And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

Real rating: 4.5

This book is a total mindtrip. I didn’t know what the heck I was reading half the time yet I couldn’t stop. It was an addiction – the thought always in the back of my head, forcing me to figure out just what the heck was happening.

I will try and paint a picture for you. I’m going to suck at it, though, because you really can’t describe this book. And it’s not just to avoid spoilers – it’s basically trying to explain the weirdness with it without scaring you away.

Silla and her little sister, Nori, leave London in the middle of the night to get away from their abusive father. They end up with their Aunt Cath in her sequestered house on the edge of a small town. Everything is going good and Silla and Nori are feeling good enough…until one day, Cath goes up into the attic and refuses to come back down. This leaves things up to Silla who is struggling as the days go by to provide for her sister…and keep the trees at bay. Because they’re coming closer and closer…and the Creeper Man is coming.

This truly wasn’t like any horror book or other book I’ve ever read. At first, I was very annoyed by the style that Dawn Kurtagich wrote in. I hated how I would get into the narration only for it to be a little snippet with a diary entry thrown in or some poem-like thing. However, after a while, I grew to love it, and I truly don’t think this story could have been told any other way. It was such an intriguing format, and by the end, I was enthralled by the atmosphere it created. I loved it.

I can’t say much about the storyline without giving anything away. Everything is tied together, and it led to one explosive ending. I won’t say I knew what was going to happen, since I never really bothered to guess because the book had me just jumping from one chapter to the next, eager to let Dawn tell the story instead of me guess it.

The only part that ever really bothered me was the ending. I was amazed by how it was wrapped up, but I dunno…I just felt it was a little off? I know that doesn’t make sense, but perhaps I was never really sold on it. Maybe it wrapped things up too neatly for this very messy story (messy in a good way). I’m not quite sure.

This is definitely one book that I won’t be getting out of my head for a while. It’s definitely a book that lingers, and the characters really resonate with you. This story is intriguing and interesting, and if you can get past the horror elements, it’s a great read. I’m definitely going to be looking out for this author’s future works, because she surely has a talent! I would recommend!

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