Girls meets A Deadly Education in this queer dark academia YA horror, filled with twisted fairy tales and monsters that will keep you up at night.
Winner of the Young Adult Book Award at the 2025 Queensland Literary Awards
'No one would want a heart like his. But he'd still cut it out and given it away.'
On the first day back at boarding school, Andrew can't wait to find refuge in the twisted fairy tales that he writes for Thomas - the boy with hair like autumn leaves.
But Thomas' parents have vanished, and he has blood on his sleeve. Stranger still, Thomas won't talk to Andrew, even though he's always loved sketching the monstrous creatures from Andrew's stories.
Desperate to discover the truth, Andrew follows Thomas into the forest and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster - his drawings have come to life.
To ensure no one else dies, the boys must battle the creatures every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew fears the only way to stop them might be to destroy their creator.
Winner of the Young Adult Book Award at the 2025 Queensland Literary Awards
'No one would want a heart like his. But he'd still cut it out and given it away.'
On the first day back at boarding school, Andrew can't wait to find refuge in the twisted fairy tales that he writes for Thomas - the boy with hair like autumn leaves.
But Thomas' parents have vanished, and he has blood on his sleeve. Stranger still, Thomas won't talk to Andrew, even though he's always loved sketching the monstrous creatures from Andrew's stories.
Desperate to discover the truth, Andrew follows Thomas into the forest and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster - his drawings have come to life.
To ensure no one else dies, the boys must battle the creatures every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew fears the only way to stop them might be to destroy their creator.
Reviews / Votes
Compulsively readable. -- Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She Is a Haunting 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 We can't recommend this enough. A queer dark academia horror that's as haunting as it is addictive . . . The writing is poetic, and made even better with the gorgeous illustrations inside. Great asexual rep, and a banging cover. * United by Pop * This is definitely a read for horror fans - not for the faint hearted! -- Jasmine Brown * The School Librarian * Forests can be places of light & wonder or darkness & fears. They are best keptat bay, at least that is what anyone who knows anything about horror
thrillers and fairytales would tell you! But that doesn't seem to stop Andrew
following his fellow boarding school friend Thomas into one. It just so happens
there is one right outside their school... Does that make it any safer?
Andrew writes twisted fairy tales for Thomas to read & illustrate but this term
something has changed, Thomas has changed, his drawings are coming to life in
the forest. As the boys battle the monsters nightly their obsession with one
another & the creatures grows stronger. What will they have to do to
overcome these terrors? They will have to do it together no matter what. -- Louise Ellis-Barrett * Armadillo Magazine * We can't recommend this enough. A queer dark academia horror that's as haunting as it is addictive. Andrew writes twisted fairytales and Thomas brings them to life through his art - until the monsters start becoming real and attacking their school. It's an atmospheric read, and a dark fever dream. The writing is poetic and made even better with the gorgeous illustrations inside. Great asexual rep, and a banging cover. -- Tacye Hong * United by Pop *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Hachette Children's Group
Target group
Young adult
Interest Age: From 14 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 193 mm
Width: 125 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
236 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4449-7804-9 (9781444978049)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2024
Hodder Children's Books
€5.99
Available for download
Person
CG Drews is the author of A Thousand Perfect Notes, The Boy Who Steals Houses, and Don't Let the Forest In. CGs work has been translated into five languages and was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal and won the 2020 CBCA Honour Award. CG lives in Australia, never sleeps and is forever buried under a pile of unread books.