A murder mystery wrapped in cultural myths of deals struck with mythical creatures and the power of the non coporeal. Selina’s lost everyone, and she is shunned by the whole island for her mother’s “mistake” and her psychic abilities. She thinks she is making progress in starting over until murders start happening again and she begins to see things. As she tries to solve the mysteries she also has to come to terms with who her mother was and how she needs to live. A lush story that has you turning pages quickly!

It Waits In The Forest is a dark older grade novel filled with mystery and horror. Selina, the main character has lost her father in a brutal attack which also left her mother in a coma. Her old boyfriend returns and together they go about trying to solve the mystery of the crime. What they discover has far reaching implications for both of them and their families.

While the book was well written and engaging, I was not able to personally enjoy it. I think it was just too dark for me, but that is strictly my personal opinion.

I was given an advance reader copy for free, but all opinions are my own.

In Sarah Dass’s YA supernatural thriller inspired by Caribbean mythology, Selina doesn’t believe in magic. Selina dreams of leaving her home island but her father is killed and her mother is left is a coma. She spends her days conning tourists. When a series of gruesome murders start happening, Selina is caught up in solving the mystery while also coming to terms with her trauma.

The plot piques your interests but the heart of the characters keeps you invested.
Beautifully written and engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Selina is an outcast on the island of St. Virgil, the daughter of a “witch” and a murdered policeman. She tries to get by and has made headway with a new boyfriend who is well loved on the island. But when mysterious murders start occurring, Selina has to try to figure out what is happening before it is too late for her. Joining forces with her ex-boyfriend, newly returned to the island, Selina and Gabriel investigate the grisly murders. But someone doesn’t like them asking questions.

A twisting and turning novel that was hard to put down. A tantalizing horror/mystery! Will be purchasing for my library.

Selina DaSilva is an 18-year-old girl living on the Caribbean island of St. Virgil with her mother. Her mother is a spiritualist who worked with her father, a forensics investigator to solve crimes in their town. Her mother’s intuition cause a man to become free even though the small town believed he was guilty of killing the woman. Selina’s father was killer and her mother is now in a coma. Selina is surviving by selling “fake spells and charms” in her friend’s mystic curiosity shop. She’s beginning to have troubling visions of her father. A suspect in a brutal death at a local hotel visits the shop where Selina is working. Selina decides to partner with Gabriel, her ex-boyfriend, to try to figure out if the murder is connected to what happened to her parents. Will she and Gabriel be able to find this out?

This intriguing novel kept me on my toes. The horror is written delightfully in this book. The horror and mystery written gives the novel the tension I enjoyed reading. This is a “tale of Caribbean folklore, herbalism and mysticism.” I enjoyed the novel.

This book is a fast-paced thriller of a supernatural novel. The twists and turns weren't easy to guess (and I am the queen of guessing twists and turns).

I could not put this book down! The first thriller from the Rick Riordan Presents umbrella absolutely did not disappoint. I wasn't sure if something under that umbrella world actually have space to be creepy and dark... turns out it certainly did. This is a great book for teens who loved Percy Jackson-esque books as kids but are ready to grapple with something more complex. Selina doesn't immediately fit the idea of a hero, and throughout the book she's making choices that makes me want to yell at the book -these are also the things that make her character seem all the more real. A word of caution: there are some very graphic depictions of death and murder. This was a 4/5 Star YA read for me. I'd have it in my classroom library, and I think I’d just make sure to check in with students who decide to check it out.

I was SO excited to get approved for this one. and it lived up to EVERY one of my expectations! My students love thrillers, and I cannot wait to add this to my classroom. The Caribbean mythology was SUCH a fun touch!

I loved this atmospheric novel set on a Caribbean-like island. The pacing was really well done, and the build up was very suspenseful. Hold on to the edge of your seat! This was one great ride.

