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The Unfinished #2
The Others
In this haunting sequel to her deliciously scary debut, Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk) explores the sharp edges of lingering trauma and the bonds of love that heal us.
Only weeks ago, Avery pulled her best friend, Key, from the deadly black water. The cycle from her family’s Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) stories is finally broken, the black water is now a harmless lake, and her problems are far from All Avery wants is a normal summer with Key, her now-boyfriend.
The trauma, however, casts a long shadow over the town. Some victims never returned. Terrifying memories threaten to resurface, but Avery pushes them down. Who she’s really worried about is Key. The two are supposed to be closer than ever—so why does he feel so distant?
Wracked by anxiety, Avery begins to see a chilling reflection in every mirror, one that moves on its own—and she’s not the only one. With her family’s safety in the balance, Avery must Run away to the safety of normal life with Key, or return to lake’s edge and face her reflection, before her home is subsumed by darkness once and for all….
Only weeks ago, Avery pulled her best friend, Key, from the deadly black water. The cycle from her family’s Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) stories is finally broken, the black water is now a harmless lake, and her problems are far from All Avery wants is a normal summer with Key, her now-boyfriend.
The trauma, however, casts a long shadow over the town. Some victims never returned. Terrifying memories threaten to resurface, but Avery pushes them down. Who she’s really worried about is Key. The two are supposed to be closer than ever—so why does he feel so distant?
Wracked by anxiety, Avery begins to see a chilling reflection in every mirror, one that moves on its own—and she’s not the only one. With her family’s safety in the balance, Avery must Run away to the safety of normal life with Key, or return to lake’s edge and face her reflection, before her home is subsumed by darkness once and for all….
336 pages, Hardcover
Published September 16, 2025
9 people are currently reading
3184 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 22, 2025
Characters: 4.50⭐️
Setting: 4.00⭐️
Plot: 4.25⭐️
Themes: 4.00⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 4.50⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4.00⭐️
Overall rating: 4.25⭐️
Picking up two weeks after the ending of The Unfinished, The Others picks right up in a fast paced sequel. Key has returned from the black water, but something seems off, and Avery is the only one who seems to notice it. The lake where the black water was awakened has been quieted and Avery does everything she can to try to have a normal summer with Key and Stella. But not everything will stay quiet for long.
The Others is an actioned packed, thrilling sequel that does not suffer from the sophomore slump. I feel that the story improved with pacing and the characters. Avery is living in her world where she knows there are evil things lurking and she is trying her hardest to move on from the events of the first book, but there are something lingering. This book focuses more on the folklore and the remnants of the black water which is still trying to make its way into her town. The tone felt a little more creepier and there were some really chilling moments.
An excellent installment in this series.
Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Thank you to StoryGram Tours and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Setting: 4.00⭐️
Plot: 4.25⭐️
Themes: 4.00⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 4.50⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4.00⭐️
Overall rating: 4.25⭐️
Picking up two weeks after the ending of The Unfinished, The Others picks right up in a fast paced sequel. Key has returned from the black water, but something seems off, and Avery is the only one who seems to notice it. The lake where the black water was awakened has been quieted and Avery does everything she can to try to have a normal summer with Key and Stella. But not everything will stay quiet for long.
The Others is an actioned packed, thrilling sequel that does not suffer from the sophomore slump. I feel that the story improved with pacing and the characters. Avery is living in her world where she knows there are evil things lurking and she is trying her hardest to move on from the events of the first book, but there are something lingering. This book focuses more on the folklore and the remnants of the black water which is still trying to make its way into her town. The tone felt a little more creepier and there were some really chilling moments.
An excellent installment in this series.
Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Thank you to StoryGram Tours and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 1, 2025
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
September 20, 2025
This was actually a lot better than the first one. I’d give it 4 stars except Isaac’s repeats some of the MCs thoughts way too often. She reiterates her inner thoughts in a paragraph every few chapters and it’s like, we get it, you’re emotionally constipated.
December 8, 2025
Spooky season is upon us! That means socially acceptable reasons to watch and read as much horror as possible. But what about the children? I’m glad you asked because I just so happen to have some YA horror to tell you about.
From Cheryl Isaacs comes the second novel in The Unfinished Series, The Others. Picking up where the first novel left off, the reader follows Avery as she contends with another threat from the black water. For those who didn’t read the first novel, much of this novel will recount the events of the first. The reader won’t be in the dark for very long.
