2,5 stars

Riona is the grand daugther of a god and born to be the queen of the valley, but when people keep dying around her and the person dearest to her is treathened, she has to make a bargain with death.

I was really intrigued with this book and the premise of retelling an Irish folk tale, in this case The Snow, The Crow, and the Blood. In the first quarter of the book I was hooked on the story and fully invested in Rionas fate. But unfortunately the narrative did not manage to keep me engaged, and the last part was more of a struggle to get trough to the end.

There are several reasons for that:

There is a lot of use of gaelige words and phrases in the book, which in it self is amazing. But when the book only offers pronunciation guides to the words and no translations, I was forced to constantly close the book and go on Google to understand the text. This really broke the immersion for me.

I am all for fantasy novels being set in "olden times" where different historical periods are mixed, but when you decide to place your story in a real time and place (Ireland in the 11th century) I expect historical consistency and accurateness. Some examples from Unseen are: Potatoes and glass panes in windows 5-600 years before it would be possible. Not a single mention of either norse raiders or christianity (I can buy that ancient myths are still alive, but at this point, Ireland has been christian for 400 years). Beds that in one moment has creaky bed springs, and in the next have straw filled matresses.

After a while I also lost the overview of all the faes, gods and under worldly creatures that populated this world. I never really knew the hierarchy between them or understood their place in the narrative. It felt like the author tried to throw as many creatures from irish myth as possible into her novel, but the end result was just that the core story of the book got muddled up.

I will have to commend Christy Healy for taking on the Irish myths, for including the Gaeilge language. She has a very easy and beautiful writing style, but next time I hope she is able to keep herself and her readers on track with her main plot and rooted in a single time period.

i went into this book completely blind. i picked it up mainly because i had loved christy Heely's other book, Unbound. (also a fantastic read!) So i knew nothing of the legend that was being told. personally, i think that made it all the better for me. following the twists and turns as we move from future to past and back again, piecing together the story as we switch from her struggles as a child, hunted by an unknown force, to seeing her deal with the fallout as an adult as she must face what has hunted her, and how it all ties together into what happened to make her the way she was at the very beginning. i'm not usually one for stories that have a lot of time hopping in them, but this one was done so well, and so perfectly, to give us the hints and clues in both childhood and adulthood to keep us readers absolutely hooked. that's not to mention the beautiful fairy tale type writing style, and the delightfully human characters within the book... even those that aren't human at all. this is a dark fairy tale retelling, and there are a lot of pretty gruesome scenes in here, so make sure your checking your content warnings! though the first chapter is a pretty good indication of whether or not you'll want to continue. this beautiful story will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end!

I'd like to thank Pen & Paper, LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association, and Netgalley for this ARC copy

I dove into Unseen after immediately finishing Unbound, and I’m so thankful I did. I was already immersed in the beautiful setting and familiar with a few of the characters from the Irish myths/folklore. I loved how Unseen takes place decades after Unbound, allowing the reader to easily connect with the new cast of characters. It can easily be read as a standalone.
This particular Irish folklore retelling is based off of “The Snow, The Crow, and the Blood,” which is not one I’m familiar with. The lord of death tries catching the eye of a girl throughout her youthful life by ending the lives of those she loves. In order to save her daughter, she enters into death’s world to strike a deal.
Initial thoughts: Riona completely embodies the strong will of a mother. She would greet the lord of death, himself, and essentially sell her soul in order to save her child. Conor is the sweetest cabbage, who would do anything for the woman he loves, including looking past a few deeds that would appear to be unforgivable.
Why I enjoyed it:
*Healy’s storytelling! I love how she drops elements of the original fable all throughout her story.
*multiple time lines
*haunting and beautiful Irish setting
*type 1 diabetes rep
*unusual animal besties
*packed with love and grief

There were a lot of things I liked. As someone who has Irish roots, the use of Gaeilge was refreshing, and I could tell there was a lot of thought put into this and a lot of love and research went into the story, which I truly appreciate.

That being said, I struggled to finish this; it did get a bit repetitive at some point, and there were things that I felt could be cut and would leave the story unchanged—this happened especially more towards the present times (towards the end).

All in all, I did enjoy this retelling, and I could really feel the author's passion for this subject.

Thank you Christy Healy and Netgalley for this ARC!

Alright, like another reviewer mentioned — why is this listed as Book 2 when there was no indication of that on NetGalley or anywhere else?! That was frustrating.

I was initially drawn to Unseen because of my deep interest in Irish mythology and folklore, especially anything involving the Tuatha Dé Danann. That element was a definite highlight, and I appreciated how those mythological aspects were woven in.

Unfortunately, despite that interest, I really couldn’t get into the plot. The pacing felt slow, and some parts just dragged. The characters didn’t grab me, and overall, the story failed to keep my attention. I struggled to stay engaged and, honestly, found it kind of boring.

I ended up DNF-ing at 20%, so my rating is based solely on that first quarter of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Paper LLC for the e-arc. The review is my own honest opinion.

