DNF ant 65%

I loved the premise! Great execution but plot got boring after main characters got together. I am personally slow burn lover so maybe that's why i feel like that.
The plot is interesting enough to keep you going, but it moves sort of slowly.
I loved that it explained WHY people get taken by unseen hour, intellect of FMC was great as well. I absolutely adore her dedication to her cause and love for her family that drew her into this whole mess that was being taken by Unseen Hour.
Orion while charming is not shaped much personality wise. we know he's lonely but we barely get to know him. we just have to trust the FMC and MMC grew closer during months spent together , but it's not written in show don't tell manner. we only see small moments between them, not having whole picture bc of time jumps

BUT! the book is very fun and therefore i would say it's worth giving it a shot!! espeially if you don't mind characters getting together in first book of the series/duology ;) (idk if this gonna have more books than duology?)

The Unseen Hour brings readers in the cursed land of Emrys, where the end of the year brings fear, not celebration, which is a really cool concept!
Celia’s search for her missing father leads her to Orion, a secretive and charming ghost, and their slow burning romance is a highlight!

The world building is great, with lots of details and cool parallels to our own world..
Though the climax felt a bit rushed but the journey through danger and the forbidden love makes this gothic fantasy romance a captivating read!

DNF 30%

The Unseen Hour is a gothic-inspired fantasy about an eerie time between New Year's Eve and New Years Day where anyone outside goes missing. It's a mystery in the fact that we don't know where they go or how they get there. The overall premise of this book was extremely intriguing, unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.

I have attempted to read this book at least 6 times since I recieved the ARC on August 11th (it is currently September 7th), but for the life of me I just cannot get into it. I don't know if it's the writing style or the extremely slow start, but this book just isn't for me. The writing is well done, but I think it might be a little bland for my taste. I didn't really feel any connection to any of the characters. The plot is very slow to start, and the FMC is quite repetitive in her thoughts. However, I can see how someone would find enjoyment in this book, it just isn't for me.

***Thank you Silas Reames and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for this ARC. My review is voluntary and all thoughts and opinions are my own***

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publishers. What follows is my honest review.

I loved the concept of this book: a mysterious extra hour between New Year’s Eve and New Year Day in which people mysteriously die or go missing in an ominous fog. A headstrong adventure-seeking young woman longing for more than the bonds of her high-society socialite life. A mystery surrounding her possibly dead/possibly missing father during one of these “unseen hours” that she is determined to solve even if it means defying her family and ruining her reputation. Even if it means placing herself in danger or in the path of death.

Unfortunately, for me, the pace of this book felt very slow. It also often felt repetitive, especially in the beginning when the female main character, Celia, was making her plans regarding trying to find her father. She repeated the same inner monologue multiple times before actually executing her objective. This pattern occurred multiple times later in the book with other integral action-oriented plot points, making it feel like they were being discussed to death before being carried out, detracting from the spontaneity and excitement of the action. In fact, much of what should have been action-driven narrative was primarily dialogue or inner monologue driven, which I also believe contributed to the perception of a slower pace.

In short, the concept of this book was one that grabbed me immediately and there were moments where the story became very evocative and engaging. The storyline is one with a unique perspective, and the inclusion of fantastic characters such as gods and their alternate worlds was immediately appealing. But the author’s approach to their writing did not resonate with me and left me feeling like I was plodding through the narrative. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and based on this experience, I probably will not read another.

This review was posted to Goodreads and LinkedIn on September 7, 2025.

It will be published on Amazon on September 9, 2025.

My review has been posted on amazon and Goodreads. I am very thankful for this platform, without it, the likely hood of coming across this boo and author would be a lot lower. I thought this was a beautifully written story and I look forward to reading more from this author.

The premise of this book was sound but the execution was lacking. The mystery of the unseen hour and people being found dead after really pulled me in, but this fell very flat and was very slow and at some parts very boring. I felt like I was forcing myself to read it after I hit the 50% mark, It didn’t pick up for me until about 70% in and that’s just when things started picking up. 
The book is pretty well written and the characters are likable but I just felt like there was a lot of rambling and the insta love between main characters wasn’t really believable (to me). I wish we had gotten to see the journal entries I think it would’ve given a lot more to the insta love story line. And also the fact that she could have a full blown conversation with the shade brothers didn’t really make loads of sense-yes it was closer to the hour and all that but a full conversation with understanding and the ability to remember an entire day later. 
 But that’s just my opinion. If you like a slow regency style mystery romance with other realms and gods you may enjoy it
Thank you NetGalley and Night Loch Publishers LLC for this Arc

🌟ARC Review🌟 Thank you NetGalley and the author Silas Reames for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a captivating five star read for me!! I went in completely blind and was hooked. The world building was amazing, descriptive and easy to follow. The storyline is set in the regency era with strict societal expectations, think Bridgerton vibes but with a mysterious, paranormal, gothic twist. If you’re looking for a perfect romantasy read for spooky season, this is it!

