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julietandersen's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
paperwitches's review
3.0
This is a story based off of a actual place, and whose story I am familiar with - so I was excited to read this story. I was not at all disappointed. This book is good for what it is, a perfect story to sit down with and read by a campfire (which I did) and have some scares for the night. However, it is simple and easy to predict. Which was very disappointing.
A teen named Kaitlyn is tricked by her boyfriend Hunter to go on a sort of ghost hunt with his friends, unfortunately at the end of the night two of them end up dead. It’s up to Kaitlyn and Dylan to find closure and answers.
I liked this story and it was enjoyable! It is definitely not too serious. It does read like it’s YA. This will be more relatable to teens, as I’m older and felt like Kaitlyn was just annoying at times - obviously due to the age difference. This book is not too serious, or truly scary - but it is fun. It’s also obvious for the first chapter that Kait will end up falling for dylan. The book is surprisingly romance heavy, and not as focused on scares and mystery which is a big downside. Though both characters are likeable (took time for me to like Kait), I did not really care for romance in a horror book. This is a good book for a road trip, or someone not looking for extreme horror.
A teen named Kaitlyn is tricked by her boyfriend Hunter to go on a sort of ghost hunt with his friends, unfortunately at the end of the night two of them end up dead. It’s up to Kaitlyn and Dylan to find closure and answers.
I liked this story and it was enjoyable! It is definitely not too serious. It does read like it’s YA. This will be more relatable to teens, as I’m older and felt like Kaitlyn was just annoying at times - obviously due to the age difference. This book is not too serious, or truly scary - but it is fun. It’s also obvious for the first chapter that Kait will end up falling for dylan. The book is surprisingly romance heavy, and not as focused on scares and mystery which is a big downside. Though both characters are likeable (took time for me to like Kait), I did not really care for romance in a horror book. This is a good book for a road trip, or someone not looking for extreme horror.
nwreader's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story about a haunted evil tree that no only scares visitors but tries to kill them. The concept of this sounded interesting but after requesting it I saw that it's a YA and immediately regretted it. I still gave it a shot though and unfortunately it wasn't for me.
As a whole, I thought the story was decent and the mystery behind this tree of evil spirits was fun, but the main character was just too much for me. I get that she is a teenager with a tough upbringing and she is going through a lot but my goodness...she was the most unlikable character. In the beginning I tried to look past her nasty thoughts and attitude she had with her "friends" but it just felt constant. She seemed like a nasty person and it was distracting for me. I am fine with unlikable characters but for some reason she just rubbed me the wrong way.
I did enjoy the hauntings of some of the ghosts though and found that a lot of the moments were very atmospheric..loved it. Some of the gory graphic parts actually reminded me of King's Pet Semetary and added to the creepiness of scenes. So much fun! I did have empathy for some of the characters and was rooting for them by the end.
I recommend this to people who are fans of YA and for younger folks who are new to horror/ghost/possession books. Also, for people who are more into plot than character driven stories.
3/5
This is a story about a haunted evil tree that no only scares visitors but tries to kill them. The concept of this sounded interesting but after requesting it I saw that it's a YA and immediately regretted it. I still gave it a shot though and unfortunately it wasn't for me.
As a whole, I thought the story was decent and the mystery behind this tree of evil spirits was fun, but the main character was just too much for me. I get that she is a teenager with a tough upbringing and she is going through a lot but my goodness...she was the most unlikable character. In the beginning I tried to look past her nasty thoughts and attitude she had with her "friends" but it just felt constant. She seemed like a nasty person and it was distracting for me. I am fine with unlikable characters but for some reason she just rubbed me the wrong way.
I did enjoy the hauntings of some of the ghosts though and found that a lot of the moments were very atmospheric..loved it. Some of the gory graphic parts actually reminded me of King's Pet Semetary and added to the creepiness of scenes. So much fun! I did have empathy for some of the characters and was rooting for them by the end.
