The Unwanted

For some reason, I always get this book mixed up with "Second Child," probably because of the similar plot lines--a young woman is orphaned and then taken in by her distant family in New England. Plus it's been several years since I've read this book (sometime during my high school or middle school years), which adds to the confusion.Anyway, the similarities between the two books are fairly obvious, in that the protagonist, 15-year-old Cassandra "Cassie" Winslow, loses her mother in a car crash in California and is consequently sent to live with her estranged father and his new family in False Harbor, Massachusetts, a setting that gives "The Unwanted" its somewhat Puritan/witch trial charm. It's here that a triangle of psychic power is reawakened between Cassie, Eric Cavanaugh (her 16-year-old neighbor), and Miranda Sikes (the local bag lady/witch who's been haunting her dreams lately). Soon Cassie becomes aware of powers she never knew she had--powers that are dangerous enough to kill. ("Carrie," anyone?)"The Unwanted" is certainly a must-read if you're a Saul fan and/or enjoy supernatural horror. This is one of many good books by him.

Being a fan of horror genre,Dean Koontz in particular,and looking to expand my horizons I picked up the Unwanted.At first,I thought this book to be rather similar to Dean Koontz style,but soon I was proven wrong.John Saul is a very solid writer in his own right,from the first pages he creates suspense that captures you and keeps you turning page after page.Some of the book was a bit predictable,but that made the twists in it so much more enjoyable.In the end I found it to be alltogether somewhat darker then Koontz writing,with somewhat ambiguous characters,neither good nor bad,but walking the gray territory in between.There were other differences,which I can't list at the risk of giving away some of the plot and overall I was very impressed.I will certainly be checking out more of John Saul's books and I highly recommend this book to any fan of the horror genre or just a good fast paced read.

The story, The Unwanted, is a tale about a young girl who is trying to cope with the loss of a parent. She is forced to live with a family she has never met, and and has been taught not to trust. It is a story about the super-natural and friendships. If you like the X-Files, you'll like this book, for those of you who may not like the X-Files, you still might want to check it out. Cassie WInslow is six-teen year old, typical teenager, trying to find herself in the world. After a terrible accident her mother is killed and she is left to live with her fathers family. though her mother may be gone, her memory lives on. Now Cassie must also cope with visions of another woman who she feels a very tight connection with. When she moves in with her father, she finally meets the woman in her visions. Only to find out that their time together will be short-lived. Along the way she meets another person who seems to have to deal with much of the same stuff she herself was once dealing with. Cassie's life now seems full of sorrow, and everyone around her keeps getting hurt, now she must find out the reasons why. What she finds out will ultimately lead to her demise. This is a very good book for those who enjoy reading about the supernatural. It is a page turner, that you won't want to put down once you start reading. I rate this book as five-stars.

Once again, John Saul send chills up your spine and you just can't put this book down. I loved it, though the mood was meloncholy. I would recommend this to any thriller fan.

i read this book over seven years ago.this book is still in my head,execellent!