When a couple of young girls are found murdered in the town of Smith’s Hollow, it sparks a series of events that has far reaching consequences for everyone in the town.

The story is told from multiple POVs which I really enjoyed. Lauren, a teenager whose father was murdered a year ago, is drawn to the investigation into the girls deaths. After she has a vision of a monster dragging the girls through the woods, she sets out to discover exactly what happened.

This had a great pace. It was eerie and bloody at times which definitely seems to be the authors style and I really enjoyed it. She does it so well. The small town, closed-minded mentality was fleshed out really well in some of the characters.

There were definitely stand out characters in Lauren, her younger brother, and Officer Lopez. I especially liked Miranda too. I thought the author really nailed Miranda’s insecurities and her journey was perhaps the most compelling to me.

The jumping around between characters really heightened the tension and kept me guessing. I enjoyed this dark, satisfying monster story!


Many thanks to Titan Books for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was perfect for the spooky season! The descriptions were so vivid that I honestly had to put the book down at some points to remind myself that it wasn't real. The plot definitely carried the book for me, most of the characters feel a little flat and the only relationship that felt real was the one between Lauren and Miranda even as their friendship deteriorated throughout the novel. I wanted more of the witchy element that surrounded Lauren and more of the police officer and his family, but the overall effect of having multiple POVs worked really well. Definitely one I'll recommened to lovers of mystery, magic and horror.

This is the perfect book for spooky season. Henry expertly plays with your nerves, surprising and enthralling you at every turn. It’s incredibly reminiscent of a spooky tale being told around the fire in the dead of winter, one that’s been passed down through generations.

Straight away, Henry sets the spooky tone of proceedings, along with an exploration of grief, family and friendship, all coated with an 80s gloss. She sets the scene perfectly, with every detail placed just so to draw you in that much further. Pretty soon you can envision all of . This small town hits that sweet spot between suburbia and that underlying current of horror. This is so well executed and it helps the action feel that more terrifying, as it’s blended with reality. There’s always this sense of doom hanging over proceedings, like it’s just a moment away from horror unfolding.

Henry continues the foreboding tone throughout, hinting at supernatural events and powers that make you question what you’ve witnessed over and over again. The ominous atmosphere is cranked right up, making that creeping chill down your spine slowly grow more intense. All this makes for a completely immersive and unsettling reading experience, as any good Gothic tale should do. You can’t help but want to unravel the mystery and unmask the monster. Henry also draws on the long Gothic history of including social commentary and making politically relevant points hit home that much more. This gives it that much power, particularly in its discussion of attitudes to those who are considered outsiders and gendered expectations. It toys with the damsel in distress and virgin sacrifice tropes that so often crop up in horror, constantly upending your expectations. The use of multiple perspectives also allows you to access various viewpoints, many of which are quietly monstrous in their own beliefs and that hidden, seething rage that underpins it is so eerily reminiscent of present day attitudes. Of course, we are also reminded just how monstrous humans can be, with small towns breeding some small minds.

The Ghost Tree is a properly spooky tale, tipping its hat to the long and plentiful history of the Gothic, while also ensuring that it provides a fresh batch of horrors for modern day readers.

The town of Smith’s Hollow is a quiet, sleepy, but prosperous place. The residents are happy, for the most part, until two girls are killed and left in an old woman’s garden. Lauren has no faith the police will investigate, considering their disinterest in her own father’s murder the year before. But when Lauren starts looking into the murders, she discovers a new power buried inside, while the town begins to splinter.

I really liked The Ghost Tree. It’s great to see coming-of-age horror written by women, which usually (wrongly) gets tagged as YA. Make no mistake, this book is not YA. The main character is a teenage girl, but there is a mix of POVs here, some adult, and it all works together really well.

At times, the writing was maybe a little too simplistic, but it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the story. The plot is carried along well, and Henry keeps the reader really wondering how things might unfold. The characters are endearing and realistic, and I appreciated the relationship between the teenager Lauren and her mother. There are many things both get wrong, and because we see from both POVs, we can see how each makes their own decisions and views the other, how Lauren is struggling with everything going on around her and trying to deal with growing up, while her mother dotes on her wise-for-his-age little brother. They really push each other’s buttons, but as readers we know they both still care deeply about one another.

This portrayal felt very real, and one many can connect to on both sides. Lauren adored her father, and in her mind he could do no wrong, while her mother is trying to deal with bringing up two children on her own, and the idea her husband was sneaking out to have an affair on the night he was killed.

It's the relationships all around that make this is a really strong book, and Henry really captures the sensation of how lonely those crucial teenage years can be for girls, when you don’t yet know yourself and your friends are already boy-obsessed, with the contrasts between Lauren and her best friend, and the way they are drifting apart, portrayed really well.

The book is creepy and atmospheric, a solid coming-of-age horror that’ll have you gripped from the start.

