As a girl who only has a brother, I'm a sucker for a book about sisters. My first thought was, ooh fairies, and my second thought was, neurodivergent representation!!! The plot, the pace, and the people were all engaging and enjoyable, but for me I don't think this one was a top contender for the year. I will definitely be following up on future books from this author.

After many months of diving into the romance world, I decided to read a YA book and Unseelie did not disappoint. In Unseelie, we embark on an adventure with Seelie and her twin sister Isolde. Seelie, a changeling goes through a discovery of who she is and why she is different. Seelie finds it difficult to interact with the human around her and it becomes much more difficult when her magic wakes up and she has to navigate what it means for her. With a goal to become rich and powerful Seelie and Isolde meet two new friends who have the same goal in mind. After a heist gone wrong and a powerful magician they need to stop, Seelie is thrown into a world where her normal routine of things is wiped away and she has to , along with her sister and new friends, understand the origin of who she is and where her magic came from. Unseelie is a novel that captivates the reader and leaves us wanting more after the story is done.....for now.

Two things really popped out to me during Unseelie - character development and world building. The world building was so well written. I was able to have enough information to envision the world Seelie was in while still leaving room for my imagination to fill in the blanks. In regards to characters, I really loved Seelie's character development. If I haven't mentioned before, Through everything, Seelie remained strong and really gave way to how well the story went. While we did get characters like her sister, I do wish that there was more mention or development of them that would allow the reader to also fully invest in their part of the storyline. There was somewhat of a romance budding in Seelie and Raze, but I think it wasn't developed enough to root for it. In fact, I think the story would still be great if there wasn't a romance. In regards to Seelie's origins and the exploration of that in the novel, the author did a great job in being really intentional on how this was written. That exploration was something I really enjoyed the most in the story.

I always find pace to be important in a storyline because it can make or break the interest of the reader. I enjoyed the overall pace and how the first half of the novel we were given the info needed and then in the second half we get the action and suspense that the information was building up to. The pace gave way to a descriptive world, fascinating characters and an overall immersive experience for any reader, including myself. Unseelie takes you through twists and turns, beautiful scenery and characters you can't help but hope they got the golden ticket of their story.

Unseelie was my final five-star read of 2022, and was easily one of my favorites for the whole year! As an autistic reader, there are very few books featuring protagonists that I can relate to on a neurodivergent level, and even fewer that are fantasy novels. I often use fantasy books to escape from the overwhelming real world, so to see someone like myself written into an epic fantasy was simply amazing! I am going to be thinking about this book non-stop and I am really hoping that a sequel will be coming!

Beyond my endless love for the autistic representation, Unseelie had lots of other elements that made it one of my top 2022 reads. The writing had just the perfect balance of humor and tension, both of which enhanced the reading experience for me. The pacing was excellent as well, with plenty of exciting magic and a wonderfully written bond between sisters. While I have not read many books with fae, Unseelie has convinced me that I should try to read more! I especially enjoyed the incorporation of Changelings into the story, as this is not something I’ve seen much of in fantasy novels.

My Recommendation-
Unseelie is an absolute must read for fans of young adult fantasy novels! I would especially urge any other neurodivergent readers to grab a copy, because it is just so refreshing to read from a neurodivergent perspective!

I really wanted to like this one, mainly because of the beautiful cover but I didn’t really connect to it. It didn’t stand out to me as anything special, personally. This was just really slow-paced.

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Not really
Loveable characters? Complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Trigger warnings for Unseelie include: ableism, mentions of child abuse; self harm, violence, blood, and body horror.

If I gave it more of a chance I'm sure I'd get into it more and enjoy it more than I have done. But this year I'm trying to prioritize reading the books I instantly like or the concepts are appealing to me, which this one was. But I'm also trying to allow myself to put things down that aren't keeping my interest and focus. After 35% I had no motivation to keep reading.

A good fae fantasy without all the romance that those usually have. I would recommend this to people who liked Margaret Rogerson's last two books. Good representation and a strong sister relationship. Definitely not for those who are looking for a typical teen/YA fantasy, as in my experience they are usually asking for a fantasy romance.

I am so glad that I decided to pick this book up. It was such a fun read. I loved all of the characters so much and the world was so lush and wonderful. I cannot recommend it enough!

I thoguht this was really fun take on fae story. I really like the unique elements of how austism rep was presnt. I did not feel that connected to the characters and the plot had some pacing issues but i really did like the quest eleemnt of the story!! I was fun new fae read!! I would def check out the sequel!!

