IT WAITS IN THE FOREST by Sarah Dass

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass is a deeply atmospheric YA thriller that will sink its bloody teeth into you and refuse to let go … until you read through to the spine-tingling conclusion. Is the plot realistic, mystical, mysterious, and/or drawn from Caribbean folklore? Does it include a love triangle with two hot guys? YES to all those tantalizing questions and so much more!! I’d be remiss if I didn’t also call attention to the spectacular cover art!

The setting is a small Caribbean island named St. Virgil, and main character Selina DaSilva is the product of a rational crime detective and a flamboyant yet immensely talented psychic. When the story begins, we learn that a brutal home invasion two years earlier resulted in her father being murdered and her mother being attacked and falling into a coma. We also learn how Selina has endured bullying and righteous anger as a consequence of her mother’s legacy, especially from the widespread belief that her last reading led to the murder of a local young woman.

Selina lives with her mother’s wealthy best friend but is determined to earn her way by working at a souvenir store with close friend Allison (whose family owns the store). Selina proclaims she doesn’t believe in magic or the supernatural and enacts payback by running a secret psychic service with Allison in the store’s back room. She acts like it’s a fake performance – here is an excerpt that shows how the girls make the setting feel authentically mystical and voodoo-ish:

From pages 10/11: “Several glass bottles filled with dyed liquids glimmered on the shelves, sitting next to books with dead languages carved into their spines. Jars had been filled with dried petals, root, seeds, painted stones, and plastic gems. And two dozen white and red candles had been strategically set out for both ambiance and to flicker or extinguish when a series of hidden fans or the air conditioner’s swing function was activated. But that wasn’t all. No, then there were the real showstoppers. The props that looked like they were plucked right out of a Hollywood movie – because they were.

You’ll have to read this novel to discover the crazy, realistic props they pilfered, with Alison’s brother Edward’s help, from an Indiana Jones-esque movie recently filmed on St. Virgil!

Here’s some key plot tidbits that spice up the mystery and add to the ever-growing tension:

• Alison’s and Edward’s father is the local police chief, and would totally freak out if he learned that his own kids were responsible for the heist of the movie producer’s property.
  
• Selina has recently begun dating Edward and intends that it remain a casual dalliance. Edward has other plans: he clearly wants to claim her as his official girlfriend, making her off-limits for her old flame Gabriel, who has just returned to the island for the first time since his break up with Selina.
  
• Gabriel is the estranged son of Muriel, the woman who Selina is living with. He is also the brother of Janice, who appears selfish and exceptionally spoiled. We can’t help but wonder why he won’t live with Muriel or work for her successful company. Trust me, you WILL find out why.
  
• Murders keep happening, mostly in the creepy forest but other places around St. Virgil as well. And whoa: Selina’s last client could be the murderer! When he visits the store, leaking guilt and claiming he’s being stalked by an evil supernatural presence, it becomes crystal clear to readers that Selina does, in fact, possess psychic abilities. Prior to his desperate plea for help, it also becomes obvious that Selina helps people, no matter what she proclaims.
  
• Selina is the main narrator but chapters from other perspectives are interspersed throughout. The additional perspectives are from individuals who find a murder victim, know a murder victim, become a murder victim, and/or commit murder themselves. Are you creeped out yet?
  
• Time is a ticking time bomb throughout the novel – Selina is terrified that whoever attacked her parents could come for her, and the decision whether to end her mother’s life support looms ever closer as her 18th birthday rapidly approaches. She also feels propelled to solve the recent spate of murders, worried that they might relate to her parents’ unsolved attack, and also concerned that they could tie into to her frightening and uncontrollable psychic visions. Selina and Gabriel secretly join together to solve the murders, and the more mutual attraction grows, the greater the likelihood that one of them could become the murderer’s next victim.

So….who or what IS waiting in the forest? Is the hidden evil of supernatural or human origin? I don’t want to give the answer away, as it would rob you of the shock and delight of discovering it for yourself. I will promise that this speculative thriller will haunt you long after you feverishly turn the last page. I agree wholeheartedly with Rick Riordan (who introduces the novel as part of his Rick Riordan Presents imprint for “authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to allow them to tell their own stories inspired by the mythology, folklore, and culture of their heritage”) that this creep-tastic novel is ripe for a sequel. I will leave you to ponder this question, which appears in bold letters on the book’s inside jacket:

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO GET WHAT YOU DESIRE?