Thank you to Titan for providing this book via NetGalley.

This 1980's set horror novel is both nostalgic, and yet reflective on the times that we are living in.

The town of Smiths Hollow is cut off from the outside world and to all intents and purposes, is like many , many other small towns which seems disconnected from a world which has moved on without them-as someone who lives in a small Welsh town, there are many points of recognition here.

The local busy body, the racist woman who hates her Mexican neighbours and holds them responsible for all the bad which has blighted the town, yet cannot remember what the nature of that evil is.

The police chief who seems uniformly unconcerned about the girls who go missing every 12th November, and who disappear from the public consciousness.

And yet...there is a tree and a cabin at the center of the woods which guards something evil, something which has teeth and like to tear...

What I loved about this story is the strong sense of justice, the righting of wrongs and how it can take just one person to overthrow decades of tyranny. You have Lauren, a girl who is coming into adulthood with the weight of her father's death, her mother's inexplicable disappointment and her best friend, Miranda's, expectations of being just like her, on her shoulders.

As she navigates the perilous path from childhood to maturity, Christina Henry uses Lauren as the central focus of the novel, showing that power can sometimes come in the most unlikely places. A teenage girl who is defined by her sexuality, availability and proclivity to do the right thing are all reflected in the annual sacrifice made to the best that lives in the wood.

What Christina Henry has done is create a retro fairy tale using all the darkest elements of folklore, combined with the motifs of ancient myths and given them a feminist twist. It shows how just one person standing up and refusing to accept the status quo is enough to break the chains of repetitive, damaging behaviour. It redefines the cultural lanscape when people accept others for who they are and what they can bring into your town rather than branded as outsiders who need to have pitchforks and burning branches raised against them. It's a paean to the power of familial love, acceptance of that love and using it against those who would wish you harm.

Here, the sacrifice of one person becomes the catalyst for decades of death until one brave girl stands up to stop it in its tracks. 'The Ghost Tree' is a very different, stand alone novel from Christina Henry which retains her trademark storytelling ability and is immensely enjoyable. Gory, suspenseful and very,very readable, this doorstep of a book is perfect #Spooktober reading!

Christina Henry is one of my favourite fantasy authors and I've enjoyed her dark reworkings of classic children's stories (Alice, Peter Pan) as well as folktales and mythology.

In The Ghost Tree, all of this is fused into a chilling and effective folk horror, with a generations-old act of violence and a curse afflicting the population of midwest American town Smiths Hollow. The results are acted out every year with pain and loss in the collective behaviour of the townsfolk, but it's a party to which outsiders are definitely not invited.

Now, though, things seem to be going wrong...

The book focuses on Lauren diMucci, a young woman whose father Joe was horribly murdered a year before. Lauren misses her dad, to whom she was closer than her mother, now single parent Karen. The book very tenderly draws out the tensions and alienation between mother and daughter, their relationship laced with guilt, general teenager-ishness and something else - a resentment that can't be articulated, a dark poison between them. Smiths Hollow seems to have forgotten Joe's death and the police have done little to identify the killer. Maybe Lauren can do better?

Lauren's relationship with childhood friend Miranda is also key. The girls used to be inseparable, playing fantasy games in the woods outside the town ('Meet me by the old ghost tree!') But Miranda is now changing, spending more time thinking about boys and plotting what she must do to secure a ride to school in Tad's car this year instead of riding her bike or getting on the bus like a loser. This book (set in the mid 80s) does shine a harsh light on patriarchy, showing how the two friends take different routes through a deeply misogynistic society, Miranda avidly collecting sex tips from magazines, unaware how she's being gossiped about and pigeonholed, while Lauren accepts the role of freakish outsider, of tomboy. It's perhaps inevitable that the friendship is under strain - I found the portrayal convincing, non judgemental and eliciting sympathy for both girls (Lauren missing her father, Miranda subject to remote control parenting by chilly, unempathetic parents).

Then there's David, Lauren's brother, only four years old who comes across as something of a savant but also as a very, very vulnerable little boy. There are visions, a suggestion of dark conspiracies and of secrets in the apparently sweet, prosperous little town. It's all deeply sinister and the reader can be sure that the darker side of town is there, biding its time.

Lauren does, however, have allies in exposing what's wrong. In the way of things, it's an outsider who most clearly sees what's wrong. Alex (Alejandro) Lopez, a newly appointed policeman who's come from Chicago hoping for a more peaceful life, begins to dig into the past, aware, somehow, that this won't be looked on kindly by his peers and superiors (though he can't understand why). Quite apart for that investigation, his very presence, and that of his family, is enough to stir racist hatreds as well as fears that secrets will be exposed. Those, two, will be played out in the town's collective guilt and ritual of forgetting.