The Others continues the theme of building relationships and community. Following the events of The Unfinished, many of the town’s residents are working on repairing relationships with family, friends, and neighbors. Avery’s dad makes a heartfelt return into his daughter’s life. He assists her in investigating the people of the town who haven’t been acting like themselves. Unfortunately, while Avery and Key should be getting closer, the new threat and Key’s experience in the black water drives them farther apart.
In terms of community, Avery utilizes many of the older members of her town to learn about her indigenous past. They will help her better understand the black water’s history and its presence in their town. It will take the community to rid themselves of a new evil.
While this novel is slightly shorter than the first, it spends a good amount of time recapping. Most of the first chapter is a summary of the first book. Then, multiple times throughout, major and minor events are repeated. Much of that could have been reduced.
While not the target audience for this novel, I enjoyed the steady pace and heartfelt moments. The horror aspect is dialed to an appropriate level without losing its essence. Fans of the first book will enjoy the sequel as it takes the time to answer most of the unanswered questions from the first book. For a young adult novel, there is a great use of the ‘it’s happened before’ troupe.
The Others by Cheryl Isaacs is a young adult horror novel that will appeal to adults, too. Utilizing indigenous folklore to expand on an established threat, this second novel adds context to the series.
From Cheryl Isaacs comes the second novel in The Unfinished Series, The Others. Picking up where the first novel left off, the reader follows Avery as she contends with another threat from the black water. For those who didn’t read the first novel, much of this novel will recount the events of the first. The reader won’t be in the dark for very long.
The Others continues the theme of building relationships and community. Following the events of The Unfinished, many of the town’s residents are working on repairing relationships with family, friends, and neighbors. Avery’s dad makes a heartfelt return into his daughter’s life. He assists her in investigating the people of the town who haven’t been acting like themselves. Unfortunately, while Avery and Key should be getting closer, the new threat and Key’s experience in the black water drives them farther apart.
In terms of community, Avery utilizes many of the older members of her town to learn about her indigenous past. They will help her better understand the black water’s history and its presence in their town. It will take the community to rid themselves of a new evil.
While this novel is slightly shorter than the first, it spends a good amount of time recapping. Most of the first chapter is a summary of the first book. Then, multiple times throughout, major and minor events are repeated. Much of that could have been reduced.
While not the target audience for this novel, I enjoyed the steady pace and heartfelt moments. The horror aspect is dialed to an appropriate level without losing its essence. Fans of the first book will enjoy the sequel as it takes the time to answer most of the unanswered questions from the first book. For a young adult novel, there is a great use of the ‘it’s happened before’ troupe.
The Others by Cheryl Isaacs is a young adult horror novel that will appeal to adults, too. Utilizing indigenous folklore to expand on an established threat, this second novel adds context to the series.
September 5, 2025
The Others by Cheryl Isaac
Review: 4 stars
Two weeks after the events that took place in The Unfinished (Book #1), Avery is doing her best to enjoy her Summer with her now boyfriend, Key and best friend. However, things that didn’t make sense and Key’s weird behaviour have her struggling to let things lie and wonders if her whole adventure with the black water is still not over yet…
This story would work better if you read book 1 first. If not, book 2 will absolutely not make sense. Like book 1, book 2 starts off slow as we see Avery doing her best to enjoy summer and not overthinking about the events that recently happened. I can feel her sense of denial as things do not add up and she hopes it just goes away or she was over imagining things. I feel like her character has come a long way from book 1 where she is this angry teen from a broken family to a teen who tries to conserve her family ties.
Her character really blossoms as she tries to learn more about her indigenous roots and her cultural heritage. Her owning these elements while healing from her trauma is amazing to see and it woven throughout the book.
This story also has a great balance being plot driven vs character driven. The author brings the same spooky atmosphere in terms of eerie mirror reflections and everyone’s pull towards the black water with some creepy moments. Avery also struggles with Key’s change in personality ever since she rescues him and wonders how well she really knows him or if she should brush it away…I love the author’s play on this and it makes you wonder how well you know a person at times…
In essence, this story is a homage to the indigenous culture with spooky elements thrown in with some relatable themes like grief, trauma, love, family and resilience making this a captivating and gripping read.
