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The Ghost Tree
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When people go missing in the sleepy town of Smith's Hollow, the only clue to their fate comes when a teenager starts having terrifying visions, in a chilling horror novel from national bestselling author Christina Henry.
When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the k ...more
When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the k ...more
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OMG! The witchy powers, haunted woods concept always my favorite themes and when I dive into a book which reminds me of Shea Ernshaw’s Wicked Deep meets Emily Lloyd Jones’ Bone Houses and Stephen Kong’s epic book Outsider with Sleepy Hollow vibes, I may only scream “yess” and fill my brain with the marvelous taste of literature and feel the tingling shiver of thrilling sense on my shoulders.
This book is captivating, exciting page turner, attracting your attention and hooks your soul from the fir ...more
This book is captivating, exciting page turner, attracting your attention and hooks your soul from the fir ...more
Jul 23, 2020
Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
netgalley-all,
horror-gothic-etc
A sweet and satisfyingly, creepy little book!
What is lurking in the woods.... What is tearing the young one’s into itty bitty pieces... shredded...
Lauren is determined to find out what’s doing the killing. She’s been having a few visions but her little brother, David, is having a lot of visions that are leading Lauren down a scary path.
What do the visions mean.... And what did grand ma ma mean about the story she told Lauren ...
Something isn’t right in the little town of Smith’s Hollow. Will t ...more
What is lurking in the woods.... What is tearing the young one’s into itty bitty pieces... shredded...
Lauren is determined to find out what’s doing the killing. She’s been having a few visions but her little brother, David, is having a lot of visions that are leading Lauren down a scary path.
What do the visions mean.... And what did grand ma ma mean about the story she told Lauren ...
Something isn’t right in the little town of Smith’s Hollow. Will t ...more
“There was one particular tree...with branches that curled like sharp claws looking for skin to scrape. All the townsfolk had avoided that tree, for it wasn’t right that a tree seemed to whisper and stare and reach out when a person passed by.”
There is something very wrong in this town.
Lauren has grown up in Smiths Hollow, spending most of her childhood in the woods with her best friend Miranda. Their meeting place ‘the old ghost tree.’
Even after her father is found dead, with his heart ripp ...more
There is something very wrong in this town.
Lauren has grown up in Smiths Hollow, spending most of her childhood in the woods with her best friend Miranda. Their meeting place ‘the old ghost tree.’
Even after her father is found dead, with his heart ripp ...more
Jun 23, 2020
megs_bookrack
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2021-mt-tbr-challenge,
arcs-read
**3.5-stars**
The small town of Smith's Hollow has withstood a lot of tragedies. The eerie part is, no one seems to remember them.
When two girls from out of town, are found slayed in a local backyard, literally cut to pieces, it does grab everyone's attention; at least temporarily.
Lauren has grown up in Smith's Hollow and now, just shy of her Freshman year in high school, she begins to sense something is severely wrong in their quiet town.
For one thing, her father was murdered in the woods just l ...more
The small town of Smith's Hollow has withstood a lot of tragedies. The eerie part is, no one seems to remember them.
When two girls from out of town, are found slayed in a local backyard, literally cut to pieces, it does grab everyone's attention; at least temporarily.
Lauren has grown up in Smith's Hollow and now, just shy of her Freshman year in high school, she begins to sense something is severely wrong in their quiet town.
For one thing, her father was murdered in the woods just l ...more
Oct 14, 2020
Michelle
added it
DNF @ page 91 of 418. No rating and will not be included in my reading challenge.
This book seems very young adult and I am growing tired of one young woman, 14 years old, constantly squeezing her boobs together and rubbing them up against a dude to get his attention. There is no way I can read another 300 pages of that bullshit. Not to mention that everything about this seems very campy and cheesy. Not my thing at all.
This book seems very young adult and I am growing tired of one young woman, 14 years old, constantly squeezing her boobs together and rubbing them up against a dude to get his attention. There is no way I can read another 300 pages of that bullshit. Not to mention that everything about this seems very campy and cheesy. Not my thing at all.