This may sound like an awful lot for a horror story to carry, but Henry weaves together her themes deftly, maintaining the tension and the mystery while allowing us - in the form of a fairy story - enough background to have an idea what's going on. There are a couple of characters who I felt could have done more - Lauren's grandmother, and Riley, the journalist who breezes into town - but really, those central relationships - between Lauren and Karen, and Lauren and Miranda - are important enough that there probably isn't much space for anyone else, and they give the story so much heart and so much drive that this really isn't important.

Another thumping, wonderful read from Christina Henry, a book you just have to sit down and finish whatever else is going on. Also a story that's cannily honest about not typing things off neatly: I don't think Smiths Hollow will ever be the comfortable, happy place that Mayor Touhy wants - just too much has happened.

Full review available on my blog on October 12th.

Trigger Warnings: racism, slurs, murder, gore, violence, underage sex (incl. off-page sex between a minor and an adult presented as consensual), 18 year old dating a 14 year old presented as consensual, fatphobia, slutshaming.

Thanks to Titan Books for the eARC of this book, it has not affected my honest review.

This one started a little slower than other Christina Henry books I've read, but there was a particular chapter that took it from zero to 100 and after that I was hooked. There was something kind of thriller-like about this book, and I really enjoyed the way that I knew more than the characters did and could piece things together from each POV. This was far more thriller-horror than it was scary-horror, which I really enjoyed. I was watching things unfold slowly and with only a little extreme fear that something horrible was going to happen to Lauren, our wonderful fourteen year old protagonist who has a penchant for wandering into the woods to try and solve gory murders.

I really loved Lauren. She wasn't our only POV, there were chapters from several different characters including: Alex, a cop who hasn't been in town very long; Lauren's mother; Miranda; the mayor and other supporting characters. It gave an interesting and fleshed out view of what was happening, which made the plot so much clearer than it would have been from Lauren's limited perspective. I think that worked really well, but Lauren and David were absolutely my favourites. The balance of maturity and childishness was done really well and between her crises on her appearance, her period and her development in comparison to other girls her age, I genuinely felt like she read like a fourteen year old going through trauma.

How*ever* I refuse to not comment on the romance in this book. It's not much of a romance, because Lauren is a few weeks away from her fifteenth birthday and far too busy trying not to get murdered, but the fact that a fourteen year old girl went on a date with an eighteen year old man in this book and that *wasn't* presented as a problem truly grossed me out. I hated it. She's a child, he's an adult. It didn't play any role in the story that couldn't have been done by him being, for example, sixteen, and it would have been significantly less icky. There is actually a different instance of a grown adult and a child having "consensual" sex in this book (using quotation marks because it's NOT consensual, she is a CHILD), but while that's identified as being a problem, everyone is just fine with Lauren going on a date with a grown man. I really hated it.

Overall though, this was a great book with a really interesting cast of characters and a plot that genuinely had me guessing on how the hell it was ever going to be resolved. Christina Henry definitely stays on my insta-buy author list.

I reviewed this book on my website, The Bloom Stack.

Looking for a new piece of horror fiction to keep you up at night? Halloween is only next month and with the way 2020 has been, it’s likely that it may pass by like any other day. However, Christina Henry’s new novel The Ghost Tree* has everything you need and so much more to get into the spooky spirit of the holiday.

I am a huge fan of horror fiction, especially when the horror elements are combined with anything remotely supernatural, so I knew I had to read Christina Henry’s new release as soon as I could get my hands on it. The title of this novel alone was enough to catch my attention, but I could not put it down. I had to stop for work, but I was very reluctant about doing so as it was just that good.

Although Lauren is the main character of the novel, there are so many other side characters and we are lucky enough to have a part of the story narrated by them all (apart from Mrs Schneider as her prejudice and hatred angered me and I felt absolutely nothing for her). All of the characters are not as they may seem, and we learn more about them as the events of the novel take place. It isn’t until you are in the midst of the narrative that you start to understand why specific characters may act or think the way they do, and readers will quickly come to realise that things in Smiths Hollow are not as normal as they may seem.

There is a brilliant mix of supernatural and real, visceral horror. It isn’t the most graphic horror novel that I have read, but it is by no means for the faint of heart. The Ghost Tree is perfect for those who want to feel a little scared but overall want an intense and gripping story to get sucked into.

