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.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.
I am a huge fan of Christina Henry and I was extremely excited for this book, so when I say I am a little disappointed that does not mean this book is bad. This is her first book I've read not based on a fairytale/historical story and I was eager to see what she could do. Sadly this has got a completely different tone from her other work which threw me.

Ghost Tree is the story of Lauren, a fifteen year old girl who lives in a town called Smiths Hollow. Her dad was brutally killed the year before and ever since then, things have been going wrong. When two girls are found dead in a neighbour's yard, Lauren starts to uncover a dark mystery surrounding the town involving a monster and a whole lot of dead girls.

I will be brief with my criticism because I really wanted to adore this book. Firstly, it felt like it skewed a lot younger than her other works. I've seen it shelved as both YA and Adult, but the style reads on the young side of YA for me with the content being less suitable for younger readers. This left me feeling confused as to how to judge it. As an adult book it is way too repetitive, especially for its length. Nothing much happens for the majority of it and I found the writing a little simplistic to even say that character development was happening during that time. I would be far more forgiving of this if I knew for certain it was for younger readers, although then I have to question the more graphic content. The story itself is relatively formulaic, with nothing that happened surprising me at all.

If you're wondering why my rating is 4 stars after that quite large complaint, the main saving grace of this book is the end. The climax is fantastically paced and written, and this is where Henry really got to shine. I was genuinely very gripped and it was such a breath of fresh air after the rest of the book dragging a bit. I would 100% be interested in a sequel to this story because I feel like the characters really came into their own at the end and I think there is potential for an engaging plot to come after it. Even though I knew what would happen, it was so well-written that I didn't mind.

Overall, I am saddened that I wasn't blown away by The Ghost Tree. I have read all of Christina Henry's standalone books and this one just felt so different, both in tone and audience. Ultimately this was shelved as an adult fiction book specifically on NetGalley, and for that audience it definitely misses the mark.

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you Titan Books for an e-copy of this book.

I really loved The Mermaid and I also recently read in one sitting The Lost Boy, so I was very excited to read this new novel by Christina Henry. But I have mixed feelings about it.

The story takes place in Smith Hollow, a small town near Chicago. One day, two girls are found dismembered and abandoned in a garden of one of the town's elderly habitants. Nobody knows these girls, but soon, this tragic fact is forgotten, as if nothing happened. Lauren can’t just forget this tragic murder, as she remembers the death of her father the previous year with the police unwilling to get to the bottom of this. Strange things start happening in Lauren’s life, and she has to face her past and the truth behind the curse of Smith Hollow.

It did have a great creepy start. You are introduced to a very wide range of characters, who I thought represented all specific stereotypes. Lauren is a teenager who doesn’t want to grow up. Miranda, the teenager who thinks she is already a full grown-up. You have the old racist neighbour, who doesn’t want to admit that her surname suggests her family probably are immigrants as well (which I admit, Mrs Schneider’s chapter made me laugh out loud). Then you have a lot of other characters, maybe a little tad too many (like the journalist), who in one way or another all get swept up in the curse.

Henry creates a slow build-up to the big revelation behind the curse and why it’s happening. After that, the narrative becomes quite slow paced, as well as the thrilling feelings of reading a horror story. While Henry’s writing is flawless, as usual, and I quite enjoyed how the story is told by multiple POVs, I felt like the second half was slower and once the mystery of the curse is revealed, I kind of sensed where it was going and which character not to trust. I am not a fan of horror stories, I don’t get chills, but I still had high expectations for the ending. However, it happened so fast, and I saw it coming so, yeah… a bit disappointing.

I strongly recommend this book to horror and Stranger Things fans, because it takes place in the 80s and I loved all the references to pop music from that time. The writing is still great, I wasn’t annoyed and I was generally intrigued to see where it was going but I think the execution of the second part of the plot was slower than the first part.

The Ghost Tree, Christina Henry

This is a creepy, eerie little thriller from Queen of the twisted fairytale Christina Henry. With haunted woods, murder, terrifying visions and bodies cropping up, Henry weaves her usual dark magic in this unputdownable novel.

I love Christinas writing, her ability to create strong, believable characters and how she leaves you knotted with suspense from the very first page.

