Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Forest Demands Its Due

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

4 reviews

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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

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.

Content Warnings

booktribe's review

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mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

The Forest Demands Its Due is a dark academia horror-fantasy about a queer Black boy, Douglas, who attends a boarding school that has murderous monsters and a curse on the town that makes everyone forget the kids who have been killed by those monsters. Except, Douglas doesn’t forget, and he may be the key to breaking the curse.

This book is just perfection! From the first page I knew this was going to be an amazing read. The writing sucked me in and never let me go. I loved so many things about it. It was incredibly creepy & mysterious, had so many twists & turns, there were so many layers to the story, and had the most lovable characters. Douglas was everything. I just wanted to protect him from the world🥺 And in a very shocking turn of events, I actually enjoyed the romantic subplot. I’m not usually a person who enjoys romance outside of the romance genre, but this was needed. The love interest, Everett, was so sweet. Douglas really needed a soft place to land during this story and that’s what Everett was to him. The ending was a tiny bit too long in my opinion, but that didn’t dampen my enjoyment. I really loved this book! I think it’s my favorite book of the year so far!🥰

I’d recommend this story to anyone who’s in the mood for a mysterious, fast paced, horror-fantasy with lovable characters and a plot that will keep you guessing! This is a book that will make you stay up all night reading because there’s never a good time to stop! Definitely pick this up when it comes out in October because it is the perfect Halloween/Autumn read!

(Also, have you seen this cover??? Perfection!)

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books/Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: homophobia, homophobic slur, racism, death of a parent, sexual assault briefly mentioned

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