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The Unseen #1-2 Omnibus
It Begins / Rest in Peace
Out walking alone one rainy night, Lucy becomes convinced that someone--or something--is following her. Soon she begins having terrifying visions and dreams--and she still can't shake the feeling of an unseen presence, always watching, waiting . . .
570 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
55 people are currently reading
1205 people want to read
About the author
Richie Tankersley Cusick
50 books797 followersRichie Tankersley Cusick is the bestselling young adult author of over 25 titles, including two adult horror titles, Scarecrow and Blood Roots. Her popularity grew at the height of the horror/YA boom in the late '80s/early '90s, particularly with books like Lifeguard , Trick or Treat and Teacher's Pet, just to name a few, allowing her to keep company on the bestseller paperback lists with the likes of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. Her fan base expanded about the time she changed publishers to Archway/Pocket Books with titles like Vampire and Someone at the Door.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
August 14, 2012
I'm not going to lie. I bought this book and its sequel on a whim while at Walmart shopping on night. I loved the covers, especially how they fit together to form one full image on both the main cover and the spine. I have learned the ways of the "cover whore" (as Ashley of The Bookish Brunette would say) and snagged the books immediately. They've been sitting on my shelves for a few months and I finally decided to dive in.
Wow.
Seriously, wow.
These are a real true horror story. There are no punches pulled in this series at all. People die...gruesomely. The villain is terrifying in his power and mystery. There are incredibly creepy scenes that linger in your mind long after you read them.
It's so rare that I find a book that feels so genuinely entrenched in the horror genre. I seriously, seriously loved this book.
A few specific thoughts...
I can see where people may become frustrated with Lucy. She makes a lot of very bad decisions and tends to go against her own instincts. Yet, I could understand this because she comes under the influence of the Big Bad very, very quickly. The story is also about a loss of self.
I really liked the character of Byron a lot. The beginnings of the tender relationship he forms with Lucy was really sweet. Some of the best scenes in the series were with Bryon. That being said...
I loved when Dakota entered the story. I felt her friendship with Lucy was one of the things I truly enjoyed about the book.
Also, I loved how things are hinted out, clues are dropped, but nothing is laid out in a crystal clear manner so you keep guessing as to what is really going on.
Wow.
Seriously, wow.
These are a real true horror story. There are no punches pulled in this series at all. People die...gruesomely. The villain is terrifying in his power and mystery. There are incredibly creepy scenes that linger in your mind long after you read them.
It's so rare that I find a book that feels so genuinely entrenched in the horror genre. I seriously, seriously loved this book.
A few specific thoughts...
I can see where people may become frustrated with Lucy. She makes a lot of very bad decisions and tends to go against her own instincts. Yet, I could understand this because she comes under the influence of the Big Bad very, very quickly. The story is also about a loss of self.
I really liked the character of Byron a lot. The beginnings of the tender relationship he forms with Lucy was really sweet. Some of the best scenes in the series were with Bryon. That being said...
I loved when Dakota entered the story. I felt her friendship with Lucy was one of the things I truly enjoyed about the book.
Also, I loved how things are hinted out, clues are dropped, but nothing is laid out in a crystal clear manner so you keep guessing as to what is really going on.
January 21, 2013
WOW WOW WOW! This was an amazing read for a "book that looked interesting, and bought on a whim." This book litterally had me sitting on the edge of my seat, my bed, and the floor if it had an edge. I could not put it down. Very fluid and easy to read.
I loved it because it was so very mysterious and SCARY! Never knowing what to expect and this is just the first volume....so looking forward to the second one.
Each of the 2 volumes has 2 different books in them. The first Unseen has It Begins, and Rest in Peace. The second one has Blood Brothers and Sin & Salvation. Richie Tankersley Cusick is a new favorite Author!
I loved it because it was so very mysterious and SCARY! Never knowing what to expect and this is just the first volume....so looking forward to the second one.
Each of the 2 volumes has 2 different books in them. The first Unseen has It Begins, and Rest in Peace. The second one has Blood Brothers and Sin & Salvation. Richie Tankersley Cusick is a new favorite Author!