I recommend this to people who are fans of YA and for younger folks who are new to horror/ghost/possession books. Also, for people who are more into plot than character driven stories.
3/5
jlen's review against another edition
4.0
Orinigally posted on Amazon.
I liked this book. It was a fun ghost story romance. I liked the characters and the details put into the story. It seemed well researched, which I always appreciate. Reading it, I found myself thinking this was a horror/thriller version of a Hallmark. Everything seemed very predictable but well done, exactly like the Hallmark movies we all watch every Christmas. Overall, it's well thought out and enjoyable. I would read others works written by this author.
I was given a copy of this book for free to give a voluntary honest review.
I liked this book. It was a fun ghost story romance. I liked the characters and the details put into the story. It seemed well researched, which I always appreciate. Reading it, I found myself thinking this was a horror/thriller version of a Hallmark. Everything seemed very predictable but well done, exactly like the Hallmark movies we all watch every Christmas. Overall, it's well thought out and enjoyable. I would read others works written by this author.
I was given a copy of this book for free to give a voluntary honest review.
charlisbookbox's review
4.0
While I might not review horror on this blog too often, I love a good horror novel. Even better if it’s YA Horror – I don’t see a lot of YA Horror novels out there. Well, The Devil’s Tree is an exception to that rule and I’m here for it. I’m using the CAWPILE method of reviewing for this book.
Characters
I have to say that I found the main characters, Dylan and Kaitlyn, to be very likable. The book dealt lightly with racism and classism, both of which are shown in how certain characters1 interact with and talk about other characters. It also goes into a bit of how one person might think someone else’s situation isn’t as bad just from seeing it on the outside.
I was intrigued by how the dead remained characters in the book even after death. I won’t tell you who, but I will say it is very interesting how the author handles the ghosts in this book. I love a good ghost story, and this one was very good.
Atmosphere
This book is set in a small Texas town. Now, I’ve lived in Texas and I’ll say this – while I lived in a medium sized city, this was a great description of how Texas can be, at least in my personal experience. Not saying this is every small Texas town, but it’s a pretty good description.
The Devil’s Tree itself is a place you don’t want to be… and Susan McCauley does an excellent job of making sure you’re at least a little bit on the creeped out side. That is one nasty tree! It makes for an excellent background for this story and believe me, without it you won’t have a story!
Writing Style
If you’re looking for a horror novel that is easy to read, possibly in just a day or two, The Devil’s Tree is the book for you. Susan McCauley’s writing style gives you a fast paced, easy, fun to read novel. You won’t have to labor with too many details and you won’t be bored to tears because the book takes forever to get moving. It’s quick, easy read that will give you the creeps, unless you’re a real lightweight when it comes to horror2
Plot
The Devil’s Tree has a plot that isn’t your standard horror novel plot. Most horror novels have one person who is terrorizing the area… and while technically that is the case with The Devil’s Tree, it’s a whole lot deeper than that. This plot requires some digging into the past to get it sorted out and solved.
This plot isn’t predictable – you won’t be saying “oh this is where this happens” or “knew it”. You’ll be kept on your toes for the duration of the book.
Intrigue
Now some novels don’t have much intrigue because they’re not meant to. Horror novels though, should have at least some intrigue to them. Trust me, this one does. The entire story behind The Devil’s Tree (the actual tree in the book) is a mystery that has to be unraveled. You don’t know what’ll happen next or what the reason behind the tree’s curse – and you’ll want to know. What is up with that tree? You’ll definitely want to keep reading to find out.
Logic
It’s a horror novel. Logic goes out the window for most horror novels – that’s part of why they’re horror. Yes, there is a sense of logic in the novel as the mystery of the tree is being unraveled, but it’s not like you’re going to find the entire thing logical. There’s nothing logical about a tree that seems to cause people to die. But some of the steps Kaitlyn and Dylan take to figure out the mystery behind the tree and how to stop it are going to be logical and make perfect sense. Others, not so much. I’ll let you read it to find out which are which.