I will update the review with the link to on our blog as soon as I can.

I'd like to thank the publisher Inkyard Press, Pushkin Children's Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review

I really appreciated the magical systems in this book, as well as the sister relationship at its heart.

I was expecting SO MUCH MORE than what I got. I'm not gonna lie here. This was not the best fantasy. It was very dry. Until the ending, of course, but by that point, I was checked out. Love the cover, the premise hooked me, but the follow-through was not all there!

Thank you so much to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Unseelie! Unseelie came out back in January, but it took me a little while to read it, because I had a little trouble getting into the book. As soon as I really got into the meat of the story and felt tied to what I was reading though, I was able to power through the rest of the book relatively easily!
Unseelie 3/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: Twin sisters, both on the run, but different as day and night. One, a professional rogue, searches for a fabled treasure; the other, a changeling, searches for the truth behind her origins, trying to find a place to fit in with the realm of fae who made her and the humans who shun her.
Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove looks just like her twin, Isolde… but as an autistic changeling trying to navigate her unpredictable magic, Seelie finds it more difficult to fit in with the humans around her. When Seelie and Isolde are caught up in a heist gone wrong and make some unexpected allies, they find themselves unraveling a larger mystery that has its roots in the history of humans and fae alike.
Both sisters soon discover that the secrets of the faeries may be more valuable than any pile of gold and jewels. But can Seelie harness her magic in time to protect her sister, and herself?
Overall, there were some really great elements to this book- I liked the relationship between Seelie and Isolde. I also really liked the idea of Isolde being a changeling- externally, she looks just like Isolde, but internally, she’s really different and that makes life difficult when they’re younger, but for the quest they’re on in this book, it ends up coming in handy. I liked our side characters and all of the cool settings throughout the world. My biggest issue and the reason I gave this book 3 stars was really just the pacing. I had a really hard time getting into the book and then throughout, there were times when I felt as though things were moving super quickly or super slowly, so I kept feeling as though I was getting whiplash. I do still think that I will read book two when it comes out, but it won’t top any of my anticipated lists.

Link to be added once post goes live

Iselia aka “Seelie” looks just like her twin sister, except she’s an autistic “changeling” left by the Fae as a replacement for Isolde, except their mother marched into the Fae’s territory and got her child back and raised both of her children. Now the two make their way pickpocketing and thieving and when they find themselves at a fancy party and in possession of a powerful artifact, they’re chased by others who want it, and not just its “owner.” This is the first book in a duology, so the story will continue.

I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand I LOVE incorporating the idea that people used to think autistic people were changelings and that is awesome! Not the idea, but incorporating it into the story and having the main character be autistic and tell her own story, be the center of it, and not have thay character shown from the pov of other people.

On the other hand, I didn’t love the story. I’m glad the potential love interest became less of a pain and got developed as a whole person, but I didn’t like him, or the hints of the romance (prolly cuz I didn’t like him, lol), and the story was tense and stressful, though it was adventurous.

I loved the sister bond and the exploration of how Seelie’s autism/changelinness affected them as well as just growing up and apart. Overall, I wanted to love it and I didn’t but there’s still a lot of cool things about it.

Also more neurodivergent rep always and forever, please and thank you, particularly BY neurodivergent authors.

This was a great read. I loved the beautifully written complex sister relationship and the enemies-to-friends dynamic. I also really loved the autism rep, especially as someone with Sensory Processing Disorder who rarely sees well-written neurodivergent rep in fiction. I loved the world building and the unique magic system. I can't wait for the next book!

Good read but didn’t capture me as much as some. I did enjoy the diversity of this book though and that drew me in as well as the sisterly bond between the twin fmc’s . I will continue the duology though and the cover art is *chefs kiss*

Bit of some awkward pacing in the front half of the book, but it tied itself together. Overall a really cool premise that Housman followed through on! The relationship between a changeling and their mortal counterpart interests me a lot, and the twist that Housman threw in is going to be so very juicy in the sequel. Strong supporting cast---reminded me a bit of Avatar the Last Airbender, actually.

I ended up dnfing this book but I think that’s more me than the book. The representation is refreshing and much needed and I’m glad to see it! The issues and characters were just slightly too juvenile for me as an adult reader.

This was my first book with autistic representation, and it will definitely not be my last. I loved how attentive to detail the author was when it came to the interactions that the MC had with the word and people around her. The character growth was done really well, and I felt that it was decently fleshed out. The magic system was fun and i really enjoyed the writing style. Fun fast paced read that will definitely leave you with a great feeling at the end.

