Content warning: bullying, racism, generational trauma, gaslighting, body horror, murder

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I really enjoyed the premise of this story and the Jackson expertly crafts various layers to this dark academia/cursed small town that allows for multiple "bad guys" and betrayals. I was fully on board with the vibe of THE FOREST DEMANS ITS DUE and as someone who has grown up with the quiet woods of New England in their backyard, I fully believe that there is some truth to the powers and beings that Douglas discovers hidden in the forests of Winslow, VT.

One thing I wish Jackson had given readers though was chapters from Everett's point of view. I found myself wanting to know more about him, his sister, and to spend more time in the experiences of the townsfolk living under the curse for generations.

Overall this will be a great title to suggest to teen readers during spooky season and I think it'll turn into being a book to bridge the gap between YA and Adult horror books for older teens.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and Quill Tree Books in exchange for an honest review.

This book was wonderful! It was creepy and sad and very very gay. I loved how it was set up and how wonderfully the characters were written.

Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent Academy, the place that gave his mom a job and the opportunity to start over. He’s a queer, black boy in a sea of white faces concerned with status. When there’s a murder in the creepy woods surrounding the academy’s property, but the next day, no one remembers. In his search for the truth, Douglas uncovers an ancient secret.

Spooky season is never over, and I thoroughly enjoyed this dark academic horror with queer, black rep. That is my jam! It’s a little long, but there’s a lot of plot, characterization, and lore to fit in, so it moved quickly. Do recommend.

80/100 or 4.00 stars

I had a good time with this one! It was a good balance of dark academia and horror for the target audience. I liked the writing style and was able to sink into the world easily. Solid read overall!

YA fiction is definitely having a moment. There's so many innovative and unique ideas in this. It's quite impressive and entertaining.

Spooky scary thriller full of cult themes and plot twists. I recommend reading with the lights on. Thank you for the arc! Will definitely be getting a physical copy for myself.

The Forest Demands Its Due had compelling worldbuilding as well characters. While the story was very character driven, I still enjoyed all the twists and turns. It had super spooky vibes and well done horror elements.

This book was a mixed bag for me for a couple of reasons. I have to remind myself that it is geared more towards a YA audience, but still felt like there were thing that didn't quite connect for me throughout the book.

The story follows Douglas, a queer black teen who finds himself at Regent Academy. The log line for the book is : "A Lesson in Vengeance meets The Taking of Jake Livingston in this page-turning YA horror/fantasy set in dark academia about a queer Black teen who discovers the sinister history of his boarding school and the corrupt powers behind it all. "

I loved the premise of the story - I thought that it was introduced and set up really well. Missing students, nobody seems to care - what is going on with this forest?! A young, queet black teen is the main character which was amazing because of representation and that's something I will always get behind.

I thoroughly enjoyed the set up. The beginning of the novel pulled me in and I felt invested in Douglas and his journey at the Academy. However, the pacing in the middle of the book felt weird to me. There were jumps in time or things didn't make sense with the relationships between the characters. The ending felt rushed. I wish it had been more detailed and drawn out.

There were moments that were great! Any conflict or interaction with beings from the forest - I thought they were really well written and captivated my attention. There was a creepy/ominous quality around them that added to the journey the characters found themselves on.

I thought that the relationship between Douglas and Everett was lacking. There wasn't a build up or establishment of a relationship. It wasn't believable to me based on the meetings and interactions that were described. I didn't know what Everett wanted from Douglas half the time - which might have been the point, but felt more complicated than it needed to be.

That being said - this is a great pick if you like YA fantasy/horror. I'm not well versed in reading YA - it's still relatively new to me. That might have been what I had issues with. If you love a protaganist who is queer and a POC, then this is also wonderful - especially considering that there are lots of moments where both get brought into explain how Douglas navigates the world.