Enjoyment
Unless you’re a fan of horror, and YA horror at that, you’re probably not going to enjoy this book overly much. As a huge fan of both horror and YA horror, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have no idea why I let it sit on my shelf for so long without reading it. I will definitely be looking for more of Susan McCauley’s books in the future.
If you are a fan of horror, especially of the YA variety, I highly recommend you look for and pick up this book. It’s a great, quick, creepy read for those who love a good horror story.
Characters
I have to say that I found the main characters, Dylan and Kaitlyn, to be very likable. The book dealt lightly with racism and classism, both of which are shown in how certain characters1 interact with and talk about other characters. It also goes into a bit of how one person might think someone else’s situation isn’t as bad just from seeing it on the outside.
I was intrigued by how the dead remained characters in the book even after death. I won’t tell you who, but I will say it is very interesting how the author handles the ghosts in this book. I love a good ghost story, and this one was very good.
Atmosphere
This book is set in a small Texas town. Now, I’ve lived in Texas and I’ll say this – while I lived in a medium sized city, this was a great description of how Texas can be, at least in my personal experience. Not saying this is every small Texas town, but it’s a pretty good description.
The Devil’s Tree itself is a place you don’t want to be… and Susan McCauley does an excellent job of making sure you’re at least a little bit on the creeped out side. That is one nasty tree! It makes for an excellent background for this story and believe me, without it you won’t have a story!
Writing Style
If you’re looking for a horror novel that is easy to read, possibly in just a day or two, The Devil’s Tree is the book for you. Susan McCauley’s writing style gives you a fast paced, easy, fun to read novel. You won’t have to labor with too many details and you won’t be bored to tears because the book takes forever to get moving. It’s quick, easy read that will give you the creeps, unless you’re a real lightweight when it comes to horror2
Plot
The Devil’s Tree has a plot that isn’t your standard horror novel plot. Most horror novels have one person who is terrorizing the area… and while technically that is the case with The Devil’s Tree, it’s a whole lot deeper than that. This plot requires some digging into the past to get it sorted out and solved.
This plot isn’t predictable – you won’t be saying “oh this is where this happens” or “knew it”. You’ll be kept on your toes for the duration of the book.
Intrigue
Now some novels don’t have much intrigue because they’re not meant to. Horror novels though, should have at least some intrigue to them. Trust me, this one does. The entire story behind The Devil’s Tree (the actual tree in the book) is a mystery that has to be unraveled. You don’t know what’ll happen next or what the reason behind the tree’s curse – and you’ll want to know. What is up with that tree? You’ll definitely want to keep reading to find out.
Logic
It’s a horror novel. Logic goes out the window for most horror novels – that’s part of why they’re horror. Yes, there is a sense of logic in the novel as the mystery of the tree is being unraveled, but it’s not like you’re going to find the entire thing logical. There’s nothing logical about a tree that seems to cause people to die. But some of the steps Kaitlyn and Dylan take to figure out the mystery behind the tree and how to stop it are going to be logical and make perfect sense. Others, not so much. I’ll let you read it to find out which are which.
Enjoyment
Unless you’re a fan of horror, and YA horror at that, you’re probably not going to enjoy this book overly much. As a huge fan of both horror and YA horror, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have no idea why I let it sit on my shelf for so long without reading it. I will definitely be looking for more of Susan McCauley’s books in the future.
If you are a fan of horror, especially of the YA variety, I highly recommend you look for and pick up this book. It’s a great, quick, creepy read for those who love a good horror story.
nwreader's review
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story about a haunted evil tree that no only scares visitors but tries to kill them. The concept of this sounded interesting but after requesting it I saw that it's a YA and immediately regretted it. I still gave it a shot though and unfortunately it wasn't for me.