With shades of Alice Hoffman (the witch's house on the hill powerfully recalled Practical Magic to me) and Angrla Carter, this Little Red Riding Hood-inspired horror/fairy tale mash-up was a fun, if extremely gory, read. While not subtle in its handling of themes - such as burgeoning female sexuality, or how racism manifests in small communities - this is a book that will be heartily enjoyed by YA readers. 3.5 stars.

I unfortunately had to DNF this at around 30% in. I felt the characters lacked any kind of emotional response from the reader and I am someone who struggles to read a book if I cannot connect with the characters. There were also parts where it seemed like the author picked up a thesaurus to find the randomest words to describe something 'she took a tiny mouse bite off the end, nothing that would make her masticate like a cow.'

And it really is a shame because I found the actual plot intriguing and was definitely engrossed enough in the overall mystery... what happened to the girls and does it have anything to do with Lauren's dad? I can definitely see this being a popular book, but there were just too many sticking points for me to carry on with it unfortunately.

I loved this story! It was captivating from the very first page! I couldn’t put it down!

I loved the characters, Lauren and Alex especially, and felt that they were really well thought-out. I also liked that the story was told through multiple POVs. I find that you really get to know all of the characters this way.

There was definitely a spooky atmosphere through the book, but more blood and gore rather than dread and suspense.

There was lots of twists and turns too which was great, and it kept you guessing all the way through.

If you like Christina Henry’s books then you definitely need to read this!

This is a very difficult book to review. It has great elements, but certain parts of it make me very uncomfortable. I’m hesitant to recommend it because certain problematic aspects are never called out.

‘The Ghost Tree’ centres on the town of Smiths Hollow, a small town on the outskirts of Chicago known for being peaceful and prosperous. While towns around it have suffered from job losses and escalating crime, Smiths Hollow has flourished. However, there’s a dark secret behind that prosperity – and a cascade of events have been set in motion which might lead to it all falling down.

I want to start by explaining my primary issue with this book. It features a developing relationship between a fourteen-year-old girl who has yet to start high school and an eighteen-year-old college student. This relationship is never challenged or spoken of in any negative way. I’m enormously uncomfortable with the idea of young teenagers reading this book and thinking that relationships with adults are acceptable or even cool. There’s a huge inherent power and maturity imbalance here, and whilst its natural for teenagers to fantasise about relationships with those older than them, relationships between children too young for high school and actual adults should never be portrayed as normal. This isn’t being marketed as a young adult book, but in many ways it reads as one. I don’t understand why the fourteen-year-old wasn’t aged up to at least sixteen – this wouldn’t have affected the plot in any way, and would have made this feel less uncomfortable.

It’s a shame, because the characters in this are excellent. For a short book it has many point-of-view characters, but this works, creating a real small-town feel. There’s nuanced discussion about the difficulties of being a single parent, the difficulty of raising teenagers, racial tension, and being a teenager changing and growing apart from your family and friends. Many of the characters think uncomfortable things – one is unapologetically racist, another has very problematic thoughts about sex and virginity – but this actually works well, because many people do believe those things, and as long as those beliefs and opinions are challenged by other characters it becomes clear that they’re not being condoned. It captures the feeling of being a teenage girl very well, and whilst I haven’t been a single parent, the way it describes how this feels is also very nuanced and thought-provoking. Through the lens of all the different characters, it manages to show a variety of opinions on each event in a very eye-opening way.

To be honest, I think this would work better as a contemporary than a horror story. The horror elements felt unnecessary and a tad contrived compared to the cleverness and insightfulness of the characters and social commentary. They also weren’t particularly scary – I don’t know if this was the intent, but it combined with the age of some of the primary characters to give this a more juvenile feel. Personally, I would have preferred two separate stories – one a contemporary with this cast of characters, and one a gothic horror story about witches and the monster in the woods.

Having said that, the plot wasn’t bad, and I did enjoy reading this. Certain elements were very gripping, and I was really rooting for certain characters – especially Alex Lopez. Those looking for a basic horror story with an intriguing and varied cast of characters will probably enjoy this – I just think every reader needs to be aware that it’s not without its issues.

