SailUncharted

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September 2026

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SailUncharted reviewed...

May 30, 2026

HazelthornC.G. Drews

5.0

Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 5.0Characters: 4.5Plot: 4.5Audiobook: 4.5

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🎧 Audiobook review, narrated by Michael Crouch

Michael Crouch, at first, felt too dramatic and I wasn't sure how I was going to enjoy the narration. However, after giving it some time, the performance was absolutely perfect and I'm obsessed. The voices were distinct so that I could tell who was speaking without a dialogue tag, and the emotion was conveyed masterfully. There were a few times where I couldn't quite catch a word and there was one time that it didn't matter how many times I went back I never figured out what he said. I would still put the performance up in my top 10.

During my read, I saw a few complaints on the forums about it being repetitious. I am not taking stars off for this nor did it bother me. It might have been because I read the audiobook and the right kind of repetition actually helps your brain keep track of an oral book. Or maybe because it was written to be easy to read if you're dyslexic? I'm dyslexic and have an audio processing disorder, yet I found the story extremely easy to follow, even with the missed words mentioned above. I think it was this repetition that kept me from feeling like I missed out

I went into this expecting a locked room mystery set in a historical period, what I got was even better. Hazelthorn is a book with an autistic character without it being about the autism. He just is the way he is and the book carries on with its plot. I love that. I saw myself in Evander, understood his reactions, all without the text needing to make a point. I got to experience a character the same way allistic people get to experience them. That in and of itself shot it up to 4 stars. Also after a while I forgave it for not being historical, I ended up liking it better the way it is.

The background characters are all wonderful and vibrant. Not everyone has a deep backstory, but they're so perfectly tropey that they become fun. Like Clue where all the suspects are bright and identifiable but you don't need to know that Mrs. Peacock had a sad childhood to enjoy her, y'know?

I do have a small complaint about Laurie, and it's that he's a bit too perfect when it comes to autism. He always knows how to react and what to do and what to say when it comes to Evander. He's a bit of a Mary Sue in that. That being said, he did make me cry multiple times. The rest of Laurie I love and is full of flaws, it's just in that one aspect he feels like an ideal rather than a person. I do give him a pass because I admit that it worked, every autistic person deserves a Laurie.

The twist is completely worth it even if you see it coming. I also think the twist negates all complaints about repetition or purple prose on retrospect. I personally, however, was mmmm well... it's not that I'm disappointed with the ending... I mean, I liked it well enough. But I was sort of hoping for this book to cut me open. I'm not normal tho, I enjoy pain, suffering, and extreme angst. It was fine. I'm sure this is just a me thing. Still, it's my review, so I'm taking away a half star overall.

Absolutely solid book, would read again. I'm also now a fan of Drews and am looking forward to Scorpion Deep~

EDIT: Update! Upon re-read the book is even better so I've bumped it up to 5 stars. Super rec re-reading it because it's a completely different book the second time

Broken but not Ruined

by SailUncharted

19 books

This list focuses on characters that have lived through physical, sexual, or religious trauma. This is not a list of self help or feel good books. This is for the people who know life is dark, love is conditional, and trust is something you guard. Endings are not guaranteed to be happy (tho some are) and characters may not be likable (trauma does that to you), but all books listed are ones that I've personally read and like. I will not add books that I do not know.

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SailUncharted posted...

Edited

spoilers

13w

Hazelthorn

C.G. Drews

Thoughts from 67% (**ReRead** Chaper 21) Discussion of SA elements with Bane

This comment is influenced by knowing the ending of the book and therefore contains spoilers for first time readers. If you haven't finished, I mean, I won't stop you, I'm not a cop

─── ⊹⊱✿⊰⊹ ─── TW: This is a theory of why I think Evander was sexually assaulted. This post will speak candidly about this topic as well as the other abuses Evander endures. I will be referencing scenes that are part of his medical abuse as examples of sexual abuse. I am not trying to take away from the medical abuse, I think that scenes can have multiple interpretations and I think in some cases there is cross over. I invite anyone who doesn't want to talk about this to click away.

While reading I felt like there was hints at SA towards Evander but it wasn't until my reread that I realized there was more than I thought. Drews covers a lot of abuse autistic people endure in general, such as being tied up or locked in room or forgotten. And Evander goes through it with Laurie, them each getting their own special flavor of abuse. When it comes specifically to the sexual abuse tho, I think that Bane is Evander's main abuser. I know that Evander says they've never met before but I'll address that.

The subtext is in the way Bane is written. The meanings for Hunger and desire are intermixed in this book. All the Lennox-Halls desire Evander in some way which plays into how they abuse him: Grandfather for medical research, Oleander for control, Azalea to use, Laurie for companionship, and Bane for sex.

When Bane enters Hazelthorn in chapter 12, Evander seems the most scared of him: ❝His eyes skim past Laurie to rest on Evander with unmasked hunger. He stretches out a hand but Evander shrinks into the shadows of the staircase❞ - Chapter 12 Bane is described with a wolf's smile. Since all the Lennox-Halls seem to be named after plants I think we can conclude Bane is named after Wolf's Bane.