March 12, 2012
i wish i could give this book a half star. i have to admit i bought both The Unseen and The Unseen 2. So I feel obligated to finish the series. But i have to say that if the second book is anything like the first then it was money completely wasted. The Unseen is like 2 books in one. the first book was a complete flop. It just repeated the strange goings on over and over again with no character development going on. By the end of the first book the main character, Lucy, was the only person we knew and all the other characters were either already dead or going to be dead. The book is pretty predictable. Book 2 had a little more action but not much. Still not she what characters are going good, bad, or will be dead shortly. There are a lot of plot lines that should have been developed but were not. Lucy's aunt Irene is one of the characters who is in the background a lot but was introducted as having a conflict with Lucy's mom that was never discussed. WTF? is this going to be talked about later? Byron had a good story line but not anymore. I really hope the second book is better, but unfortunately i don't think so.
July 23, 2016
Lucy Dennison is mourning the death of her beloved mother. The apartment had already been sold, her belongings packed, and her aunt ready to whisk her away from everything and everyone she has ever known. Lucy struggles with the transition from a busy life in the city to her new life in Pine Ridge, a quiet, remote town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Lucy just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: walking through a cemetery on the night of a murder. Only Lucy knows exactly what happened that night, and it’s a secret that she struggles to forget. Just as she is assured that the worst has come to pass, her entire world is shattered into a million fragments.
Now I’m not a huge fan of horror anything: movies, books, haunted houses. My most recent experience with such a genre was the horror film, The Woman in Black. I dragged my parents to the movie theater to watch this movie for one reason and one reason only: Daniel Radcliff was in it. I didn’t sleep for a week. So when I found this book on the “Teen Picks” Horror shelf at Barnes and Noble, I was fairly reluctant to purchase it, to say the least. However, the description didn’t sound that bad and, to be completely honest, the covers were pretty fancy:
I mean, how fantastic is that? The two covers side by side give you a complete view of the girl’s face. Yes, I realize you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but nearly every reader will admit to doing something of the sort. After finishing the book last night, I was able to fall asleep. I’m not sure I would classify this book as a true horror novel, because, quite frankly, it wasn’t all that frightening.
There were very suspenseful moments throughout the book that popped up every 50 pages, or so. These twists and turns certainly kept me on my toes, but I was expecting much more with respect to the horror aspect of the book. Cusick wasn’t big into taking a painstakingly long time describing each scene, so I didn’t find myself falling asleep from boredom.
It wasn’t the next Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but it was a pleasant read. However, I did come away from the book still asking quite a few questions, which is incentive, perhaps, to find a ride to Barnes and Noble and purchase the next book.
Out of the relatively small number of characters, I had some issues with the protagonist, Lucy. She was portrayed as extremely jumpy and insecure, yet her decisions, words, and actions led me to believe she was also fairly gullible. These traits seem a bit contradictory in my opinion. If she was living so cautiously, Lucy wouldn’t automatically believe every word that comes out of anyone else’s mouth. Additionally, she tended to have a very short temper. She snapped at other characters on numerous occasions but would apologize in her next breath. Such a fast change in attitude was unusual.
The 49 pages in between each suspenseful moment were, on the contrary, quite disappointing. I found myself skimming the pages, anxiously anticipating the next unexpected plot twist. Yes, the book was still intriguing and I enjoyed it, I was just hoping for a bit more suspense or action. Several scenes involving one character in particular were fairly cheesy, overdramatic, and unrealistic. I was expecting a bit of teen romance throughout the book and found myself sadly disappointed.
And lastly, the ending of the book. Wow. I never saw that coming. I was waiting for the paragraph that explained it was all some big mistake. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. While I was reading, I was debating whether or not I wanted to invest the time to read the second book in the series. The ending made the decision for me. And now, it’s time for a trip to Barnes and Noble.
