This was enjoyable, I love an enemies to lovers and this is always a trope that draws me in, hence requesting the arc.
However I didn’t feel the enemies were greatly portrayed in this book. I do like a little more hate 😂

The audio book was done so well I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I had physically read it. But I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to listen to it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Faceless includes the first three books in the Legends of Abreia series. The first two books in the series follow the adventures of Leisa, a bodyguard for the Princess of Farhall. Leisa is a mage, gifted with mirror magic that allows her to take on the face of others. In this case, she takes on the face of Princess Evaraine and travels to the Kingdom of Garimore as a spy to try to discover whether the proposed match between Princess Evaraine and one of the Princes of Garimore is a wise choice for their kingdom. The third book follows Princess Evaraine's adventures traveling to the Kingdom of Garimore herself, dealing with the fallout of the subterfuge and trying to discover what became of the missing Prince of Garimore.

These books were a solid start to the series. They have magic, romance, deception, and interesting characters. My main complaint is that the world doesn't feel super built up within these first few books. They mostly take place inside the castles of the two kingdoms, which makes the stakes feel a bit lower overall. There also isn't very much explained about the whole magic system in general, but I assume that there is more of that in the later books based on the characters they feature. Overall, these are cozy, entertaining fantasy stories that will appeal to fans of romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

A tale of intrigue, magic, and heart-stopping danger, Faceless by Kenley Davidson delivers a richly woven fantasy full of political scheming, reluctant alliances, and high-stakes romance. If you’re into royal intrigue, deadly secrets, and characters who risk everything to save their kingdoms, this book deserves a spot on your TBR.

The story expertly weaves together two main threads: a bodyguard-turned-spy on a dangerous mission to uncover the truth behind mysterious murders, and a sheltered princess forced into an arranged marriage with an enigmatic (and oh-so-distant) prince. Both characters are layered, their arcs brimming with growth as they navigate trust, loyalty, and the spark of forbidden feelings.

The world-building is immersive, with just enough magic to keep things fascinating without overwhelming the story. Davidson strikes a perfect balance between action and emotional depth, keeping me glued to the pages (or, in this case, my headphones) as plots unraveled and unexpected alliances formed.

Speaking of headphones—let’s talk about Vanessa Moyen’s narration. She brought so much personality to the story, effortlessly capturing the tension, vulnerability, and strength of the characters. Her performance added depth to the already vivid writing, pulling me deeper into the world of Abreia with every chapter.

Thank you to Kenley Davidson, Dreamscape Select, Page Nine Press, and NetGalley for the chance to dive into this gripping fantasy. The story wraps up well while still leaving plenty of intrigue for future volumes—because yes, I’ll absolutely be picking up the next one. If you’re a fan of slow-burn romance, clever political drama, and a touch of magic, Faceless will definitely scratch that fantasy itch.

This was a truly amazing slow burn romantasy and I absolutely need the second installment! Definitely going to pick this up on Kindle and Audiobook.
I really love the found family (better late than never in some cases), political intrigue, and romance between a Night Elf and Half Human/Fae Mage..
Thank you so much to the publisher for letting me listen to this wonderful series!.

A mage that is a bodyguard that is serving her king. A manage is arranged between the princess and the neighboring Kingdom. The King sends the bodyguard, a mage who can shape shift into anybody. To spy, if this marriage is too risky or not. The king has the bodyguard has went to spy on despises mages and wants then eradicated. The King sets his faceless bodyguard to protect princess a.k.a. bodyguard mage. Little by little the faceless guard and bodyguard find a connection through the patrol those gift of the price. The king does not know that the prince put a spell on it so faceless bodyguard, and the princess a.k.a. bodyguard could find a connection bodyguard major set the faceless, guard, free and return. His people help protect the little kingdom.

The third book is about the actual princess, the princess and brother of her betrothed finding connection and soon find out that his brother is keeping a huge secret. He is also a age and there’s a secret about their father and the princess and the brother seek you uncover the secret and help protect the kingdoms from the imposter king.

The duology of The Faceless Mage & The Unseen Heir, was a lot of fun. Intriging world building and lot's of secrets. It is a well written YA fantasy with action, romance and magic.
I really liked the narrator!
Later on I'll get back to The Hidden Queen, and hopefully the other part of the duology will apear as audiobook too.
A thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!