For the past 98 years, the kingdoms of Rayus have feared the “Unseen Hour”. This cursed span of time happens between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and anyone found outside during this hour would die and their bodies found in the morning were frozen as solid as ice. Except for the father of our FMC, Celia, who was outside during the “Unseen Hour” but his body was never found. Celia takes it upon herself to forego societal norms and sets out on a mission to find her father and ultimately break the curse of the “Unseen Hour” to save all in the kingdoms of Rayus. We follow Celia on her journey to another realm where she meets the MMC, Orion, and together they search for her father, overcome obstacles and warring gods, and find themselves drawn to each other in the sweetest slow-burn romance that fate cannot deny!

There were twists and turns throughout that kept me fully engaged and the ending took me by surprise!! I can’t wait to see what happens next and I will definitely be picking up book two as soon as it released.

The Unseen Hour is a fearful time for all of Emrys. For nearly a century at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve, when most people would be celebrating the New Year, Emrys hides behind barred doors from a deadly fog that claims the lives of those brave enough to venture outside. Celia, a fiery woman that rejects the status quo, has lost her father during The Unseen Hour. But he wasn't found frozen like every other victim, but just simply disappeared. Only one other person vanished without a trace, the heir to the Holmes dukedom. Determined to find her father and reunite him with his family, Celia follows clues in a journal written by R. Holmes (the same Holmes that vanished) to get Taken herself. When she succeeds, she doesn't find a realm of darkness, but the Ether, a realm full of beauty, Shades, a hateful God, and an infuriatingly handsome Head Shade named Orion. Once it is decided that The Unseen Hour must end, the two team up and go on a dangerous journey to save their world.

When I first started reading this, it was giving me "Pride and Prejudice" with a little magical touch. As the story went on, although I still felt those vibes, it clearly went in a different direction. I adored Orion! I love how understanding and easy-going he was. He was very grown up about how he handled certain things, especially secrets and reveals from Celia. Celia, although I've read plenty of stories with a FMC like her, she was kind of refreshing. She didn't like keeping secrets from Orion and was ready to deal with the backlash when she finally did reveal them to Orion. I liked that she didn't want to conform to societal norms but was still concerned about how her reputation would affect her family. In the end, I didn't feel like there was any character growth for either character, not that there needed to be.

This book is very atmospheric, and I loved every minute of it. The descriptions of her surroundings definitely gave the spooky vibes. So, if looking for a read to get you in the mood for fall, this one might be for you. Silas Reames writing is beautiful. A bit flowery, and it might be too flowery for some, but I think that adds so much to help set the scenes. The entire book is about finding her father and saving their world. So, the plot of the book stayed on point the entire time. There are a couple lull chapters of the book, but I feel they are necessary as a breather for what is about to come in the next chapter.

The romance is kind of instalove, but I think for what the author was wanting to do, might have been necessary. Also, they are the only two humans in the Ether, sooooo...you kind of see it coming from a mile away. Also, where there's romance, there is usually spice. I think some people might have a problem with the spicy scenes, but as someone who is tired of spice being in every single book these days, I found them refreshing. They were quick, to the point, and didn't drag on for days. Which is fine by me. There wasn't much cuddling after and even though they were big moments, they weren't dwelt upon, which I liked. When I was a spicy girlie, I wouldn't have liked that very much, so keep that in mind going in.

All in all, this book has helped me enjoy reading again after being in a very looong slump. So, thank you Silas Reames for writing such an amazing book, taking a chance on me by giving me an arc of your incredible story. Now I have to go and read her entire backlist, so BYEEEE!!!!

4.75 / 5, i found the pacing really well done, and really enjoyed that the chapters imo didn’t feel too short and weren’t too long. the pacing of the romance seemed really fitting and i really enjoyed the relationship, as well as the other relationships/dynamics within the book, i found it funny and it even made me tear up near the end a couple of times! i LOVED the setting of the book and will deffo pick up a physical copy when it’s released as well as be on the lookout for the next book! this seemed like a unique and new fantasy book which i really enjoyed! honoured to have gotten an arc, thank you!

The premise of The Unseen Hour is fascinating—an extra “unseen hour” arrives between the years in Emrys, and anyone caught outside during it dies. The cover, with its occult look and raven chapter headings, sets you up to expect a gothic, atmospheric fantasy. But the tone of the story itself didn’t actually feel gothic—more like a Regency-inspired romantasy with a curse/mystery at its core.