Now I’m not a huge fan of horror anything: movies, books, haunted houses. My most recent experience with such a genre was the horror film, The Woman in Black. I dragged my parents to the movie theater to watch this movie for one reason and one reason only: Daniel Radcliff was in it. I didn’t sleep for a week. So when I found this book on the “Teen Picks” Horror shelf at Barnes and Noble, I was fairly reluctant to purchase it, to say the least. However, the description didn’t sound that bad and, to be completely honest, the covers were pretty fancy:
I mean, how fantastic is that? The two covers side by side give you a complete view of the girl’s face. Yes, I realize you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but nearly every reader will admit to doing something of the sort. After finishing the book last night, I was able to fall asleep. I’m not sure I would classify this book as a true horror novel, because, quite frankly, it wasn’t all that frightening.
There were very suspenseful moments throughout the book that popped up every 50 pages, or so. These twists and turns certainly kept me on my toes, but I was expecting much more with respect to the horror aspect of the book. Cusick wasn’t big into taking a painstakingly long time describing each scene, so I didn’t find myself falling asleep from boredom.
It wasn’t the next Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but it was a pleasant read. However, I did come away from the book still asking quite a few questions, which is incentive, perhaps, to find a ride to Barnes and Noble and purchase the next book.
Out of the relatively small number of characters, I had some issues with the protagonist, Lucy. She was portrayed as extremely jumpy and insecure, yet her decisions, words, and actions led me to believe she was also fairly gullible. These traits seem a bit contradictory in my opinion. If she was living so cautiously, Lucy wouldn’t automatically believe every word that comes out of anyone else’s mouth. Additionally, she tended to have a very short temper. She snapped at other characters on numerous occasions but would apologize in her next breath. Such a fast change in attitude was unusual.
The 49 pages in between each suspenseful moment were, on the contrary, quite disappointing. I found myself skimming the pages, anxiously anticipating the next unexpected plot twist. Yes, the book was still intriguing and I enjoyed it, I was just hoping for a bit more suspense or action. Several scenes involving one character in particular were fairly cheesy, overdramatic, and unrealistic. I was expecting a bit of teen romance throughout the book and found myself sadly disappointed.
And lastly, the ending of the book. Wow. I never saw that coming. I was waiting for the paragraph that explained it was all some big mistake. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. While I was reading, I was debating whether or not I wanted to invest the time to read the second book in the series. The ending made the decision for me. And now, it’s time for a trip to Barnes and Noble.
February 13, 2013
Mysterious, scary, the Unseen 1 which contains two books of the series including It Begins and Rest in Peace. It described how Lucy Denninson, a high school teen whose mother was dead, moved to live with her aunt and step-cousin Angela. During her first few days in her stays, when she found herself being stalked by a stranger at night, she escaped to a cemetery and suddenly fell into an open grave. She then saw a girl being stabbed and was in her last minutes. The girl then grabbed her hands hard, actually transferring some mysterious power to her and told her not to tell anyone about it. Knowing that someone was murdered, Lucy was struggling to tell or not to. She also received terrible nightmares and visions, making her unable to sleep well every night. She also felt that someone was stalking her. When this mysterious Bryon appeared, who was said to help her, she told everything to him and finally figured out that the murdered girl was Katherine, Bryon's sister, who was believed to be a fortune-telling and crazy girl. But then Angela disappeared with a stranger.
Through reading The Unseen 1, learning to treasure things around you is one of the moral I have learnt from it. Lucy just met Byron for a few days and told her most of her secrets to him, but then he killed through a car accident while Lucy was taken away to be healed by a secret person. Lucy regretted a lot for not telling Bryon all of her secrets so they could have figured out more stuff behind this secret. It was just such a pity that Byron was killed.
This book is really kind of interesting and mysterious, as the author said all the time. It was kind of crazy for Lucy to let a stranger, who blindfolded her, kissed her without even knowing who he was. I kind of wonder why didn't Lucy call home and tell her aunt that she was being stalked at the beginning of the book. If that's what happened, she won't even end up receiving those horrible 'gift' from Katherine and would have lived a normal life. I really pity Lucy though for trying to warn people to be careful when she received visions about a person's death. Those people like Wanda never listened to her and thought she was crazy. She was then murdered and Lucy was being questioned by the police as if she was one of the suspects. I love this book and extremely recommend this book to you, as you should have known how I read it from day till night to finish it. Though the words in this book is kind of huge and I thought that it was a children book at first, it still suits me a lot for its mysterious, attractive plot. I am now totally longing to finish the second book.
my blog: http://bookidiot.blogspot.com
Through reading The Unseen 1, learning to treasure things around you is one of the moral I have learnt from it. Lucy just met Byron for a few days and told her most of her secrets to him, but then he killed through a car accident while Lucy was taken away to be healed by a secret person. Lucy regretted a lot for not telling Bryon all of her secrets so they could have figured out more stuff behind this secret. It was just such a pity that Byron was killed.
