en-US Thu, 24 Apr 2025 03:13:09 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus9346321149 Thu, 24 Apr 2025 03:13:09 -0700 /review/show/7514608372 Unseen wants to read Hard Town by Adam Plantinga
]]> ReadStatus9316071573 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 09:51:00 -0700 /review/show/7493591514 Unseen wants to read Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh
]]> Review6758226805 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:52:16 -0700 /review/show/6758226805 Unseen gave 5 stars to A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett
I received a copy of A Drop of Corruption from Netgalley to review.

Robert Jackson Bennett continues to shine brightly with the epic second novel in his Shadow of the Leviathan series, A Drop of Corruption, an exceptional and incredible fantasy murder mystery that I could not get enough of.

On the borders of the Empire of Khanum lies the small canton of Yarrowdale, part of an independent kingdom that is reluctantly set to join the Empire. A dank and impoverished land filled with swamps and waterways, the only thing of importance for the Empire in Yarrowdale is the high-security compound known as the Shroud. A top-secret lab where the best scientists from the Empire dissect fallen leviathans to harvest the transformative magic found in their blood, the Shroud keeps Yarrowdale on the map and its inclusion in the Empire an inevitability. However, when an impossible crime takes place within its borders, all eyes within the Empire will be looking towards it.

An important Imperial Treasury officer on assignment to Yarrowdale has gone missing, seemingly disappearing into thin air inside his locked and guarded quarters. Needing answers, the Empire calls upon its most unlikely hero, the brilliant, and possibly insane, special investigator Ana Dolabra. Accompanied by her loyal and often exasperated assistant, Dinios Kol, Ana soon invokes her uncanny talent for observations and ability to make unlikely connections to find answers. But despite quickly working out how the victim disappeared, Ana discerns that the crime was only the first move in a diabolical master plan.

A dangerous and clever killer is stalking Yarrowdale, one with the ability to think ten steps ahead and effortlessly cover their tracks. Worse, the killer has devious designs on the Shroud and is willing to use the facilities own dark science against it, crippling the Empire’s ability to defend itself. To save the Empire, Ana and Din will need to discern the killer’s schemes and stop them before it is too late. But have the pair finally met an opponent even more brilliant that Ana?

Wow, wow, wow, now that was an outstanding book! Robert Jackson Bennett once again impresses to the extreme as A Drop of Corruption was an incredible read that I honestly could not put down. Another excellent blend of brilliant mystery and inventive fantasy fiction, A Drop of Corruption was so damn good, and I loved every single second I spent absorbed in its captivating pages. A very easy five-star read and one of the very best fantasy novels of 2025.

To see the full review, click on the link below:


An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 10 April 2025:


For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
]]> Review7158893685 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:52:01 -0700 /review/show/7158893685 Unseen gave 5 stars to When the Moon Hits Your Eye (Kindle Edition) by John Scalzi
Prepare for one of the most outrageous and original science fiction novels of 2025 with the fun, heartwarming and very entertaining novel, When the Moon Hits Your Eye by the always fantastic John Scalzi.

John Scalzi is a very entertaining science fiction author who has been providing his unique take on the genre for years. Best known for Old Man’s War and The Interdependency series, Scalzi has also written a range of distinctive standalone science fiction novels that provide interesting takes on the world, as well as satirising certain elements of pop culture. I have had a wonderful time reading novels like Redshirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villian, and all of them proved to be amazing books. As such, I have been making a strong effort to read all Scalzi’s new novels, including his 2025 release, When the Moon Hits Your Eye. A captivating read with a unique premise behind it, When the Moon Hits Your Eye was one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and I am so glad that I got the chance to read it.

Plot Synopsis:

The moon has turned into cheese.

Now humanity has to deal with it.

For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.

Astronauts and billionaires, comedians and bank executives, professors and presidents, teenagers and terminal patients at the end of their lives -- over the length of an entire lunar cycle, each get their moment in the moonlight. To panic, to plan, to wonder and to pray, to laugh and to grieve. All in a kaleidoscopic novel that goes all the places you’d expect, and then to so many places you wouldn’t.

It’s a wild moonage daydream. Ride this rocket.

Alright, so I knew going in that I was going to love When the Moon Hits Your Eye, primarily because it’s John Scalzi examining what happens when the moon turns to cheese, and that’s such an awesomely wacky premise. However, even with that expectation, I was surprised at how much fun I had with When the Moon Hits Your Eye, especially as Scalzi presents a compelling, thoroughly amusing and genuinely nice book that I ended up powering through in only a couple of days.

To see the full review, click on the link below:


An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 10 April 2025:


For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
]]> Review7158893685 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:50:33 -0700 /review/show/7158893685 Unseen gave 5 stars to When the Moon Hits Your Eye (Kindle Edition) by John Scalzi
Prepare for one of the most outrageous and original science fiction novels of 2025 with the fun, heartwarming and very entertaining novel, When the Moon Hits Your Eye by the always fantastic John Scalzi.

