Isla Hansen, a mother reeling from a devastating loss, is beside herself when a mysteriously orphaned child appears on the outskirts of the Hansens’ secluded Colorado property. Although strange and unexplainable, the child’s presence breathes new life into Isla. But as the child settles in, Isla’s husband, Luke, and their five children notice peculiarities that hint at something far beyond the ordinary—anomalies that challenge the very fabric of reality itself. The tension within the Hansen household grows, and with it, the sense that there is something very wrong with the new kid in the house.
The Unseen is mind-bending, chilling speculative horror. The story follows Isla Hansen, who is grieving the tragic death of her infant son. When a strange, silent little boy appears in the woods near their property, Isla takes him in and names him Rowan—convinced his arrival is a sign of redemption. But as her other children begin to notice eerie changes in their home and in the boy himself, it becomes clear that Rowan isn’t what he seems. As reality begins to fracture around them, each family member is forced to confront that something inhuman has entered their home.
The story has multiple POVs, toggling between Isla, her husband Luke, and their five children. Despite so many POVs, the story is easy to follow—but it’s a great idea to jot down Isla’s children’s names/ages when first introduced to avoid any confusion. Each POV offers a unique perspective on what’s transpiring in the house and how Rowan affects each character.
The remote Colorado home, backed by a forest, is the perfect backdrop for this chilling story—not only is the forest where Rowan first appears, but it also becomes an ominous entity where evil is lurking and watching the family from. Throughout the story, children in the area are reported missing—not only missing but suddenly disappeared without a trace from their homes or public places where no one has seen a thing! This subplot adds additional unease to the creepy mayhem happening at the Hanson home and adds further evidence that something sinister and extraterrestrial may be happening!
The story has a slow-building first act. Isla’s grief and warped mind take center stage. While her children are mostly oblivious to the extent of her instability, her husband is aware of her fragile mental health and past secrets. Even still, he agrees to her insistence on taking the feral-looking child into their home. From the moment he arrives, things begin to go terribly wrong, but Luke is so absorbed with appeasing his wife to keep her from retreating into grief that he literally doesn’t see what’s happening right in front of him—and readers will literally be screaming at both him and Isla to “wake up” before it’s too late!
The second act builds in pacing and intensity. Things very quickly get out of control, and every one of Isla’s kids is affected. The chapters soon become shorter, often ending in cliffhangers, and the POVs abruptly cut between characters. Readers will be furiously turning the pages with the incredibly unsettling and unpredictable events unfolding, which culminate in an explosive ending that you may need to read more than once to fully wrap your head around, if even possible! The epilogue that follows offers more questions than answers and will have readers feeling even more unsettled! This book is a good option for a book club, as readers will certainly want to discuss all the happenings (and the ending especially) afterwards!
Isla is a very unstable and unpredictable protagonist. Her spiral from mourning mother to feral-child devotion is undeniably gripping—whether you like her or not. Her five children all have distinct voices, realistic for their ages, and their sibling dynamics play a crucial role in the story. Luke is passive to the point of reader frustration until very late in the story. His actions are so far-fetched at times that he seems more of a plot device character—until the end when he takes center stage!
Ahlborn’s writing is concise and vivid, using each character’s POV to create a creepy puzzle narrative where readers cannot look away. Despite how unsettling and chilling the story is, there’s very little body horror or gore in the story—the author’s descriptive prose and the characters’ frightening inner monologues create most of the horror. Rowan and his kind (who are mentioned as shadows or sightings by the children) are hinted at to be malevolent aliens and sinister changelings rather than demons—which makes the story even more thought-provoking and creepy!!
Overall, The Unseen is an unsettling and disturbing family-centric tale that nudges horror into mind-bending, speculative territory. Readers who enjoy slow-burn dread, domestic paranoia, and explosive ambiguous endings will really enjoy this book!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook for The Unseen is narrated by a full cast of talented narrators. Erin deWard delivers a standout performance to portray grief-stricken Isla, using a brittle, controlled voice that conveys the character’s state of denial. As Isla becomes transfixed with Rowan, she becomes increasingly unpredictable—deWard presents cracks in her tone and a more chilling performance that is simultaneously unsettling and gripping. A highlight is when Isla comes to her senses but can’t communicate her thoughts—deWard makes her terror palpable and creates a sense of impending doom!
Michael Crouch, known for his youthful, emotive tone, perfectly captures the anxious energy of Gus, the oldest sibling who’s trying to make sense of what’s happening. Crouch uses sarcasm, skepticism, and a flicker of terror to accurately portray Gus and keep listeners emotionally invested in the character. Caitlin Davies portrays Eden using a sarcastic, intelligent tone, perfectly capturing an observant adolescent who is increasingly suspicious of her mother. In the final chapters, when Eden has been “altered,” Davies’ performance is calmer and creepier, keeping listeners wondering who’s really speaking Eden’s words!
Curtis Michael Holland portrays Luke with a myriad of emotions. At the start, his tone is more empathetic and stringent, as Luke is doing everything in his power to keep his wife from spiraling back into a mental health crisis. When Luke realizes the danger, Holland’s performance intensifies tenfold. Luke’s final scenes are a major highlight, as Holland puts his impressive voice acting skills on full display for an award-winning level of performance! Alejandra Reynoso portrays younger sibling Olive with a tone infused with vulnerability and confusion. Olive’s perspective is very emotionally raw, and Reynoso narrates it convincingly.
