Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC of this book for my honest opinion

I loved seeing a MC that is autistic, I have read a lot of books like year with anxiety and other health issues, but this was my first autistic read. I loved everything about this book from the characters to the plot, from the interactions throughout the book to the attention to details that the authors use.

I enjoyed getting to know Seelie throughout the book and being able to see the world through her eyes and to be able to connect with that character due to the writing style of Housman. We get to travel with Seelie & her sister throughout the book where they get some unexpected guests that travel with them on an adventure of their lives.

To be able to see the growth of characters in a book is very important to me just like the plot. In this book you will be disappointed not only do you get a plot, but you really get to see the characters' growth throughout the book. I think my favorite part is where Seelie starts to accept her magic and comes to terms that it is not a bad thing but something she has to learn how to control. I really enjoyed that the author uses baking as Seelie’s way to relax, I know for me it is cooking or cleaning.

I thought the relationship between the two sisters was the best and I can understand Isolde wanting something else, but then again, I can understand Seelie feeling like she is losing her sister somehow. I think it was relatable to see how the sisters fought about this too really brings them to life and is easy to connect with. All the characters really in this book were relatable and easy to connect with.

Raze and Olani are the best of friends and I love their banter. However, I really love Raze banter with everyone in the book and how he tries to make everyone feel better with his bantering and trying to make everyone feel better.

The plot with the attention to details really helped to bring this book to life for me. I loved when they travel to the fairy world and all the amazing things that the characters get to do with their magic. This author knows how to grab you with her words and keep you wanting more and more. This is a great, fast-paced and easy to read book. If you love adventure, drama, fantasy, and a cute male who knows how to banter you should read this book

I want to thank Netgalley/Inkyard press and Ivelisse Housman for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm absolutely in the minority here but Unseelie was just okay for me. I thought it had a strong start but overall was a bit too long. I found the pacing to be slow even with all the action happening and I found myself wanting to see more of The Destiny than the actual characters. Honestly it mostly felt like set up for a second book instead of a story in and of itself. World building is great but I needed more plot and a faster pacing.

Unseelie is a YA fantasy book about two sisters finding their way through the book. The main character, Seelie, is autistic and has special "powers" that she is trying to hide from everyone. I did not engage well with this book. I did finish it, however; it was not one of my favorites or one I would read again.

Thank you to Ivelisse Houseman NetGalley and Inkyard Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for an Electronic Advanced Readers Copy of this novel.

Inselia "Seelie" is an autistic changeling who tries to hide her abilities from everyone, including herself. When an incident stemming from her inability to control her magic causes her to flee her family, her twin human sister Insolde come along. Forced to work with people who were also trying to burgle a home during a celebration night to help uncover a treasure, Seelie is forced to confront her powers and figure out what she is capable of.

Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman, is a well written tale about a fantasy world where Fairies and magic are real. It's not really my usual genre, but I enjoyed it. Please note that this is most likely part of a series.

Honestly just super unimpressed by this book.

Seelie’s only competencies are selfishness and lack of ability to defeat herself. As for Isolde, Olani, and Raze they just felt like limp noodles.

The whole quest was more or less bumbling along. Why didn’t anyone question what the compass was for? Or where it led really? And Leira’s ultimate goals as a villain were never really explained either. And Gossamer, like what did he do.

The only thing I really liked about this book was the goblin cat.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars

I enjoyed this unique YA Fantasy about Seelie, a Changling, and her sister Isolde's adventures on the search for treasures with two unexpected, and unwanted, partners Raze and Olani. The four end up being chased through fairy realms barely coming out of each one of them and so many secrets are revealed after each realm.

I liked getting to know each of the characters and the connections they make along their journey but this book also felt like a setup to the next book. The pacing was a bit slow up until the ending and then it was over. I will read book two because I think there's lots that will happen but as a first book it was not the pacing I was hoping for.

Taking off my librarian hat to respond personally as an autistic person.

