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A review by so_many_books
Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't know how to describe this book. I love the vibes and the macabre beauty of it. I hate the story itself wholeheartedly. I love the devastating love story behind it. I kinda loathe Andrew, the main character. I love how beautifully it's written. I hate how it ends.
I hate it, but I can also appreciate its beauty and extraordinary nature. It rejects many aspects of what romance and horror usually mean and redefines it into something unique and soulcrushing. It's not just a horror because of the eldritch monsters. It's a horror because it makes you hope and believe, and then it shows what darkness truly lurks behind everything.
Don't get me wrong, I know that the point of this book is to show a monster in a pretty way. Maybe I didn't know it at the beginning, but I realized it around halfway to the end. But I was still foolish enough to hope for a happy ending. I know it's stupid of me because it literally states on the cover that "Not every fairy tale has a happy ending." I know. It's entirely my fault that I was not prepared for it. Though I probably wouldn't have read this book if I looked into it more. I went with the vibes.
And the vibes are vibing. It is truly beautiful, horrifying, pretty, and macabre. I felt so much reading it.
The first part of the story is when the author lulls you. It's slow, and I really thought the whole book just be vibes and no plot. I should've known better because the second part of the book is a heartbreaking, devastating mess that buries you in the forest with all the horrors inside it.
Andrew is a very confusing main character. On the one hand, his pain and struggle are so relatable. On the other hand, that pain and that struggle morphs him into something cruel. And I didn't like him for that. He broke my heart into a myriad of pieces for so many reasons. I won't ever forgive him for that. But I also cannot forget him for how tumultuous and crushing his feelings are.
It's been a minute since I literally sobbed over a book. Like I cried so much, I could barely breathe. I just leave it at that.
I would give this book 5 stars, but I have to substruct 1 just because I truly hate how this book made me feel. Call it spite, or whatever.
I hate it, but I can also appreciate its beauty and extraordinary nature. It rejects many aspects of what romance and horror usually mean and redefines it into something unique and soulcrushing. It's not just a horror because of the eldritch monsters. It's a horror because it makes you hope and believe, and then it shows what darkness truly lurks behind everything.
Don't get me wrong, I know that the point of this book is to show a monster in a pretty way. Maybe I didn't know it at the beginning, but I realized it around halfway to the end. But I was still foolish enough to hope for a happy ending. I know it's stupid of me because it literally states on the cover that "Not every fairy tale has a happy ending." I know. It's entirely my fault that I was not prepared for it. Though I probably wouldn't have read this book if I looked into it more. I went with the vibes.
And the vibes are vibing. It is truly beautiful, horrifying, pretty, and macabre. I felt so much reading it.
The first part of the story is when the author lulls you. It's slow, and I really thought the whole book just be vibes and no plot. I should've known better because the second part of the book is a heartbreaking, devastating mess that buries you in the forest with all the horrors inside it.
Andrew is a very confusing main character. On the one hand, his pain and struggle are so relatable. On the other hand, that pain and that struggle morphs him into something cruel. And I didn't like him for that. He broke my heart into a myriad of pieces for so many reasons. I won't ever forgive him for that. But I also cannot forget him for how tumultuous and crushing his feelings are.
It's been a minute since I literally sobbed over a book. Like I cried so much, I could barely breathe. I just leave it at that.
I would give this book 5 stars, but I have to substruct 1 just because I truly hate how this book made me feel. Call it spite, or whatever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia