The Unwanted

Black Water Tales, Book 2

By: Jean Nicole Rivers

Narrated by: Lauren Garvin

In the remote, eastern European town of Borslav there is St. Sebastian orphanage, a place where people discard their unwanted children. For the American, Blaire Baker, it’s the perfect place to volunteer her services. Paired with a cheerful volunteer nurse, Blaire is enthusiastic about the possibilities, but is quickly discouraged when she encounters the nefarious nature of the staff and the deplorable conditions of the facility and the children.

Upon arrival, one of the children informs Blaire, “There’s something in the basement.” It isn’t long before strange things begin happening, including Blaire’s flashbacks of the accident that killed her parents. The children soon suffer injuries that Blaire first fears may be the deeds of the callous workers but she soon thinks the abuse may originate from a source that is less than human, something unwanted.

The unwanted is coming but in order for Blaire to fight it, she must dig into St. Sebastian and herself in search of truth. Blaire wants nothing more than to help the children, but when she discovers the tragedy that happened in the basement and learns that the same evil forces are still at work, it will be Blaire who needs help…. There’s something in the basement.

©2015 Jean N. Rivers (P)2022 Jean N. Rivers

Make the movie adaptation!

I read the first book in this series and I had to see what came next. Although this story is a familiar one,the setting in an icy orphanage adds to the suspense. You can tell the author has really grown from the first novel, less unnecessary adjectives and more trust in the audience mind’s eye . Glad to hear more Black voices in the horror genre! I look forward to more books from Jean Nicole Rivers!

The voice actor did a great job, except for the southern accent. It’s giving Irish and that was a bit distracting.