#Unseen #NetGalley

Full of emotional depth and brilliant writing, I was not at all surprised to love this book as much as I did. It’s not often I see mothers a focal point in fantasy and it’s extremely refreshing to see it here. I would absolutely recommend, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have been given the opportunity to read this ARC. Thank you!

This was a poignant tale answering the question, how far will a mother go to save her child’s life? It was great to see two returning characters from the first book (though these can be read out of order in my opinion) mingle amongst the new cast, and the story itself is another quest that brings the main couple back together, albeit with some nasty arguments. 🤭

The story follows Riona, the wild granddaughter of Rozlyn and Jamie from the first book in the trilogy. She was a bit harder to love than her grandmother. She aloof and mean to almost all except for her grandparents. While her backstory provides excellent explanation as to why she becomes this way, I still thought it rather harsh and insensitive of her to just keep going at it with her loved ones, even after she apologized to them. I also found it rather odd that she never once came to the conclusion that she had with Conor during her time spent serving the lord of death, and I kept thinking to myself, common girl, it’s literally in front of you! 😓

Conor was such a cinnamon roll of a guy. He’s patient and kind, the exact opposite of what Riona is. I loved the focus of him being a healer instead of the stereotypical warrior and think there needs to be more books of gentle men like him that struggle to fit into the notions of what masculinity were during this time. I personally thought he could’ve been a bit crueler to Riona here and there just to get her mind straight and stop being so selfish half the time. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The elements from The Snow, the Crow, and the Blood were wonderfully woven into the plot through little excerpts which I really enjoyed since I’m not familiar with this particular folktale. The reveal just felt so perfect and I’m very excited to see how these events lead up to the plot of the next installment Undying which is coming out next year! 😍

HUGE thank you goes out to the author, Healy for providing me an early copy of her book in exchange for an honest review, and to Pen and Paper and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this at the same time. 😅

Publication date: August 26, so go preorder it now!!!

Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️

Unseen offers a beautifully written, emotionally charged journey through Irish mythology. While the pacing may be slow for some, the intricate world-building and complex characters make it a worthwhile read for those who appreciate dark fantasy with a touch of romance

There were a couple things that threw me off this story.

Firstly, I was so confused why this is listed as the second book in a series. When there’s no mention of that on NetGalley or elsewhere. Apparently the two books are standalone but in the same world.

Secondly, I loved the Irish folklore and mythology, but not having a glossary took me out of the story completely as I had to go wiki/google meanings and translations of prose used. There’s a pronunciation guide, but why not give the definitions of the words as well.

Thirdly, I didn’t connect with or enjoy the time spent with the characters. They just fell flat for me.

Lastly, the story felt a little too long and I unfortunately did lose interest. I think eliminating some repetitious details and sentences could help the pacing.

The author’s imagination, application of history and lore, and personal investment in the story really does shine through. So while this book might not have been for me, others should give it a go! The acknowledgment section was very heartfelt but also full of interesting information on diabetes in ancient cultures.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Pen & Paper LLC for a copy!

Did I like this book? More yes than no. Would I try another book by this author? Probably.

Unseen is a dark fairy tale retelling inspired by the Irish fable “The Snow, The Crow, and the Blood.” In this story, the Irish legends, largely retold by our main character's grandfather in her youth, are real. The main character Riona is herself a character of her own fairytale in a way before being drawn into the darker story the book is inspired by. In a non-linear narrative, Riona grows from child to queen and mother before being confronted with what it means to turn into a monster for the sake of her daughter.

The strongest aspect of this book for me was the exploration of a mother’s love in Riona. Unfortunately, this part did not really shine until the last 25% or so of the story. While I liked Riona’s relationship with her grandfather and to an extent Conor, my enjoyment was muddled by the timeline skipping and length of time focused on the earlier part of the book. I have not read other books by Healy, and did not feel like it detracted from my reading experience.

People who enjoy (non spicy) Hades and Persephone retellings may find appeal in this Irish fantasy fairytale.

Thank you Pen & Paper, LLC and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

DNF’d maybe a chapter in. Nothing wrong with it necessarily, just not for me. I found it difficult to get into and hard to follow.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Unseen by Christy Healy is a third person multi-POV multi-timeline historical romantic fantasy reimagining of The Snow, the Crow, and the Blood. Riona and Conor are childhood friends and have been attracted to each other for most of their lives. Despite their feelings, Riona’s mother, the Queen of the Vale, is determined for Riona to marry a prince and doesn’t view Conor as an acceptable spouse for her daughter. But Conor and Riona start a relationship and have a daughter, a daughter with a destiny similar to her mother’s.

This was the first time I’d heard of The Snow, the Crow, and the Blood so the addition of the bits of the actual legend between chapters helped fill in those gaps. On the surface, it does sound like Snow White because of the color scheme of red blood against white snow and hair as black as a raven’s wing, but it is very different and this is not a Snow White reimagining. It is an Irish myth that has things in common with a Germanic fairy tale which will help readers unfamiliar with the story find some familiar ground, but it will not hit the beats of a Snow White retelling.