I will definitely be re-reading this book come Halloween and I will be purchasing Christina Henry’s other works of fiction very soon

There was a lot to like here, but ultimately I thought it was a little too predictable and there were too many floating plot points that never got resolved or went anywhere. It tells the story of a small town called Smiths Hollow in the 1980s. The town is surrounded by a wood and in the wood is the ghost tree, where Lauren and her best friend, Miranda meet. When two out of town girls turn up murdered and eviscerated in the garden of the town bigot, lots of dark secrets about the town's history are slowly revealed. I did really enjoy the small town vibe portrayed here and thought that Christina Henry did a great job at capturing the community. I thought that the familial relationships were well drawn and that of Lauren and her mother particularly excellent. I liked David and although he read far older than 4, I thought that he was a great inclusion. Where things fell down for me were in the pacing and the plotting. We spend an awful lot of time meandering around the town with not a lot happening, which is good in terms of character, but then when action begins in the latter stages, it feels rushed and inconclusive. I also thought that the mystery aspect of the plot was very disappointing, because it was too obvious and as a result, the reveal didn't have any impact. Characters were introduced and then never seen again, which was jarring, and I thought that the central romantic relationship was never truly explored in terms of the age gap. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but there were too many inconsistencies for it to be a new favourite.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rating: 4/5 stars

With October just around the corner, my TBR currently looks like a mountain of spooky books to get me in that Halloween mood. And I would be pressed to find a book creepier than THE GHOST TREE. With its dark worldbuilding, 80s setting, and rich POVs, this story is the perfect for any fans of horror or small town creepiness in the vein of Stranger Things.

The book is set in 1980s small town America and is told by several different narrators, varying from the town’s mayor to the racist old lady who lives down the street. The most prominent of these is Lauren, a fifteen-year-old girl dealing with the normal frustrations of puberty while still grappling with the murder of her father one year ago. When she has a vision of two girls being brutally murdered minutes before their bodies are found by the police, she starts to suspect that something is wrong with her—until she learns that her baby brother David shares the visions. Together, the narrators are on the edge of uncovering the darkness lurking in the town as they realise that these murders are commonplace; the townspeople just forget about them each and every time.

Each narrator had a wildly different tone that was affected by their age, gender, and race, all influenced by the eighties backdrop. We see the perspectives of both the town’s Old Bigot and the Mexican family who she’s determined to drive out of town, both adults in power and children powerless against the town’s gory traditions. And the way in which all of the different POVs slowly came together to paint a full picture of the town’s secrets was so satisfying and addictive to read. It reminded me of another book that uses a similar method to flesh out a very different setting: FOLK by Zoe Gilbert. I am so here for books with lots of narrators!

I am also a sucker for stories set in the eighties, and this one did not disappoint. Not only did the subtle culture references help to root the story in its context, but the callbacks to eighties horror movies were also a nice, self-aware touch. As such, some people might find the plot to be a little predictable, but that didn’t faze me for a second. I did think that a little more time could have been spent on the climax, especially considering that the novel is fairly long, but that was my only real complaint. As a whole, I found the book to be fast-paced, perfectly built—if a little quick to finish—and a perfect read for the Halloween season.

We’re starting spooky month a little early this year, and I was very happy when Titan Books approved me for The Ghost Tree! This mysterious small-town horror follows all the usual conventions, and I have to say it worked for me. There’s just enough tension and mystery around what’s happening in the community to keep you engaged without going overboard, and once I sat down and sunk my teeth into the story I couldn’t stop reading.

The Ghost Tree is, admittedly, less of a ghost story and more monster-centric than I expected. I was hoping for an eerie horror but this feels more like a mystery with a heaping of gore, and I think I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more of the monster. That’s not to say The Ghost Tree doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain when it comes to eerie suspense. Henry’s pacing was so on point that once she’d pulled me in I couldn’t let go of this book, and I was disappointed any time I had to put it down to return to work.

The characters I’m a little bit iffy about. I definitely wanted to reach into the book and shake a few of the characters at times, but each one has a role and they play it fairly well. Henry also manages the multiple perspectives well, and each perspective added something to the narrative which is so important for me when it comes to books that switch perspectives. There was one thing that I came away feeling a bit funky about, and that’s Lauren’s romantic interest and the age gap that came with it. Miranda is also in a relationship with an age gap, but I would argue that for a variety of reasons it’s plot essential and looked at in a negative way. Lauren’s age gap on the other hand (14yr old and an 18yr old) is widely accepted, and although I don’t mind an age gap when it comes to adults this one felt rather wide as Lauren is very much a child. Nothing actually happens between the two, other than one date, but I wasn’t one hundred per cent happy with the development.

All in all, this is a fantastic coming of age mystery novel with compelling characters and an eerie plot-line, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Christina Henry’s The Ghost Tree!

Recommend: If you’re looking for a small-town mystery featuring a devilish monster and some gore, this could be the one for you!

I'm a huge fan of Christina Henry's re-imagining of classic fairy tales, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Ghost Tree - and the cover is gorgeous. Although the story is in a completely different style to her previous books, I really did enjoy it.

It's 1985 and fifteen-year-old Lauren's life hasn't been the same since her father was found brutally murdered. Strangely, no one wants to talk about his death or how it happened. Lauren's best friend Miranda has become more interested in clothes, make-up and boys, and no longer wants to hang out with Lauren at the old ghost tree. But when the remains of two teenage girls are found and Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging them through the woods, she knows that she will have to be the one to do something no matter what anyone else believes.

