It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Doss is a Rick Riordan Presents stand-alone novel with Caribbean Mythology as the focus. This was one of my favorite books of the year. I prefer a character that is not always making the right decisions. Even though she does not always make the right decision, she does not make so stupid of decision that you hate the character or feel like the stupidity is to move the plot along. I liked some of the suspense and it was fast paced. The characters felt real with flaws and the "bad guys" had some good depending on the characters arch. I could see how the characters got to where they were. I liked the mythology weaved through the book but for me that almost took a back seat. The grief of loss and the regret of past interactions is something I have had to contemplate and resonated with me. 

 

I give this 4.5 (4 if I cannot do 5) stars because as somebody who loves fantasy that was honestly the weakest part. This point I am just being picky about because I loved everything else about the book. I think the rest was so high caliber that the twist and mythology was too weak for me. I wish the mythology would have been delved into more. I am definitely going to look for this author again. Thank you to NetGalley, Rick Riordan Presents, and Sarah Doss for the free copy. This was an honest review.