This book is really kind of interesting and mysterious, as the author said all the time. It was kind of crazy for Lucy to let a stranger, who blindfolded her, kissed her without even knowing who he was. I kind of wonder why didn't Lucy call home and tell her aunt that she was being stalked at the beginning of the book. If that's what happened, she won't even end up receiving those horrible 'gift' from Katherine and would have lived a normal life. I really pity Lucy though for trying to warn people to be careful when she received visions about a person's death. Those people like Wanda never listened to her and thought she was crazy. She was then murdered and Lucy was being questioned by the police as if she was one of the suspects. I love this book and extremely recommend this book to you, as you should have known how I read it from day till night to finish it. Though the words in this book is kind of huge and I thought that it was a children book at first, it still suits me a lot for its mysterious, attractive plot. I am now totally longing to finish the second book.
my blog: http://bookidiot.blogspot.com
October 17, 2012
The book is about a girl named Lucy who moves to Pine Ridge with her aunt and cousin after her mother dies of cancer. The first night she got there she decide to take a walk one rainy night which turned out to be a big mistake. When she is walking she hears foot steps behind her but every time she turns around there gone. She then becomes convinced that someone is following her so she ends up running into a cemetery where she is not alone. She sits next to one of the graves were she is out of breath then she starts to panic. After about 5 minutes she starts running to where she thinks is the opening of the cemetery when she falls into a open grave. When she finally gets out of the cemetery she begins to have visions and dreams and there is always a feeling in lucy that there is always a unseen presence watching and waiting.
I liked this book because the author was very descriptive and likes to leave you at a cliff hanger after every part of the book. It seemed that you were actually in the book. I think that this book would be great for people who like mysteries, scary books, and murder. This book actually gave me nightmares the first time i read it. i don't recommend this book to people who get scared easily or does not like books about murder. I gave this book five out of five but i think that people may give a lower score because it was too scary but i liked this book very much.
I liked this book because the author was very descriptive and likes to leave you at a cliff hanger after every part of the book. It seemed that you were actually in the book. I think that this book would be great for people who like mysteries, scary books, and murder. This book actually gave me nightmares the first time i read it. i don't recommend this book to people who get scared easily or does not like books about murder. I gave this book five out of five but i think that people may give a lower score because it was too scary but i liked this book very much.
June 5, 2016
What a freaking TERRIBLE book. This was recommended to me by one of my students and she made it sound interesting. And the premise did make me curious.
Unfortunately, it just read like an awful fanfiction. Seriously bad. Lucy was the most boring protagonist and by the end of the novel, I realized that I knew nothing about her, other than that her mother was dead and she was being "haunted" by some kind of paranormal entity. She has no personality, unless you call being consistently scared and angsty a personality. And the other characters were just as flat. Boring, plan, sometimes ridiculous caricatures of old and worn-out stereotypes.
BAD. DO NOT READ. I DO NOT RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE.
Unfortunately, it just read like an awful fanfiction. Seriously bad. Lucy was the most boring protagonist and by the end of the novel, I realized that I knew nothing about her, other than that her mother was dead and she was being "haunted" by some kind of paranormal entity. She has no personality, unless you call being consistently scared and angsty a personality. And the other characters were just as flat. Boring, plan, sometimes ridiculous caricatures of old and worn-out stereotypes.
BAD. DO NOT READ. I DO NOT RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE.
January 25, 2012
Amazing! i found myself constantly uneasy and guessing. as soon as you come to any solid conclusion, things change and you find yourself putting the puzzle together in another way just trying to figure it all out.
The only thing i don't like about the book is how naive Lucy is If something happens that obviously is not okay, she easily says "okay that's weird... I'm gonna ignore it" its highly frustrating. I found myself wanting to shout out " STOP BEING SO STUPID!!!!!" but... i still give it 5 stars because the story is still so engaging.