I promised I'd address the fact that Evander says he's never seen Bane before and here it is: ❝He has hidden under the bed, his only secret place, to finish putting all of the bluebells in his mouth. When asked where he found the flowers, he stays silent. [...] Not bluebells. It's wolf's bane. His guardian picks him up and bolts for the bathroom to wash the little boy's mouth out a hundred times. [...] After that, he is given medicine. He forgets what he did wrong. He forgets there ever was wolf's bane❞ - Chapter 12

So after seeing Bane he has a dream of hiding under the bed with wolf's bane in his mouth? Seems like forgotten memories and his mind protecting him from what happened. Also you can see here how seamlessly the medical abuse fits in with the sexual. Evander is SA'd, found out, and washed. Then given meds so they don't have to deal with it.

Then we have chapter 21 (I just noticed that it's the mirror of 12). In this chapter Evander is being force fed meds again. ❝Bane walks in with a nonchalant swagger and Evander forgets how to breathe. He has always known that to scream is to believe there is someone out there who cares. People only scream with rabid hope caged in their lungs like a thousand thrashing wings because they still think someone is going to save them. Evander had no one.❞ - Chapter 21

I couldn't leave this out. This is referenced over and over how both Laurie and Evander have no one to tell, no one to help them when they scream, they're all alone against this abuse. The He has always known that to scream is to believe there is someone out there who cares. hits me right in the heart.

So this is a very medical abuse heavy scene, but I do think it crosses into SA and I'll explain. "Playing doctor" is often associated with SA. It feels like to me that Bane is torturing Evander here with things they used to do, phrases he used to say. This is obviously just the vibe I get, but, to me the vibe is very strong: ❝"A sick kid like you shouldn't miss so much medicine." Bane's smile pulls even wider. "Come on over here Evander." ❞ - Chapter 21

Finally for Bane there's this... (this is prob the hardest paragraph for me to read so, extra warning here): ❝Bane drags him toward the bed and flings him down dodging any uncoordinated blows Evander tries to swing. Dizziness sweeps over him in a wretched wave and for a second he thinks he'll vomit. [...] The mattress sucks him down, smothers him, and he is on a carousel, his fingers slipping as he tries to cling on. Voices bicker above him, their words like shrill magpies. Every letter inverted so he can't make sense of what they're planning. Distantly he can feel hands on his shirt, unbuttoning, air touches his hot skin.

"No, no they can't, stop stop stop." His whimper is desperate as the room gives another sickened swirl. He has lost control of his body, his mouth his mind and he is lit up with the absolute terror of it. Hands are on him, all over him, hundreds of fingers skittering like spider legs across the tender skin of his shuttering stomach. Poking his scars, digging into the knotted tissue, touching and touching and touching.

"Don't, don't, don't touch me. I don't want to be touched. I don't want to be touched. I don't want-- ❞ - Chapter 21

Then there's the fauns. I asked on here what people thought and I think @accusedmedusa had a good answer with it being the decay of innocence. However, I did want to talk about how one thing Fauns are known for in mythology, are raping nymphs. With Evander being a literal plant, isn't he our nymph? Also, in the classic Lolita boys are associated with Fauns and girls with Nymphs. I think maybe they could mean anything you want them to mean. At the very least I think they symbolize that Evander's innocence is being stolen from him and he's being hunted in his very room.

Anyway, I haven't seen any posts about the SA and I was feeling a little crazy while reading Bane's scenes. I could see all these links to SA but no discussion about it. Do you agree? do you disagree? Do you have a different interpretation? I didn't get into Azalea because that would be a whole other essay. I suppose if this one is well received and you want one about Azalea I could do that

SailUncharted commented...

Shrugging her satchel onto the floor, she swiped at the sweat trickling down her forehead, inserted a coin into the slot, dialed 114 and waited. "The Provincial Office complaints department, please." She dialed the number she was given and waited again. "I’ve just seen water coming out of the fountain, and I don’t think it should be allowed.” Tremulous at first, her voice became clearer as she carried on speaking. “What I mean is, how can it have started operating again already? It’s been dry ever since the uprising began and now it’s back on again, as though everything’s back to normal. How can that be possible?" Chapter 3 - The Editor, 1985; Human Acts, Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith

This hit me very strong. I grew up in a desert and understand innately the propaganda and control of power/resources a fountain holds, so I wanted to discuss the symbology of the fountain.

The fountain is established in the first chapter as the location of the dead. When we first meet the fountain in Chapter 1 - The boy, 1980: "This thought gets briefly disturbed by the whooping and applause that breaks out from the direction of the fountain." This is where the funerals are being held outside the Provincial Office while the bodies are held in the gym. It's been a silent figure in the first chapter, always mourning the dead along with the funeral grievers, it's water shut off and pool dry. However there is water throughout the massacre.