Review: 4 stars
Two weeks after the events that took place in The Unfinished (Book #1), Avery is doing her best to enjoy her Summer with her now boyfriend, Key and best friend. However, things that didn’t make sense and Key’s weird behaviour have her struggling to let things lie and wonders if her whole adventure with the black water is still not over yet…
This story would work better if you read book 1 first. If not, book 2 will absolutely not make sense. Like book 1, book 2 starts off slow as we see Avery doing her best to enjoy summer and not overthinking about the events that recently happened. I can feel her sense of denial as things do not add up and she hopes it just goes away or she was over imagining things. I feel like her character has come a long way from book 1 where she is this angry teen from a broken family to a teen who tries to conserve her family ties.
Her character really blossoms as she tries to learn more about her indigenous roots and her cultural heritage. Her owning these elements while healing from her trauma is amazing to see and it woven throughout the book.
This story also has a great balance being plot driven vs character driven. The author brings the same spooky atmosphere in terms of eerie mirror reflections and everyone’s pull towards the black water with some creepy moments. Avery also struggles with Key’s change in personality ever since she rescues him and wonders how well she really knows him or if she should brush it away…I love the author’s play on this and it makes you wonder how well you know a person at times…
In essence, this story is a homage to the indigenous culture with spooky elements thrown in with some relatable themes like grief, trauma, love, family and resilience making this a captivating and gripping read.
October 27, 2025
I quite liked the first book. This one was a bit more of a struggle for me, and it's set up to be open-ended, so there may be a third?
My biggest complaint was that it took until 40% of the book for Avery to go, "Gosh, I think something supernatural is happening." Girl. You JUST went through a crazy supernatural experience. Why are you dragging your heels on this? Even when she figured out that something was going on, she didn't do much about it for quite a while.
Don't get me wrong, there were some really creepy/cool scenes in here, and I think those creepy scenes on their own were more effective than in the first book. Unfortunately, this book felt like it had more plot armor, and the mechanics didn't make sense. I don't want to give spoilers, but as we learn more about that the Black Water is up to in this installment, I kept going, "What, if THAT's true, then how does THIS work?" There were also quite a few scenes were things would work out for the characters in ways that kept the story moving, but that didn't make sense with the plot.
Overall, this book was a bit of a roller coaster for me, and I wanted more coherence from the overall concept. There were some real R.L. Stine moments in here that left me scratching my head as to why they were included, when time could have been better spent fleshing out the narrative.
My biggest complaint was that it took until 40% of the book for Avery to go, "Gosh, I think something supernatural is happening." Girl. You JUST went through a crazy supernatural experience. Why are you dragging your heels on this? Even when she figured out that something was going on, she didn't do much about it for quite a while.
Don't get me wrong, there were some really creepy/cool scenes in here, and I think those creepy scenes on their own were more effective than in the first book. Unfortunately, this book felt like it had more plot armor, and the mechanics didn't make sense. I don't want to give spoilers, but as we learn more about that the Black Water is up to in this installment, I kept going, "What, if THAT's true, then how does THIS work?" There were also quite a few scenes were things would work out for the characters in ways that kept the story moving, but that didn't make sense with the plot.
Overall, this book was a bit of a roller coaster for me, and I wanted more coherence from the overall concept. There were some real R.L. Stine moments in here that left me scratching my head as to why they were included, when time could have been better spent fleshing out the narrative.
November 17, 2025
After the events of The Unfinished, Avery knows she should be happy that things are back to normal, but there’s something that she can’t seem to shake that makes her feel like things are still off. When the fountain in town begins to work again, Avery can’t help but think the black water is still out to get her and the town. Avery has learned from her mistakes last time, and asks the people in her life for help, but what she doesn’t know is who she can truly trust. In the second book, Avery is forced to test who she trusts, including herself. Can she rely on her gut to help her navigate these new challenges?
The sequel brings all of the #suspense and #paranormal scares that the first book brought, but Avery is not who she used to be. She’s a little bit stronger and more confident, she’s not afraid to speak up and ask for help. It’s been fun watching her develop over these past two novels. I continued to love the characters in Avery’s life; Key, Stella, Frank and Foster scenes were highlights for me. Ru was a favourite of mine too, she never ceased to entertain.
Who will like it?