**** now read The Hidden Queen***

So still a bi fan of this fantasy univers! I liked the maincharacters and the storyline was fine - however it was'nt as captivating as the first doulogy. But I still need to know what happens in The Captive Throne ;)

This series is wonderful! It is just what I wanted in a closed door fantasy romance series! The world building is great and the chemistry between the main couple is great!

Book 1 - The Faceless Mage

Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope, and it’s the reason I requested this ARC. However, I found myself wanting more of the “enemies” tension between the protagonists, as well as a slow burn and stronger chemistry. Their communication over an invisible bond felt a bit confusing and stretched out, which impacted the pacing.

Vanessa Moyen’s narration was excellent and definitely a highlight of the experience—she brought the story to life beautifully.

Ultimately, I decided to DNF after the first book, as it didn’t hold my interest beyond that point.

Why are more people not talking about this book?? It was incredible. Audio quality is fantastic. The story is amazing with good depth and mystery. I was drawn into this story and the plot moved in a way to keep me in the story. I loved the characters and couldn’t put the book down waiting to see how things workout for them. This book gave me all the feels I loved from From Blood and Ash plus some! I would highly recommend reading this and would totally buy all the special editions that ever come out for it. Move over Casteel, we have a new *cinnamon roll for her* morally grey book boyfriend ❤️‍🔥

This audioARC, as I understand it, is the first 3 books in one. I was thrilled with the first book titled "The Faceless Mage" I thought the idea was intriguing and the characters compelling despite the lack of detailed world building (a lot was left up to the readers imagination there). "The Unseen Heir" was a bit harder to focus on as the story began to become politicized and the actions of the outside forces began to dictate the relationship between the MFC and MMC. The romance was an extremely SLLLLOOOOOWWWW burn to start, but then just as things start to blossom, Leisa (for justifiable reasons) leaves only to end up (through a sort of eye rolling turn of events) engaged to the man she loves (but didn't know for sure the man she was agreeing to marry WAS actually the man she loves). Yes, it was as difficult to follow reading the story as it was to try and explain it.
There is a whole lot of self sacrifice by Leisa to a "family" that never truly accepted her as family until she literally had nothing left to sacrifice beyond her own life (which she risked on a daily). The reasons for the characters to keep persevering really felt forced, unreliable, and unbelievable. I thought the first book was setting up a true love story only for that part of the story to be rushed through at the end before. As a reader I was experiencing a bit of whip-lash.
All that said, I did enjoy the characters of Leisa and the Faceless warrior (no spoilers), most of the other characters seemed a bit too fake for my taste, and I did enjoy the relationship garnered by the MFC & MMC from the first 2 novels. There is definitely an audience for this series, but as for me I needed a bit more world building, character building (side characters), & plot structure.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, & Dreamscape Select for the audioARC!!

No Regrets!!!!

I could not quite get into this book. The narration was good, but I felt the dialogue and style were not for me.

Dnf at 20%

Love this book the mystery behind who was in the mask kept me listening. I love a strong female character and the “ princess” gave bad ass

DNF @10%.
Though the promise sounded great this ended up not being the book for me. I don't think it's bad by any means and can see it appealing to a large number of romantasy readers, but unfortunately as someone who primarily reads adult fantasy I couldn't really connect to the 18yr protagonist.
The narrator did a great job.

Thank you NetGalley/Page Nine Press for the ALC.

This is a great young adult fantasy series so far. The premise grabbed me, the story dove right in with amazing world building that was easy to understand.

Legends of Abreia is a 6-book series separated into three duologies following a different POV. Faceless is an audiobook bundle that includes the first three books and Sundered included the remaining three books.

Blurb: "Bodyguard. Mage. Princess. Spy. Leisa’s ambitions used to be simple. Guard the princess. Hide her magic. Wait for her family to return. But all of that changes when her king demands that she use her unique abilities to spy on the rival kingdom of Garimore. Alone, far from home, and living a lie that grows more perilous by the day, Leisa’s task is complicated by her most dangerous enemy yet—the masked assassin known only as the Raven."

I'm happy that they updated the covers to the ones with the mask, because I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise.

The Faceless Mage:
This first book was easily 5 stars for me. It hooked me from the start and I enjoyed the world building and the set up. A bodyguard spying on a neighboring country by pretending to be a princess? Give it to me. There was no spice and not a ton of romance, but you can tell that it's coming and they have a connection. I didn't love one of the revelations at the end, but not enough to knock my rating down.

