The Hollow Prince Returns

Andrew Perrault, a sensitive, anxious boy, dreads the end of summer and the return to Wickwood Academy, a prestigious boarding school nestled in the Virginia woods. He feels most alive at school, where he can be near his twin sister Dove and his best friend Thomas Rye. Andrew is a writer of dark fairy tales, using stories to express pain he cannot voice. He's left hollow by a summer apart from Thomas, to whom he's given his heart in a secret, symbolic gesture. The trio's bond is deep but fragile, and Andrew's sense of self is tied to their unity. As the new school year begins, Andrew is already suffocating under the weight of unspoken feelings, family tension, and the looming sense that this final year will test them all.

Monsters in the Ivy

Wickwood's ivy-smothered walls and ancient forests are more than just atmospheric—they're alive with secrets. Andrew, Thomas, and Dove are drawn to the forest, despite warnings to stay away. The school is a microcosm of privilege and cruelty, where bullying and trauma fester beneath the surface. Thomas, an artist with a troubled home life, channels his pain into macabre drawings that seem to bleed into reality. When monstrous creatures begin to emerge from the woods and the walls, the trio is forced to confront the possibility that Thomas's art—and Andrew's stories—are manifesting real horrors. The line between imagination and reality blurs, and the forest's hunger grows.

The Trio's Fracture

The once-inseparable trio begins to splinter. Dove, ambitious and perfectionist, distances herself from Thomas after a mysterious falling out, leaving Andrew caught in the middle. Thomas's home life deteriorates, and rumors swirl about violence and disappearance. Andrew's anxiety intensifies as he becomes the target of bullying and whispers about his past self-harm. The school's social order is brutal, and Andrew's only solace is in his codependent friendship with Thomas. But as Thomas grows more erratic and the monsters more aggressive, Andrew's trust in his friends—and in his own perceptions—begins to erode.

Forest Whispers and Wounds

The forest is both sanctuary and threat. Andrew and Thomas sneak out at night, seeking comfort in each other and in the wildness of the woods. Their bond is intimate, charged with longing and unspoken desire, but also haunted by trauma and guilt. The monsters become more frequent and violent, leaving physical and psychological scars. Andrew's stories and Thomas's drawings seem to feed the forest's power, and the boys realize they are both creators and victims of the horrors stalking them. The school administration remains oblivious, and the adults are powerless to help.

The Art of Suffering

Thomas's art is both a weapon and a curse. He draws monsters to exorcise his pain, but they come to life, attacking the school and those he loves. Andrew's writing, too, takes on a dangerous power—his stories can kill the monsters, but only through suffering and sacrifice. The boys experiment with using their creative gifts to fight back, but each victory comes at a cost. Their bodies and minds are battered, and the boundary between self-harm and heroism blurs. The monsters demand a tithe, a sacrifice, and the boys are forced to confront the darkness within themselves.

Blood on the Sketchbook

A series of violent incidents—bloody attacks, panic attacks, and supernatural events—rock the school. Thomas is accused of murdering his parents, and Andrew is haunted by guilt and fear. The monsters' attacks escalate, targeting not just the boys but the entire student body. Andrew's own body becomes a battleground, as the forest's influence takes root inside him. The boys' relationship is tested by jealousy, desire, and the weight of their secrets. The school's denial and the adults' impotence leave them isolated, forced to rely on each other even as trust frays.

The Tithe and the Truth

The forest's hunger is insatiable. It demands a tithe—a heart, a sacrifice. Andrew and Thomas realize that their suffering is not enough; the monsters want something deeper. The truth about Dove's absence, Thomas's guilt, and Andrew's own role in the horrors comes to light. The boys are forced to confront the reality that their pain, their art, and their love are all bound up in the forest's curse. The only way to end the nightmare may be to give the forest what it wants: a heart, a confession, a surrender.

The Dream Ravager's Feast

On Halloween, the monsters break free of the forest and invade the school, attacking students and teachers alike. The Dream Ravager puts the entire student body to sleep, feeding on their nightmares. Andrew, immune to the monster's power, uses his storytelling to fight back, killing the creature with a fairy tale of poetic justice. The victory is hollow—Andrew is left shaken, traumatized, and more isolated than ever. The school covers up the supernatural events, blaming food poisoning and accidents, but the boys know the truth: the forest's hunger is not sated.

The Forest Grows Within

Andrew discovers that the forest is growing inside him—vines, thorns, and rot taking root in his body and mind. He is haunted by visions, hallucinations, and the sense that reality is slipping away. His relationships with Thomas and Dove deteriorate further, as secrets and guilt fester. The monsters become more personal, reflecting the boys' deepest fears and traumas. The line between victim and monster blurs, and Andrew fears he is becoming what he most dreads.

The Dance of Denial

At the school's Halloween dance, the tension between reality and fantasy reaches a breaking point. Andrew is bullied, accused, and gaslit by classmates and teachers. The monsters attack in full view, but only Andrew and Thomas can see them for what they are. The school's denial is absolute, and Andrew's grip on reality falters. He is forced to confront the possibility that his memories, his friendships, and even his own identity may be unreliable.

