Unforsaken

September 15, 2011

Billed as a "companion," this is not so much a sequel to Banished (2010) as it is a retread.

Hailey and her little family—Aunt Prairie and adopted brother Chub—are hardly settled into their new lives in Milwaukee before they are discovered and set upon by forces wishing to use their supernatural gifts, as descendants of the Banished, for evil purposes. As the villain from the previous book, mad-scientist Bryce Safian, was left out of commission, this time the role is played by his former employer, a man with vague military connections and an identical plan to create an undead army for sale on the global market. When Hailey slips up in contacting her boyfriend, the seer Kaz, the General captures both Prairie and preschooler Chub, whose seeing gifts are beginning to manifest and hold potential for military operations. While Hailey flees with Kaz, the only real romance in the book is one-sided: Villainous Rattler Sikes's obsession with Prairie is still going strong. He wants to start breeding pure Banished with her, as part of his bid to restore their people's heritage, which puts him at odds with the protagonists as well as their other enemies. The lab that must be sabotaged this time around is superficially more impressive, yet no more than a paper tiger in practice, and the zombies are criminally underused.

An unnecessary sequel that adds little. (Paranormal suspense. 12-18)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

January 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-This companion to Banished (Delacorte, 2010) is fast paced and disturbingly vivid. Hailey Tarbell, 16, is descended from the Banished, a group of Irish healers, and has inherited the power to heal, but it only works if a wounded person is still alive; otherwise, it turns the deceased into the living dead. Hailey is all too familiar with this chilling reality after escaping her hometown and those who wanted to exploit her power to create an army of zombies. Now she has a second chance at a normal life with her Aunt Prairie and adopted four-year-old brother, Chub. However, a new identity and a modicum of safety cannot make her forget who she left behind. When Hailey secretly talks to her boyfriend, Kaz, she inadvertently alerts the enemy to her location and ruins all illusions of safety. After Prairie and Chub go missing, Hailey and Kaz must find and rescue them from the men who will stop at nothing in their quest to build a zombie army. In this sequel, Hailey is still figuring out her powers but is more confident, aggressive, and willing to risk everything to save those she loves. While at times the inclusion of backstory seems to overwhelm the current narrative, it is helpful for remembering elements that could easily be forgotten. Littlefield wraps things up a little too neatly, but readers will still experience nail-biting moments of zombie attacks and heart-fluttering moments of romance that will keep them reading to the very end.-Elizabeth C. Johnson, Fort Vancouver Regional Library, WA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.