While the concept intrigued me, the execution fell flat. The rules of the world weren’t consistently applied—for example, humans and lights perish in the unseen hour, but animals are unaffected. Celia, the FMC, is 24 and of noble birth, still searching for answers about her father’s disappearance. She also has “vibrant” pink eyes, a family trait that seemed to serve no real purpose other than giving her something to complain about (she really hates having to wear pink to match her eyes. Also corsets. She really hates corsets.)

Eight chapters in and I was still waiting to feel invested. The pacing is slow and secondary characters read more like props than fully developed people. Celia’s mother, in particular, seems to exist only as a foil to Celia’s boldness. The romance angle—Celia’s developing feelings for Orion, the ghostly MMC—isn’t compelling early on because we don’t see the journal entries that supposedly inspire her crush. It’s all told, not shown, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Ultimately, I DNF’d at 18%. The writing isn’t egregious, and the premise is interesting, but the slow pacing and flat characters kept me from engaging.

However, this is only my opinion so YMMV. You might enjoy this if you’re a romantasy reader who enjoys a slow setup with Regency flavors, a heroine on a personal quest, and a hero who takes his time arriving on the page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Night Loch Publishers for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

This book really drew me in from the start. Set in a vaguely Victorian fantasy landscape, the central mystery of an hour that brings death to anyone that isn’t behind closed doors is very compelling, as is Celia’s hunt for her missing father. The race against time not only to try and find him but also to escape her terrible arranged marriage is tense and fun to read,

That being said, I found that the novel lost its way when the main love interest was introduced. I felt that the romance between Orion and Celia was very rushed and lacked any tension. Unfortunately, the small timeskips that had been used to great effect towards the start of the book really hampered the build up of their romance. Additionally, a huge amount of Celia’s affection towards Orion seems built on her discovery of his diary, an item that seemed important but was never substantially explored enough to carry this weight. An important thing to note is that I am not usually a romance or a romantasy reader, so reader mileage may vary with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Night Loch Publishers for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Very enjoyable book. It was slightly repetitive in places and abit nicey nicey but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The overall concept was brilliant, I'd have liked abit more context but it was a good read all the same

The unseen hour

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for sending me an eArc of this book.

I’m afraid this is a soft DNF, although Goodreads is of course going to count it as ‘read’ in order for me to leave a review. I made it to 20% before deciding to stop reading, so obviously my thoughts only really apply up to that point.

This is a soft DNF because I didn’t hate it; it’s not badly written and the plot is intriguing. I fully accept this could simply be a wrong time situation, so I’ll likely check back in a few months and will give it a second try. If my opinions change, I’ll obviously edit this review.

The Unseen Hour is a gothic style fantasy, set in a world where the time between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day is filled with mystery and superstition. In the Kingdom of Emrys, Celia is a girl from a well known family, whose mother is intent on her finding a husband this season (think Bridgerton). Celia however is more intent on solving the mystery of her missing father, who’s vanished in ‘the unseen hour’. Apparently this is also a fantasy romance; at the 20% mark I had not reached that point so I cannot judge. The only hint of romance I have come across is her daydreams about a man who went missing 100 years ago.

Overall, the plot was intriguing and the writing wasn’t bad. However, I found it hard to really get into the story. I felt disconnected from Celia, almost like we were watching her emotionless describe the story, rather than being pulled into the world with her. It led to me not really caring what happened next at the end of each chapter. Some of the sentences felt a little clunky, with over explanation, but this is potentially just a writing style issue I did not vibe well with.

I also felt a little pulled out of the story when months would jump between chapters, without any real transition.

Ultimately, a very promising read but I’m just not in the mood for it. If I could leave a completely neutral rating, minus any stars (so it didn’t influence the rating) I would. Instead, I’ll leave a 4 star review because of the potential and because I know this is a book many people will enjoy. Hopefully, when I come back to it I can be more satisfied.

Thankyou NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with ‘The Unseen Hour’ Arc.

I absolutely loved this book. The first impressions gave me Pride and Prejudice/Bridgerton lead FMC vibes then went into a new world ♥️
The MMC was beautifully written, I found myself highlighting so many of his one liners.
The world building was so easy to immerse myself into, I could envision everything and I’m a big ambiance reader.
The plot was fantastic and I genuinely can’t wait for book two, I didn’t see the twists coming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Overall fabulous time 100% recommend for Autumn/Winter season, get snug with a hot chocolate and read ‘The Unseen Hour’.