The Sister's Ghost

Andrew's relationship with Dove is revealed to be haunted by loss and denial. Dove, once his anchor, is now a ghost—her absence a wound that will not heal. The truth emerges: Dove died in the forest months ago, and Andrew's mind has refused to accept it, conjuring her presence as a coping mechanism. The monsters are not just supernatural horrors, but manifestations of grief, guilt, and trauma. Andrew's struggle is not just against the forest, but against his own inability to let go.

The Price of Stories

Andrew and Thomas realize that their art—stories and drawings—has the power to create and destroy. The monsters are born from their pain, but can also be killed by their creativity. The final battle is not just against the forest, but against the stories they have told themselves about who they are, what they deserve, and what they have lost. The only way to end the curse is to rewrite the narrative, to accept the truth, and to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The Final Sacrifice

The forest demands a heart, and Andrew is prepared to give his. In a ritual of blood and words, he prepares to cut out his own heart and bury it in the woods, hoping to end the curse and save Thomas. Thomas intervenes, offering himself instead, but Andrew insists on taking responsibility for the pain he has caused. The act is both literal and symbolic—a surrender to grief, a letting go of denial, and an acceptance of loss. The forest is finally sated, and the monsters recede.

The Monster's Origin

The monsters are not just supernatural entities, but the embodiment of trauma, guilt, and the stories we tell to survive. Andrew's suffering, Thomas's art, and Dove's absence are all threads in a tapestry of pain that the forest weaves into monsters. The curse is not broken by violence, but by confession, acceptance, and the willingness to face the darkest parts of oneself. The boys' love is both their salvation and their undoing.

The Heart Buried Deep

With the sacrifice complete, the forest returns to silence. Andrew and Thomas, battered and changed, are left to pick up the pieces. The school returns to its routine, the adults none the wiser, but the boys know they have crossed a threshold. The heart buried in the woods is both a grave and a seed—a symbol of loss, but also of the possibility of healing. The story ends not with triumph, but with the quiet, painful work of moving forward.

The End of Innocence

The events at Wickwood mark the end of innocence for Andrew and Thomas. They are no longer boys, but survivors—scarred, haunted, and forever changed. The monsters may be gone, but the wounds remain. The story is a meditation on grief, trauma, and the ways we hurt and heal each other. The boys' love is complicated, messy, and real—a testament to the power of connection in the face of horror.

The World Without Shadows

In the aftermath, Andrew and Thomas must learn to live in a world without monsters, but also without the illusions that once protected them. The forest is quiet, but the memory of what happened lingers. The boys are left with each other, their bond forged in suffering and sacrifice. The story ends with a tentative hope—a belief that, even in the darkest woods, love and art can offer a way through.

The Monster and the Poet

The final chapter is both an ending and a beginning. Andrew, the poet, and Thomas, the monster-maker, have survived the forest, but at great cost. Their story is a warning and a comfort—a reminder that monsters are real, but so is the power to face them. The heart buried in the woods is a promise: that even in the face of loss, we can choose to love, to create, and to endure.

Characters

Andrew Perrault

Andrew is the sensitive, introverted protagonist whose life is defined by emptiness, anxiety, and a desperate need for connection. He is a writer of dark, painful fairy tales, using stories to process trauma he cannot articulate. His relationship with his twin Dove is foundational, but fraught with guilt and codependency. Andrew's love for Thomas is intense, bordering on obsession, and is both romantic and platonic, complicated by his asexuality and fear of intimacy. Psychologically, Andrew is haunted by grief, self-harm, and the sense that he is fundamentally broken. His journey is one of confronting the monsters within—his guilt, his denial, and his need to be needed. By the end, Andrew's willingness to sacrifice himself is both a tragic flaw and an act of redemption, as he learns to accept loss and the possibility of healing.

Thomas Rye

Thomas is Andrew's best friend and the emotional center of the trio. He is volatile, passionate, and deeply wounded by family abuse and neglect. Thomas channels his pain into art, drawing monsters that become literal threats to the school. His relationship with Andrew is intimate, codependent, and charged with unspoken desire and guilt. Thomas's love is fierce and self-sacrificing, but also destructive—he is willing to do anything to protect Andrew, even at the cost of his own sanity. Psychologically, Thomas is haunted by guilt over Dove's death and his inability to control the darkness within him. His arc is one of learning to accept love, to forgive himself, and to let go of the need to be both the monster and the hero.

Dove Perrault

Dove is Andrew's twin sister, the golden child whose ambition and drive mask her own vulnerabilities. She is both protector and rival to Andrew, and her relationship with Thomas is fraught with jealousy, competition, and unspoken feelings. Dove's death is the central trauma of the story, and her absence haunts Andrew's psyche. She represents the impossibility of holding on to innocence, the pain of growing up, and the cost of denial. Psychologically, Dove is both a real person and a ghost—a symbol of everything Andrew cannot let go.

The Forest

The forest is both a literal and symbolic antagonist—a living entity that feeds on pain, guilt, and secrets. It is the source of the monsters, the site of trauma, and the stage for the story's climactic sacrifices. The forest represents the unconscious, the place where repressed memories and emotions take monstrous form. It is both a place of danger and a site of transformation, demanding a tithe in exchange for survival.