Combining history with fantasy is always an interesting take, though I would say that this leans a little bit more into the fantasy elements as the most stand-out elements of the book, working in horror elements as an element of the society-building. Overall the book itself is fairly interesting and has created a pretty cool concept to tell the story around while still being decently interesting to read. Douglas as the protagonist/narrator was both interesting to follow along with and pretty readable. Most of the romance elements in the book fell flat for me and and I just have some overall mixed feelings about the plot, although the ending itself was actually pretty good in terms of wrapping up the story being told. If you’re interested in a fantasy with horror elements combined with a sinister and corrupt boarding school in the woods type environment, I’d recommend giving this book a shot!

Although in some ways the plot was a little bit hit or miss for me, I don’t really have a lot of specific thoughts or things to say about it. While the romance is definitely a subplot, it feels like a fairly central element of the book. You can pretty well tell from the first few chapters who the love interest is going to be and while there is some buildup it’s pretty low stakes. My problem is that the love interest, Everett, never really felt like another 17 year old, while I could believe that Douglas was. There was never any real chemistry or romantic tension between the two for me, and I think the most invested I ever really felt was one moment in the epilogue, though that wasn’t really enough to redeem it for me. I understand why the author might have wanted to include a romance and include it in this way. It adds some good introspective elements for Douglas, but ultimately it took me out of the book more than it pulled me in.

Probably my favourite part of the book is near the end so I can’t really talk about it without getting into spoilers. However I can say that the way the horror element is in essence solved was the most gripping part of the entire book for me, playing on the elements of queerness and the feeling of being an outsider within the genre in a way that ended up making a very cool ending that I didn’t know to expect. As a whole, I have mixed feelings about this book, with some elements that really worked and some that fell a little flat for me, but I still think overall I enjoyed the read.

This was so weird to me lol And because of that, I liked it. Definitely was a good one to add to my horror reads era. Was I expecting more tho? Yes. Since it was marketed as horror I was expecting it to scare the pants off me. Idk what it is about forests, they just freak me out. I think it started with that book with the boy who lived. Anyway, since it had one I expected it to freak me out more, but it barely made me gasp. But still as a Jackson fan I knew I wasn’t going to be able to escape his writing. And I was right.

Ok so with that opening, I guess the thing I need to first point out is the horror or the scary bit. Whyyyyy was this put as horror and not just a thriller? I mean, I get it, it had a monster and the atmosphere was scary. But the monster wasn’t even explained for a good while and when it finally was, it was just what it looked like. There was no scary back story or any folklore or myth explained. And then when it finally was, it was like surface level. I wasn’t sold for any of it. Then whenever the monster had center stage, it was like talking, but it wasn’t even anything bad. Idk, I just wanted more?

And then there was the forest…. It had so much potential. I was scared from just seeing Forest in the title. And it was creepy the whole time. But all the time spent in there was time they couldn’t remember or time that we really didn’t see. I guess I wanted more. Most times I don’t like flowery language, but I guess in horror and thrillers it’s a good thing to have all those details. Or at the very least, more than normal I guess.

But even still the horror part wasn’t giving, I was still interested in the rest of the story. I needed to know WHY this was happening and why tf people couldn’t remember these things were happening. So when they finally told us what it was…. I was a little underwhelmed. Like as of now, I don’t even remember what it was lol And the rest of the plot was a little repetitive.

But the feeling in this was definitely classic Jackson. The romance and the way they hated each other, and the way they argued when it was clear that something big was going to happen and it was going to affect them, etc. I just simply wasn’t prepared for them to be as cute as they were when they were like trying to make sure they stayed alive lol I thought they were cute even at this weird ass time lol

I liked the book, but I just thought there was a little more potential. As someone who doesn’t read the synopsis, I went into this blind and thought it was something else entirely. I think the thing that saved me was the fact that I was listening to the e-audio from the library and I could speed it up, and because the author was Kosoko Jackson.

this was such a fun, spooky book! I'd class it more as a thriller than a horror, despite that absolutely top notch cover, but I still genuinely enjoyed it. through this story we follow Douglas, a young boy new to a special boarding school called Regent Academy (yes, truly) and lowkey on-the-emotional-run from past trauma. he handles his trauma by A, ignoring it entirely, B, having catastrophic and very strange dream memories, or C, sticking his nose literally everywhere it doesn't belong. this is a trait I really respect and admire in protagonists lol, so I was on Douglas' side from page one.