The Unseen Heir:
Leisa's story continues and she is a great FMC. This book focused on magical creatures and exploring new places in the world. Some of the plot points were not my favorite, but it had a happy ending for the couple and I never saw the way it wrapped up coming. It set up for the next book nicely.

The Hidden Queen:
Another 5 stars! We switched perspectives in this book to the heirs to the throne and I loved it. I enjoyed this enemies to lovers and arranged marriage story mixed with mystery. There was cool magic, more royal court politics and I can't wait to see where the story goes next.

Available on Kindle Unlimited. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job.

Before I get into the review of the story, the audiobook narrator was so good. I could listen to Vanessa Moyen read anything. She truly captured the essence of each character and it was incredible.

The plot and the magic system were great. The one thing about the writing is I’m not a huge fan of when the dialogue is consistently having the character asking themselves questions. It becomes repetitive and reminding the reader too much of what they already know and could potentially have the reader lose interest, but understandably it is a YA. The more the story unfolded the more I was intrigued to learn about the Raven and was excited for the relationship forming between him and Leisa. Overall, for the audiobook, I love the idea of a series is being put into one purchase. For this series, it is split into two audiobooks three books in each audiobook, which I find very convenient.

3 Stars ✨

Clean YA Fantasy

“When humans grew tense or worried, or sometimes just excited, they seemed to gather in large numbers to become inebriated and make questionable choices.”

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced Audio copy of Faceless, in exchange for an honest review.**

This is a review of three books on one audio arc. Below are my reviews for each. Overall I give the narration a 4/5 stars and would recommend to those looking for a clean fantasy romance.

Book One - The Faceless Mage

4 Stars ✨

Clean YA Fantasy

“The ultimate freedom is to choose between hope and despair. As long as you feel you have no option but despair, you will always be a prisoner.”

Lesia was born with an unwanted magic. She does everything in her power to hide it. While she patiently waits for her family to return- the King took her in and gave her a place to stay and the task of guarding his daughter the princess. Life was simple, until the day that the King asks her to use her magic to Spy on a neighboring Kingdom.

Far from home with no allies and a secret so big it could mean death, her task is made harder by a dangerous enemy- the masked assassin called The Raven. As time goes on she seems to see through the mask to what lies beneath all the armor. He is not at all what she expected. Even though she feels drawn to him, she must evade him at all costs to complete her mission, without getting caught. If she fails, she and her entire kingdom will pay with blood.

I really enjoyed this one! The writing was simple and pace moved quickly. I didn’t have to think real hard while reading and just sat back and relaxed through the ride. I thought the concept of the Raven was unique, and one I don’t see often. Anytime a character is unable to talk and you can’t see beyond the mask, it makes for a fun trope. Lesia was a likable FMC, she was tough without the author hyping her up with extra extremes. The Raven was such a cool character and can’t explain much about him or the magic system without giving it away. The book ended on a cliffhanger, so I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series. Would Recommend!

Audio Narration 5/5 🎧

Book Two- The Unseen Heir

3 Stars ✨

Audio 🎧 Narration 4/5 Stars

This was the second book in the Legends of Abreia Series. I unfortunately, did not enjoy it as much as the first one. Maybe it was because our main characters were separated from each other for a while and there was not much interaction between them. Something was definitely lost with this one for me and I thought by the end of it we would get a continuation of the same MCs, but the next book in the series is other characters that I don’t really care about- So instead of continuing, I am going to stop here. This arc includes the 3rd book, but I am just not invested enough to continue on. The writing is good - just lost interest and was a little bored with this book.

Book 3 - The Hidden Queen

Audio 🎧 Narration 4/5 Stars ✨

DNF ( Lost interest )

I listened to the audiobook and read that book at the same time and when I tell you that this was the best reading experience I had in a long time, I am not lying.
The narrators voice was nice and really emotional.

The faceless mage: 5/5⭐️
This book has one of the best prologues I have read in a long time. I was captivated from second one until the book ended. From the moment the "Raven" was mentioned I was facinated by his character. But I am not only a fan of him but also of the fmc Leisa. She is strong and definetly screams "female impowerment".
PS. I love you Zander...

The unseen heir: 4.5/5 ⭐️
There was so much tension and
compatibility between Kyrion and Leisa and still so little real romance. I really wished for more romance but the fantasy part of the book is awesome. Magic, Fae, Elfs, and everything else I love. And the ending made was everything I hoped for and made me really excited for the next book. Altought I will miss Leisa and Kyrion as our main characters.
PS. I still love Zander...