As a whole, I thought the story was decent and the mystery behind this tree of evil spirits was fun, but the main character was just too much for me. I get that she is a teenager with a tough upbringing and she is going through a lot but my goodness...she was the most unlikable character. In the beginning I tried to look past her nasty thoughts and attitude she had with her "friends" but it just felt constant. She seemed like a nasty person and it was distracting for me. I am fine with unlikable characters but for some reason she just rubbed me the wrong way.
I did enjoy the hauntings of some of the ghosts though and found that a lot of the moments were very atmospheric..loved it. Some of the gory graphic parts actually reminded me of King's Pet Semetary and added to the creepiness of scenes. So much fun! I did have empathy for some of the characters and was rooting for them by the end.
I recommend this to people who are fans of YA and for younger folks who are new to horror/ghost/possession books. Also, for people who are more into plot than character driven stories.
3/5
This is a story about a haunted evil tree that no only scares visitors but tries to kill them. The concept of this sounded interesting but after requesting it I saw that it's a YA and immediately regretted it. I still gave it a shot though and unfortunately it wasn't for me.
As a whole, I thought the story was decent and the mystery behind this tree of evil spirits was fun, but the main character was just too much for me. I get that she is a teenager with a tough upbringing and she is going through a lot but my goodness...she was the most unlikable character. In the beginning I tried to look past her nasty thoughts and attitude she had with her "friends" but it just felt constant. She seemed like a nasty person and it was distracting for me. I am fine with unlikable characters but for some reason she just rubbed me the wrong way.
I did enjoy the hauntings of some of the ghosts though and found that a lot of the moments were very atmospheric..loved it. Some of the gory graphic parts actually reminded me of King's Pet Semetary and added to the creepiness of scenes. So much fun! I did have empathy for some of the characters and was rooting for them by the end.
I recommend this to people who are fans of YA and for younger folks who are new to horror/ghost/possession books. Also, for people who are more into plot than character driven stories.
3/5
erinxmegan's review
4.0
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.*
One Saturday Kaitlyn’s boyfriend, Hunter, convinces her to go to the Devil’s Tree. Their best friends, Dylan and Keisha, are also going and are planning to check out the supposed hauntings surrounding the tree.
The fun little adventure turns deadly, when they get into a horrific accident resulting in Hunter’s and Keisha’s death.
Dealing with the heartbreak and devastation, Kaitlyn and Dylan lean on each other, which causes Kaitlyn to start having feelings for him.
Then Keisha and Hunter starts haunting them and they must figure out how to set them free.
This was a fun little story, I feel like I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read this while I was in high school. It could come off a bit cheesy and while I don’t mind that, I think people who love YA would love this.
If you’re looking for something truly terrifying and spooky, this is probably not the book for you. This is more on the “cutesy” side of horror.
If you don’t like romance with your horror, I also don’t think you’d love this one. There’s quite a bit involved, especially when Kaitlyn starts having feelings toward Dylan. I personally didn’t mind this addition, I like a little bit of romance, but I do feel like it sort of detracted from the spooky factor a bit. It felt like the focus was more on the romance at times, then the hauntings and finding out what the Devil’s Tree is all about.
There’s also a bit of humor, when Keisha sees Dylan and Kaitlyn becoming close, she becomes extremely jealous. Those scenes are silly and fun, but I wish they had been a bit more serious in nature.
I liked the whole idea of the Devil’s Tree, it was well thought out and I liked how it all progressed through the story.
If you’re looking for something a bit more lighthearted and fun, I think this is perfect for that.
One Saturday Kaitlyn’s boyfriend, Hunter, convinces her to go to the Devil’s Tree. Their best friends, Dylan and Keisha, are also going and are planning to check out the supposed hauntings surrounding the tree.
The fun little adventure turns deadly, when they get into a horrific accident resulting in Hunter’s and Keisha’s death.
Dealing with the heartbreak and devastation, Kaitlyn and Dylan lean on each other, which causes Kaitlyn to start having feelings for him.
Then Keisha and Hunter starts haunting them and they must figure out how to set them free.
