Sarah Dass has cleverly and craftily mixed a detective story with Caribbean folklore to create one of the most fast paced exciting reads to come from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint: It Waits in the Forest.
Set on the fictional island of St. Virgil, readers are introduced to Selina DaSilva who is trying to recover from the murder of her father, and the unending coma that her mother seems stuck in. While trying to rebuild her life, make friends, and move on from the tragedy that befell her family, a stranger named Len enters Selina and Allison’s store and turns their life upside down.
In the backroom of the store, Selina follows in her mother’s footsteps of being a psychic and offers readings and solutions to unsolvable problems. While Selina may not believe in the abilities that her mother displayed, that doesn’t stop Selina from parlaying her mom’s fame for her own benefit. Unfortunately for Selina, Len is more than a tourist rube looking for a magical ointment.
On the island of St. Virgil, people die all the time, usually under odd circumstances, but never murder. Now the police are on the hunt for a murderer, and the bodies continue to pile up. The evidence starts to point to Len, and Selina has a problem. Does she inform the police that Len visited the shop and she and Allison have his phone and wallet in their possession, or do they ignore the death that is plaguing the island.
To compound Selina’s problems, she has visions of the dead, especially of her father. Muriel, her mom’s friend and guardian, wonders if Selina is finally gaining the sight that her mom had. This is not what Selina needs. Selina wonders, what if her mom’s gift was real? Having the added pressure of her boyfriend Edward wanting to make their relationship serious, and joining forces with her now returned ex-boyfriend Gabriel to investigate the murders, Selina is dealing with a variety of emotions as she sets her world straight.
Selina and Gabriel plunge into the investigation to find Len and solve the crimes. The further the two dig into what is happening on St. Virgil’s, Selina will be forced to confront the past, accept that her mother’s ‘gifts’ might not be imaginary, and recognize that the truth has been staring her in the face the whole time.
I have come to expect exciting and compelling stories under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, and Sarah Dass has delivered a knockout with It Waits in the Forest. Using the African and Caribbean folklore, Dass has crafted a uniquely compelling, pulse pounding whodunit, with an aesthetic that feels so real, that one would swear that St. Virgil is a real place.
Beyond the basic connection to the mythology stories that are the hallmark of the RRP imprint, Dass has constructed a believable supernatural wonder with It Waits in the Forest. Part murder mystery and part coming of age story, Dass infuses her narrative with the supernatural spectacle that entices readers to keep going. As a reader, one does not need to know the backstory of the mythology, nor is the reader compelled to learn a whole new set of fictional god names and understand how they connect. The mythology in this book is important, but the people are front and center, and the richly detailed lives of Selina, Gabriel, Allison, Janice, Muriel, and everyone else come into the vortex of the narrative which enlightens and brightens the pages of the book.
Selina DaSilva is young, but old enough that she is responsible for making her own choices and living with the consequences. Selina is eager, intelligent, and racked with guilt over the murder of her father and the incapacitation of her mother. She is alone on her island with regret about Gabriel as well as with ‘friends’ who may not be the best help to her, and regret about Gabriel.
While readers will get instantly caught up in Selina’s story, Dass has also firmly established the island of St. Virgil as a place that any reader will clamor to visit. From the winding streets of the main tourist area to the remote villages and forests that are hours away from any city, St. Virgil is alive and bright on the pages of It Waits in the Forest thanks to Dass. She makes the reader feel at home, as we walk through the streets, parade through the parts of Muriel’s mansion, and hike to the jump off point by Crimson Bay.
The villain of the story is rooted in folklore but what is nice and refreshing to see is that the true enemy in the story is the human desire for more than what life offers. The old saying of making a deal with the devil comes to fruition for many in It Waits in the Forest and Dass has blended the human desire for wealth and success, and the lunacy of making a deal with a spiritual force that will grant you anything in return from multiple awful tasks.
Humans will do anything for success, and for the ones they love, and readers will see how in St. Virgil, the people who live on the island are just as normal as those who walk the streets beside them. Everyone wants to be happy, and everyone wants success, the only question is, what would you trade for the one thing you truly want. Would you sell your soul?
Beyond the moments of witchcraft, magic, and the occasional stunning vista of island life, Sarah Dass has crafted a good old fashion detective story that hinges on the success of the main character. For Dass, her Selina DaSilva is not Poirot or Holmes, she is a regular girl who wants to know the truth. After reading the book, I feel closer to Selina than I ever could to the more famous detectives.
Readers of this beautifully tragic story of love, desire, and the quest for success will be frantically turning the page to see how the story ends. Blended with action, romance, and a dash of superstition that is not meant to be understood but rather accepted, It Waits in the Forest is a crafty and intriguing story that all readers will love.