As a big fan of Christina's work I have been so excited for The Ghost Tree since it was first announced.
The book starts off with a bang and a huge bloody death that comes with a lot of questions that nobody seems to have an answer for, and what's stranger is that most people in the town seem to be rapidly forgetting that it even happened.

It was very fun seeing the mystery unravel and slowly get answers, but you are left guessing the truth right to the very end. What I enjoyed the most about this book was the multiple perspectives from so many different characters and residents of the town. It made the story way more interesting and was a very smart choice by the author. I also really loved reading about the bonds between different characters like Lauren/David and Lauren/Miranda.
I prefered the first 2/3rds of the book as I personally found the end to be fairly predictable and somewhat underwhelming but the lead up was very well done.
A great read for the spooky season and I would recommend.

Before reading The Ghost Tree my only experience of Christina Henry was her work on Looking Glass, which was a collection of novella's set in her Alice in Wonderland inspired fantasy world, so I had no idea what to expect from her writing horror. But, I was so impressed by this book.

Set in the small town of Smiths Hollow, not far from Chicago, the story follows Lauren, a teenage girl whose father was found brutally murdered in the local forest almost a year ago. The forest, and the supposedly haunted Ghost Tree, has always been a refuge for Lauren, and she still goes there to this day, despite it being the place her father died. She's been getting on with her life as best she can, hanging out with her friend Miranda, and trying to survive the anger of her newly widowed mother. Things aren't perfect for her by any means, but she's been getting by.

However, when pieces of two out of town girls are left in the yard of one of her neighbours, Mrs Schneider, it kicks off a series of events that will not only change Lauren's life forever, but the fate of everyone who lives in Smiths Hollow.

The book is set in the early 1980's, and thanks to the principal lead being a teenager it immediately brought certain things to mind, and I found myself thinking a lot about Stranger Things and the new IT movie. Both of these were set in small towns in the 80's, with teens dealing with supernatural forces outside of their control. The Ghost Tree especially reminded me of IT because after a while it became clear that there was something bigger going on here that people in the town were somehow being forced to ignore or forget, and it reminded me of the ability that Pennywise had over the townspeople of Derry.

But, where I found Stranger Things to be 'just okay', and get bored for long sections whenever I read IT, this book was never dull, was never leaving me bored, and I struggled to put it down, reading through all 500 pages in just over a day. It hooked me from the very beginning, and I was desperate to find out what was really going on in the town, and to just spend some more time with the characters too.

One of the strengths of The Ghost Tree are the interesting characters. Lauren is a great lead. She's having to deal with a lot following the death of her father, but she never feels like a spoilt or angry teen. Yes, she has some trouble getting on with her mother, but she's never hateful towards her, she understands that she's going through a lot too; and her relationship with her younger brother is so sweet an endearing. She's the kind of teenager who's had to grow up fast, and has a level of maturity that is sometimes lacking in books focusing on teen heroes. But this doesn't mean she's written like an adult either, and it's sometimes fun seeing her trying to deal with regular teenage girl issues, like her straining relationship with her oldest friend, and worrying about boys.

Her friend Miranda, on the other hand, is a bit of a nightmare, and is definitely the kind of teen that would give you a lot of sleepless nights as a parent. She's selfish, impulsive, obsessive, but she's still very real, and despite being written as a bit of a bitch for the most part you do understand her motivations a little, and feel sympathy for her at times.

That's one of the best things about this book, is that the characters are so layered and complex, and that no one (other than the exception of a couple) are really all bad, and they just feel like real people. The racist old Mrs Schneider, who hates that her new neighbours are Mexican can generate a level of sympathy when more of the mystery unfolds and you learn some of her backstory. You see that perhaps she's not all bad, but maybe just a victim of the events of Smiths Hollow, having been twisted into this hateful person.

The central mystery is really engaging too, and it's great seeing the characters trying to piece together what's really going on, especially Alex, one of the local police officers. He and his family have just moved to town from Chicago, and don't seem to have completely fallen under the sway of whatever's happening, so we get to see him fighting against this outside influence whilst trying to solve these grizzly murders. Even when a lot of these answers get given to us, fairly early on, there's still so much left unrevealed, and Christina Henry is able to tease out the answers at a pace that stops the reader from losing interest. She keeps you engaged right up to the very end, always wanting to know more.