This was a fun little story, I feel like I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read this while I was in high school. It could come off a bit cheesy and while I don’t mind that, I think people who love YA would love this.
If you’re looking for something truly terrifying and spooky, this is probably not the book for you. This is more on the “cutesy” side of horror.
If you don’t like romance with your horror, I also don’t think you’d love this one. There’s quite a bit involved, especially when Kaitlyn starts having feelings toward Dylan. I personally didn’t mind this addition, I like a little bit of romance, but I do feel like it sort of detracted from the spooky factor a bit. It felt like the focus was more on the romance at times, then the hauntings and finding out what the Devil’s Tree is all about.
There’s also a bit of humor, when Keisha sees Dylan and Kaitlyn becoming close, she becomes extremely jealous. Those scenes are silly and fun, but I wish they had been a bit more serious in nature.
I liked the whole idea of the Devil’s Tree, it was well thought out and I liked how it all progressed through the story.
If you’re looking for something a bit more lighthearted and fun, I think this is perfect for that.
heartof_tati's review
2.0
The Devil's Tree is your typical teenage horror story. Kaitlyn has been dating her boyfriend Hunter for 2 years now. One night, they decide, along with Kaitlyn's best friend Kesha and Hunter's best friend Dylan, to check out "The Devil's Tree," a local legend. After hearing some strange noises, the friends are quick to leave, but Hunter no longer has control of the car and ends up crashing. Only Kaitlyn and Dylan survive.
Attending the funeral together, Kaitlyn and Dylan see the ghosts of their former lovers and realize that their spirits are trapped. In order to free them, they have to solve the mystery surround The Devil's Tree.
It took me a long time to realize what time period this was supposed to take place in because of the obsession with race and they backwards ways people talked and thought in this small town. Kaitlyn herself also struggled with race, even if she "did not see color" which is harmful in itself. That aspect of the story really bothered me.
Actually, Kaitlyn in general bothered me. She kept saying how bad she had it and no one else had it as bad as her. She never understood the struggles her black friend was going through in the racist town and always thought her own problems where bigger. This is not to that Kaitlyn did not have problems, she did, but to compare her struggles to that of a black girl in a small town is highly inappropriate.
This book is a quick read, despite that. It had every typical trope a horror book like this would have and continued it's problematic ways with a certain gay character. There was on touching moment that I thought was written well and that was when Hunter and Kaitlyn were saying goodbye for the last time.
Other than that, I probably would not recommend this book to anyone.
Attending the funeral together, Kaitlyn and Dylan see the ghosts of their former lovers and realize that their spirits are trapped. In order to free them, they have to solve the mystery surround The Devil's Tree.
It took me a long time to realize what time period this was supposed to take place in because of the obsession with race and they backwards ways people talked and thought in this small town. Kaitlyn herself also struggled with race, even if she "did not see color" which is harmful in itself. That aspect of the story really bothered me.
Actually, Kaitlyn in general bothered me. She kept saying how bad she had it and no one else had it as bad as her. She never understood the struggles her black friend was going through in the racist town and always thought her own problems where bigger. This is not to that Kaitlyn did not have problems, she did, but to compare her struggles to that of a black girl in a small town is highly inappropriate.
This book is a quick read, despite that. It had every typical trope a horror book like this would have and continued it's problematic ways with a certain gay character. There was on touching moment that I thought was written well and that was when Hunter and Kaitlyn were saying goodbye for the last time.
Other than that, I probably would not recommend this book to anyone.
loandbeholdx's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I love to read YA and I love to read horror, so the two combined is a match made in heaven for me! The Devil's Tree was a little bit of a miss for me. I really enjoyed the last 30% of the book, but the rest was just OK. I didn't feel much of a connection to the characters, and I felt that a little bit more detail could of gone into the scenery, descriptions, and feelings to give the book a little more depth. All that being said, I'm excited to read from this author again and try out something else!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, Death, Car accident, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia
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