a really frustrating experience reading constantly about a 15yo character's breasts (not to mention, the book did NOT do her justice—i was hoping that the author would subvert the trope where "non-virtuous" women/girls are brutally murdered, and yet that's exactly what happens) Legend tells of a particular spooky tree in the bunches that grace the coastline of swanky Pebble Beach. Supposedly the image of a “Lady in Lace” has often been spotted on dark foggy nights near the famed Ghost Tree, upsetting the motorists who are said to have seen her walking down the center of the 17 Mile Drive. Henry writes with a keen eye for detail, drawing readers into the disturbing world with pitch-perfect ’80s nostalgia and plenty of eerie atmospherics.” — Publishers Weekly

I would highly recommend this novel to any horror reader who enjoys classic horror narratives with some fantastical supernatural elements. What kept my interest was the image of a sleepy English village and its many colourful inhabitants at the outbreak of the First World War and the supernatural story of missing children and a haunted tree. Happy new year! I know 2020 was a tough one for everyone but we made it through. Unfortunately the pandemic stopped all appearances after March so I wasn’t able to see as many of you as I would have liked. I’m particularly sorry that my UK tour didn’t go off as planned but I hope to try again when it’s safe for everyone to gather and travel. Set in a small idyllic Midwestern town, The Ghost Tree reveals the darkness that lies underneath the town’s peaceful, prosperous surface.

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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 story is narrated by Etterly's best friend, Betty Church and this is the first twist in this tale.

A maroon station wagon was coming down Main Street and Lauren pretended to be absorbed in Miranda’s face as it went by. The one person Lauren never had any trouble pretending not to see was her mother.

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Ok, so Christina Henry is one of my fave writers. Unfortunately this book missed the mark for me as it was predictable and boring. Miranda shook her hair, an elaborately teased and sprayed mass that had been wrestled into a high ponytail. “We’re not playing in the woods. What are we, nine? We’re going to the Dream Machine.”

She was also an only child, which meant her parents didn’t have to worry about having money for the next kid’s stuff. Lauren had heard her mother sighing many times that the trouble with having a girl and then a boy was that you couldn’t reuse anything. I liked the story, it kept my interest. I am fond of ghost stories that aren't completely out there with Hollywood style special effects descriptions. While it is not as good as Anne Rice's Witching Hour, it kind of put me in mind of that book (one of my favorites.) I also love the time slip quality. It is one of my favorite devices. I’ve read other books by Christina Henry, and already knew how talented she is. The Ghost Tree proves that she’s just as amazing at horror as she is at more fantasy-heavy stories. Those characters who could be a figure of fun, the eccentric First World War shattered Superintendent Vesty, for example, are a way to really bringing home how ordinary people’s involvement in world events carved physically and emotionally into an entire generation and that the same looked about to happen all over again. You can’t help liking Betty. She’s independent-minded, courageous and resourceful, especially since she’s had to overcome, not only discrimination in her chosen career, but the loss of her arm in an accident. As it happens, her prosthetic limb comes in very useful at times. Another returning character is Toby Gretson, editor of the local newspaper, with whom Betty has a bit of an on again, off again thing.

Lauren didn’t really care about arcade games except maybe pinball, and she especially didn’t like going to the Dream Machine because lately it meant that she and Miranda would stand around watching boys that Miranda thought were cute.

Lauren is also dealing with her father’s death during the previous year, and her ongoing battles with her critical mother. Fortunately, her 4-year-old brother David is the bright spot in her life. And her four year old brother David reminds us of the combination of eerie, weird kids in the standard horror movies, tells to their mother his premonition about murders( he will keep telling weird prophecies during the book which will come true) And as soon as Lauren talks with her Nana, she learns the ugly secret about their family ancestors, her mind gets more confused and her new normal reality gets more distorted. Could the things her Nana tell be true?

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Overall: I’m so open to read a sequel. Lauren, David and Alejandro( Alex)are my favorite characters. I liked the moving, mind numbing, exhilarating chapters. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that Lauren was 14 and Jake was 18. She was a child and he was a man. First of all - that's illegal, you know? Second of all, what in comman can an 18yo have with a 14yo child? Like I remember being 18 and hanging out with my friends younger siblings and thinking of them as children. In my head they were still 5yo.