The Ghost Tree is told from multiple viewpoints. This works really well, plunging you into the story right away. As well as Lauren, still grieving for her father, there is Karen (Lauren's mother) trying to cope with two children, both of whom seem to have have unsettling 'visions'. There is also the Lopez family, recently moved to town, who have to deal with their neighbour's blatant racism and the realisation that there's something not quite 'right' about Smith's Hollow.

I loved the 80s vibe and the Scooby-Doo-ish kids-fighting-supernatural evil. The gothic horror was a little dark in places for a YA novel (although I think this is supposed to be aimed at adults?) but there is lots of coming-of-age stuff and the trials of being a teenager. It's basically a fab Sleepy Hollow/Stranger Things/IT mash-up and Lauren's grandmother (who lives in a big old house on a hill, naturally) telling fabulous far-fetched stories about witches and curses, was the icing on the cake. I do hope there is a sequel!

If you like spooky, supernatural horror then this is the book for you - although I do feel it's more suited to a YA audience. A solid five stars from me.


Thank you to Christina Henry and Titan Books for my copy of this book, which I requested through NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Ghost Tree’ by Christina Henry. I subsequently bought its ebook/audiobook combination as I enjoyed it so much.

In the summer of 1985 the bodies of two girls are found in the small midwestern town of Smiths Hollow. Their bodies had been torn apart.

Fourteen-year-old Lauren is still coming to terms with the death of her father, who was found some months previously in the woods with his heart torn out. However, Lauren doesn’t blame the woods for his death. The woods remain her favourite place, especially the old ghost tree where she has often met up with her best friend, Miranda. Yet Miranda is growing up fast and becoming more interested in boys than spending time with Lauren. This is causing tension between them.

When Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she realises that she needs to find answers unlike almost everyone else in town who seem to gloss over the deaths. Her grandmother tells her about a local witch’s curse that Lauren dismisses as a fairy tale. Yet could there be truth in it?

In her quest Lauren has an ally in Officer Lopez, the newest member of the local police force who has recently relocated from Chicago. Like Lauren, he doesn’t understand the apparent indifference in the townspeople to this heinous crime and is seeking answers.

This was an excellent horror novel in the classic tradition combined with a coming-of-age story. It has plenty of 1980s elements with respect to music, films, and popular culture. Henry also includes social issues that continue to be relevant - notably the xenophobic attitudes some residents demonstrate towards the Lopez family.

It is important to note that despite the age of its lead protagonist this is not a YA/Teen title but intended for adult readers, who are not likely to be flustered by dark themes, strong language, and the visceral gore appropriate to a horror novel.

I have heard positive things about Christina Henry’s writing for years and was pleased to finally read one of her novels. Following this positive experience, I hope to explore her previous titles in the near future.

Overall, an atmospheric and highly engaging horror novel.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This is my second Christina Henry book (The Girl in Red being my first) and I was so, so excited about it when I read the synopsis a few months back. It sounded perfect for a spooky read and it truly was.

The Ghost Tree is intriguing, very eerie and has the perfect setting - a small town where everyone knows or recognises everyone else. Moreover, the characters are really awesome to follow, my favourites being Lauren, David and Alejandro. I really, really loved them and especially enjoyed the relationship between Lauren and David.

To be honest, I flew through the 500 pages in a couple of days and loved every minutes of it but I found the ending a bit disappointing as everything gets resolved quite quickly, I would have a liked a slower ending than that - it was still good and Henry ties everything together nicely though! Moreover, I guessed quite a big part of it early on - it seemed obvious to me although I can see what the author was trying to do when focusing our attention on something/someone else (don’t want to give any spoilers!)

To conclude, I can say The Ghost Tree is the perfect spooky read for the upcoming season and would be perfect for anyone trying to get into horror but who does not dare read Stephen King or Paul Tremblay yet.

It is really hard to describe the brilliance of this book. On the surface, it is a 1980’s set small town gore/horror, very Stephen King or Stranger things in its feel. The 1980’s setting just gives it that great movie quality to it. You can picture the slightly run down 1950’s boom town: The gleaming tile of the deli now faded, the Arcade floor has become beyond sticky and the cul de sac of houses now needing a little tlc. It makes it really atmospheric. Henry’s writing style lends to this atmosphere really immersing you in this time, but also giving you that unsettled feeling, that just makes the whole book creepy.

What was a nice surprise for me was I wasn’t expecting all the witchy vibes. I am not much one for gore and horror. Christina Henry is about the only gore/horror writer I read. Yet, I do love a good witch in the woods, autumnal feeling book and this has both! Which I wasn’t expecting from the blurb. I really loved the supernatural elements to this book, I thought they played really well with the rest of the plot, it added a little lightness and fun into the book. I will actually say the same with the horror and gore. For me they were a little more on the 1980’s B movie horror side of the scale but I liked that.