This was my first experience of reading a horror novel penned by Christina Henry, but I sincerely hope that it's not the last. She's able to take an era that's so prevalent in the media right now and make it feel fresh and exciting. She's doing the small town mystery horror story in a way that it doesn't feel like it's retreading old ground, but comes across as something new and exciting. An absolutely phenomenal book that shows how to craft an amazing horror story.

3.75 stars

This book was perfectly creepy and atmospheric, I got major strager things vibes mixed with the devouring gray (but the more adult version of both - there was quite a bit of gore/body mutilation in this book). Set in a small town in America, we follow various characters in the town (my favourites were Lauren, David and Alex) where girls mysteriously go missing every year and no-one remmebers, until one year Laurens father dies in place of a girl and everything starts to go wrong.

The main two POVs are Lauren who is a teenager who feels she is losing her best friend Miranda to boys and make-up (I really liked how this book showed how sometimes friendships just naturally drift apart), who is also grieving the loss of her father, which manifests mainly through a tumultous relationship with her mother. Lauren finds she is being plagued with mysterious visions and is at the centre of the mysterious events going on in the town.

We also follow Alex, a detective recently moved into twon with his family from chigaco who knows something weird is going on and is trying to investigate.

We also get a lot of other characters stories weaved in, this book felt almost like folklore/fairytale in the writing and how it was told. I think getting to see other characters lives really added to the atmosphere and the small town feling of the book.

The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating is becasue I felt the twists were kind of obvious, especially relating to a certain character reveal towards the end.

I always struggle to review Christina Henry novels. It's so hard to turn my shameless fangirling into a coherent review.

As always is the case with Christina's writing, I devoured this book in one day. The Ghost Tree gave me all the qualities I love; coming of age horror in a small town set in the 80s- I cannot get enough of these!

Told from multiple POVs we follow Lauren and narcissistic friend Miranda on a journey of self discovery whilst they navigate the minefield that is being a teenaged girl in 1985.
Mexican newcomer Officer Alejandro, his racist old neighbour Mrs Schneider, Lauren's mother and town Mayor Touhey provide adult perspectives on life in Smith's Hollow and the horrific dismemberment of two teenaged girls.

The small town is brimming with secrets and hand down histories of it's foundation. Every year a girl is murdered at the old Ghost Tree, but why are these crimes never investigated? And why does nobody remember them?

All of the characters are well told, each with a unique voice and their own objectives. One of the things I love most about Christina is the way she writes family relationships. The behaviour and changing attitudes between Lauren and her mother, grandmother and brother were so realistic and resounded well with me, I could relate to every moment and remember well my own experience as a teenager.

I'm not sure whether Lauren was naive or brave in her actions, she never seemed to be as afraid as she should be, considering the violence and dark magic surrounding her. This did make the story a little less scary, but the claustrophic small town evil vibes and residents lack of control over their own minds balanced it out.

I thoroughly enjoyed the heartbreaking origins of Smith's Hollow, told by Lauren's grandmother, a story within a story- one of my favourite formats.

I will always champion Christina Henry's writing, in the case of The Ghost Tree I highly recommend to all horror lovers and YA readers, especially fans of Stranger Things.
Anyone who's looking for an easy to read, fast paced, fun, summer spooky will not be disappointed.

If you've read Christina Henry's previous books, you need this book!
If you've never read anything by Christina Henry before, you need this book!

I'm not going to summarize the book because the summary is available everywhere but I absolutely have to say something: WHAT A READING!

It has a creepy small town vibes (town that has the image of THE perfect town everyone wants to live in), it has amazing characters (Lauren, David and Alejandro are my favourite), weird things are happening, people get killed, and well that little perfect town is not that perfect after all. But what is killing them? And why?

That's what you will discover in this book!

The book is told through many point of views but it focuses on two young girls, two friends, growing up in different directions. There was some parts in the book that even made me stop breathing. it was so immersive and parts were written in a fairytale way. Which I personally adore! I kept turning the pages, I kept wanting more and well I finished the book in one day, yes almost one sitting.

