The Unseelie Prince

The Hawthorn Throne Series, Book 1

By: Kaitlyn Abdou

Narrated by: Liam Taylor

Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Unseelie Prince is the first novella in the Hawthorn Throne series.

The Folk have never shied away from taking what they want. Legends speak of faeries stealing people from their beds, swapping infants with changelings, and impregnating women they find beautiful. You should never trust them, though they cannot lie. Eat their food, and you may never see home again.

Noah Reid has spent his life seeking normalcy after a turbulent childhood with a superstitious mother who refused to answer questions about the father he never knew and instead attempted to impress upon him a real fear of faeries.

Despite his mother’s best efforts, Noah finds himself ripped from the life he knows and thrust into a palace of nightmares. Here, he must face the persistent attention of the regent and discover the shocking truth his mother took to her grave.

Fàilte air ais, a Naoise. Welcome home....

Content warning: Contains dark themes and subject matter that may be considered taboo. 

©2018 Kaitlyn Abdou (P)2018 Kaitlyn Abdou

a dark fae story

This was a well written darker tale. the summary explains it and it does have a slight taboo theme to it. overall very enjoyable.

The Unseelie Prince

Noah has no idea why he is kidnapped and locked away in the middle of the night. His only contact is a man who shows him concern and affection. When Noah learns the truth about his father, he must make a choice to believe in the legends and take his rightful place or not. All is not as it should be but will evil win or will the truth somehow find its way to be seen?

This is a quick and engaging story. I was pulled right in from the start and am eagerly waiting for more. Noah has never known anything about his father and as he learns about who he is and the beings that he comes from he slowly begins to find purpose. The only one that Noah is able to interact with is the Regent but is he there to help or hinder. Noah must learn the answer to this question the hard way. I really enjoyed this world and its characters. Narrator Liam Taylor does a wonderful job bringing life to these characters and had me immersed into the story as soon as I hit play.

Riveting

I usually stay away from stories with cliffhangers but I couldn't stop listening to this one. The story is well-written.

This narrator is new-to-me. I enjoyed listening to his voice so much that I was captivated.

I can't wait for the next book to come out. I need to know what happens next.

This is not a romance

And by “not a romance”, I don’t mean that there is a romantic relationship but it’s in the background. I mean, don’t go into this expecting love at all. This also isn’t the story you want if you want to see the underdog win. What this story does have is a nice bit of world building, a deliciously wicked villain, and a narrator who does a great job. I think my main problem was that I didn’t like the ending. I think it was meant to have a dark erotic horror feel, but to me it just felt like a story where a shitty abuser won in the end. Maybe this wasn’t the best book to listen to after marathoning through The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King. I might buy a sequel if it looks like things might get better for the main character in it.

Original and enthralling

In a matter of a little over two hours, Kaitlyn Abdou's fantastical story and Liam Taylor's narration was able to do what quite a few other audiobooks haven't been able to: give me an original and enthralling tale and leave me wanting much more in the best way possible. The Unseelie Prince is the first in Abdou's Hawthorn Prince series, and it's the ideal sort of series starter, enticing the listener with a mesmerizing and intriguing story, ensuring that they'd be invested in the characters, needing to find out what happens next. This is Abdou's debut release and it's the first time I've listened to Taylor's narrating, both leaving me wholly impressed with their respective contributions to this wonderfully fascinating story of a man named Noah Reid who is taken by mystical creatures and finds out that the life he once led wasn't as mundane or normal as he was made to believe. I don't want to give too much away, but this does end on a cliffhanger, and I was a wee bit frustrated because I desperately wanted to know what awaited certain characters in the story. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for book two! The Unseelie Prince gets five stars! ♥

Interesting!

This is a little different than what I was expecting. I was quickly drawn into the story and wanted to know what was going to happen next. The characters are intriguing, complex, and left me wanting to know about them. This story is a bit dark, a little magical, and blends some Scottish folklore. The narrator does a great job of bringing the story to life. I look forward to the next part if the story, this left me wanting more.

Good Taboo story...

The Unseelie Prince is a quick Taboo story by Kaitlyn Abdou. It is the first book of The Hawthorn Throne series. Filled with Dark but intriguing content, the book captures your attention and keeps it to find out what happens to Noah and the Regent. Definitely recommend for those who love The dark, the forbidden, the Taboo. Do not read if you are looking for a romance... this well written book is more about gothic seduction, magical deception and very Taboo subject matter.

Narration job done well by Liam Taylor. The voice is smooth and easy to listen to. It helps you get lost into the story and envision it all. Great job.

A good start of a series

I love stories of the fae and this starts out good, has good bones even, but it just has a feel of a prequel. When I went to look for more of the series I couldn't find anything so I was left hanging.
It was short so there was room for more.

I listened to it on audio and the narration was pretty good.

A Dark Fairytale

This story was as deliciously dark and dangerous as the Sidhe who vie for control of the Hawthorne Throne. Noah is a regular young man going through college and dealing with the death of his mother. The last thing he expects is to be ripped away from bedroom in the middle of the night by beings he only thought existed in fairytales.

The story is full of manipulation and hot, sultry sex as Fearghas maneuvers his way onto the Hawthorne Throne. Poor Noah soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and trust should not be handed out so freely.

Kaitlyn Abdou has a wonderful writing style and it left me wanting more. The book also has beautiful illustrations done by Felix Avenier. The audiobook version of this book is well done. Liam Taylor was a wonderful choice for narrator. His voice was rich and full of depths that enhanced the sultry darkness of the story.

Overall, the book was four stars – it was extremely good, but the brevity of the book stifled the plot a little – it felt more like a prequel and I really hope Kaitlyn Abdou continues this series.

Fantastically Written and Narrated

Well, that was uncomfortable and amazing at the same time! How to describe without spoilers?Abdou's Prince is frustrating as all get out (come on, pay attention, Noah!), but understandably so. Her bad guy is the worst kind of man--all sweetness and consideration over a black and selfish heart. I can't wait for future books, in which I hope Noah gets his revenge on. Liam Tailor was perfect, moving from one voice to another and between accents flawlessly.

holy wow

this was dark and sexy.. interesting and fast paced.. narrator did an amazing job hitting these complex characters and their personalities and emotions and didnt make me feel weird hearing it happening.. it was amazing

Thrilling!

Beautifully narrated. Absolutely love the narrator's voice and the Scottish accent. A chilling yet scorching hot drive into the Unseelie Sìth. Leabhar sgoinneil! Meal do naidheachd!