The hidden queen: 4.5/5 ⭐️
The plot thickend a lot in this book and it became more interesting every chapter. I liked both main characters but I think that I prefered the one in the first two books. I am truly excited on how the tension between Everaine and Danric will continue and what will happen to the kingdoms.
PS. Zander I still love you...

Thanks to Kenley Davidson, Dreamscape Select, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

<b>1: Faceless Mage</b>

Wait....it ends there? Well that's annoying. Thumbs down for this book---incomplete plot. We find out a lot but none of it yet means anything to the reader. Leisa assessed Garimore for danger, found some, and went to report back.

Now read that sentence again but stop after "and." That's the exact situation.

Either Davidson doesn't know how to write a complete narrative, or she's greedy. "Writing's hard and I want money. I'm going to sell an incomplete story to force readers to buy the next book and hide behind the excuse that's it's a series. Integrity, inshmegrity."

This galley of the first three books is free, or I'd refuse to purchase book 2 on principle.

I like Leisa's character and the Raven, but it feels like we're just starting to get to know them, especially the Raven. I wish I could feel more chemistry between them, assuming they're meant to become a couple.

*frustrated sigh* It really feels like we're just getting started, yet this is supposed to be a complete book? Yeah, I don't think so.

Let's see what book 2 accomplishes.

<b>2: The Unseen Heir</b>

I've decided it's both---greedy and wouldn't know a plot point if it slapped her in the face.

Books 1 and 2 could have been one storyline, meaning one book, if Davidson had picked up the pace and limited her tangents.

So Leisa tells her king that Garimore is sus, he locks her up because reasons. I Forget His Real Name is waiting for her to come back and is taken prisoner by guards. A fae dude frees Leisa. Leisa in turn frees Adrianian---fuck it, I'm calling him the Raven. They're pursued, escape, and wander into the Raven's home village. We meet a bunch of new people we're supposed to suddenly care about, dabble in the boring-ass politics, receive no explanation whatsoever for wtf they even are---they're called night elves but they're wolf shifters and don't act fae at all---wait, were they elves or fae? Don't remember, don't care, doesn't matter anyway. Leisa skedaddles back to the king because looks like Garimore is ready to start war, then someone is engaged to someone, then the night elfaeries are there for some reason, wyverns became important somewhere. There was very little development to Leisa and the Raven's relationship; Davidson seemed to just decide okay they're in love now. They were apart more than they were together. Leisa's background was teased then left dangling with no actual answers.

Sounds like a mess, doesn't it? That's because it is. I would be <i>shocked</i> if Davidson isn't a pantser. Swear to god this reads like a flow-of-consciousness first draft.

I have absolutely no desire to keep my hands and feet inside this ride. No book 3 for me.

I would not recommend giving this author your money. Not until she gives hers to an editor, at any rate. Narrator was fine, though.

I will say, it was beyond nice to find no sex in this book. It was bad enough without empty smut.

Absolutely loved these books! I will be purchasing the second box set for the rest of the story!

Publisher's summary
Bodyguard. Mage. Princess. Spy.
The Five Thrones have always been at peace, but rumors have begun to grow. Whispers of armies, of unrest, and of a masked knight murdering mages in cold blood.
To determine the truth of these rumors, a simple bodyguard must become a spy, and test her skills against an sinister assassin while staying one step ahead of a rival king…
While a sheltered princess must accept an arranged marriage with an enigmatic prince who wants nothing to do with her…
They’ve sworn to sacrifice their lives to save their kingdoms, but even that may not be enough. Now, it is only through magic and subterfuge that war can be avoided, and only if they’re willing to risk a far different fate than they ever imagined…
Falling for the enemy.
Faceless contains the first three books of Legends of Abreia, a complete fantasy romance series for listeners who love warring kingdoms, strong, sassy heroines, and epic enemies-to-lovers romance!
- Book 1 - The Faceless Mage
- Book 2 - The Unseen Heir
- Book 3 - The Hidden Queen

Thanks to NetGalley & Page Nine Press for the ALC of this book!

Faceless
By: Kenley Davidson
Narrated by: Vanessa Moyen
Series: Legends of Abreia Series
Length: 23 hrs and 44 mins
Release date: 10-08-24
Publisher: Page Nine Press

I loved the first two parts of the book but I got bored with book 3. I feel like this audio would have been better if it was only book 1 and 2. Overall I just felt like it took a while for me to get through the audiobook. I liked the narrator but the story felt flat for me.