I finally picked up The Unseen Hour and it was such an enjoyable journey! I went in expecting a your standard 'falling for a ghost' story, and it absolutely blew it out of the water and delivered on that gothic-inspired romance. Celia's journey into the realm of death to find her father and breaking a curse was so compelling. And Orion? Their connection was just chef's kiss – that slow-burn, forbidden romance against a backdrop of warring gods and hidden threats was fantastic. The world-building was really cool, and I loved the atmosphere. It's a strong read if you're into sacrificial love, mortals against gods, and a truly unique love story. Definitely recommend! ❤️

I'm sorry to say, this book is not for me. I don't find the story engaging and the FMC feels bland. It's not holding my interest enough to keep reading.

I’m very sad to be DNFing this one, because the premise is so cool! However the writing, while pretty, is also very, very redundant. While I appreciate the strong building of what is and isn’t acceptable in this “historical” society, it is sort of repeated ad nauseam, and there’s a bit too much corset complaining for me. This book felt twice as long as it needed to be because of the narrator relentlessly repeating herself, while not focusing enough on things that matter for my taste. There was definitely not enough of us actively getting to sit with our main character as she read and fell in love with the author of this journal - it was just brought up that he had disappeared multiple times, and jumped to “I have to stop myself from touching myself when I think of him,” which seemed extreme to me. I am 25% of the way through this book, and we haven’t even met the MMC yet. I am all for a slow burn, but this was a bit much.
Again, very sad about it, and this author has infinite potential, so I’ll definitely be checking out their future releases, but for now this one just isn’t for me.

The Unseen Hour was a good read, full of adventure, spooky vibes.

I really loved the world-building. Both our world and the Ether felt believable and I really liked the lore regarding the gods. The atmosphere was nicely set up and it truly felt like being in another world.

Celia was a strong and capable FMC and who met her match in Orion.

Regarding the romance between them, I'm sorry to say that it felt rushed and a bit flat for me. They had a few cute moments and I liked that they found each other but I still felt like something was missing. Unfortunately, I had the same feeling about some of the plot points, that were resolved too quickly or just ignored.

I did like the ending and I'm really intrigued for book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley & Night Loch Publishers for the gifted eARC.

Tropes & Highlights:
• Love declarations
• Yearning
• Quests/ Adventure
• Bad deities
• Cursed realm
• Each other’s salvation
• Golden retriever MMC
• Allies to lovers

First of all, it’s giving paranormal Bridgerton- and for fans of Bridgerton, the protagonist Celia’s story reminded me a lot of Eloise.
Celia is sneaking around town with her own agenda to uncover truths, has no interest in taking the season seriously, falls in love with a dude’s written journal and runs off to be with him (kinda).

Except, the guy from the journal is presumed dead 98 years prior after the first Unseen Hour. 💀

The Unseen Hour is basically a phenomenon where a mist descends an hour before midnight every NYE and people die or go missing unless locked in their homes. Celia finds a journal left by someone who was victim of the first Unseen Hour with her father’s notes added, who was a victim 3 years prior.

Celia becomes obsessed with the journal with her father’s notes.
Both by thinking this is the key to finding out her father’s fate and by falling in love with the original author and fantasizing about him.

additional TW: Attempted intentional NDE (Near Death Experience)

My thoughts:
It’s cozy even though the subject and atmosphere are dark/ bleak. The romance is what gives it a cozy feel.
It’s book 1 in a duology and left me wanting to know what happens next.

The Unseen Hour by Silas Reames has been a bit of a ride. This book has the feeling of a dark Bridgerton (same society standards anyway).
In Emrys the New Year becomes a dangerous time to be outside, threatening certain death, and no one knows why. Celia’s father is thought to be a victim of what now is known as The Unseen Hour, but his daughter is not so sure about that, as he has been researching a way to end this curse. With the help of an old journal written by R. Holmes and her father’s scribbles, Celia has now taken it upon herself to resume the research and save her father.But what is waiting for her at the end of this journey is definitely not what she was expecting.
A war between gods, this is a story about resilience, adaptability, breaking barriers, and of course, love. This book caught my attention, and even though some things felt a little bit predictable, it kept delivering, and I remained engaged. There are two things that make me give it a lower rating. 
One: Orion, our main male character felt, in my personal opinion, a little bit flat. Celia certainly overpowers the narrative, and I feel like instead of becoming an unstoppable team, I ended up wondering, “How did he survive for so long?” I do wish that he were stronger.
Two: The passage of time. This book, with its 406 pages, takes place in the span of two years, but there was something about the time jumps that just felt empty.
Now moving on to the things I loved.
The setting of the Ether has the most beautiful description, especially night and day; the way it is described made me want to step into it.
The usage of music as a magic conduit versus items, I thought it was very intriguing, and I want more.
The ending. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it, but I cannot wait to see what happens. That twist was chef’s kiss.
With an overall rating of 4 stars, I recommend this book. And I thank NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Silas Reames for allowing me to read this book.