3-3.5 STARS
The Ghost Tree is a solid horror novel that's strongest ingredient is in the creepy, small town vibe it gives off. Smith's Hollow is definitely not a place I'd like to visit, as it is filled to the brim with creepy children, grisly murders, some witchy hullabaloo, and has a serious The Stepford Wives thing going on. While the unsettling atmosphere was 5 star worthy, I had a few personal issues with the fact that this story relies heavily on the blood and gore with a touch of supernatu ...more
The Ghost Tree is a solid horror novel that's strongest ingredient is in the creepy, small town vibe it gives off. Smith's Hollow is definitely not a place I'd like to visit, as it is filled to the brim with creepy children, grisly murders, some witchy hullabaloo, and has a serious The Stepford Wives thing going on. While the unsettling atmosphere was 5 star worthy, I had a few personal issues with the fact that this story relies heavily on the blood and gore with a touch of supernatu ...more
3.5 rounded up
What or who is killing the town’s daughters?
Shortest Summary Ever: 2 bodies have been discovered. (Wait. Make that PIECES of bodies.) And 14 yr old Lauren’s dad was found murdered the year before in an equally gruesome fashion. But the town has moved on - crazies that can’t be found must be the perpetrators, so let’s move on - cases are closed. Except now Lauren’s little brother is having premonitions, and everyone in the town is acting like murder is NBD. Lauren seems to be the on ...more
What or who is killing the town’s daughters?
Shortest Summary Ever: 2 bodies have been discovered. (Wait. Make that PIECES of bodies.) And 14 yr old Lauren’s dad was found murdered the year before in an equally gruesome fashion. But the town has moved on - crazies that can’t be found must be the perpetrators, so let’s move on - cases are closed. Except now Lauren’s little brother is having premonitions, and everyone in the town is acting like murder is NBD. Lauren seems to be the on ...more
2.5 stars
Smith's Hollow is a weird little town. Two girls are brutally murdered and no one seems to be able to wrap their brain around it. They all seem to just be able to move on and forget it.
Lauren lives there with her over anxious mother and younger brother Danny. She starts realizing that no one cares about those girls and then discovers that every single year a teenage girl is murdered...but no one remembers it.
Okay...so this book is kinda over the top cheesy horror. I get that. You have t ...more
Smith's Hollow is a weird little town. Two girls are brutally murdered and no one seems to be able to wrap their brain around it. They all seem to just be able to move on and forget it.
Lauren lives there with her over anxious mother and younger brother Danny. She starts realizing that no one cares about those girls and then discovers that every single year a teenage girl is murdered...but no one remembers it.
Okay...so this book is kinda over the top cheesy horror. I get that. You have t ...more
Christina Henry entices readers to travel back in time to a small town called Smith’s Hollow. It’s the 1980s. We follow best friends Lauren and Miranda, their longtime friendship seemingly in transition. Miranda is looking to make friends with older boys who drive while Lauren resents being dragged along as a third wheel.
Wrapped in this compelling coming-of-age story is something more insidious than teenage boys. Two girls Lauren’s age are found murdered, their bodies mutilated, in the backyard ...more
Wrapped in this compelling coming-of-age story is something more insidious than teenage boys. Two girls Lauren’s age are found murdered, their bodies mutilated, in the backyard ...more
"Meet me by the old ghost tree."
I was extremely hyped for my first Christina Henry book. I'd heard lots of good things about her and her Alice in Wonderland retelling. I also knew she'd written a reimagining of The Little Mermaid and I love everything to do with mermaids, especially if it has a darker vibe. And Christina Henry's books emanate that twisted, cruel, thrilling atmosphere. So why not start my journey with a horror novel?
The setup is: a dad with his heart ripped out, a dark woods, two ...more
I was extremely hyped for my first Christina Henry book. I'd heard lots of good things about her and her Alice in Wonderland retelling. I also knew she'd written a reimagining of The Little Mermaid and I love everything to do with mermaids, especially if it has a darker vibe. And Christina Henry's books emanate that twisted, cruel, thrilling atmosphere. So why not start my journey with a horror novel?