The only thing i don't like about the book is how naive Lucy is If something happens that obviously is not okay, she easily says "okay that's weird... I'm gonna ignore it" its highly frustrating. I found myself wanting to shout out " STOP BEING SO STUPID!!!!!" but... i still give it 5 stars because the story is still so engaging.
June 5, 2012
Definitely want be disappointed with this story, I was hooked after reading the first chapter and found I couldn't put it down cause it kept me wondering who kept following and stalking Lucy, just when you think who or what could be doing it, the story takes you into another whirlwind of guessing again. It is worth the read.
January 31, 2017
This book was mysterious and creepy but fantastic enough to be hooked on every page. I don't recommend reading this before bedtime, but overall it was a fantastic read. I can't wait until the next book!
October 10, 2021
This is a reread of a series I really enjoyed back in high school! I wouldn't say it's super quality literature but I've been having fun reading it again!
April 11, 2012
~4/5
The description of this book is pretty vague, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it. Was it supernatural, suspense, mystery; was there any romance? But a friend suggested it to me, which didn't really make me all that less wary, but I thought that there had to be a reason she liked it, and so I started it with hope. And was very pleasantly surprised to find that I was really enjoying it.
The Unseen is about Lucy, who's mother has died and so moves in with her un-emotional aunt and troublesome cousin (her aunt's step-daughter), in a town where she doesn't know anyone and feels all alone. On one of her first days in town, she decides to take a walk, just to get out of the house, and, upon feeling that someone is following her, runs into the cemetery and falls into an open grave. Where a girl is dying/has died, who then says a few things to Lucy and passes her psychic powers onto. The next day, what is supposed to be Lucy's first day at her new school, she sneaks back to the library and runs into a boy, Byron, who claims to know what happened with Lucy and the things she is going through/is going to go through.
Throughout the first book, she gets closer to Byron, without any actual romantic things happening, and tries to pretend that things happening to her are coincidences/have perfectly logical reasons for happening/don't exist. In the second book, pretty much the same things happen, only with some new people and with Lucy starting to believe that she is crazy/it's all because of the accident (that she went through at the end of the first book and very beginning of the second, which I will not spoil, but was very intense and sad and with an unexpected end) because everyone around her doesn't believe her. With another cliffhanger ending, that makes me want to pick up the next book much sooner than I'd expected.
It starts out with a prologue in the Villain guy's perspective, thinking about a girl that pulled one over on him. I thought that he was maybe talking about Lucy, and am a bit disappointed that he wasn't, mostly because his description and feelings on that girl could have been better than Lucy. She seemed much more devious than Lucy is, and it kind of makes me wish I'd gotten to know her, too. Maybe/hopefully Lucy will turn a little like her, though? (More on her later, though.) Then it moves to chapter one, where it starts rather abruptly with Lucy running away from something. I think that maybe could have started a little more smoothly? It felt too sudden.
Despite the somewhat bad start, my favorite part of these two books were quite possibly the Villain's scenes. We don't know his name, we don't really know what he is. But he's always following her, he lives in the shadows, I think he actually is the shadows, but can materialize and look however he wants, and he kills people and drinks blood and feeds off emotions (particularly fear). There are several short chapters in both books, including the prologues, that are in his point-of-view, where he is thinking about Lucy, maybe killing someone (much like the Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting,'s villain scenes, only better and with more character). At the beginning, I'd thought that maybe he was going to be the love interest, but then his chapter, and his next one, quickly became creepy and it was made obvious that he was the one following her. But then near the end of the second book, we start getting more of his feelings on things, which made me want to know more about him and what his past life was, as I'm assuming he had one, and if something is going to happen between him and Lucy besides him and her fighting it all out to the end, and maybe even feel a little sympathy for him.
Lucy, on the other hand, isn't my favorite. I wouldn't call her weak, but she is in no way strong. She's not quite whiny, but I was starting to grow tired of how she was always trying to push everything away. She wanted to believe that what she saw in the cemetery wasn't real, or it was a trick; that all the psychic things she'd been feeling weren't real; that maybe she was crazy and hallucinating all of it. It was starting to drive me a little crazy, and so I was glad to see at the end that she was going to accept it, even if it was a little more tell than show. I'm still a little unsure of her, though. She's almost whiny with her emotions, but I think some of it might just be because I don't really connect with her. Some of the things about her, I just don't really buy.