It was great to read a book with an autistic lead that uses the historical folklore reckoning with autism as framing mechanism. Seelie's magical meltdowns felt all too familiar, as did the process of learning how to manage them, with magic as a capable stand-in for overpowering emotions. Her adherence to a specifically learned ruleset and resistance to change also felt very familiar.

This book could work as a stand-alone; by the end Seelie has grown enough that the reader could imagine her being capable to handle the challenges presented in the final chapter. That said, it's left pretty open ended, like the publisher is fishing for a sequel, but only if this sells well enough. I would have preferred a more definite conclusion.

Opinions are my own and do not represent the institution I work for.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fae? Treasure? And a great sibling dynamic? Sign me up!

Unseelie by Ivelisse Houseman is a YA fantasy novel that follows the twins Iselia and Isolde as they embark on an adventure of a lifetime as they track down an unfathomable treasure. But things aren't that easy as Iselai, also known as Seelie, is an autistic changeling with a magic that is quickly growing out of control. With their very lives on the line, Seelie and Isolde must unravel the mystery of what it means to be human or fae.

I don't what I was expecting for this book. But it certainly surpassed whatever expectations I had for it. As it atomically became a comfort read, with the likes of Howl's Moving Castle and Sorcery of Thorns.

3.5⭐️

Unseelie follows twin sisters Iselia (Seelie) and Isolde, a changeling and human pair who are on the run. After a heist goes wrong, Seelie and Isolde make a shaky alliance with Olani and Raze, to attempt hunting down an even bigger treasure.

This was a really cool book! I love the way the author integrated autistic traits and showed it in the form of being a "changeling". Seelie was not your usual main character, but I feel like she could make a lot of youth feel way more seen and understood! While I am no expert on the topic, I think Seelie as a character is great representation, as she struggles with certain emotions and relationships and has strong reactions to certain stimuli or events.

I loved the writing in the scenes that happened in Faerie, I feel like the author really captured the essence of that fantasy world, and it was both scary and exhilarating to see Seelie try and solve her way out. The settings throughout the book were written well, and I could imagine everywhere the characters were.

I did have a rougher time with the plot, as I thought it could have been more flushed out, and I did not feel invested in what was happening. The ending did not work great for me as well, as it seemed more like setting up the sequel rather than addressing and wrapping up the events of this first book.

That being said, I do think this story has potential to be continued! The characters were likeable, and I would be interested to see what happens to Seelie and Isolde. This was also a proper YA (nice and clean) but the few romantic moments in the story were sweet.

Overall this was a good fantasy YA book, and great autism rep!! Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

I liked that this is told from the changeling's point of view. Part fae, part human and having a difficult time existing in either world. I also wasn't sure where the story was going and it was fun to just be along for the ride and see what happened. We watched Seelie and her sister navigate the world, team up with an outcast royal and an assassin to find a treasure, and avoid the powerful ruler of the land. The story had plenty of action and was an easy read.

I lowered the rating because the plot didn't feel full enough and there were a few times when things stretched out for no real reason except to fill pages. I would have liked more to the story, more worldbuilding and information about the fae. This was more of a setup to the actual story and I think it could have been more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the copy.

A fantastic book with amazing autistic representation, I loved this fantasy! As someone without an autistic disability, and having gone into this book blind without any knowledge of it being an autistic main character, I believed that it was a great representation. Besides that, the fantasy elements alone were incredibly fun and kept me wanting to read it!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Unseelie is about two sisters on the run. We follow Seelie, who is an autistic changeling as she tries to navigate her way through life with her own added challenges. She was never quite able to master looking and acting like the other humans, and throughout the book she learned more about herself because of it.

I really enjoyed this book! The world was very immersive and the characters were easy to connect with. It followed the basic fantasy tropes, but it did them well. The fairy world itself was absolutely mesmerizing. I loved the scenes where we got to explore it a little more, and I would have loved for more of the book to be set there.

The characters were relatable, and very real. The sisters dynamic, especially, read as a very realistic type of relationship filled with love, bickering, and a lot of fighting.