John Scalzi is a very entertaining science fiction author who has been providing his unique take on the genre for years. Best known for Old Man’s War and The Interdependency series, Scalzi has also written a range of distinctive standalone science fiction novels that provide interesting takes on the world, as well as satirising certain elements of pop culture. I have had a wonderful time reading novels like Redshirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villian, and all of them proved to be amazing books. As such, I have been making a strong effort to read all Scalzi’s new novels, including his 2025 release, When the Moon Hits Your Eye. A captivating read with a unique premise behind it, When the Moon Hits Your Eye was one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and I am so glad that I got the chance to read it.

Plot Synopsis:

The moon has turned into cheese.

Now humanity has to deal with it.

For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.

Astronauts and billionaires, comedians and bank executives, professors and presidents, teenagers and terminal patients at the end of their lives -- over the length of an entire lunar cycle, each get their moment in the moonlight. To panic, to plan, to wonder and to pray, to laugh and to grieve. All in a kaleidoscopic novel that goes all the places you’d expect, and then to so many places you wouldn’t.

It’s a wild moonage daydream. Ride this rocket.

Alright, so I knew going in that I was going to love When the Moon Hits Your Eye, primarily because it’s John Scalzi examining what happens when the moon turns to cheese, and that’s such an awesomely wacky premise. However, even with that expectation, I was surprised at how much fun I had with When the Moon Hits Your Eye, especially as Scalzi presents a compelling, thoroughly amusing and genuinely nice book that I ended up powering through in only a couple of days.

To see the full review, click on the link below:


An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 10 April 2025:


For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
]]> ReadStatus9315868166 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:50:11 -0700 /review/show/7158893685 Unseen finished reading When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
]]> Review6895983633 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:50:05 -0700 /review/show/6895983633 Unseen gave 5 stars to The Mask of Fear (Star Wars: Reign of the Empire, #1) by Alexander Freed
Rating of 4.5.

One of the top authors of Star Wars extended fiction, Alexander Freed, presents a compelling and complex inclusion to the franchise with The Mask of Fear, a powerful Star Wars novel that is a must-read before the upcoming second season of Andor.

Plot Synopsis:

Before the Rebellion, the Empire reigns, in book one of a trilogy told through the eyes of Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera � for fans of Andor.

"In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire! For a safe and secure society!"

With one speech, and thunderous applause, Chancellor Palpatine brought the era of the Republic crashing down. In its place rose the Galactic Empire. Across the galaxy, people rejoiced and celebrated the end to war—and the promises of tomorrow. But that tomorrow was a lie. Instead the galaxy became twisted by the cruelty and fear of the Emperor’s rule.

During that terrifying first year of tyranny, Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa face the encroaching darkness. One day, they will be three architects of the Rebel Alliance. But first, each must find purpose and direction in a changing galaxy, while harboring their own secrets, fears, and hopes for a future that may never come, unless they act.

The Mask of Fear was another impressive and unique Star Wars novel from Freed, who sought to bring together a complex narrative of early rebellion and fear, as various people witness the rise of a tyrannical government. Clever, intense and cleverly addressing some real-world parallels, The Mask of Fear was extremely good, and it served as a brilliant start to an excellent new Star Wars trilogy.

To see the full review, click on the link below:


An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 10 April 2025:


For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
]]> Review6758226805 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:45:57 -0700 /review/show/6758226805 Unseen gave 5 stars to A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett
I received a copy of A Drop of Corruption from Netgalley to review.

Robert Jackson Bennett continues to shine brightly with the epic second novel in his Shadow of the Leviathan series, A Drop of Corruption, an exceptional and incredible fantasy murder mystery that I could not get enough of.

On the borders of the Empire of Khanum lies the small canton of Yarrowdale, part of an independent kingdom that is reluctantly set to join the Empire. A dank and impoverished land filled with swamps and waterways, the only thing of importance for the Empire in Yarrowdale is the high-security compound known as the Shroud. A top-secret lab where the best scientists from the Empire dissect fallen leviathans to harvest the transformative magic found in their blood, the Shroud keeps Yarrowdale on the map and its inclusion in the Empire an inevitability. However, when an impossible crime takes place within its borders, all eyes within the Empire will be looking towards it.

An important Imperial Treasury officer on assignment to Yarrowdale has gone missing, seemingly disappearing into thin air inside his locked and guarded quarters. Needing answers, the Empire calls upon its most unlikely hero, the brilliant, and possibly insane, special investigator Ana Dolabra. Accompanied by her loyal and often exasperated assistant, Dinios Kol, Ana soon invokes her uncanny talent for observations and ability to make unlikely connections to find answers. But despite quickly working out how the victim disappeared, Ana discerns that the crime was only the first move in a diabolical master plan.