St. Virgil's is a small island and having a mother with a reputation as a renowned psychic -- or a witch depending on who you ask -- has caused Selina to be ostracized since a young age. Working at a friend's shop as a fake psychic has been a harmless way to make money until strange things start to happen around the island. With a killer on the island leaving crime scenes with similarities to her own father's murder, Selina struggles to face her past and her future.

Great for fans of supernatural fiction and murder mysteries!

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's already out, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of the novel 3.5/5 stars.

I love the RRP imprint of Disney because, well, Rick Riordan and the effort to include more diverse voices and characters into novels; however, I went into this novel expecting the usual sarcasm and humor from RRP books...and this was not that. Now, I also haven't read another "YA" from the imprint, so it could just be the middle grade that sticks with the humor and sarcasm and funny chapter titles?

I did enjoy the overall ambiance and setting of the novel, but the story fell flat in many places. There's a big emphasis on the MC having some sort of magic or intuition, but it only ever gets used when absolutely needed for the plot...and it's never really explained? I did not see the twist coming at the end though. Also, I think it's another book where a love triangle/romance was absolutely unnecessary.

I was really excited when I started this book. I wanted to learn more about Caribbean mythology and experience a Rick Riordan Presents world that was aimed at young adults. However the book left me wanting and was kind of a let down. Not enough mythology and I just didn't care about the characters. By far my least favorite book under the Rick Riordan Presents banner.

Selina doesn't believe in the supernatural, preferring to believe in things she can see and touch like botany. She plans to leave the island of St. Virgil with her then-boyfriend Gabriel until an attack kills her father and leaves her mother in a coma. The case is never solved, and Selina has to live with the reputation that her mother passed to her of being a witch. Two years later, a string of deaths brings Gabriel and Selina back together. Can they solve the case?

This is the story of Selina whose father was murdered and her mother is in a coma. It follows Selina through trying to figure out what happened to her dad and what is currently happening in her town. It’s a little murder mystery, a little love story, a little fantasy. If you like a book with a lot of character development/backstory you will enjoy this book. I thought the ending was great! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

I can NOT wait to recommend this novel to my students who enjoy fantasy and those who enjoy mystery!! I am hoping this novel serves as a gateway to students who aren't too sure about fantasy, as well. It seems like it would be a great introduction to the genre. Ordering for my classroom library next year!

VERY creepy, with a good dash of romantasy. I thought It Waits in the Forest was a great escape, while more nuanced than the average paranormal thriller, since it has the layer of the Islander (and colonizer/white tourists). Great for grade 8+, especially for fans of The Weight of Blood or A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Selina DaSilva, is an 18 year girl that has spent her entire life trying to fit in with the other people on her island. Ever since she was little, people used to bully her because of the things that her mother was able to do pertaining to the dead. After an attack on her parents, Selina spent the next 2 years denying what she can do and trying to alienate herself from her family. It’s not until three people are murdered that she realizes, the people that are close to you are the ones that will harm you the most.

3.5 stars
I didn’t dislike this at all, but I expected … more of what I’m not sure, but something was missing for me. I expected a lot more magic and a little more spookiness maybe. I will pick up anything under Rick Riordan’s label though! I would recommend this to teens/young adults who like a bit of magical realism, a bit of suspense, and a bit of a murder mystery. The main character makes a lot of bad, but relatable, decisions, so of course she’s fun to read about as well.

I really enjoyed this creepy read inspired by our folklore. Let me tell you I was like i am nooot reading this at night but lo and behold I just finished it...at night lol. The author really captured the eerie anxiety ridden feeling that the MC felt with each new strange thing that happened to her. And yup, I was there engaged to the very last word cuz I didn't figure out where this was going at all so nice twist!

Also...having grown up on a lot of these folklore stories I was really engrossed and enjoyed how the author weaved these very familiar, to me, tales in here in this sort of murder mystery type way.

Seline was also quite an interesting and multifaceted character. Flawed. Making not the best choices but that felt really authentic to me.

So if you're looking for a spooky Caribbean-esque read this is iiiit!