The setup is: a dad with his heart ripped out, a dark woods, two ...more
I wavered between 2 and 3 stars for this one - I can't completely trust that part of my feelings about it aren't just grumpiness due to current world states, so just bear in mind that there's a lot of other positive reviews.
The Ghost Tree is the latest in a recent line of 80's nostalgia fused with horror, and while I'm absolutely here for that in theory, it hit so many tropes and stereotypes that it distracted me from the novel itself. The 80's references are particularly over the top in the fi ...more
The Ghost Tree is the latest in a recent line of 80's nostalgia fused with horror, and while I'm absolutely here for that in theory, it hit so many tropes and stereotypes that it distracted me from the novel itself. The 80's references are particularly over the top in the fi ...more
3.5 Stars
The Ghost Tree a creepy story with some magical elements, but I think this was more a coming of age story than a scary one. It felt like a Brothers Grimm sort of scary fairy tale with a curse, witches, and several gory murders. The town of Smiths Hollow doesn’t seem to register these murders for longer than a day or two.
The story is told from several points of view: Lauren an almost fifteen-year-old whose father was murdered less than a year back; a grisly murder with his heart cut out ...more
The Ghost Tree a creepy story with some magical elements, but I think this was more a coming of age story than a scary one. It felt like a Brothers Grimm sort of scary fairy tale with a curse, witches, and several gory murders. The town of Smiths Hollow doesn’t seem to register these murders for longer than a day or two.
The story is told from several points of view: Lauren an almost fifteen-year-old whose father was murdered less than a year back; a grisly murder with his heart cut out ...more
4.0 Stars - Female Coming of Age Horror
Finally! This is the story I have been searching for… a female centric coming of age horror story. I’ve read other horror advertised as such, but this is the first one to actually deliver the goods. Told over multiple perspectives, the story primarily centers around two teenagers who are transitioning from girls into young women. The story touches on common female experiences from choosing boys over best friends to the uncomfortable experience of starting o ...more
Finally! This is the story I have been searching for… a female centric coming of age horror story. I’ve read other horror advertised as such, but this is the first one to actually deliver the goods. Told over multiple perspectives, the story primarily centers around two teenagers who are transitioning from girls into young women. The story touches on common female experiences from choosing boys over best friends to the uncomfortable experience of starting o ...more
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed this book! It read just like watching a horror movie. It had the great setup. It had the slow reveal. It had multiple story-lines converging into one big ending. It had people to root for. It had mystery and darkness!
It was not at all what I expected going in. I won't spoil the fun. I've only ever read The Mermaid by this author before, and it was decent, but this one wa ...more
I really enjoyed this book! It read just like watching a horror movie. It had the great setup. It had the slow reveal. It had multiple story-lines converging into one big ending. It had people to root for. It had mystery and darkness!
It was not at all what I expected going in. I won't spoil the fun. I've only ever read The Mermaid by this author before, and it was decent, but this one wa ...more
Sep 26, 2020
Kimberly
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
atmospheric,
creepy-kids,
creatures,
haunting,
small-town,
books-i-own,
coming-of-age,
death,
emotional,
paranormal
3.5 Stars.
THE GHOST TREE, by Christina Henry is a coming-of-age supernatural story that takes place in a small town. The idea was great, but I felt like there was a lot more repetitive comments than answers. When we do hear about the root cause and its implications, things got a lot more interesting.
I would have liked more on the backstory, or even the supernatural aspects of it, as opposed to the current deaths/repetition on what the "situation" means for the town. ...more
THE GHOST TREE, by Christina Henry is a coming-of-age supernatural story that takes place in a small town. The idea was great, but I felt like there was a lot more repetitive comments than answers. When we do hear about the root cause and its implications, things got a lot more interesting.