It was so immersive that I just couldn't stop. I loved the characters who were well-developed and likeable (except for one racist old lady!!). David for instance was a four year old little boy with a very weird behaviour. He was acting like he was an adult and was aware of way too many things for his age. But well, Lauren, the main character, will understand why after she discusses with her grand-mother, Nana. I love family secrets in books, it always adds a good background story.

I would say though that the book was more gore than horror for me (body parts, blood more than being on the edge all the time looking over your shoulders kind of vibes). But it had a spooky atmosphere like in "The Wicked Deep" for instance. A small town with secrets, kids getting killed every year, people trying to help...

I overall had a great time reading this book: the characters, the plot, the twists, the writing style... The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars, is because I knew (I was 95% sure) what/who was responsible for what was going on. So pick up the book, and tell me what/who you think it is!

BIG THANK YOU to NetGalley and Titan Books for this addictive ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

The Ghost Tree is an eerie supernatural mystery set in a small American town in the 1980s. When the dismembered bodies of two teenage girls show up in an elderly woman's backyard, both 15 year old Lauren, and police officer Alex Lopez, must uncover the dark truth hidden at the heart of their town.

This story worked so well for me. Immediately when I started reading I felt the 80s setting slide into place, with names of bands, movies and clothes brands securing it neatly within its time period, without ever being too overt. It also sets the scene nicely for something terrible to happen as the police force is small and lacks any useful skills or equipment!

What particularly stood out to me was the voice of Lauren. Christina Henry has done such a good job of creating an authentic teenage voice, and differing them between the points of view of Miranda and Lauren. I found Lauren really likeable as a main character. She is curious, flawed and unique. She begins to find her voice and becomes more comfortable with who she is throughout the book despite the awful nature of the events going on around her. Her character development is noticeable but goes along at a natural pace alongside the main plot.

I was equally invested in the other points of view in the book too, these draw together in the middle to build suspense and begin to piece the mystery together to lead us towards the ending. The fair acts as a fantastic crux for this. I definitely felt some Stranger Things vibes there, and I loved it!

Overall, I think Christina Henry is so good at writing darkness and this book is no exception. The gore is vivid but not overdone. Although some parts were a little predictable toward the end, I felt compelled to get through the story as the pace was good and it was easy to read. I really enjoyed it, and would absolutely recommend reading this if you like Stranger Things, Stephen King or are just a general fan of an eerie domestic novel!

This is a wonderful and satisfyingly creepy read that would be great for Halloween.
I've read a couple of books by the author and I liked them so I thought I would enjoy this too and I did. The authors writing style is great and it works so well for this type of book.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and creepiness of this book. It has haunted woods that make people feel watched, mysterious deaths which make you question if it's a monster or a man, visions that lead to dangerous paths and witches among other things. There is a ominous feeling to this book which books you and makes you want to read on until the end.
The town of Smiths Hollow is a town that is prosperous in the beginning but as Murders keep happening, the town stops prospering. The people in the town are forgetful and there's secrets that won't stay buried. It is a town with a history of witches too which I really enjoy. I enjoyed the town, although I wouldn't want to live there.
I'd say the books wasn't really horror but there is descriptions of bloody deaths and gore. I enjoyed it more because of this as I'm not a big fan of horror. It feels more like a bloody, creepy coming of age book which I think is much better!
The characters were okay, some I loved and others I could have punched. Lauren is the main character and she's 15. I liked Lauren and how her character was shown throughout the book. She reminded me of myself a little. One of my favourite characters was Lauren's younger brother David who knows everything and is a wonderful yet slightly creepy child.
The book has multiple POVs which took some getting use to and I'd say there were maybe too many. We get Lauren's POV which is the main one. Then we have chapters from Miranda's pov who is Lauren's best friend who is obsessed with boys, losing her virginity and growing up. I wasn't really a fan of Miranda.
There are POVs from Karen (Lauren's mum), Police Officer Alejandro, Riley (our of town journalist), the Mayor of the town and finally the POV from a racist old lady who's name I have forgotten.
Some of these POVs felt a little boring to me and I think the book could have worked just as well without them.
Overall this is a wonderfully creepy read that I really enjoyed! I would recommend it to those who want something creepy yet accessible for Halloween. I would also recommend it for YA readers if they want to try a horror-ish book.