A dangerous and clever killer is stalking Yarrowdale, one with the ability to think ten steps ahead and effortlessly cover their tracks. Worse, the killer has devious designs on the Shroud and is willing to use the facilities own dark science against it, crippling the Empire’s ability to defend itself. To save the Empire, Ana and Din will need to discern the killer’s schemes and stop them before it is too late. But have the pair finally met an opponent even more brilliant that Ana?

Wow, wow, wow, now that was an outstanding book! Robert Jackson Bennett once again impresses to the extreme as A Drop of Corruption was an incredible read that I honestly could not put down. Another excellent blend of brilliant mystery and inventive fantasy fiction, A Drop of Corruption was so damn good, and I loved every single second I spent absorbed in its captivating pages. A very easy five-star read and one of the very best fantasy novels of 2025.

To see the full review, click on the link below:


An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 10 April 2025:


For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
]]> Review6983555082 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 06:40:40 -0700 /review/show/6983555082 Unseen gave 5 stars to Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades, #2) by Mai Corland
Rating of 4.75.

One of the hottest fantasy sequels of 2025 is the impressive Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland, that once again follows an entertaining band of killers and self-interested liars as they get drawn into dark events that threaten their entire world.

The group known as the Blades are five of the best killers, liars and thieves in the kingdom of Yusan. Made up of a master spy, a beautiful poison-maiden, a murderous banished prince, a lethal thug and a mysterious thief, the Blades were hired to pull off an impossible task: kill Yusan’s God King Joon and steal his crown. Each of the killers had a reason for becoming involved with the plot, as well as their own dark secrets that drove them onwards. However, all of them underestimated Joon’s manipulations and greed, as the entire job was a ploy from the King to bring them together and evaluate their skills.

Captured and forced by bribes and threats to accept a new mission, the Blades now find themselves journeying to the neighbouring nation of Khitan, which has long resisted the armies of Yusan. Ruled over by Joon’s vengeful sister, Quilimar, Khitan remains free thanks to the power of the Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord, one of five legendary magical treasures gifted to the ruling houses of the rival realms. Determined to possess all the treasures, Joon gives the Blades one month to steal the ring and return it to him. If they succeed, they will have everything they desire, but if they fail, then they and everyone they love will be killed.

Arriving in Khitan, the Blades find dangerous enemies all around, an impossible theft before them and their once cohesive group fractured thanks to their uncovered lies. But even with their conflicting motivations and secrets out in the open, these killers can all agree on one thing: King Joon is their true enemy. Determined to fight back, the Blades embark on a mission to gain an audience with Quilimar and find a way to use Khitan’s resources to defeat Joon. However, there is a darker conspiracy at play within the borders of Khitan, and the Blades have once again underestimated the lengths their enemies will go to win. Worse, each of the band still has secrets, and soon a new set of lies will tear them apart from within.

Four Ruined Realms was another exceptional fantasy novel from Corland that effortlessly drags you in with its fun action, compelling story, doomed romances and outstanding and damaged protagonists. Perfectly telling a massive, multi-character narrative, Four Ruined Realms was a very worthy sequel to Five Broken Blades that proved very hard to put down.

To see the full review, click on the link below:


For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
]]> Review7076489777 Tue, 15 Apr 2025 10:00:59 -0700 /review/show/7076489777 Unseen gave 5 stars to Pacific Heights (Paperback) by S. R. White
I received a copy of Pacific Heights from Hachette Australia to reivew.

Rating of 4.5.

Over the last couple of years one of the more compelling authors of Australian crime fiction has been S. R. White. A former member of the UK police, White has been writing intriguing crime fiction novels since his move to Australia. His main body of work has so far included excellent reads like Prisoner, Red Dirt Road and White Ash Ridge (part of the Detective Dana Russo series), which featured complex mysteries centred around layered suspects. I really enjoyed the compelling way in which White’s investigators break down the motivations and personalities of the suspects and the victim to get to the truth, and the author has a unique and striking writing style. As such, I was eager to read his 2025 novel, Pacific Heights, which is a standalone spin-off of White Ash Ridge, featuring one of the supporting characters from the previous book in a more substantial role

Plot Synopsis:
FIVE WITNESSES. FIVE DIFFERENT STORIES. WHO IS THE KILLER?

In the courtyard of the Pacific Heights building, a local waitress is found dead.
Five apartments overlook the murder scene. Five people witnessed a crime take place.
Finding the killer should be simple.

Except none of the witnesses' stories match.
They all saw something - from a different angle, at a different time.
None of them saw everything. Anyone could be the killer.

Detectives Carl "Bluey" Blueson and Lachlan Dyson, each with their own careers in peril, must solve what others assume is a straightforward case. But to unmask a killer they must unpick a complex puzzle - where the motivations of the witnesses are as mystifying as the crime itself.

How can you solve a crime if anyone could be lying?

This was a very clever and addictive Australian crime fiction read that I had such a blast getting through. White wove together a very compelling mystery narrative for Pacific Heights that cleverly explored a range of great characters and examined how people view events differently.

To see the full review, click on the link below:


For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
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