Arc Review
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In Emrys, the Unseen Hour is a time of fear and hiding. But when Celia discovers a mysterious journal, she's drawn into a realm of death where she meets Orion, the journal's author. As they navigate this treacherous world, they must confront their pasts, the power of warring gods, and their growing feelings for each other.
This book was such an adventurous ride in journey. I love the characters. The plot actually kept me hundred percent interested throughout the whole book.
The atmosphere of this book is very dark unsettling and Gothic so the book was exactly what I was looking for especially around spooky time. This is a good book if you like Gothic vibes I actually highly suggest this one.

The Unseen Hour by Silas Reams was such an enjoyable read! It had the perfect mix of adventure and fantasy romance. I especially loved Celia’s rebellious spirit and her determination to uncover the truth about her father. I’m really excited to see where Silas Reams takes the story in book two!

The Unseen Hour — a time so cursed that people hide indoors, hoping to survive it — really hooked me straight away. The atmosphere is dark, a little unsettling, and definitely gothic in tone, which I loved.

Celia’s search for her missing father drives the plot, but what kept me reading was the way she stumbles into Orion’s world. I didn’t expect to fall for the romance as much as I did — the idea of slowly falling for the author of a journal, only to meet him as a ghost.

If you like your fantasy gothic, moody, and laced with doomed romance and gods that feel dangerous, this is one to pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this concept and enjoyed the Gothic fantasy romance elements in this and thought the fantasy concept worked well overall. It was everything that I was looking for and was enjoying getting to know Celia and the rest of the characters. It was so well written and enjoyed the overall package of this book. Silas Reames has a strong writing style and left me wanting to read more in this world and characters.

“He’d soon find out, though, that love could fuel vengeance as readily as anger. And I had plenty of both.”

“I don’t want his name on your lips again, Starlight. Just mine.”

Spice: 🌶️.5

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When Celia picks up the trace of her father’s research into the Unseen Hour, she gets a lot more than she bargained for. More questions than answers, bickering drama between deities, and a very golden retriever of a Head Shade.

MMC is giving major Haku vibes (Spirited Away, for reference). But at no point was this man, Orion, anything less than kind, loving, and compassionate towards Celia. Which honestly made me a little… frustrated.

Let’s start with the good:
This book has the writing of a fairly seasoned author. I did highly enjoy the “touch HIM and 💀” and reverse “who did this to you?” trope. It has all the right pieces in place to be truly amazing, and I’m a sucker for inventive pantheons, especially if it’s built on the foundations of one’s that already exist.

… which brings me to the “not so good.”
I write this with all the respect in my soul, but I didn’t quite resonate with either of the characters. I liked them and I understood their mutual interest and cooperative mission, but their romance felt a bit rushed, and when the kissing and *ahem* copulation eventually happens, it just fell a bit flat. It felt as if it was “yeah it happened, moving on.” And the circumstances under which it happened felt kind of ordinary and unceremonious. It had the typical ‘almost happened before they were interrupted’ situations. Without going into too much detail, too much had worked out kind of perfectly (or at least not awfully) for them - it lacked strife and conflict which would aid to their growth as characters, thus increasing our emotional vested interest in watching their tale unfold.

It ends in a cliffhanger, which gives me hope that we’ll see more dynamic within the world of Emrys and the Unseen Hour, the conflict, arc, and topography of characters, and more backstory as to how this Unseen Hour came to be.