I really enjoy the Rick Riordan Presents books. It’s great that authors are able to share folktales from around the world.

Selina grew up on the Caribbean island of St. Virgil with a mother who had psychic powers. However, things took a turn for the worst when her father was murdered and her mother ended up in a coma. Selina's dreams of leaving are put on hold, but now she is facing a new threat as there seem to be a new string of murders happening. Her ex Gabriel is back for the summer for a journalism internship, and they team up together to figure out what is going on.

This one started a little slow, but then it definitely picked up around 20% in. I really liked the lore here and the way that the author incorporated it. I was left wanting more, although I understand that that was not as relevant for the book. I wish it perhaps been a little longer - I felt like the end was so quick and didn't live up to the build up of the rest of the book pacing wise. The twists at the end were good though! I definitely did not see a few coming. There were some things I was suspect of, but the full explanation of things was not the way I had imagined in a good way. Definitely a good book to pick up for anyone looking for a good YA mystery with supernatural elements and folklore heavily throughout.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An incredible addition to the Rick Riordan Presents collection. This book hooked me from page 1 and I couldn't put it down. What an incredible debut.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

A supernatural feat set in the Caribbean. Selina is powerful in her own right, although she is a con artist who is not fully aware of her true capabilities. She is coming into her own. The book contains patois, which will immerse you further into the culture.

She finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery, speaking to ghosts, and helping a gent who is haunted. This book is full of mysticism, mystery, and hints of romance.

A fake psychic teams up with her ex boyfriend to solve a series of murders that may be connected to the attack on her parents. This is difficult to review because when it had my attention, it was amazing. Selina is a great multidimensional character, perfect for a FMC, and great for demonstrating the difficulties of balancing duty to your family and duty to yourself. However, there are long stretches where I didn't think anything was happening. It tended to drag in parts, and the love triangle wasn't really needed. It's rare when it can add something to the story and that was not the case here. I wish there was more of a supernatural/mystery element. It's rare to get a story centered around Caribbean tales, but this one seemed to center more on Selina's relationships, instead of being more balanced.

The concept of this one sounded incredible, and the cover is absolutely beautiful, but I just couldn't connect with this one. I struggled with the writing style - it was difficult to parse through and slowed my reading time.

I was so excited about this book at it did not disappoint. The ambiance was exceptional. I loved the intricacies of the plants involved. The magic system was immersive and the imagery was beautiful. I loved the protagonist but I wish the other characters were more fleshed out. Over all, love!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
This book was impossible to put down! Properly creepy and full of Caribbean lore. Yes suspenseful and prime thriller material, but also a moving portrait of grief and loss.

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Doss is a Rick Riordan Presents stand-alone novel with Caribbean Mythology as the focus. This was one of my favorite books of the year. I prefer a character that is not always making the right decisions. Even though she does not always make the right decision, she does not make so stupid of decision that you hate the character or feel like the stupidity is to move the plot along. I liked some of the suspense and it was fast paced. The characters felt real with flaws and the "bad guys" had some good depending on the characters arch. I could see how the characters got to where they were. I liked the mythology weaved through the book but for me that almost took a back seat. The grief of loss and the regret of past interactions is something I have had to contemplate and resonated with me.

I give this 4.5 (4 if I cannot do 5) stars because as somebody who loves fantasy that was honestly the weakest part. This point I am just being picky about because I loved everything else about the book. I think the rest was so high caliber that the twist and mythology was too weak for me. I wish the mythology would have been delved into more. I am definitely going to look for this author again. Thank you to NetGalley, Rick Riordan Presents, and Sarah Doss for the free copy. This was an honest review.

An engaging, fast pace story which is not so much something to devour as something which devours you. We love to see more modern Caribbean YA fiction on our shelves coming from the folks living it.

Selina not believing in magic is no big deal especially when she can con others and still make a living off of them. Only problem is when a true ghost comes to a ritual and pulls her into the middle of a murder mystery that is way more than it seems.

I wanted to love this story but it seemed to me kind of forgettable. It was full of suspense and twist but just did stick with me.

If Rick Riordan presents or endorses any book, it will be an automatic success. Sarah Dass fills readers with horror and knowledge of Caribbean culture.

The one thing that kept pulling me out of the narrative while I read had nothing to do with the narrative itself and everything to do with the imprint. Having read all of the currently published works from the Rick Riordan Presents Imprint, this book did not feel like it belonged due to the lack of overt connection to both fantasy and mythology.
That being said however, I absolutely loved this creepy, haunting young adult mystery with hints of supernatural connections. Dass created a fully realized, flawed main character that I could easily see many young adult readers identifying with. Additionally, the way that the mystery unfolded kept me hooked despite the qualm that I mentioned above.

It Waits in the Forest is a thrilling and haunting thriller/ fantasy mashup. The mystery gripped me from the very beginning and didn’t let up.

Rick Riordan Presents: It Waits in the Forest
by Sarah Dass
Pub Date: May 14 2024
I'm predicting this one will make the short list for several awards!
Already have it on my shelves ready for checkout when school starts!

This was the first thriller for Rick Riordan Presents and it lived up to the high standards I had. Caribbean folklore, ghosts, murder, a town's secrets...what more could you want? This story grabbed me by the throat and would not let me stop reading until I finished the book. Selena was a character that has her struggles but was someone I could respect and become invested in with in her journey to find out the truth of the attacks on her parents. This book is written for a slightly older audience than most books written under the Rick Riordan Presents label, but is a wonderful addition nonetheless. Things are definitely not what they seem on the small island of St Vigil, but will Selena be able to decipher truth from lies before it's too late? There's only one way to find out!

Much like A Drop of Venom, this is a powerful story of survival when all you love seems lost. It digs into your mind and grows like a root in rich soil. The mixture of plot and folklore is always enticing and I really liked the characters, they seemed very realistic in their responses and actions. As is the nature of the Caribbean in yesterday years to my knowledge, a young woman who is fluent in botany suffers a tragedy from her father being attacked, her mother ending up in a coma, and the locals start to whisper that she is a witch. Selina for her part does not help her situation by living as a fake psychic but her poor choices and guilt make her very relatable and easy to feel empathy towards. A wonderful young adult coming of age novel.

gonna be honest: i literally have too much to read and too much work to do but i will read it eventually.

I took awhile to get through this one and I regret it because, it was a good thriller/mystery. I wanted to read it because I am a fan of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint and I know the kids are always looking for mythology inspired stories. This one is based in Caribbean and African Mythology. The magic in the story is very much on the lesser side, more horror than fantasy. The pacing was good other then some slow bits and I personally did not see the twist coming. Will definitely be purchasing for my library and recommending to my students. (Thanks to Disney Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It Waits in the Forest was filled with mystery and intrigue. Readers uncover the mystery of Selina's family and the other deaths occurring on her small island. No one on the island trusts her, after her mother's psychic abilities went against popular beliefs in a murder case many years before, but Selina plays into that mistrust and the expectations to find her own path. The people closest to her do not agree with her choices, which brings some conflict into the story. Selina begins to lose sense of her reality, which also adds to the intrigue and mystery. Overall the story is quite interesting. The people around her are less fleshed out than Selina, but Selina is enough of a focus that it doesn't hinder the story. Mythological elements, as would be expected of a Rick Riordan Presents, are much subtler and minimized than other titles under the banner. That is not a bad thing as it makes the ending much more surprising, but if you are looking for a more magic and mythological creatures, this title might not fit the bill. It was still a fascinating read and a great stand alone novel.