For me the best bit about this book was the characters! This is told from multiple perspectives (I lost count) and it really works! Each perspective is very slice of life and some of the minds we explore are utterly detestable. None of them are innocent or even completely good people. They all have big flaws, personal insecurities, biases and hang ups that all come to the surface as we get there internal monologues. We get a little bit of every type of character in this small town, from a vile racist, determine to pin all blame on her neighbours, to a single mother struggling with her feelings of resentment towards her teenage daughter, the mayor more obsessed with who his wife is sleeping with than the dark secrets of his town, the new cop on the block and teenage girls figuring out who they are and if there friendship can survive it.

There is a lot about the teenage girl experience in this book which came across as very natural. I recognised those feelings of growing apart, reassessing friendships and if you have the same paths in life anymore, discovering how you fit into your own life discovering boys, pushing for more freedom and responsibility and hitting the limits of your parents. The problems of being an adult and not knowing how to handle situations, wanting to tell the bigot across the road to "get to" but knowing it would make things worse. All this humanity just bubbles under the surface in the narrative and it just for me makes it so interesting to read. .

The mutli-perspective nature really does keep the pace moving, I didn’t feel like I was reading a 500 page novel, it just flowed. I wanted to know what happened next, how those characters connected ideas, how they resolved there mundane problems as well as the spooky ones, etc etc. and that to me marks a really good book.

Getting bombarded with new books and authors is one of the best perks of being a part of the bookstagram community. I lost count of how many new authors I’ve discovered because of my fellow book nerds.

Christina Henry is my most recent discovery. She has been floating on my radar for quite a long time now. Needless to say, I was curious to check her work out.

I remember seeing 'The Girl in Red' all over Instagram in 2019. Fast forward to the fabulous year of 2020 (eye-roll) and I finally had the perfect opportunity to get my feet wet.

The Ghost Tree is a mix of fantasy, crime, and mystery. Add a pinch of horror and voilà! The result is a mix that just worked, in this case.

I can easily see this book adapted as a TV series.

I can assure you that I had a grand time in Smiths Hollow and I have a feeling that I'll visit again soon.

Overall, The Ghost Tree was a pleasant read. If anything, it could have been a tad shorter. With that being said, I don't think the story dragged or failed to keep me interested. I did not care for all characters, but that didn't get in the way as far as reading experience goes, fortunately.

I will certainly read more of Christina Henry works in the near future.

Let me finish by thanking Titan Books for inviting me to be part of the Instagram Book Launch Tour.

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2020/09/07/the-ghost-tree-by-christina-henry/

My Five Word TL:DR Review : Compelling, light horror with depth

I have to say that The Ghost Tree really worked very well indeed for me. On a superficial level this is a coming of age horror story based in a small town beleaguered by an old curse. Scratch the surface however and there’s plenty of food for thought amongst these pages which I’ll take a brief look at below.

Smith’s Hollow could be described as a loose retelling of Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Sleepy Hollow is more a ghost story and in Smith’s Hollow there is the Ghost Tree, which seems to be the epicentre of the trouble, there’s a monster that tears apart young girls and yet strangely enough leaves their heads intact (in complete reversal of the headless horseman’s modus operandi of leaving the bodies intact but taking the head with him) and there’s the reliance on the spooky ‘into the woods’ factor that plays into the creepiness of both stories.

As we begin the Ghost Tree we make the acquaintance of Lauren and Miranda. Both friends since childhood the two have always met up at the Ghost Tree and spent all their free time exploring and playing in the woods. Their relationship is changing however. Miranda is becoming more interested in boys, dressing up and being a bit more adult whilst Lauren is still trying to hold onto her younger self and isn’t quite yet ready to make the transition. Sadly, Lauren recognises that she and Miranda are growing apart and probably won’t remain friends for much longer. With Lauren’s transition through puberty comes a vision of two young girls being attacked in the woods – a vision that turns out to be a grim reality when the mutilated bodies are found arranged in one of the neighbour’s back gardens.

This is when we start to have our first glimpse of the strangeness that is Smith’s Hollow. At first glance Smith’s Hollow seems to be the perfect picture postcard American town. Prosperous, well kept houses and gardens, people going happily about their daily business and yet barely a day after the bloody remains of two young girls are discovered the place remains calm, there is no horrified buzz, people aren’t discussing the murders, parents aren’t going into ‘protection’ mode over their own daughters like you would expect, in fact, people are in fact forgetting that two hideous murders have just occurred. Lauren, however, isn’t forgetting the terrifying vision she had, or the fact that her father was also brutally murdered only a year ago and his death remains unsolved, and she is determined to take action.

