Don't Let the Forest In

Starred review from August 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Andrew would rather spend time writing lurid, fantastical tales than anything else, save hanging out with his best friend, Thomas, who illustrates the stories with equally grotesque, vivid drawings. But upon his return to boarding school for senior year, Thomas is being evasive, leaving Andrew to the exacerbated anxious mechanisms of his mind. He spirals further as Thomas stops drawing and starts to return to their dorm late in the night covered in dirt and mysterious injuries. One night, Andrew follows Thomas to the off-limits woods that surround the and is stunned to find that Thomas has been battling his own drawings, come to life, so that they won't attack the unsuspecting people in the school. Andrew joins the cause, forgoing reason and allowing his relationship with Thomas to turn as obsessive as his habits around food. But when the evils of the forest get closer to the school and begin emerging from Andrew as well, destroying the original creator of the monsters may be their only hope. 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. A frustrating but fantastical read; 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.

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September 1, 2024
When the monsters they imagine come to life, two boys fight for their lives--and each other. Andrew Perrault, who's from Australia, writes beautiful, macabre fairy tales. His roommate at his American boarding school, Wickwood Academy, is talented artist Thomas Rye, who brings his stories to vivid life in paint and charcoal. Andrew's twin sister, Dove, is all but ignoring him, so he has plenty of time to focus on Thomas' increasingly odd behavior. Thomas' parents disappeared just before the new school year started, and Andrew noticed blood on his roommate's sleeve on their first day back. When he follows Thomas into the forest one night, Andrew discovers him fighting one of the monsters that Thomas has drawn from these stories. The boys soon find themselves coping with vicious bullies by day and fighting monsters by night. At the same time, Andrew struggles to reconcile his feelings for Thomas with his growing awareness of his own asexuality. But when the sinister Antler King breaches Wickwood's walls, Andrew realizes that he and Thomas may not survive their own creations. This novel, written in rich, extravagant prose, features frank portrayals of disordered eating, self-harm, bullying, and mental illness. Andrew grapples realistically with his sexual identity, and the story has ample genuinely creepy moments with the monsters. Andrew, Thomas, and Dove are white. Lush, angsty, queer horror. (content warning)(Horror. 14-18)

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Starred review from November 8, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Returning to Wickwood Academy isn't easy, but it's the only choice Andrew has, because that's where Thomas is. Thomas doesn't know how Andrew really feels about him, but that's no matter-there's absolutely nothing Andrew wouldn't do for him, anyway. NOTHING. Andrew's twin sister, Dove, was also close to Thomas until last year's mysterious happenings; her current distance is unfathomable and weighing on Andrew, but he can't seem to find a way to get close to her. Andrew discovers that Thomas's haunting illustrations, inspired by Andrew's own darkly fantastic stories, seem to be triggering something monstrous in the off-limit woods behind the academy. Despite knowing better, Andrew can't help but follow Thomas into a dangerous, violent battle with forces neither of them really understands and the highest stakes imaginable. In the darkness, ink and blood are increasingly hard to tell apart, and the lines between the boys' imaginations and reality are, too. This psychological struggle between variations on sanity will have readers on the very edge of their seats all the way through. Beautifully emotional despite much physical and mental brutality, Drews's debut skillfully touches on asexuality, eating disorders, abuse, various mental health conditions, grief, and more. Clearly rendered characters with intense, explosive feelings navigate a creatively violent scenario; impossible to look away from. VERDICT An angst-fueled, twisted fairy tale wrapped tightly in dark academia, exploring the border between love and something more dangerous.-Allie Stevens

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