Alison Hughes
In the Forests of the Night
(DCB/Cormorant, 2025)
* Feature Article in Prairie Books Now Spring/Summer 2025 issue
In a world without trees, Ellis and her friends search for a rumored forest sanctuary in order to escape a sinister enemy. When Ellis, the orphanage’s new charge Pip, and their school friend Jasper become drawn to the eerie Ghost Tree, the last fossilized relic of the Blight left on their schoolgrounds, their connection to nature makes them targets of a sinister enemy. Can Ellis and her friends escape capture and find the rumored evergreen sanctuary?
In the Forests of the Night takes a terrible and horrible concept and writes it beautifully through pace, character, and haunting imagery … it captures the essence of friendship, the glory of finding your community, and the power of determination, listening, and silence.
A highly recommended read for anyone open to fantasy, adventure, and an extraordinary sense of family.
The Miramichi Reader (April 14, 2025)
Hughes shows faith and confidence in her readers that they can handle the dark with the light in this story. This story is so compelling with a bit of an open ending that I could definitely see a continuation of the journey of the characters and the people within the world she has created.
In The Forests of the Night is a dystopian story with similar vibes to The Hunger Games and Divergent with an environmental leaning that will very much appeal to the new generation of environmental warriors.
Storytime with Stephanie (May 21, 2025)