Overall, the pacing was wonderful, the characters were enjoyable, and the story itself was just fun to read. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes books set in the realm of fairies!

Unseelie is a tale of two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Iselia “Seelie” and Isolde are twins, but Seelie is a changeling with hidden powers while Isolde longs to be an adventurer. When a heist goes wrong, they become intertwined with a ragtag group of misfits. Seelie and Isolde will find their bond tested more than ever before. Together, will they be able to uncover the secrets of magic and faeries?

Unseelie immediately caught my attention from the opening line. Reading further, I love how Ivelisse Housman wrote Seelie as an autistic character, which is rare to see in high fantasy. I really look forward to seeing more autistic characters in high fantasy going forward! Seelie and Isolde are tightly bound together despite all their differences and it is fun to watch them bring out the best in each other. Raze is also a compelling character; I hope to learn more about him and other side characters in the sequel. I particularly enjoyed fun details such as the traveling wagon and the brownie! The twist at the end was fantastic and I didn’t see it coming!

Unseelie is an inclusive and adventurous tale of the fae. While readers who enjoy fae stories will recognize many tropes, Housman excels at writing neurodivergence in fantasy- I loved it! I would recommend this for readers of Gail Carson Levine and Mara Rutherford. Thank you so much to Ivelisse Housman, Inkyard Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Everything about this book, the story telling was phenomenal, getting to experience a little of how it feels to be a person with autism. This is one of the first books that I’ve read the dear reader portion of the book and I’m so glad I did! The adventure of Iselia and Her rage tag gang let me wanting to never put it down. I really hope we get a series out of this amazing story and more from this author.

I loved this so much, and most of it was due to Seelie herself. I loved her as a narrator and I loved the portrayal of her as autistic because it was so relatable and made her so real. I also loved her close relationship with her sister and how they always supported each other but struggled when it became clear their dreams for the future were different and would separate them. The other relationship I liked was Seelie and Raze's. Their banter never felt malevolent and was simply how they were, and Raze was so understanding of Seelie and genuinely cared about her and respected her boundaries and learned to read her so well. I enjoyed the hint of potential future romance between them but how it wasn't forced and their relationship was allowed to build naturally.

I enjoyed the plot and worldbuildingas well, and I especially liked the reveal about Seelie and Isolde at the end. My favorite worldbuilding aspects were the different types of human enchanters, the enchanted caravan in which they travelled, and the changelings themselves. When I finished the book, I was so upset I couldn't read the next one immediately because I was so invested in the characters and their situation!

I would recommend this to everyone.

I adored this book. the portrayal of autism was great and I also enjoyed the fantasy aspect of this. the sisters relationship was great. overall I would definitely recommend

I enjoyed Unseelie. I really did. There are so many things to endear this book to a person. The magic system, the autistic female main character, the enchanting setting, the characters who seem to come alive, all of these are reasons to thoroughly enjoy this book. Unseelie is, at its core, about a changeling girl named Seelie who goes on an adventure with her twin sister to secure fortune enough to move their family somewhere else and start fresh away from those who shun them. When a heist goes wrong and they unwittingly become entangled with a spoiled heir and a mercenary, they go on the run together despite all their differences. Overall, a very interesting premise and among the many reasons I picked up this book. However, when I read it, I was disappointed by the arc of the story. Nothing resolved at the end. It leaves me itching for more and ready for the sequel. I hope that the storyline resolves in the second book. I would recommend this book for young YA readers as it was extremely mild, just a fantasy heist story with a little bit of violence, but no heavy romance or scenes that I found even slightly inappropriate. I give this story a 3 out of 5 stars.

I received this advanced reader's copy from Netgalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for my honest review.

Listen, I REALLY wanted to like this. But it fell short for me. There was about quarter of the book where nothing happened, the MC was consistently annoying & argumentative for no reason with the male character. Was it some attempt at enemies to lovers?