So, I wouldn’t say that this is a particularly scary story although it does have it’s creepy moments and there is a certain amount of horror chucked in – although the ‘ick’ factor doesn’t feel too gross for some reason, I think the author’s no nonsense style of writing lessens the impact somehow. I liked that element of the story in fact but maybe if you’re really expecting a gorefest you might keep that in mind. But, super scary or horror filled or not this is a story that did grip me. I fairly dashed through this in a couple of days and I can definitely say that it held me firmly in its grip.

What works particularly well here is the setting and the whole backstory of Smith’s Hollow. The whole town seems to be suffering from some sort of mass amnesia. I won’t go into the reason why but let you discover the history of the place for yourself when you pick this one up – it’s an element of the story that I thought was really well done and I don’t want to spoil the whole story within a story surprise.

We have a number of characters who share time telling their story. Not all of these characters are likable of course but I didn’t have any problem relating to a couple of them. I liked Lauren, to be honest I liked Miranda – I think I felt kind of sorry for her, she was so desperate to lose her innocence and she radiated a sort of ‘damaged’ aura that made me want to give her a hug. I’m not going to elaborate on all the characters but the different aspects help to build a story in themselves. There are plenty of misunderstandings running amok. People getting the wrong end of the stick or reacting to things through distorted perceptions of reality.

And now I get to the whole train of crazy thought that was swirling about in my head whilst reading this – and I don’t think I’ve totally unravelled some of these thought trains even now. Like I said, at face value this is a horror story retelling of a classic ghost story. Dig deeper and there are a few underlying themes here. Let’s look at the racism that takes place. One particular vile character who is so racist she actually makes you feel ill reading her thoughts. She’s just shockingly full of nasty and stirs up a whole hornet’s nest of trouble. Her actions incite mob hysteria and potential violence from a bunch of people who feel like they’re being led by the nose by a raging xenophobe. There’s the whole hive mind, herd mentality ‘thing’ taking place not to mention the aspect that plainly comes across of people being happier to live in ignorance, even slaughtering the odd (yearly) sacrificial lamb to maintain their lifestyle, rather than face the reality of what is actually happening.

However, if that all seems a bit heavy – take what I’m saying with a pinch of salt, really this is a coming of age horror story that is well told, shocking in parts and really quite all consuming

In terms of criticisms. Well, nothing that spoiled the read for me but I would just mention briefly. The ending, which I admit really ramps up the tension, becomes a little messy – there seems to be a lot going on and there was a feeling of jumbled hysteria – but I think that was perhaps intentional in order to reflect the feel of the place and its inhabitants. What I did miss a little was more emotional depth, particularly from Lauren. She took things very much in her stride which I liked – but at the same time, given her age, I think I expected a little more reaction at certain points. There is also a very male predatory vibe that comes across here, I mention that just so that you’re aware, personally it felt like a strange reflection of fairytales and other stories where women can be quite often preyed upon but on the reverse side Lauren counters that by being so ‘stand up for herself’ and realistic.

Overall I thought this was a very good read that I really didn’t want to put down.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

The Ghost Tree is a satisfyingly creepy modern gothic tale with haunted woods, angry witches, terrifying monsters, a cursed town and grisly murders!

Something is not right with Smiths Hollow. When dismembered bodies of two teenage girls is found in the backyard of Mrs Schneider, everyone is quite shaken, as expected. What is not expected is that within a few days, the incident is almost wiped out from memories of everyone in the town. Even the police and the mayor close the case a little too quickly. While this is happening, Lauren and her brother David have visions of a monster murdering those girls. Meanwhile, Alejandro is trying hard to hold on to the memory of the murdered girls and unravel the mystery surrounding them.

Brimming with spookiness, The Ghost Tree is an immersive read with multiple threads of the story converging into the big reveal. While this is a fairly long novel, it never feels that way owing the consistent pacing and a very well developed atmosphere of horror and tension coupled with small town vibes. Throughout the book there is palpable tension and an unsettling feeling of something not quite right under the seemingly peaceful facade of Smiths Hollow.

There are several characters in the novel, which can get a bit difficult to remember if you struggle with names as I do. However, the main characters are intricately developed and very interesting. While this is a horror story, female coming-of-age is a consistent theme throughout. The depiction of how friendships change during adolescence as priorities change is very honest and refreshing to read about. I particularly loved the character of David, Lauren's 4 year old brother, who mystically knows everything that is going on in the town. His innocence and its contrast against his omniscience is beautifully depicted.

Overall, a must read for lovers of horror and gothic!

The Ghost Tree takes place in the 1980s, in the small town of Smiths Hollow, Illinois. We witness much of the action through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Lauren, who’s grieving for her father, who was found brutally murdered in the nearby woods the previous year. In the run-up to high school, her oldest friend, Miranda, is growing away from her, and she’s also constantly arguing with her mother.