I had high expectations for this one but it just wasn't for me.

I liked the setup at the onset. A mother's child was stolen by fairies and replaced with one of their own, a classic changeling scenario. But she loved both girls so much, she stormed into the fairy realm to retrieve her own daughter, and took the changeling home, too. Now as teenagers, the daughters have fled home to escape persecution and protect the parents who so cherished them. The main character, the changeling girl, steals her parents' memories of them and keeps them in a necklace until they can one day be reunited. And the girls set off on a treasure-hunting quest to earn enough money that their family can move far away and start anew together. I mean, wow. That's just beautiful!

Unfortunately, I felt like a lot of the story was bogged down by unnecessary or confusing details and scenarios. In the beginning of the book, the girls are accosted by thieves hunting the same treasure they are, and they are essentially threatened into working together with the other criminals. They are prisoners. Except they seem to immediately forget that and treat the other thieves like they are all just best friends, willing to die for one another. The transition from enemies to friends was practically instant with no lingering feelings of mistrust for the rest of the book. I didn't understand that.

The characters themselves, I mostly liked. I loved the sibling dynamic and it felt realistic. The other two thieves were a lot of fun. But I will say Birch the cat-not-cat confused me because he seemed to have no purpose in the story. He's tagging along with the main characters for most of the book, but he only has one scene and then is barely mentioned again. It kind of felt like the author forgot about him. Why was he there?

The magic system didn't really make any sense to me. The book references "enchanters" several times but I don't understand who they are or how they are different from any other magic-caster in the book. And there are times when the heroine is unable to cast spells again after casting a powerful one, so does that mean magic-users have a mana gauge, and if so, how is it refilled? Those things were never explained well enough that I could ever fully grasp the concept.

The romance was pretty light and I guess, if I can believe that the sisters can become instant best friends with their captors, then I can believe romance between them is possible, as well. It developed at a nice, even pace and felt more realistic than the instant-friendship, to be honest.

For 60 percent of the book, the party meanders. They get chased once in that time, but I never felt like they were actually in any danger. They even find a spooky, abandoned city, and nothing happens! Spooky abandoned cities are awesome but the author did nothing with that!

Then suddenly, after the 60 percent mark, a lot of things begin to happen in quick succession, and other dangers emerge besides the one party that's been chasing the main characters the whole time to take the key to the treasure they're all after. The pacing threw me off. It felt like I was reading another book.

I was so confused by what the plot was supposed to be, because the four thieves are running from a woman named Leira but we don't know why. They stole the key to the treasure for her, sure. But instead of just trying to be the first to win the spoils, the teens are acting like it would put the entire world in mortal danger if Leira is the one to find the treasure. Even when you find out what the treasure is, it doesn't explain why it would be bad for Leira to have it. I'm not even sure who Leira is. Is she the realm's ruler? Is she a bad one? We know she is abusive towards her nephew but we don't find out a single other bad thing about her throughout the course of the book, so I never understood why the teens are fighting so hard against her. From what the reader knows, she was the one wronged! Are the heroes actually the villains? (No, but that would make things more interesting than a cookie-cutter villain who has done no harm to the realm, and has no plans to harm the realm, as far as we know.)

I would say there are two main plot twists in the book. I thought it was obvious the compass was inside Seelie and talking to her and swaying her emotions, and I thought that was supposed to be known throughout the entire story, so I was really confused when it was revealed that the main character had been unaware of it the entire time. The other was the "truth" revealed about Seelie and her sister. I did not understand that at all and still have no idea what the author was trying to convey.

Half this book is very simple, and had a very middle-grade, cozy fantasy feel to it. The second half is jam-packed with action, true danger, and curveballs, but the plot threads don't really come together in any sensible way that helped me follow the story. I felt lost and confused and then it just ended. I think I would read the second book to see how the story wraps up and explains itself, but I just honestly did not like this book.

A debut YA fantasy with an autistic main character! I was so excited to pick this up. I loved the representation of a neurodivergent character where it was just who she was, and greatly connected to her magic, but not something to “overcome.” I thought the pacing was a little bit off, in a way that made it less propulsive and I was able to put it down for a few months. But whenever I was reading it, I enjoyed my time in the book. I’m excited to see what the author has in her future.
3.5⭐️
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advance Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Things I Loved About It:
Changelings
Town Festivals
I love a good story and detailed Imagery
The "Twins"
The Human and Non-Human characters
The Names
Autism Representation
POC Author ❤️
The amazing Imagery