She has reasons for the things she does, though. Because of what happened with her mother, and probably how her aunt and cousin act, she has a wall built around herself. But I didn't really believe that, either. She's a little too gullible, even while trying to be wary. She goes to meet Byron, and starts trusting Dakota rather easily. At some points in the second book, it seemed like when she would first start to talk to someone, she would snap at them, which she had reason to do, only almost immediately after, she would be apologetic. I would have rather she chose one and stuck with it. And I would prefer it be the wary one. She needs to toughen up, and hopefully in the next book she will.
I haven't grown too attached to any of the other characters yet. Although I am surprised by where the love interest went, since I definitely wasn't expecting it, even if it did give us fair warning (which I ignored, thinking that he didn't count). A part of me is, yea, a bit upset since I like romance in most books, but I am enjoying the book without it just fine. And I did kind of like the guy, too, so that sucks a bit. I also liked that they didn't jump into love, or actual romance of any kind before what happened, happened. They were just starting to grow as friends when it happened. Plus, it seemed at first like it was going to start going down a stereotypical lane, what with all the girls fawning over him and his secretive ways just a bit, so I am glad that it took a different curve instead.
The writing I wasn't particularly fond of, either. It was easy to get through, actually rather easy and fun to read, but Cusick uses a lot of italics and ellipses and one-sentence paragraphs for emphasis. I can see why, and, I mean, I like using them when I write, too, but she uses them much too often. There were sometimes several on each page, so she should have cut them down a little, as I could see it getting on some peoples nerves very easily, since it was almost on mine.
Aside from that, though, the writing was pretty good. A little more tell than show in some places, but there were still some pretty good descriptions in there. And the tension and suspense was very good. There were very few, if any, dull moments throughout either books. Lucy was always off doing something, with the villain (or whatever) creeping up on her, ruining everything and causing a lot of trouble, and freaking Lucy out, and her just finding out important things. There were several times within the books that Lucy would go to sleep/pass out and have a lapse of memory upon waking up, which sometimes is okay, but happened so many times that it was starting to get annoying; and she's almost always going through these things alone. I guess this could be because no one will believe her and that the way the Villain wants her to be, but it bothered me. Also, within the first book, it seemed like time should have gone by faster, because of all the things that seemed to be happening, though.
Both books had quite big cliffhangers, and I'm a little surprised by how badly I want to read the next one (as I said above). I want to see where everything is going, what's going to happen next. I really want to know what's going to happen with the Villain, as well as hoping that I like Lucy more. And I want to know more about the guy we met at the cliffhanger. And I want to know what Matt's (a priest, who is counseling Lucy, but who I am getting a somewhat romantic and creepy feeling from, like maybe he has connections with/is the Villain) up to.
I'm hoping to get the next one soon, and to finish it quickly; but we'll see how that goes.
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]
The description of this book is pretty vague, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it. Was it supernatural, suspense, mystery; was there any romance? But a friend suggested it to me, which didn't really make me all that less wary, but I thought that there had to be a reason she liked it, and so I started it with hope. And was very pleasantly surprised to find that I was really enjoying it.
The Unseen is about Lucy, who's mother has died and so moves in with her un-emotional aunt and troublesome cousin (her aunt's step-daughter), in a town where she doesn't know anyone and feels all alone. On one of her first days in town, she decides to take a walk, just to get out of the house, and, upon feeling that someone is following her, runs into the cemetery and falls into an open grave. Where a girl is dying/has died, who then says a few things to Lucy and passes her psychic powers onto. The next day, what is supposed to be Lucy's first day at her new school, she sneaks back to the library and runs into a boy, Byron, who claims to know what happened with Lucy and the things she is going through/is going to go through.