Then she suddenly has this “epiphany” about her magic that is blatantly obvious. I wanted to like this but i found myself skimming through the dialogue by the halfway point and ultimately decided it wasn’t worth it.

Iselia, or Seelie as she’s often called, is a changeling. Neither human nor faerie, she stands between the two, feeling pretty stuck. At least she has her sister Isolde with her, the only one of her family still there after an accident forced them both to flee the town they were raised in. But they dream of someday reuniting with their parents, and bringing home enough treasure so they can start all over somewhere else. And while they seek to obtain the treasure through sneakier means, at least their goals are noble. But while trying to obtain said treasure, Seelie and Isolde run into a couple of other thieves, and fight over a strange compass that promises to lead whoever holds it to the greatest treasure of all. When the compass is absorbed by Seelie, she now has no choice but to follow the path. But what promised to be a simple heist is now anything but.

I received an advanced reading copy of Unseelie in exchange for an honest review.

Unseelie is a young adult fantasy novel by Ivelisse Housman. It also features an autistic protagonist, Seelie. This might actually be the first book I’ve read with an autistic protagonist, and it was a ton of fun to dive into.

So much of the book is an exciting journey, traveling to try and get the treasure that the compass is leading Seelie toward, but along the way, of course she is forced to get to know a couple of other characters, the thieves I mentioned earlier. Seelie struggles with this, but I very quickly saw the beginnings of a spark between her and Raze, and spent the entire book rooting for the two. Also, this totally doesn’t count as a spoiler since they have a spark in the first scene where they interact, which might be the first or second chapter, so it’s pretty obvious.

As always, I particularly enjoyed seeing siblings interact, in this case Seelie and Isolde, who are sort of twins, but also kind of not. I loved seeing how different they are, and yet how they can understand each other without even needing to say anything. As the story developed, we also see Isolde grow, and how separate she comes to stand from Seelie.

We get to see Seelie out of her element, and also we get to see characters both in the mortal world and the faerie world. The second was particularly interesting to me since Seelie supposedly belongs more to one than to the other, and seeing how she interacts with the dangerous faerie world had me on the edge of my seat.

But what I enjoyed most of all was seeing Seelie try to control the magic that threatens to burst out of her. Yes, Seelie has magic, powerful magic, but it’s something she’s absolutely terrified of, because it only seems to come out when she has an emotional outburst, and it doesn’t always do what she wants. I read as Seelie fought her magic, and I hoped that she would eventually come to accept it. Did she? I can’t tell you that!

There were a few good twists in the story, and one that made me actually gasp out loud. But by the time I hit 90% of the book, I began to get worried. Were we going to get a resolution? Then 95% hit. There was still so much to cover before the book ended! And then the book ended, and not everything was resolved, and I’m left a bit desperate, because I very much need a sequel. The book has a very open ending, leading me to believe that a sequel is intended, but I haven’t yet found any information on it yet. Hopefully some comes along soon!

Unseelie was a wonderful adventure story with a unique protagonist, and one I’d recommend to any fantasy lover, and especially to those who love reading about sisters or faeries.

Unseelie will be released on January 3. You can preorder your copy from Inkyard Press here.

3.5 stars
Thank you to Inkyard Press for the eARC of this book!

Overall I very much enjoyed this book! I particularly enjoyed the way Seelie's being a changeling was a metaphor for autism. It was very refreshing to have this kind of representation in fantasy stories, and it made Seelie's voice very unique. I was interested in following her story.

Unfortunately, the plot is where I found this book lagging. I was bored and felt like not much was happening. And then I reached the end, which left it open for a potential sequel. I would have much preferred a full story with a tight, complete plot, because I feel like I read a whole book only to be left waiting for more, without enough satisfaction in the story I had just read.

I liked the characters and the worldbuilding and Housman's descriptions of the settings were incredibly vivid. I felt like I was there. This was a very enjoyable read and I am excited to see more YA fantasy with autism rep, because this was a true treat to read.