It's raining:

The chilly rainwater, which has crept inside the collar of your uniform, soaks your vest as it trickles down your back. The tears of souls are cold, all right. Chapter 1 - The boy, 1980

There's water used to clean the dead:

She brushed the palm of her hand down over his staring eyes, closing them, rinsed the cloth in a bucket of water, and wrung it out viciously. The water that came out was dark with blood, splattering outside the bucket. Chapter 1 - The boy, 1980

There's the blood of the dead:

The four whose skulls had been staved in were three men and a woman. Thin, watery blood was still trickling from their clothes. Perhaps someone had splashed water over their heads, as their faces seemed relatively clean, compared with the state of their bodies. Chapter 2 - The boy's friend, 1980

There's the water used to bathe in:

Giving no signs of having heard, you walked across the flower bed and pushed down on the handle of the pump. Cold, clear water crackled into the nickel washbasin. You plunged your hands in first, then scooped up the water to splash over your face. When you tilted your head back the water ran down over your jaw, along the line of your throat. Chapter 1 - The boy, 1980 Summer nights, washing my neck and back in the yard. The rope of cold water you pumped into the metal pail, scattering into brilliant jewels as you splashed it over my sweat-gummed skin. Remember how you laughed, watching me shudder and oooh. Chapter 2 - The boy's friend, 1980

Water is very closely tied to the dead, from it being the tears of souls to it cleaning bodies, to our ghost friend reminiscing about it. The water outside the fountain is used by the people and controlled by the people from pumps. The rain even seems to be on their side, mourning with the funeral. But the fountain is off.

Then in Ch. 3 The Editor, 1985, a month after the massacre, the fountain is on again. This fountain that had been in silent mourning now sparkled like the summer water splashed between Dong-ho and Jeong-dae, but Eun-sook describes it as painful.

Glancing off one droplet after another, sharp little shards of sunlight burrowed through her heat-flushed eyelids, stinging her pupils.

She spends the chapter trying to get the fountain shut off only to be told she should spend her efforts on something more practical, the fountain wont be shut off. Fountains are decretive first and foremost, especially ones in front of government buildings. They're expensive to run and use a resource that is essential to life. They're a show of power by the upper class, banks, corporations, and government buildings often have elaborate fountains in front of them. This might not occur to people who grow up in water-rich areas where everyone can have a little fountain of their own, but once you notice, you can't unsee it. This fountain, while off, also held protesters who sat inside its basin and at its top. For it to be full of water, is for it to belong to the government who killed them once again.

Gwangju demonstrators around the fountain, Source: libcom.org

Now let's look at the play.

After you died I couldn’t hold a funeral, so my life became a funeral. After you were wrapped in a tarpaulin and carted away in a garbage truck. After sparkling jets of water sprayed unforgivably from the fountain. Everywhere the lights of the temple shrines are burning. In the flowers that bloom in spring, in the snowflakes. In the evenings that draw each day to a close. Sparks from the candles, burning in empty drinks bottles.

The fountain in this line is not beautiful, it is unstoppable. It is a lack of power and control over their own resource. It is a desecration of the funerals and protests held around it. It is a show of power that they must pass by day after day.

I think the fountain, while flowing with water, is a symbol of the dictatorship and we are still living under its oppression in this chapter. Eun-sook can't close her eyes to the play or Dong-ho's death, she can't stop thinking about the fountain full of water, because it's not over. I think we're being told that she won't close her eyes to what happened, instead she will carry with her the mourning of those lost. She is now the walking funeral holding the truth of the massacre inside her

daydreamday posted...

spoilers

Human Acts

Han Kang

Thoughts from 46% (Eun-Suk and the image of the fountain)

The image of the fountain in Eun-Suk's chapter really stuck with me. It symbolises how society moves on after a major crisis but also, how people in power want society to move on and do everything they can to push past the uprising events that almost took their power. And also, very personal to Eun-Suk, her survivor guilt. She gets to live on and she can't escape the question 'why me?'

After she receives back the almost completely blacked out copy of a manuscript, she thinks of the fountain, how it dares to be in use because there's nothing to celebrate. The uprising might be over, but the oppression continues, the censoring is taking over. Eun-Suk questions multiple times why she is still alive, despite being everywhere where people were murdered. She can't move on because there's no reason for her survival but she desperately tries to find it. She denies herself and her surroundings happiness: she wants the snowflakes to not be pretty because they shouldn't be. She calls the provincial administration repeatedly to make them turn off the fountain. They always put her off, but one time a person answers:

What do you expect us to do about a fountain that does exactly what it was built to do? Forget about it and concentrate on the school.

The administration focuses on the 'forget about it'-part. They want the fountain turned on to make life feel normal again. And how could Eun-Suk feel normal, after everything? It's only when she sees the play that she deemed beyond saving because of the censoring in the theatre, she realises that that's not the only way to see the fountain. That more people have survived and these people remember. That all these beautiful things (the fountain, the snowflakes) are not signs of time passing and people forgetting but time passing and people remembering. That you have to move on to carry the people who can't do that anymore with you

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