I’ve loved reading Jackson’s previous books, so this thriller release has been on my TBR. This is a book about sacrifice, power, and the darkness of the forest. It’s perfect for the fall and for spooky reads! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Regent Academy has a long and storied history in Winslow, Vermont, as does the forest that surrounds it. The school is known for molding teens into leaders, but its history is far more nefarious.
Seventeen-year-old Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent’s king-making; he’s just trying to survive. But then a student is murdered and, for some reason, by the next day no one remembers him having ever existed, except for Douglas and the groundskeeper’s son, Everett Everley. In his determination to uncover the truth, Douglas awakens a horror hidden within the forest, unearthing secrets that have been buried for centuries. A vengeful creature wants blood as payment for a debt more than 300 years in the making—or it will swallow all of Winslow in darkness.
And for the first time in his life, Douglas might have a chance to grasp the one thing he’s always felt was power. But if he’s not careful, he will find out that power has a tendency to corrupt absolutely everything.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: homophobia
The Forest Demands its Due is a thrilling story about exploitation, hidden secrets, and what we think we deserve. It’s a story that explores, in a myriad of ways, how much we will sacrifice for someone else. For the ones we love or ourselves. Within this book, the forest and the setting become a character. Atmospheric and looming in the distance, silent and terrifying up close. It’s one of those books where you wonder why no one sees what we do while also being scared that if you’re right all the terrible things it might mean.
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The Forest Demands its Due examines the power of feeling special. It also explores those who stand by silently and perpetuate the system. The differences between victims and the directness of our crimes. Innocent fallen strangers. If you love a thriller with a heavy sense of power and sacrifice, this is for you! At the end of he day it’s about having informed choices, about knowing the prices and the consequences. Find The Forest Demands its Due on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.