The main reason I wouldn’t call this a fantasy romance is because while the romantic relationship is important, I didn’t feel like the falling in love part was the real center of the story nor did I feel that it hit romance genre beats. The center of the story is Conor and Riona’s love, but it’s mostly before and after they got together and after they had their daughter with a bit here and there of when they were together. If readers are not fans of the limitations of romance genre and want a Romantasy that isn’t so much about the romance but is instead about the relationship as a whole between the leads, then this is a good choice.

I thought the multi-timeline aspect was handled quite well. We do open about halfway through the story when Riona sees Conor again for the first time in ten years, ten years she’s been with a druid and assisting the lord of death and ten years without any contact with her daughter. We see Conor and Riona’s childhood as well as part of Riona’s time with the lord of death until we get back to where we opened and then it mostly goes forward with the story from there. This helps explain why Riona is making the choices she does and why Conor still believes that they could have something.

I would recommend this to fans of fairy tale reimaginings looking for something beyond the Brothers Grimm and readers of historical fantasy who want a romantic element in their fantasy without romance genre conventions

So once I got about half way through the book it started to get good, I really liked the Irish mythology and the folktale it was a fun little twist on Snow White and i really liked Connor, But i feel like the relationship between Ria and Connor wasn’t really developed i wish we saw more of the interaction it feels like Ria just puts up with him because he loves her in the beginning the two of them really need to just talk. Overall it was a fun idea but it fell a little short and i am disappointed I really wanted to like it it had a of promise. Overall it was okay

I absolutely loved the Irish folklore elements of this book, it was quite full on in the beginning, but this was something that I really enjoyed.

The author's portrayal of motherhood was also so beautifully done. Really emotive. I thought that the world building was lush and descriptive and really unique.

I love a fairytale retelling, so this was right up my street. I loved how bittersweet this was and I just couldn't stop reading.

I was interested in this book because I’m a fan of fairytale retellings, and when I read Unbound I was blown away by all the Irish mythology woven in the retelling.

I am also a fan of the chapters alternating timelines, it doesn’t work for a lot of books but for this series it does.

TBH I went into this thinking Death was going to be the main love interest, but Conor and Rionas story is heartbreaking.

Overall, I think this series is great for anyone who likes fantasy retellings but is tired of the same tropes over and over.

The premise had potential. However, I didn't really connect with any of the characters. Though I did like Cabbage and Fiadh. The pacing was slow and it was very predictable. I did enjoy the stories that were told and the chapters of Riona's childhood.

What would you do for the one you love most?

After Riona has lost most of her loved ones. She agrees to work with Death to keep him away from her daughter. And part of working with him, she needs to find 3 legendary objects and then that will earn her freedom.

But at what cost? Her daughter, the love of her life, or even the whole realm of Eire?...

This book hooked me right away and the twist at the end, I didn't see coming.

I was sad to read the last page but it was a beautiful ending.

Actual rating: 4.5

Well, the tears at the end caught me by surprise, and I just couldn't stop sobbing through the last 20 pages. There are grief, pain, and suffering, but there are also hope, forgiveness, and love, romantic but also motherly and fatherly. All of these is wonderfully woven into a multilayered plot, with temporal back and forth to masterfully build a solid story without being confusing.

In the same way, the characters are complex, and the different POVs allow you to get a better understanding of the characters and of both their growth and their interpersonal relationships.

The plot-twists feel more like revelations since I didn't find them completely unexpected, and yet I truly appreciated them because of how well the story leads to them and how they fall into the right place at the right time. This also thanks to the writing, which flows nicely and is well-suited for folklore retellings, with its vivid descriptions of imagery. Also, bonus points for the insertion of parts of the original tale!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read the arc of this wonderful book, which I'll definitely recommend.

1 ⭐️
No. I'm sorry but I genuinely stopped paying attention at the 45% mark, and honestly couldn't say anything that happened in this book beyond that point. I'm so disappointed, I was excited to be reading this kind of a fantasy book but this let me down by a landslide. Absolutely no hate to the author because this is just a me-problem. The writing style was personally not for me and it felt really jarring to read. The plot was moving incredibly slow and I felt like we were accomplishing nothing. I read this book for THREE MONTHS STRAIGHT. That has to tell you something about it... would not recommend personally!

Thank you to NetGalley, Pen&Paper LLC and the author for the ARC of this book!

A stark and haunting retelling of the Irish fable “The Snow, The Crow, and The Blood,” this dark fantasy follows Queen Riona, whose daughter’s life compels her into a pact with the ominous Lord of Death. As she navigates the shadowy realm of the sídhe to reclaim legendary artifacts, she’s caught between saving her child and sacrificing Éire itself. Vivid folklore, raw emotion, and a fiercely flawed heroine make this a gripping tale of maternal love and moral reckoning.

Spoiler Below:





Be warned, this is a SloooOoOoOw Burn romance, which I didn't mind since the writing is very lush. And it may, or may not end in a HEA ending which may or may not be a dealbreaker for some?