Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Unseen
SERIES: Rath & Rune
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Widdershins Press LLC
LENGTH: 7 hours and 21 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2022
BLURB:
Librarian Sebastian Rath and his lover Vesper Rune are tasked with seeking and containing the evil Books of the Bound. But one of the books has been freed from its prison — and is in the hands of a killer.
As more bodies turn up, Sebastian finds himself tempted to use forbidden magic to locate the book and stop the murderer. And when an unexpected connection to the necromancers who created the books is revealed, Sebastian must choose just how far he’ll go to right the wrongs of the past — even if it means endangering his own future.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the second in a series, and as such, should be read in order. Major spoilers for book 1 in this installment.
Librarian Sebastian Rath and book binder Vesper Rune have returned to their jobs at the Ladysmith Museum after the events of the previous book, Unhallowed. They have managed to secure one of the Books of the Bound. Things seem to be going along fine until bodies start piling up. Mysterious bodies that are missing pieces. Some of the old Widdershins families are of course involved, both as victims and as detectives. The Waites are heavily involved. Mortimer Waite and his fiance Irene Endicott attempt to determine what is happening and who is involved. But the old guard apparently doesn’t really care and dismiss Mortimer and friends. –
While they are investigating these mysterious deaths, Ves receives a visit that he was not expecting. The past doesn’t seem to want to stay in the past – whether it’s Vesper and Noct’s or Bonnie and Sebastian’s. Now it seems that The Book of the Flesh is now “on the loose” so to speak. This could have dire consequences to anyone who gets in the way of whoever has control of the book. As Mortimer and Irene and Noct and Sebastian and Ves get closer to discovering who has the book, they find themselves in considerable danger. If they can’t get the book back, it’s possible that it can be used to create something even more monstrous.
Well this was exciting! There are lots of villains to be had in this book. Please there are a whole lot of “blasts from the past” that throw Noct and Ves off their game. Sebastian continues to try to solve a mystery from his past as well. There are lots of gory details to uncover as our friends the librarians chase whoever has managed to use the Book of the Flesh for nefarious purposes. But don’t every underestimate a group of dedicated and committed librarians! I loved how Ves and Sebastian’s relationship grows in this one. They have both playful and serious moments. There are some other surprising relationship changes that were quite sweet! Then there is Mr. Quinn. He has total faith in his librarians and he’s not about to be told what to do 😀
Joel Leslie once again does a masterful job with the narration. Whether it’s a dance scene, a day at the Ladysmith with the librarians or running for their lives from the horrors being wrought by the less than upstanding members of the old guard, the performance deftly conveys the mood and tenor. I loved the playfulness of Sebastian when he’s alone with Ves. Ves’s little bit of a jealous streak is adorable. The action ramps up and up throughout this audiobook and I was on the edge of my seat to see what happened next. As a huge fan of this author’s previous Whyborne & Griffin series, this spinoff series keeps us in the spooky and fascinating Widdershins and I for one couldn’t be more thrilled. Highly recommended and cannot wait for book 3!
RATING: 
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