The Monsters

The monsters are not just supernatural threats, but embodiments of the characters' deepest fears, regrets, and wounds. They are born from Thomas's art and Andrew's stories, but also from the pain they cannot express. Each monster reflects a psychological truth—a dream ravager that feeds on nightmares, a bone shrike that demands secrets, a forest that grows inside the body. The monsters are both enemies and mirrors, forcing the characters to confront what they most fear about themselves.

Bryce Kane

Bryce is the school's golden boy, a charming and cruel bully who torments Andrew and Thomas. He represents the toxic culture of Wickwood—privilege, denial, and the violence that festers beneath the surface. Bryce's fate—devoured by the forest—serves as both poetic justice and a warning about the cost of cruelty.

Lana Lang

Lana is Dove's friend and a fierce defender of the vulnerable. She is skeptical of Thomas, protective of Andrew, and unafraid to confront injustice. Lana's role is to challenge the boys' insularity, to offer a different model of strength, and to bear witness to the story's traumas. Psychologically, she is both a foil and a mirror—her anger and loyalty reflect the story's central themes of protection and betrayal.

Chloe Nguyen

Chloe is a quieter presence, a new friend who offers Andrew acceptance and understanding. She represents the possibility of connection outside the trio, and her own struggles with anxiety and identity parallel Andrew's journey. Chloe's kindness is a balm, but also a reminder that healing requires reaching beyond old wounds.

Principal Adelaide Grant

The principal is the face of adult authority at Wickwood—concerned, but ultimately unable to see or address the real dangers facing her students. She represents the limits of institutional care, the failure of adults to protect children from the monsters that matter most.

The Dream Ravager

The dream ravager is one of the story's most memorable monsters—a creature that puts the school to sleep and feeds on nightmares. It is both a literal threat and a metaphor for the way trauma can consume a community, leaving everyone numb and helpless. Its defeat by Andrew's story is a turning point, but also a reminder that victory comes at a cost.

Plot Devices

Unreliable Narration and Reality Distortion

The novel's most powerful device is its use of unreliable narration. Andrew's perspective is deeply subjective, shaped by trauma, grief, and denial. The reader is never sure what is real—are the monsters supernatural, or psychological? Is Dove alive or dead? Is Thomas present, or a figment of Andrew's imagination? This ambiguity heightens the horror and emotional impact, forcing the reader to question the nature of reality and the reliability of memory. The gradual revelation that Andrew has been hallucinating aspects of his world is both devastating and cathartic.

Metafiction and Storytelling as Magic

The book is a meditation on the power of stories—both to heal and to harm. Andrew's writing and Thomas's art are not just coping mechanisms, but sources of literal magic. Their creations become monsters, and their words can kill or save. This metafictional device allows the novel to explore the relationship between trauma, creativity, and agency. The act of storytelling is both a weapon and a curse, and the final sacrifice is as much about rewriting the narrative as it is about blood.

Body Horror and Symbolic Wounds

The novel uses body horror—vines growing inside bodies, eyes replaced by roses, hearts cut out—to make psychological suffering tangible. Self-harm, eating disorders, and panic attacks are rendered in visceral, supernatural terms, making the characters' internal struggles visible and urgent. The monsters' attacks are both literal and symbolic, forcing the characters to confront the pain they carry inside.

Cyclical Structure and Fairy Tale Motifs

The story is structured like a dark fairy tale, with repeated motifs of sacrifice, transformation, and the price of wishes. The narrative circles back on itself, with stories within stories, and the sense that the characters are trapped in a ritual that can only end with a tithe. The use of fairy tale language and structure reinforces the themes of inevitability, loss, and the possibility of redemption.

Foreshadowing and Symbolism

From the opening image of Andrew cutting out his heart, the novel is rich with foreshadowing. Symbols—hearts, thorns, forests, mirrors—are layered throughout, hinting at the story's true nature and the characters' fates. The gradual revelation of Dove's death, the forest's hunger, and the boys' complicity in their own suffering are all carefully seeded, making the final twists both surprising and inevitable.

Analysis

Don't Let the Forest In is a haunting, psychologically rich novel that uses supernatural horror as a lens for exploring trauma, grief, and the power of art. At its core, the book is about the stories we tell to survive—the ways we turn pain into monsters, and monsters into meaning. Through its unreliable narration and reality distortion and metafictional devices, the novel blurs the line between reality and fantasy, forcing readers to confront the messy, painful truths that lie beneath the surface of memory and desire. The relationship between Andrew and Thomas is both a love story and a tragedy, shaped by loss, guilt, and the desperate need to be seen. The forest, with its insatiable hunger, is a metaphor for the way trauma can consume us from within, demanding sacrifices we are not prepared to make. Yet, the novel also offers hope: that by facing our monsters, by telling the truth, and by accepting the cost of love, we can find a way through the darkness. In the end, Don't Let the Forest In is a story about the price of survival, the necessity of letting go, and the enduring power of connection—even when the world is full of shadows.

Last updated: May 10, 2025