Throughout the first book, she gets closer to Byron, without any actual romantic things happening, and tries to pretend that things happening to her are coincidences/have perfectly logical reasons for happening/don't exist. In the second book, pretty much the same things happen, only with some new people and with Lucy starting to believe that she is crazy/it's all because of the accident (that she went through at the end of the first book and very beginning of the second, which I will not spoil, but was very intense and sad and with an unexpected end) because everyone around her doesn't believe her. With another cliffhanger ending, that makes me want to pick up the next book much sooner than I'd expected.
It starts out with a prologue in the Villain guy's perspective, thinking about a girl that pulled one over on him. I thought that he was maybe talking about Lucy, and am a bit disappointed that he wasn't, mostly because his description and feelings on that girl could have been better than Lucy. She seemed much more devious than Lucy is, and it kind of makes me wish I'd gotten to know her, too. Maybe/hopefully Lucy will turn a little like her, though? (More on her later, though.) Then it moves to chapter one, where it starts rather abruptly with Lucy running away from something. I think that maybe could have started a little more smoothly? It felt too sudden.
Despite the somewhat bad start, my favorite part of these two books were quite possibly the Villain's scenes. We don't know his name, we don't really know what he is. But he's always following her, he lives in the shadows, I think he actually is the shadows, but can materialize and look however he wants, and he kills people and drinks blood and feeds off emotions (particularly fear). There are several short chapters in both books, including the prologues, that are in his point-of-view, where he is thinking about Lucy, maybe killing someone (much like the Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting,'s villain scenes, only better and with more character). At the beginning, I'd thought that maybe he was going to be the love interest, but then his chapter, and his next one, quickly became creepy and it was made obvious that he was the one following her. But then near the end of the second book, we start getting more of his feelings on things, which made me want to know more about him and what his past life was, as I'm assuming he had one, and if something is going to happen between him and Lucy besides him and her fighting it all out to the end, and maybe even feel a little sympathy for him.
Lucy, on the other hand, isn't my favorite. I wouldn't call her weak, but she is in no way strong. She's not quite whiny, but I was starting to grow tired of how she was always trying to push everything away. She wanted to believe that what she saw in the cemetery wasn't real, or it was a trick; that all the psychic things she'd been feeling weren't real; that maybe she was crazy and hallucinating all of it. It was starting to drive me a little crazy, and so I was glad to see at the end that she was going to accept it, even if it was a little more tell than show. I'm still a little unsure of her, though. She's almost whiny with her emotions, but I think some of it might just be because I don't really connect with her. Some of the things about her, I just don't really buy.
She has reasons for the things she does, though. Because of what happened with her mother, and probably how her aunt and cousin act, she has a wall built around herself. But I didn't really believe that, either. She's a little too gullible, even while trying to be wary. She goes to meet Byron, and starts trusting Dakota rather easily. At some points in the second book, it seemed like when she would first start to talk to someone, she would snap at them, which she had reason to do, only almost immediately after, she would be apologetic. I would have rather she chose one and stuck with it. And I would prefer it be the wary one. She needs to toughen up, and hopefully in the next book she will.
I haven't grown too attached to any of the other characters yet. Although I am surprised by where the love interest went, since I definitely wasn't expecting it, even if it did give us fair warning (which I ignored, thinking that he didn't count). A part of me is, yea, a bit upset since I like romance in most books, but I am enjoying the book without it just fine. And I did kind of like the guy, too, so that sucks a bit. I also liked that they didn't jump into love, or actual romance of any kind before what happened, happened. They were just starting to grow as friends when it happened. Plus, it seemed at first like it was going to start going down a stereotypical lane, what with all the girls fawning over him and his secretive ways just a bit, so I am glad that it took a different curve instead.
The writing I wasn't particularly fond of, either. It was easy to get through, actually rather easy and fun to read, but Cusick uses a lot of italics and ellipses and one-sentence paragraphs for emphasis. I can see why, and, I mean, I like using them when I write, too, but she uses them much too often. There were sometimes several on each page, so she should have cut them down a little, as I could see it getting on some peoples nerves very easily, since it was almost on mine.