Lauren experiences a frightening vision of two girls from out of town being murdered in the same woods as her father - and it proves to be real when their heads and entrails are discovered close by, in the garden of local curmudgeon Mrs Schneider. Yet the case doesn’t make the top headlines, and the local parents seem to forget the incident pretty quickly and continue to let their children play in the woods - because something is very wrong in Smiths Hollow.

It’s hard to say much more about this book without giving away major spoilers. Suffice it to say, though, it’s a gripping read with a number of appealing gothic/horror elements: a curse with a backstory straight from a fairy tale, witches and monsters, children with psychic abilities (not just Lauren, but also her four-year-old brother David), cover-ups from on high, and collective amnesia and hysteria. It’s quite an imaginative feat.

The 1980s small-town setting gives off a strong Stranger Things vibe, with hints of Stephen King and John Connolly too. Henry successfully portrays how a community can become very insular and hostile to ‘outsiders’ when it’s largely self-reliant and has little contact with the wider world.

Lauren and Miranda are very realistic teenage characters. Like Lauren, I found mid-teen boys really underwhelming with their spots and preoccupation with showing off to their friends, and got very bored watching them play video games! I’ve also known girls like Miranda who, seemingly in the blink of an eye, went from being gawky and childlike to sophisticated and boy-crazy.

While Lauren has had to deal with a lot in her short life, and becomes burdened with the truth behind Smiths Hollow’s prosperity, she’s nonetheless prone to the typical histrionics and brattiness, with her poor mother often bearing the brunt of her moods. I found all of Lauren’s family relationships really interesting: she has more in common with her maternal grandmother than her mother, she clearly had a really close relationship with her dad, and I loved the interactions between her and little David.

There were a few things about this book that did bug me, though. One was the police force’s inconsistent approach to crime scenes, even considering the time period and the influence of the curse. Another was that the effects of the curse went unnoticed by out-of-town police forces and media outlets for years on end.

It seemed a little too convenient and far-fetched (even for a novel with a curse, monsters, witches etc.) that the families of the two murdered girls didn’t come to Smiths Hollow demanding answers because they had been ‘troublemakers’ anyway. There was also a sub-plot involving a Chicago reporter that could have had more outcomes than it did.

The Ghost Tree is a gripping novel with some satisfyingly creepy elements - just try not to think about it too hard.

Getting acquainted with Henry’s work was a real pleasure as, before I knew it, I was completely immersed in the small town of Smiths Hollow, memories summoned from my own teenage days as Lauren struggled with the reality of growing up – everything from her first menstrual cycle, to the inevitable shifting of relationships and friendships. Change is inevitable, I think that was a clear message throughout The Ghost Tree, proving that a female-centric coming-of-age narrative can be just as engaging in the genre. Henry also included commentary on such things as parental loss and racism, and coupled with the darker notes of horror was the more fantastical, balancing it in a fine space full of magic, monsters and life lessons. With its PoV of several characters, it was always moving in an entertaining direction full of drama and intrigue. It set up a mystery that was slowly unravelled thread by thread, and despite it being predictable in some respects, I felt satisfied with the outcome.

One thing that I really took to was the setting; the idea of a small town where everyone knows each other is quite foreign to me as I’ve never experienced it, but I can understand its popularity as a common trope. Smiths Hollow was much like a character itself, one with its own secrets, as well as aspects both ugly and charming. I really do love when an environment is given so much life, and I believe it’s partly responsible for my enthusiasm in returning to the book until I reached its end. The lore that was described – fairy-tale-esque – was probably one of the biggest highlights, delivering the occult in a captivating way, as well as giving even more identity to the town.

I wasn’t a hundred percent on some elements, most notably Lauren’s romantic interest and how the topic of sex was presented throughout Miranda’s storyline. Age gaps don’t bother me when it relates to adults, but I felt a bit weird reading about a fourteen and eighteen-year-old, not to mention Miranda’s desperation to lose her virginity, which resulted in a very, very, dark conclusion. I get it, at that age it’s hard not to be controlled by raging hormones, and teenagers do have sex with older people, so I guess you could say Henry was scarily realistic in that way, but I couldn’t exactly warm to it. Then there’s the character of David, who despite liking, I didn’t see much point in his ability other than a possible plot device; I preferred Lauren’s mystical power much more, as subtle as it was. I understand the intention of a creepy little kid, but I think there should be more to it.

In conclusion: The Ghost Tree told the tale of Smiths Hollow, a town in the 80’s that suffers a horrendous crime. Following multiple characters, it was easy to love some and hate others; it did well in showcasing a divide of personalities. I was able to relate to the main protagonist, enjoying the coming-of-age theme, yet when it came to the central love interest I didn’t gel with it. Regarding the overall mystery, I felt it was predictable but still fun, the supernatural components also entertaining.