[who even cares about a mysterious fire that killed a bunch of people in his apartment complex? is it really so suspicious that he made it out alive when folks died on his floor? is it soooo strange that he was home alone and unmonitored and reeling with grief from his dad's death?]

the mystery starts with the Everleys, Regent Academy's local landscaping family who double as uhh guards kind of? they have a habit of patrolling the insanely creepy forest that runs right up along the academy's borders.

Everyone knows Everett Everley. One of the first things people told me - besides giving me faux compliments on my dreads and asking probing questions like, No, where are you really from? and Why do you talk so proper? and Did you really kill those people? - was Do not, under any circumstances, talk to the Everleys.

this very, very creepy forest is called Atolas Forest, and it has been whispering to Douglas for like eight months. he's largely keeping this to himself, due in part to his mysterious background and also because literally everybody would think he was insane lol. the forest gets so loud sometimes that Douglas has to zone out and read people's lips.

things very rapidly start going sideways when Douglas gets in a scuffle with his bully and wakes up in the middle of said spooky forest. his bully is in a Bad Way (by which I mean bestie is eviscerated and definitely dead) and Douglas is covered in blood. we've got a fanatical moment in which Douglas is convinced he's killed this dude, and then Everett Everley shows up and talks him down. this is also where things get really wild, and an old god/spirit/monster strolls out of the woods to take the bully's body and um, eat it, I guess.
"You want to think there's logic to everything," Emma mutters. "Maybe the forest is just an asshole."

Douglas finds out he's the chosen one (surprise! ✨) and he's expected to go into the woods and breaks the curse that keeps all locals and descendants of a couple of jackass ancestors stuck in town. Douglas agrees, both because he's a secret softie and because the unhinged dean is very clearly willing to do whatever it takes to get his cooperation. this quest takes a lot, but trust me, the ride is worth it.

I ended up getting enormously attached to the Everley's and their strange lil family (Emma was my absolute favorite character omg) and was glad they played such large roles in the story. I found the ending mostly satisfying; I feel like it took a long time to get to the actual ending (it was very much like a play where the audience keeps starting to clap before the play is actually over lol) but the actual ending was amazing.

I'm gonna rec this to people looking for bipoc queer rec, light horror and/or thrillers, and anybody with a soft spot for weird forest gods and his strange monster entourage.

"Etaliein was right," I say, trying to grin through my words. "The forest demands its due.."
"And its preferred payment is blood, I know," Everett finishes. "I just wish you didn't have to pay it."


rep - gay Black mc, bisexual love interest, achillean side characters
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc ✨

The premise of this book was right up my alley...dark academia, queer, YA, spooky season vibes. I was excited for a perfect October read. The plot was interesting, but it didn't feel that well executed. I don't think the writing was the issue, more so the editing. I felt confused frequently in a way that didn't feel intentional. I thought about DNFing, but I'm glad I kept going as I think the second half was better than the first. Ultimately, I don't think it's a book I'd recommend, though I'd still be open to reading more from this author.

Overall, I really really enjoyed this. I love a haunted forest story, first of all, but I also love a queer love story. To me, the history, lore, and descriptions of the world were the strongest parts. The social commentary was poignant and it played an important part in the story. The way that the story seamlessly became one of gods and monsters was excellent and I think well-paced, aside from feeling just a bit slow from the 20-40% mark.

The love story I did enjoy, but it happened so quickly. It just didn't feel real that Everett would give up everything his family ever worked for, and his family itself, for this boy he just recently met. I think it was cute and sweet to make them feel so strongly for each other, but it went from "do you think I'm handsome", to being turned down for a date, to kissing, to "I'd drop my sister and my life's mission for you at a single word from you" very quickly. But I also know how difficult it is to write a satisfying love story arc in a standalone so overall I don't feel like this was that much of a knock for it. They were still very good for eachother and I enjoyed it in the end!