Ferdelle Capistrano and Lillie Ricciardi perform the narration of the youngest siblings, Sophie and Willow. Both narrators wonderfully capture the characters’ eerie childhood intuition convincingly and make them feel as relevant and developed as the others. The narration of the “missing children reports” is performed with a cool, clinical tone that sounds terrifying and enhances the sense of dread between chapters.
If you’re not used to books with so many narrators, the frequent POV shifts may initially feel overwhelming—but after a few chapters, the character voices are distinct enough that you’ll immediately know who you’re listening to and become fully immersed in this incredibly entertaining production!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook for The Unseen is narrated by a full cast of talented narrators. Erin deWard delivers a standout performance to portray grief-stricken Isla, using a brittle, controlled voice that conveys the character’s state of denial. As Isla becomes transfixed with Rowan, she becomes increasingly unpredictable—deWard presents cracks in her tone and a more chilling performance that is simultaneously unsettling and gripping. A highlight is when Isla comes to her senses but can’t communicate her thoughts—deWard makes her terror palpable and creates a sense of impending doom!
Michael Crouch, known for his youthful, emotive tone, perfectly captures the anxious energy of Gus, the oldest sibling who’s trying to make sense of what’s happening. Crouch uses sarcasm, skepticism, and a flicker of terror to accurately portray Gus and keep listeners emotionally invested in the character. Caitlin Davies portrays Eden using a sarcastic, intelligent tone, perfectly capturing an observant adolescent who is increasingly suspicious of her mother. In the final chapters, when Eden has been “altered,” Davies’ performance is calmer and creepier, keeping listeners wondering who’s really speaking Eden’s words!
Curtis Michael Holland portrays Luke with a myriad of emotions. At the start, his tone is more empathetic and stringent, as Luke is doing everything in his power to keep his wife from spiraling back into a mental health crisis. When Luke realizes the danger, Holland’s performance intensifies tenfold. Luke’s final scenes are a major highlight, as Holland puts his impressive voice acting skills on full display for an award-winning level of performance! Alejandra Reynoso portrays younger sibling Olive with a tone infused with vulnerability and confusion. Olive’s perspective is very emotionally raw, and Reynoso narrates it convincingly.
Ferdelle Capistrano and Lillie Ricciardi perform the narration of the youngest siblings, Sophie and Willow. Both narrators wonderfully capture the characters’ eerie childhood intuition convincingly and make them feel as relevant and developed as the others. The narration of the “missing children reports” is performed with a cool, clinical tone that sounds terrifying and enhances the sense of dread between chapters.
If you’re not used to books with so many narrators, the frequent POV shifts may initially feel overwhelming—but after a few chapters, the character voices are distinct enough that you’ll immediately know who you’re listening to and become fully immersed in this incredibly entertaining production!
The audiobook for The Unseen is narrated by a full cast of talented narrators. Erin deWard delivers a standout performance to portray grief-stricken Isla, using a brittle, controlled voice that conveys the character’s state of denial. As Isla becomes transfixed with Rowan, she becomes increasingly unpredictable—deWard presents cracks in her tone and a more chilling performance that is simultaneously unsettling and gripping. A highlight is when Isla comes to her senses but can’t communicate her thoughts—deWard makes her terror palpable and creates a sense of impending doom!
Michael Crouch, known for his youthful, emotive tone, perfectly captures the anxious energy of Gus, the oldest sibling who’s trying to make sense of what’s happening. Crouch uses sarcasm, skepticism, and a flicker of terror to accurately portray Gus and keep listeners emotionally invested in the character. Caitlin Davies portrays Eden using a sarcastic, intelligent tone, perfectly capturing an observant adolescent who is increasingly suspicious of her mother. In the final chapters, when Eden has been “altered,” Davies’ performance is calmer and creepier, keeping listeners wondering who’s really speaking Eden’s words!
Curtis Michael Holland portrays Luke with a myriad of emotions. At the start, his tone is more empathetic and stringent, as Luke is doing everything in his power to keep his wife from spiraling back into a mental health crisis. When Luke realizes the danger, Holland’s performance intensifies tenfold. Luke’s final scenes are a major highlight, as Holland puts his impressive voice acting skills on full display for an award-winning level of performance! Alejandra Reynoso portrays younger sibling Olive with a tone infused with vulnerability and confusion. Olive’s perspective is very emotionally raw, and Reynoso narrates it convincingly.
Ferdelle Capistrano and Lillie Ricciardi perform the narration of the youngest siblings, Sophie and Willow. Both narrators wonderfully capture the characters’ eerie childhood intuition convincingly and make them feel as relevant and developed as the others. The narration of the “missing children reports” is performed with a cool, clinical tone that sounds terrifying and enhances the sense of dread between chapters.
If you’re not used to books with so many narrators, the frequent POV shifts may initially feel overwhelming—but after a few chapters, the character voices are distinct enough that you’ll immediately know who you’re listening to and become fully immersed in this incredibly entertaining production!