Aside from that, though, the writing was pretty good. A little more tell than show in some places, but there were still some pretty good descriptions in there. And the tension and suspense was very good. There were very few, if any, dull moments throughout either books. Lucy was always off doing something, with the villain (or whatever) creeping up on her, ruining everything and causing a lot of trouble, and freaking Lucy out, and her just finding out important things. There were several times within the books that Lucy would go to sleep/pass out and have a lapse of memory upon waking up, which sometimes is okay, but happened so many times that it was starting to get annoying; and she's almost always going through these things alone. I guess this could be because no one will believe her and that the way the Villain wants her to be, but it bothered me. Also, within the first book, it seemed like time should have gone by faster, because of all the things that seemed to be happening, though.
Both books had quite big cliffhangers, and I'm a little surprised by how badly I want to read the next one (as I said above). I want to see where everything is going, what's going to happen next. I really want to know what's going to happen with the Villain, as well as hoping that I like Lucy more. And I want to know more about the guy we met at the cliffhanger. And I want to know what Matt's (a priest, who is counseling Lucy, but who I am getting a somewhat romantic and creepy feeling from, like maybe he has connections with/is the Villain) up to.
I'm hoping to get the next one soon, and to finish it quickly; but we'll see how that goes.
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]
December 22, 2018
I gotta know- what is this mysterious murderous monster? Thoughts????
I was thinking some kind of vampire because of the blood thing, but... he shape-shifts and hides in the form of a shadow????
And we know he was alive at some point in the past because after the soup kitchen scene, he rambles about how she made him feel again. I gotta know your thoughts.
I was thinking some kind of vampire because of the blood thing, but... he shape-shifts and hides in the form of a shadow????
And we know he was alive at some point in the past because after the soup kitchen scene, he rambles about how she made him feel again. I gotta know your thoughts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2022
This book genuinely had me on the edge of my seat the entire read through, I was incredibly invested in what would unfold - I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book to read further. Fantastic read gull of thrill, mystery and cliff hangers.
I also thoroughly enjoyed how it was an easy quick read, that I could pick up and read when given the time!
I also thoroughly enjoyed how it was an easy quick read, that I could pick up and read when given the time!
January 12, 2023
took 3 days to finish very fast paced i loved that kinda predictable but still a really good read i love the supernatural and the characters are so easy to fall in love with i honestly couldn’t put this book down i love the way it was fast paced but with good tension and build up to a great story line you should definitely give it a read
April 12, 2020
This is the first book I've read by this author. I feel, it was well written. I never felt bogged down exposition or stumbled over words. The pacing was smooth and the main character was well developed. It was a real page turner. The suspense all the way to the end.
April 23, 2020
I've read and reread all 4 of the book series several times since 2005!!! They need to make a movie or show based off this series! If they do, I'm auditioning for Lucy!!! I always try to find books similar to these. Just creepy enough.
February 28, 2021
I liked it! I was given this book to read on a trip home because I finished the book I brought!
It is about a girl that can see spirits in Louisiana, has a cajon creole vibe which I love! It was around Halloween when I was reading this. Just a light, Ghost & Mystery book.
It is about a girl that can see spirits in Louisiana, has a cajon creole vibe which I love! It was around Halloween when I was reading this. Just a light, Ghost & Mystery book.
September 13, 2017
Very good read!
January 5, 2018
Not bad a little spooky in places. I will look for the next book, Part three Blood Brothers and part four Sin and Salvation.
May 7, 2018
I kinda spent the whole time asking myself wtf was going on but in a good way. It’s dark and creepy as well as an emotional thrill ride. 10/10 would totally recommend and will definitely read again
December 12, 2018
Hard to Put down!
July 1, 2019
Overall good story line. Makes you want to keep reading. Starting the Unseen 2. Had an awesome cliffhanger.
January 1, 2020
Good I give this more a 3.5 star it was good.. Recommend to 15yrs and up..
March 2, 2022
Bone chilling and kept you on your toes! Definitely recommend!!👌
November 23, 2022
This series honestly confused me
January 8, 2023
So many questions left unanswered, but I love it
Read
January 6, 2024Read this a while ago. It’s been on my shelf for years but I just wanted to document it since I’m removing it from my shelf.
January 9, 2024
Interesting twists. I don't read a lot of paranormal like this, but I couldn't put this one down. Cannot wait to read #3-4!
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