Unseelie

The novel Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman pulled me in from the start. I love the cover and the plot. The book begins during the celebration of Revelnox where faerie folks walk among them. There's a lot of mischief that happens and it seems fun. Isolde and Iselia are pickpocketers who left theirs parents due to Iselia' magic to protect them. During the festival they plan to rob people. Iselia says Fae magic is dangerous and dark. Even with glamour it will not cover up the darkness that comes along with the magic. Which I found very interesting. The boy Raze Iselia meets seems weird and there is something sketchy about him and how they met. I loved this book I hope you do too. I really found Iselia being adopted story I love what her mother did. Quote: "She didn't meet their glowing eyes or wait for permission. She turned on her heel and left, wise enough to know not to look back. She brought us home."

As a big fan of Caraval, finding another series (in this case, a duology) of another magic filled, adventure tale of two sisters felt a like a dream come true. The author, Ivelisse Housman, has done us all a great service by giving us such a strong presentation of autism through the main character, Seelie. For me, I was hooked within the first couple chapters. The book features strong, well-developed female characters, and the bond that is between them. Anyone who is neurodivergent or has ever felt like they haven't fit in, will be able to find a common ground with Seelie. This isn't a conventional YA fantasy romance. You find yourself in Seelie's shoes, experiencing all the rollercoaster emotions and processing alongside her a great, but dangerous journey. Unseelie is perfect for anyone who has ever felt they were between two worlds.

Unseelie is a story about Iselia as she teams up with some unlikely people to discover the secrets to her power and the faeries in her world. Throughout her journey, Iselia learns more about her powers and herself as a person. They encounter enemies that Iselia must figure out how to beat with her powers. I like the cover of the book and I think it makes the book seem more mysterious. I especially enjoyed reading about Iselia and her journeys. I like her as a character and I felt that her emotions were well portrayed/expressed in the book. Some other characters were not my favorite when I first met them, but they grew on me as I could see their character develop and grow. The plot of the book was interesting and there was not a moment where it seemed boring or slow. It was a little hard to get into the book at the beginning, but once I started, I didn't want to put the book down. I liked this book and would recommend it to others.

I was excited to read this book because I love fae and changelings and it was also cool that the main character (Seelie) was autistic and I wanted to see what that was like. Sadly though, I was not all that drawn into the story. It had all the cool bits, from an adventurer/thief (Seelie's sister) to a shapshifter (Raze, who was actually pretty good) and a quest to find a hidden keep which led them all over and into the fae realms. None if it really clicked though. It seemed that bits were missing? And the big reveals kind of fell flat for me because of it. It is the first book in a duology and so nothing was really resolved, not even the big secret that Seelie needed to tell her sister. They had a strong bond and the way the author wrote it is not what I would have expected from their bond. I would have picked a different spot to leave the story. So, cool cover and it tried to be exciting but I am a bit disappointed and unlikely to pick up the second book when it comes out.

Unseelie is told through the perspective of Seelie, an autistic faerie changeling. Seelie and her twin sister Isolde look identical, but they experience the world in different ways. Seelie shies away from human interaction and touch, and often feels like an outsider. Seelie's chaotic fae magic, which she must learn to control, manifested in such a way that the twins had to leave home. Their goal is to bring home a fortune so that they can move with their parents to a place free of judgement. The story starts with a heist where they meet the mysterious pair, Raze and Olani. Forced to flee the city with a powerful enchanter in pursuit, the sisters pair up with Raze and Olani to embark on a dangerous quest for a magical treasure. Unseelie is a well-written engaging fantasy adventure with a road trip, journeys to faerie kingdoms, magical treasure, interesting characters and great world-building. The themes explored are those of sisterhood, found family, self-acceptance and the challenges of being neurodivergent. It is refreshing to see an autistic character written by an autistic author. This representation is sorely needed in the fantasy genre. I really enjoyed Unseelie and am looking forward to the sequel.