✅ Fans of The Unfinished
✅ Fans of paranormal scares
✅ Fans of horror mysteries
The sequel brings all of the #suspense and #paranormal scares that the first book brought, but Avery is not who she used to be. She’s a little bit stronger and more confident, she’s not afraid to speak up and ask for help. It’s been fun watching her develop over these past two novels. I continued to love the characters in Avery’s life; Key, Stella, Frank and Foster scenes were highlights for me. Ru was a favourite of mine too, she never ceased to entertain.
Who will like it?
✅ Fans of The Unfinished
✅ Fans of paranormal scares
✅ Fans of horror mysteries
October 1, 2025
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Others asks us whether things ever go back to how they used to be. When something happens to us, can we ever return back to 'normal'? How do we recover from the events of The Unfinished. I've never read book one, but now I need to go back! You can definitely read The Others without the first one - I did! What I loved, without spoilers, is how Isaacs builds this tension which almost creeps up on you. You know something is going to happen, but then you begin to doubt the shadows on the walls. We all know that feeling of going against our gut.
The Others asks us whether things ever go back to how they used to be. When something happens to us, can we ever return back to 'normal'? How do we recover from the events of The Unfinished. I've never read book one, but now I need to go back! You can definitely read The Others without the first one - I did! What I loved, without spoilers, is how Isaacs builds this tension which almost creeps up on you. You know something is going to happen, but then you begin to doubt the shadows on the walls. We all know that feeling of going against our gut.
September 25, 2025
DNF @ 48%
I don't think this author is for me. I think the slower pacing is just a mark of their style and I am definitely not a fan. By nearly halfway through the book, I would expect us to be knee-deep in the story by now, but it just feels like Avery repeatedly questioning the very obvious red flags around her and not much else. Plus, the romance feels awkward and forced from the beginning and I wasn't a fan of the banter (or there-lack-of) between Avery and Key.
Still in search of some good forest horror to dip into for spooky season. DM me.
I don't think this author is for me. I think the slower pacing is just a mark of their style and I am definitely not a fan. By nearly halfway through the book, I would expect us to be knee-deep in the story by now, but it just feels like Avery repeatedly questioning the very obvious red flags around her and not much else. Plus, the romance feels awkward and forced from the beginning and I wasn't a fan of the banter (or there-lack-of) between Avery and Key.
Still in search of some good forest horror to dip into for spooky season. DM me.
October 4, 2025
This does really cool things with legends and stories and community. I love the continuation of Avery’s story and I really hope there’s going to be more because the Black Water isn’t done with Crook’s Falls and Avery isn’t done with it. This doesn’t have the same tension and creeping dread as The Unfinished, but it’s still excellent in how it further develops the local legends and history, and Avery’s family’s personal history. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to more books from Cheryl Isaacs.
October 2, 2025
I enjoyed this one more than the first book! The setting for this was so much eerier and the whole plot really raised the stakes from the first book. A fun and quick read with some good twists! It did take a while for the plot to get started, around 40% in we really see where the book is going and i would have loved to have spent more time in the others world exploring that and what the others were more in depth.
November 4, 2025
I was so excited when I found out there was going to be a sequel to Avery's story. We learn a lot more about the side characters that we met in the first book and the creepy / atmospheric elements were amped up in this sophomore novel. I do believe the story wrapped well although I do wish the plot was a little more fast paced instead of mimicking the slower motion as the first book. As always the Indigenous culture and lore was fully present & appreciated greatly.
September 19, 2025
A chilling YA Indigenous horror story that has one teen girl trapped in a spooky alternate world (think Alice through the looking glass). This was creepy, atmospheric, good on audio and a unique take on the MMIWG2S crisis. Recommended for fans of the Small spaces series by Katherine Arden.
October 6, 2025
5 stars for this incredibly gorgeous creepy cover, 3 for the story. 3.5 stars rounded up overall. I liked The Unfinished better and found it a stronger story than this one. This sequel was big on vibes and low on plot and character development.
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September 27, 2025I did enjoy the first one but couldn't get into this second one at all...
Maybe it wasn't the time to pick it up or maybe this one wasn't for me...
Maybe it wasn't the time to pick it up or maybe this one wasn't for me...
October 31, 2025
just meh
December 1, 2025
This was a fantastic sequel, loved the updates, and it was such a great story!
December 17, 2025
3.5 maybe? I felt like this one took a while to get into the story more and it wrapped up a little quickly for me. But overall, I do like this duology. I has a very interesting premise.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews