After a tragic fire kills the families in Douglas Jones' apartment complex, he is charged with murder. Luckily, a good lawyer takes his case and offers Douglas and his mom a chance to start fresh at Regent Academy in Winslow, Vermont. With an offer that seemed too good to be true, Douglas becomes the only black student at Regent. Upon arrival, Douglas is warned not to go into the Atolas forest bordering the school, but that is difficult for Douglas since the forest seems to be speaking to him since he arrived. After a student wanders into the forest and dies, everyone at the school forgets the student except for Douglas and Everett Everley, the son of the school groundskeeper. Douglas soon learns of a curse upon the town of Winslow and the descendants of the families that participated in a cruel act 300 years ago, an ancient vengeful god and the magic in the forest. Douglas' abilities mean he is able to break the curse, but as Douglas learns more about the god, Etaliein and his story, Douglas doesn't believe that killing him is the answer anymore.
The Forest Demands Its Due is an immersive Young Adult horror with an intriguing mystery and wonderful characters. I was pulled in from the beginning with Douglas hearing the forest and seeing a classmate injured in the forest only to have everyone forget about him the next day. The writing engrossed me in the small town of Winslow, Vermont with the foreboding Atolas forest and formidable Regent Academy. Douglass doesn't exactly fit in to Winslow, his past, his race and his lifestyle are all different, but the forest seems to reach out to him. I was really interested in the history of Winslow, the god of the forest, Etaliein and how the curse began. As Douglas digs for answers, the mystery of the forest unravels, but I do wish there was more context and we could know Etalein before tragedy struck. I enjoyed seeing Douglas and Everett's relationship grow as they went into the forest together. The magic of the forest was captivating along with the Perversions and Emissaries, the creatures that protected the forest. I loved that Douglas was able to help end the curse in his own unique way that shows that love can overcome.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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