It Begins (The Unseen, Part 1)
Grade 10 Up–Lucy is sure that someone is following her when she stumbles across a bruised and bloodied girl who passes on her psychic abilities just before dying. Now the teen is tormented by visions indicating that the killer is stalking her. Her only confidant is Byron, the murdered girl's handsome, brooding brother. At the end of part one, however, the two are involved in a car accident that leaves Byron dead and Lucy found clinging to life by her stalker. In the second installment, Lucy escapes after three unconscious days of captivity, but now must deal with the loss of Byron and an even stronger feeling of being haunted by someone, or something. So far, there are hints at a tortured, ancient soul with a vampirelike appetite and an ability to take on any physical form that he desires. While the author effortlessly builds suspense, the real mystery is why this is planned as a four-book series. Too much of the plot consists of Lucy braving one harrowing experience after another, often in a predictable sequence. Flat characters plague the books, with a new friend and romantic interest to replace the old ones when they die. While there's nothing new here, these books will likely appeal to Cusick's devoted fan base.–Emily Rodriguez, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FLCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.