Cody's Reviews > Don't Let the Forest In

Don't Let the Forest In had the character dynamics of These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever with the isolation of The Wicker King. And the folk horror setting/atmosphere of Summer Sons. So if you like any of those three, highly highly recommend this. Add it to the list of books where I need 3-5 business days to stare at a blank wall and process.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Just a side note: I've noticed a trend where people feel bad rating an ARC less than 5 stars. This is not one of those reviews, it was actually that good. I need to reread this immediately. Oh my god.

This is definitely a dark, upper YA book. I've seen people leave reviews that didn't seem to be aware of dark this was, so please look up the triggers. I mean, if I mention a YA version of Paul/Julian, I feel like that's already saying a lot. Being inside Andrew's head is tough and that's a bold choice for a YA book.

The prose was beautiful and visceral and perfect for the genre. The first half of the book established the characters and relationships, while the second half had more of the traditional psychological horror elements. I wasn't too positive of some of the more magical elements, but the ending really worked and solidified the every choice the author made. The ace representation was also fantastic and a unique aspect to their co-dependency (and this feels like a good space to say that asexuality is a spectrum).

A physical copy of this book is not a want, it is a need.