I would have liked more on the backstory, or even the supernatural aspects of it, as opposed to the current deaths/repetition on what the "situation" means for the town. ...more
The Ghost Tree is a tale set in the 80’s about murder, secrets, witches and a friendship that’s falling to pieces. It’s gorier than I expected and not quite as creepy as I’d hoped. It was a pretty solid 3 star read for me and 3 stars are type of books I absolutely dread reviewing but I’ll take a stab at it . . .
Things start off when two young women are found torn to pieces in the local bigots backyard. This is a quiet, sleepy town and this is a big deal. Or one would think so. Instead of everyo ...more
Things start off when two young women are found torn to pieces in the local bigots backyard. This is a quiet, sleepy town and this is a big deal. Or one would think so. Instead of everyo ...more
Woowee that was a suspenseful horror read.
Creepy woods, a child who know things, mysterious deaths, lack of memories, family history, curses, witches and him, who is him ?!? This tale was twisted so well I really had no idea if “it” was really real or was it was a, What I don’t know. Every mystery was revealed a bit then retracted a bit so I was left with barely a guess and a lot of goosebumps. Suspense plus horror plus a coming of age all while it is going down ! I was glued to the pages, lost ...more
Creepy woods, a child who know things, mysterious deaths, lack of memories, family history, curses, witches and him, who is him ?!? This tale was twisted so well I really had no idea if “it” was really real or was it was a, What I don’t know. Every mystery was revealed a bit then retracted a bit so I was left with barely a guess and a lot of goosebumps. Suspense plus horror plus a coming of age all while it is going down ! I was glued to the pages, lost ...more
The star of The Ghost Tree, is definitely the creepy small town vibe where the town of Smith Hollow almost takes a life of it's own, an entity if you will and it is quite clear from the very beginning, that this mysterious town is not right and definitely not your typical small town.
With strange happenings, mysterious murders and town people that just quite aren't right, this is very reminiscent of a town you very well could encounter in a Stephen King novel. Creepy residents and all.
Sadly like ...more
With strange happenings, mysterious murders and town people that just quite aren't right, this is very reminiscent of a town you very well could encounter in a Stephen King novel. Creepy residents and all.
Sadly like ...more
THE DETAILS✎ ❐ YA HORROR ❐ WITCHES, CURSES, AND BLOODY SACRIFICES ❐ EVIL LURKING IN THE WOODS ❐ MULTIPLE POV'S ❐ SET IN THE 80'S...WITH PLENTY OF REFERENCES ❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 11 HOURS, 43 MINUTES ❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY
This isn't really a retelling but it almost feels like it could be...there's even a princess...but you know, she dies (not really a spoiler)...that's pretty much what this author does turns the fairytales on their ass, so to speak. If you've read and ...more
This isn't really a retelling but it almost feels like it could be...there's even a princess...but you know, she dies (not really a spoiler)...that's pretty much what this author does turns the fairytales on their ass, so to speak. If you've read and ...more
I absolutely loved Christina Henry’s The Mermaid, so I grabbed The Ghost Tree without even reading the synopsis. It happens to be the perfect October read. Lauren is a teenager but not a typical teenager. She loves to ride her bike and play in the forest. Not like her best friend, Miranda who is only interested in boys. One day, the bodies of two girls are discovered in her neighbor’s yard. It feels a little similar to the murder of her father the year before. It feels like no one is concerned a
...more
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Berkley – Penguin Random House, via Netgalley for an honest review.
Opinion:
“It’s Mrs. Schneider. She won’t stop screaming. There’s so much blood.”
“Help me.”
“Find them. All the girls, girls like us. Find them.”
“We aren’t the only ones.”
Set in the mid 80’s in a small and seemingly perfect town, Smiths Hollow is far from a dreamland. Each year a girl is taken, killed and found dismembered in the woods. Wh ...more
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Berkley – Penguin Random House, via Netgalley for an honest review.
Opinion:
“It’s Mrs. Schneider. She won’t stop screaming. There’s so much blood.”
“Help me.”
“Find them. All the girls, girls like us. Find them.”
“We aren’t the only ones.”
Set in the mid 80’s in a small and seemingly perfect town, Smiths Hollow is far from a dreamland. Each year a girl is taken, killed and found dismembered in the woods. Wh ...more
Now THAT’s how you write horror.
