Reviewer: Sharon Brunner
Kelsey Matthews’ The Forgotten Ones offers a view of the exciting world of the supernatural. This book is the sequel to One of Them, which launched the series.
The story takes place in Marquette, Michigan, a community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.), and in other places around the world. Some of the characters were Robert, the teenage narrator, Cody and Tristan, Robert’s friends, and people Robert met on his travels, such as Phoenix and Genievieve. Robert and his peers experience powerful objects and people who want their death. The aforementioned objects are associated with the cause of a blizzard that raised havoc over Marquette with lots of destruction and a severe earthquake in a western state. Earlier, Robert used his ability to start fires to eliminate a dangerous woman, however she resurfaced and did not remember Robert. Strange supernatural occurrences remind Robert and his peers that their lives are in danger.
Two of the themes delineated throughout the book are combined efforts and survival. Robert developed an entourage of characters who followed him to various dangerous locations. Curses are blamed for almost deadly and deadly illnesses and natural disasters. Robert and his peers sought ways to debunk the curses which ended up disastrous. The characters in the book developed a bond with one another and work towards a protective alliance.
The book and movie that came to mind when reading this book was Stephen King’s 1980 “Fire Starter.” King provides this science fiction-horror novel which was later on made into a movie about a young girl named Charlie McGee. She has pyrokinetic powers in which she can start fires with her mind after her parents participated in a secret government experiment. Charlie and her father were hunted by a sinister government agency called “The Shop” which wants to weaponize her abilities.
The story includes a thrilling chase and a confrontation with the agency’s cruel agents. Robert and his peers with supernatural abilities could face the same dilemma. An outside agency may want to use their powers as weapons. They also face the possible stigmatism of having supernatural powers. They may be ostracized if their powers are known by the general population. On the personal note, most children dream of having supernatural powers. I dreamed I could fly like a bird. When Robert gains an understanding and control over his abilities, he is happy to have them.
Matthews painted a colorful picture of the supernatural. The gifts the characters possess are fire starting, producing electrical charges, creating small explosions, mindreading and telekinesis. Matthews offers twists in her story in which a person thought to be destroyed resurfaced. Someone with equal abilities as the person thought to be destroyed put Robert through a thrilling chase like Charlie and her father in “Fire Starter.” Robert did find his lost peers and Cody, one of his friends, joined the other side when he discovered his supernatural powers. Matthews The Forgotten Ones is a page-turner in which the characters face many life threatening obstacles.
Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Kelsey Matthews
