Unknown: Rath & Rune, Book 3

By: Jordan L. Hawk

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Librarian Sebastian Rath and his lover Vesper Rune continue their search for the evil Books of the Bound. But in the meantime, the young men in Sebastian’s social circle start dying.

Though the deaths look like self-administered poisonings, Sebastian soon comes to realize a killer is at work. And not just any murderer, but one wielding the dark power of the Book of Bone.

To stop a madman, Sebastian must choose whether or not to embrace the unsettling powers gifted to him by the previous books. Because if he fails to stop the killer, Ves could be the next target.

©2023 Jordan L. Hawk (P)2023 Jordan L. Hawk

the tension builds

It has been a little while since the last book in this series was released. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I started reading this third book. I should correct myself by saying that I listened to it instead. Though I was given a review copy of the ebook, the audiobooks by Joel Leslie have been great so far, so I decided to buy the audiobook when it released early.

At the end of the last book one of the main characters, Sebastian, was bound to a second Book of the Bound, the Book of Flesh. I looked at my review before writing this one, and I saw that I mentioned how the Book of Flesh was responsible for many grotesque situations before it was bound to Sebastian. It seems that the book even when bound is still capable of things that were a little disturbing to me in this story. Sebastian is a good, caring, and well-intentioned man who now exhibits a few extraordinary abilities courtesy of the books. I can’t say that he uses them maliciously, though it seems like they might control him sometimes, more than him controlling his powers. I can’t blame him in some situations when it is dire to use the gifts to save himself, Vesper, or their friends, though. Its just something he might have to be watchful of as the series progresses and Vesper seems to know it.

Vesper Rune was raised by humans that were more monster than the creature they made him to be, in order to welcome “the Masters.” He has found a home with Sebastian, his sister Bonnie, and her children, who are all so accepting of Ves and his brother Noct’s abnormalities. He worries about the corruption the powers might have on Sebastian, though, because he has seen power corrupt his mother and grandfather, who just happened to show up in Widdershins, too.

There are a lot of foes Sebastian and Vesper face in this series. Besides the parents, a group of power hungry sorcerers called the School of Night are there to recover the head of one of their members that was given to Ves. They also have an interest in the Books of the Bound though, and try to retaliate against the Librarians as a whole when they are denied what they want. Someone unknown has found the Book of Bone, and closeted gay men from the bathhouse Sebastian once frequented are being murdered.

Of course the mystery is solved, and Sebastian finds himself bound to a new book. Who knows what powers he might attain in the next book because of it? There is something going on at the end of these books kind of on the down low. After being bound Sebastian has a vision of the people whose lives were ended to create the Books of the Bound. One thing that has seemed to be clear in this series is that the books want to be together again. While Sebastian is not the first person to be bound to the books, there is a secret about his identity that makes me wonder if he binds himself to the next book, maybe he’ll find it harder to destroy the books than he thinks. However, that is just me pondering where this series might be going. I hope the wait for the next book won’t be quite as long, but I am prepared to be patient.

Before I end the review, I have to give a shout out to the world building, and how much I love the town of Widdershins. I love the side characters, like Noct, Irene, Mortimer, Bonnie, and Mr. Quinn, the head librarian. If you read the Whyborne and Griffin series previously, there is a cameo of Mr. Quinn’s scary little nieces, and they made me chuckle a few times in this story. Last but not least is the narration by Joel Leslie, it completed my enjoyment of the story.

Love this series

I've become a big fan of Jordan L. Hawk. never disappointed no matter which series I'm listening to. I can't wait for Rath and Rune book 4.

Fantastic!

My only complaint is that I have to wait for the next installment. More, please! Jordan Hawk is quickly becoming a favorite of mine (Joel Leslie is already on my Mount Rushmore of narrators!). Great book, great characters, and great world building.

Strong continuation

Book 3 was enjoyable and I'm very much looking forward to book 4. Some parts seem to mirror Whyborne’s and Griffin's issues (Sebastian’s growing powers, hiding it from Ves and Ves being afraid of Sebastian using his powers), but otherwise it's all fresh and original. And I continue to enjoy how Ves, a tentacled half-human, is still the more "normal" in regards to his expectations and world views. Widdershins is such a special place, heh.

My hope is that Mortimer has a bi-awakening, meets a nice young man and restores his fortunes. I really like him!