Warning: Scary! But also everything I’ve ever wanted. I love that Jackson made dark academia DARK. And the representation was so awesome. So mysterious and I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful addition to my October reads - even if it skewed more towards fantasy with a dollop of horror than the horror I was expecting. The romance subplot was lovely - I think we all deserve an Everett in our lives. Or a Douglas. Because damn, did I love Douglas and wanted to protect him from the world. What a great character who didn't deserve half of the shit that landed on him. The ending was definitely not what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. Overall, this was a fun read that I devoured in about a day, and I would definitely recommend it to people, like me, who are looking for some good queer horror or horror fantasy.

I have enjoyed Jackson's books in the past; even when I don't love how they play out, he has great ideas and a strong voice for the young adult genre.

But this one didn't work for me. Despite a great introductory chapter, this went on for far too long. The pacing lagged, the dialogue lagged (and repeated itself)... the whole thing felt slow and sleepy.

I love a good dark academia and this delivered on that promise. It was creepy, gory, and had an interesting fantasy twist. It's very creepy from the beginning and there are some good twists throughout to keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed the MC Douglas and thought his loneliness and feelings of otherness jumped off the page. The one thing that didn't completely work for me was the romantic subplot. It might be because I'm mostly a romance reader, but it just wasn't quite believable (and very instalove then a lot of hot and cold). Still I'd definitely recommend it be added to your halloween TBR this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest at review!

First, I love the cover. It’s breathtaking. It pulled me in from the beginning and I was invested in Douglas’s story. From being bullied in school and having to fend for himself because he’s black and gay to his trauma at being in jail and having to deal with the crime he knows he didn’t commit.

Douglas is a student at Regent Academy. As one of the only black and openly gay students, he has a target on his back from the beginning. Add on the fact he’s a scholarship student and doesn’t come from money like everyone else and you have a recipe for a bad time. I loved Douglas. He was strong and willing to do whatever he needed to to protect those around him. The ending has me almost crying. Bittersweet and beautiful. And Everett! I loved him! The perfect ride or die himbo. Emma and Everett were the perfect monster killing sibling duo.

This was a great spooky dark academia book about a teen who unfortunately becomes the chosen one picked to end a centuries long curse and free the town from the treat of horrible monsters who turn humans into body horror demons. He is also tasked with freeing the hot guy he’s falling for, whose family is trapped in the town because of said ancient curse. This was a good look at love and forgiveness. Who is good and who deserves to carry the burdens and sins of the past. The action and horror were top tier and the romance was frustrating and adorable.

I love it when at the core of a horror story there is love, and this book absolutely delivered that. The Forest Demands Its Due is a story at its core about love and hate and the ways that those forces shape our world. I would've liked the horror elements to go a bit further than they did, but it's a great dark fantasy story. I struggled a bit to get into the story at first, but once I was hooked, I couldn't put it down.

Regent Academy is known for churning out students who eventually become successful leaders in society. But little does anyone know that there’s a darker history surrounding the school–specifically the forest around it.

After a student is mysteriously murdered, Douglas finds that the next day, no one else remembers they existed. Except for Everett Everley. It turns out, Douglas has awakened something dark in the forest, demanding payment for a wrong that happened 300 years ago. And Douglas might be the only person who can make it right.

Thanks to Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson to review! I’ve read Jackson’s other YA work, so I was excited to pick this one up. If you’re looking for a dark academia vibe this spooky season, this book will definitely be for you.

The world that Jackson has created in this book is so fascinating. The magic system in particular is different from a lot of other YA fantasy/horror I’ve read, and I enjoyed seeing how this played out throughout the story. Because it’s set in this isolated town, the vibes are also perfect for the weather starting to turn cooler.

Douglas’s changing relationship with Everett was probably my second favorite aspect of this book. They’re both thrown together kind of by chance, but they work their way to being vulnerable with each other. Seeing their relationship evolve helped to balance out some of the pretty horrific stuff that was going on around them. Moments of sweetness sprinkled throughout moments are helpful for someone who doesn’t necessarily read a lot of horror.

The plot does feel like it gets a little lost towards the middle of the book, but it finds itself again by the end. If you like dark academia with a sprinkle of mythology and curses, this will definitely be the book for you!