Reviews with content warning for Death - The Forest Demands Its Due

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with this book from the start. It hit all of my niche interests and there were so many places where I had to stop reading and audibly gasp because there were lines that were so Me that it genuinely felt like I wrote them. I am obsessed with sentient forests that may or may not want you dead. I adored the descriptions of the creatures in the trees. And there were so many little lines that were so beautifully written that my eARC is now full of highlights. The initial concept of this book was perfect for me and I fell in love with the writing (and I am down to read anything else in the horror-adjacent genre that this author writes in the future).

Where this book started to lose me was in the second half. Here, it started to feel repetitive and I felt as if there was little else to the plot other than the main storyline, and I just wanted More, even if it was additional interactions between the main character and love interest so their relationship felt fleshed out, or more time spent in the town with secondary characters so I could understand why it was important for a curse that seemed so contained to a few people to be broken. It felt like a loop of the MC saying "I have to break the curse" while fight scenes played out, and the climax was underwhelming for me in comparison to the stakes.

Also, I personally wouldn't describe it as dark academia - it has dark themes and is set in a boarding school, but there is very limited academia and a brief encounter in a library. It's more of a dark urban fantasy with horror influences in my opinion, so I hope people don't go into this expecting true dark academia themes and storylines.

<b>Content warnings:</b> death, gore, homophobia, body horror, violence

Content Warnings

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

4.0

Regent Academy is known for churning out students who eventually become successful leaders in society. But little does anyone know that there’s a darker history surrounding the school–specifically the forest around it.

After a student is mysteriously murdered, Douglas finds that the next day, no one else remembers they existed. Except for Everett Everley. It turns out, Douglas has awakened something dark in the forest, demanding payment for a wrong that happened 300 years ago. And Douglas might be the only person who can make it right.

Thanks to Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson to review! I’ve read Jackson’s other YA work, so I was excited to pick this one up. If you’re looking for a dark academia vibe this spooky season, this book will definitely be for you.

The world that Jackson has created in this book is so fascinating. The magic system in particular is different from a lot of other YA fantasy/horror I’ve read, and I enjoyed seeing how this played out throughout the story. Because it’s set in this isolated town, the vibes are also perfect for the weather starting to turn cooler.

Douglas’s changing relationship with Everett was probably my second favorite aspect of this book. They’re both thrown together kind of by chance, but they work their way to being vulnerable with each other. Seeing their relationship evolve helped to balance out some of the pretty horrific stuff that was going on around them. Moments of sweetness sprinkled throughout moments are helpful for someone who doesn’t necessarily read a lot of horror.

The plot does feel like it gets a little lost towards the middle of the book, but it finds itself again by the end. If you like dark academia with a sprinkle of mythology and curses, this will definitely be the book for you!

Content Warnings

caelinsullivan's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

fanboyriot's review

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Read For:

Dark Magic

Small Town

Prep-School

Eerie Atmosphere

Dark Academia Vibes

Think Ace of Spades (by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé) meets a Supernatural episode.

This book was a great queer horror/thriller. The vengeful gods, creepy monster slaying, and a setting that was written really well, drawing the horror with the eerie atmosphere and learning the lore of the small town only made it all the more horrific; also had a sweet romance with new friends to lovers vibes.

Douglas was an entertaining main character even if I didn’t like some of the decisions he made at some points at the end. The beginning took me a minute to get into but the middle of this book was so good! The ending was good but also a bit bittersweet.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author/publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(First Person POV)

Spice: n/a (just kissing)

Rep: Gay MC, POC MC

Content Warnings

trippyotter's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A dark fantasy horror set in a sleepy town with a tragic history.

I read the summary, and I knew what I was about to read, but I didn't expect this...

Though the story takes place at the academy, it really has nothing to do with the school itself, but those that happen to be there and how they're manipulating those around them for their own purpose.

And that plot twist was a pleasant surprise and added another layer to the story, and it's horrific past.

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