The Unseelie Prince (Maze of Shadows Book 1)

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I don't know if I'll ever do an in-depth review of The Unseelie Prince, but I can at least do a pros and cons list. Do keep in mind that the bar is low (and apparently getting lower all the time). That said, this was FUN. Kingsley wrote the Unseelie fae right, and the Moonlit Court she created here was as fascinating as it He's the Villain of this story but I ... like him. I feel bad for what he's endured and still enduring, but that doesn't mean what he did and the decisions he continues to take are ok.

The Unseelies Prince was too heavy on its darkness and, ironically, an enemies-to-lovers book that was probably even too realistic for a certain books' standards. Long story short, this book has all the tropes, all the potential, a chef-kiss plot, top notch writing and exciting dialogue (it's told in third person but it has a double pov), but it fails in putting homogeneously together a group of elements that individually are terrific. I will say that I wished the world building had been bigger; a lot of left vague and relies on a readers' prior knowledge of faeries and fantasy to fill in the blanks, which isn't ideal, in my opinion. I think world building should be dense enough that even someone wholly unfamiliar with the concepts should be able to have a full reading experience.

From a very young age, Kathryn Ann Kingsley was interested in her brother’s action figures. He had terrifying and grotesque fantastical and strange action figures that she always found intriguing as compared to her sweet and boring toys. Valroy is the bloody prince and heir to the Unseelie throne: A stipulation that first he must marry before he can ascend sees him exploiting a loophole and deciding to kidnap the mortal Abigail and make her his bride though he doesn’t really expect her to last long past the actual wedding. Placing Abigail inside his maze in his realm is the beginning of a game that delights Valroy he finds his new human pet fascinating and playing with her so much fun. Valroy fisted Abigail’s hair in his hand and dragged her from the wall. She shrieked, swatting at his hand, but he cared not. She was a waif, a little imp of a thing, and he had fought the most powerful warriors that the Isle had to offer. Kathryn Ann Kingsley’s novel “The Unseelie Throne” opens with Abigail in a dilemma. If she wins Valroy will die while if she loses, she will have to become his queen and help him unleash terror across Tir n’Aill.

I'm starting to think Kathryn Ann Kinglsey's characterizations are just not for me, which is a shame because I love villains and I'm fine with darker content but ugh I really did not enjoy anything about this except for 1 scene with a side character. Valroy's absolute control over the Maze and his supposedly godlike powers made the plot pretty meandering and boring. The book still feels like a rough draft. A good round of developmental, copy, and line editing should've been done before publishing. Abigail often wonders if the townsfolk aren’t right in calling her cursed. Abandoned by her husband and with no family to call her own, everything in her life hangs by a thread. Never did she except her downfall would come by taking pity on an old hermit. Abducted into the dangerous world of Tir n’Aill, Abigail is thrust into a terrifying maze that defies all logic. There, she finds herself at the mercy of an Unseelie prince with a strange offer—survive his maze and he’ll give her the solution to all her problems…The worldbuilding was amazing. It was a little confusing at first, but as we get a little more into the story we find a lot of things that makes it really interesting. I especially liked how the matter of the courts was handled. For the love of Brishen! I think I am in LOVE with that dark fae piece of Shite. No matter what Valroy did, I'd feel the horror but I'd brush it off and be like - you know what... he just needs love - she can fix him ...hell I can fix him lmao so ridiculous but I swear that's my entire reaction to Valroy. Am I alone? I'm reading Book 2 tonight. I want more of Anfar - feel like there's something there besides that unrequited love subplot. And what is the deal with the shadowed unseelie fae plotting with Titania? I have a feeling I know who it is but I hope I'm wrong - he seemed so damned nice and sweet to Abigail. Please please let me be wrong. Or…” A twist to his lips told her precisely which was the option he preferred the most. “You tell me your deepest wish.” Kathryn Ann Kingsley’s novel “The Unseelie Prince” is set in a kingdom whose throne is up for grabs. Valroy is leading the race but first, he needs a queen to make his claim stronger.

Perin seems like a genuinely sweet enough character. He’s helpful, safe, and affectionate without being creepy.LOVED his seemingly simple character being so not-so-simple after all! I fell victim to judging him at first too, I must admit!