ARC Review--And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

A stunning, terrifying novel about a house the color of blood and the two sisters who are trapped there, by The Dead House author Dawn Kurtagich
When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too--the questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else? And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer?

Filled with just as many twists and turns as The Dead House, and with achingly beautiful, chilling language that delivers haunting scenes, AND THE TREES CREPT IN is the perfect follow-up novel for master horror writer Dawn Kurtagich.

I received this ARC from the publisher while attending BEA earlier this year. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Dawn Kurtagich, a master of horror and suspense brings us a frightening new ghost story that is sure to leave you chilled...and fearing the toilet! And the Trees Crept In is her second novel and is just as creepy as her debut, but this time it's extra twisted!

Silla and her sister Nori arrive at their Aunt Cath's house in the middle of the night. It's clear they've escaped from something, but Silla is unwilling to say what. The answers are a little slow to come and at times when we get perhaps a glimpse of what might have happened, we can't fully trust what we're reading/seeing. Cath is just happy to see the girls. After some happy years in the house, strange things start to happen. Things that can't be explained. Things that were seriously really freaking creepy!!

This book was weird. However, I am a fan of weird, so I quite enjoyed it! I do want to tell you that because it's weird it might be harder to understand some things. I had moments of confusion, I'll admit but as the story went on the confusion made sense. I was still confused mind you, but I think I was supposed to be confused. Silla is confused herself by all the crazy happening so me being confused with her made a messed up kind of sense. 

The weirdness of the story really added to the creepy. What's real? What's imagined? Silla believes the trees are moving closer to the house (that is basically on the edge of a forest, surrounded by trees) preventing them from leaving. Their aunt goes crazy one day and ends up staying in the attic after some time, never coming down but just pacing along the floor constantly. It's sooo creepy! We basically have a scary story setup on our hands. Then Nori, Silla's sister, makes a friend. One Silla can't see even when he's right behind her. we get to learn things from Cath and Nori through POV changes. But they're kind of few and far between. And the glimpses from Nori come in the form of journal entries. 

It's always strange to read from the mind of someone going crazy, and it's clear that Cath has some things going on with her, because she is a little crazy. Then there's odd things going on with Silla. Is Silla herself going crazy? It all becomes so convoluted in a way, because you really don't know what to trust. But that feeling my friends, just makes the book even more intense!

This book is weird. Completely and totally weird. It's also really frigging creepy. It will confuse you halfway through. I think really the last 1/3 or so was the most confusing. And when the answer finally start to come, it was still a touch confusing, but I pretty much got the general idea of it. What I want to say when you're reading this is don't let the confusion bog you down. Don't DNF because you can't understand what the heck is going on. You're meant to be confused, much like Silla is. This book is crazy, but it's also really freaking awesome!

The ending is where we get that shining light of answers and understanding. Well, some general sense of understanding! Lol. I like the kind of twisted ending we get. It reminds me of this one movie's twisted ending--one I won't share obviously. Heehee! It's not an exact copy of said ending, but in a sense they are kind of similar! But I liked that movie and when you look back with the answer key, you totally get everything that happened! This book is like that, though the answer key doesn't make it 100% clear, more like 90-95%, still good enough! Though the more I think about it after letting the ideas simmer, it's definitely closer to 100%, like 95-99%! LOL!

If you're wanting a read to totally take your head for a spin and give you a scare, then look no further! And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich is one to leave you with a nightmares and chills...and possibly a fear of the toilet! LOL!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars


And the Trees Crept In releases September 6, 2016