The Ghost Tree is chilling and disturbing, fascinating and unforgettable. I could not put this book down.
Set in a small idyllic Midwestern town, The Ghost Tree reveals the darkness that lies underneath the town’s peaceful, prosperous surface.
14-year-old Lauren is our main character. It’s the summer of 1985, and Lauren is looking forward to starting high school, even though she and her best friend Miranda have been growing apart. Lauren wants to keep playing in the ...more
The Ghost Tree is chilling and disturbing, fascinating and unforgettable. I could not put this book down.
Set in a small idyllic Midwestern town, The Ghost Tree reveals the darkness that lies underneath the town’s peaceful, prosperous surface.
14-year-old Lauren is our main character. It’s the summer of 1985, and Lauren is looking forward to starting high school, even though she and her best friend Miranda have been growing apart. Lauren wants to keep playing in the ...more
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/10/26/...
I’ve long been a fan of Christina Henry, but The Ghost Tree was the first novel I’ve read from her that wasn’t a dark fairy tale retelling, and I was pretty excited to check it out. And well, now that I’ve finished the book, I can’t say it was anything like I expected, which was both good and bad.
But first, a quick rundown of the story: It is the summer of 1985 and Lauren deMucci is our protagonist, a fourteen-year-old who ...more
I’ve long been a fan of Christina Henry, but The Ghost Tree was the first novel I’ve read from her that wasn’t a dark fairy tale retelling, and I was pretty excited to check it out. And well, now that I’ve finished the book, I can’t say it was anything like I expected, which was both good and bad.
But first, a quick rundown of the story: It is the summer of 1985 and Lauren deMucci is our protagonist, a fourteen-year-old who ...more
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Alana Missen
The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry is the ultimate ode to 1980’s paranormal horror. Stranger Things meets The Brothers Grimm, this nostalgia filled, small town murder mystery has just the right amount of eeriness to keep the reader on their toes. Henry builds upon her early successes with twisted tales and takes it one step further in her latest novel, creating her own killer fairy tale with its own dark consequences.
Read the FULL REV ...more
The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry is the ultimate ode to 1980’s paranormal horror. Stranger Things meets The Brothers Grimm, this nostalgia filled, small town murder mystery has just the right amount of eeriness to keep the reader on their toes. Henry builds upon her early successes with twisted tales and takes it one step further in her latest novel, creating her own killer fairy tale with its own dark consequences.
Read the FULL REV ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Wow!! What an amazing story!
Christina Henry has done it again!
Christina Henry has done it again!
I feel like I say that each new release of hers is my favorite - but holy new narrative Batman!
The lore, the horror, little David - it's a fantastically well paced, and thought out - the kind of story you just don't want to put down, but don't want to end either.
Galley borrowed from the publisher. ...more
The lore, the horror, little David - it's a fantastically well paced, and thought out - the kind of story you just don't want to put down, but don't want to end either.
Galley borrowed from the publisher. ...more
Mark my words, if you need a book to scare the hell out of you, this is THE. ONE.
As always with Christina Henry’s books this was so eerie and wonderful!! I really loved this story and the lore in it, it was really spooky and interesting I enjoyed seeing it unfold! Only giving it 4* though because I feel like a little more time could have been spent resolving the ending than what was given to it, 40 pages to wrap up a 500 page book? Seems a little bit rushed to me but I still really liked it!!
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 ...more
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 ...more
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CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the CHRONICLES OF ALICE duology, ALICE and RED QUEEN, a dark and twisted take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as LOST BOY: THE TRUE STORY OF CAPTAIN HOOK, an origin story of Captain Hook from Peter Pan.
She is also the author of the national bestselling BLACK WINGS series (BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and B ...more
She is also the author of the national bestselling BLACK WINGS series (BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and B ...more
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“She was not a superstitious woman. She was a good Catholic and she knew very well that death did not cling to objects and that if her dreams were troubled she could always pray to the Virgin Mary.”
—
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