Unravel starts very strong, reeling you in emotionally with the terror of a witch trial, the fear and courage of Marguerite and the desire for her to both be safe and save the world. The action is none-stop, with a good plot running you along, keeping you interested, never quite taking the turn you expect. All this is very well done, and I was even more excited to see the deaf community represented... but somehow my interest dwindled in the middle.
There were many little things that kept bothering me. I didn't like that Marguerite basically never faced any difficulties due to her deafness, she always had a magical way to hear what was going on - which feels quite disrespectful to the deaf community, while it is nice to have representation, giving the hero the ability to hear all the time defies the choice.
Then, I'm bilingual in French, so the constant swearing in French bothered me a lot. It's not because it's in another language that you're not swearing, and the swearing is really not regal at all - Marguerite keeps alternating between "Sh*t" and "Buckets of Sh*t" or the two at the same time. That's the literal translation, and not just once or twice, but a very good dozen times (probably more). Also, her father calls her "mignon" every time he addresses her, which is the masculine form of the word, which once again kept making me roll my eyes. Those are the only words in French, but because they are used over and over and badly used it got very annoying. If you are going to use a foreign word a lot, do check the meaning and ask natives if there are better alternatives.
I am curious to see the next books of the author, but will not keep reading the series.

This is my second book with a deaf MC and I love seeing that representation! I also really enjoyed the magic system. It was unique and really inventive.

The story itself dragged a little in the begining and it took me a bit to actually get into it but it was a fun adventure. I did feel like this happened a little to easily and seemed to quickly resolve itself without much action needed from the characters.

But all in all I enjoyed it and really loved the deaf representation

A fantastic book and I do hope this is a series. I'm a 43-year-old woman, but regardless of age, I do love a YA story now and then, and this one is up there with one of my favourites; and I would highly recommend one and if you aren't read one as yet, Make it this one, if not you are missing out.

I didn't particularly enjoy this for two reasons:

1.) I personally didn't connect with the writing style. Nothing is wrong with it, but the writing is of a slower, steady fantasy pace that I know many people enjoy, but I personally find difficult to follow.

2.) The deafness of the main character was the primary reason I wanted to read this book, but how this was portrayed disappointed me. I kept forgetting that she was deaf because other than the fact that people didn't like that she was deaf and that she knew some sign language, her deafness didn't really impact her life. I think the idea was that magic removed some of her potential hardships, but it just fell flat for me. Readers who are going into this for a Deaf main character should be aware.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unravel was a very interesting book. In it, you will meet Marguerite and she's about 16 years old. She is also deaf but that doesn't stop her from doing anything. It also doesn't hurt that she has magical hearing aids either.

It was definitely interesting for her to have them because she acts like someone who doesn't have a hearing disability most of the time. Then she gets frustrated with how society treats deaf people. Which, yes, I can see why because it is frustrating and annoying to see people mistreated. It also hurt close to home because her own uncle hates people that are deaf.

With each twist, character, and turn that came my way the pages just kept flying by. I never found myself bored with what was happening because I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. Especially when it came to the crown and the evil uncle. Don't even get me started on the world building because I couldn't get enough of it.

If this ever becomes a movie or show, I will watch it without hesitation. I need to see Marguerite grow into the badass she was born to become. Definitely happy that I got the chance to jump into this.

This has me hooked from the first few pages, but my interest quickly tapered off after that.

Reminiscent of another popular YA witch running away from witch hunters story, the main character has to hide her magic from those close to her.

The representation for those deaf/hard of hearing was my favourite part of this. It’s not often you read from a deaf MC perspective and I appreciated it in this story.

The banter between the characters felt childish and hollow. The main character makes decisions early on that didn’t make sense to me. The world felt unfinished and the different types of magic needed a lot of explaining.

Sadly not a new favourite.

‘I know the trueness of that love and that it demands action. I will do whatever is necessary to be a blessing to them and bring goodness into the world through my gifts. I cast off my fear. Let me be a light in the darkness.’
I didn’t expect to like this as much as i did. When the story first started it was rather slow and i had gotten to around 20% until i start to get fully gripped by the events. I loved how the main character would fight for what she thought was right even if it put her in danger. The character development of the main character was really good, throughout the book she gradually gets more head strong. There is a romance within it which I wasn’t expecting but was so glad its there, it was so cute and I loved the chemistry between the characters. There is also hard of hearing representation, im not sure how well it was done as I’ve never read a book that has included this before but i did really enjoy that it was there.

I have never read a YA fantasy with a deaf princess and I absolutely need more of this in my life. And my grandmother was a seamstress and taught me many things about sewing, so I was all in. Such a beautiful and well crafted story, I can't wait for Amelia's next book!

Thank you to Netgalley for approving me for this title, but my review comes after purchasing and reading my own copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of Unravel in exchange for an honest review.

Ah this book! I inhaled it. The female chosen one! Marguerite is a princess who is both a witch and deaf and has been cowering under her uncle for far too long.

Who doesn’t live for a found family? This book has it all, magic, strong disability rep, enemies too lovers. The world building is wonderful and this book is perfect for anyone who loves a good fairytale or someone who is trying to get into more fantasy books.

A beautiful and original story of a princess who discovers her powers lie in her gift of embroidery and her quest to her dead father and reclaim her throne from her evil uncle. If you like the novels of Naomi Novik or Katherine Arden you will love this.

Reader, I devoured this one. A disabled heroine who saves the day? Magic sewing and other kinds of needlework? Shakespeare, fairy tale, and song references? Witch trial realities? Strong women leading armies? Hell yes! Protagonist Marguerite is the princess of Valonia, a nation in a thinly disguised early modern Europe. She's deaf, left-handed, and can see and wield magic, which her evil uncle has forbidden on pain of death. When Evil Uncle poisons his father, the King, Marguerite plans and plots and is foiled an captured and tortured and plots and most of all sews to be a witness, to make repairs, to save herself and those she loves, and emerges not unscathed but utterly confident and able to lead her people.

A must-read for any fan of fantasy, witchcraft, or strong characters. The book tells the story of Marguerite, a teen hunted by her uncle who would do anything to get the trone. There she must face the plotting and the twisted mind of the uncle who would do anything to implement his closed-minded government, putting women back in the background and of course eliminating witchcraft. Under the watchful eye of this character, Marguerite must hide a little secret, she has the ability to do magic. Yet that's not the reason why his uncle hates her, she was born deaf, and according to his uncle, that makes her even more unfit to rule. After years of abuse and the memory of her hand being destroyed with a hammer to stop her from using sign language she finally decided to break free. Then, on the edge of war, she goes on a quest to find her power and get her rightful birthright back. On the way, she finds multiple friends and help in places where she never thought possible.
The story catches you from the very start, the characterization is on point and the world and society of the pages is simply magical. A book that without a doubt I would read over and over again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sword and Silk Books for providing a copy of Unravel in exchange for an honest review.

Unravel by Amelia Loken is a new release YA Fantasy that I immediately fell in love with! It has so many magical elements like Fairytale Retelling, Own-Voices disability rep, Enemies to Lovers, and a Chosen One female protagonist.

Marguerite is a deaf princess living under the thumb of her Uncle, Bishop-Princep Reichard of Valonia. She's also a gifted witch who uses a unique type of magic called Skiencraft to incorporate spells into cloth. Too bad her Uncle hunts witches and burns them at the stake. Unravel is the breathless story of Marguerites journey to save her gifts, her country, and her life as secrets and betrayal nips at her heels.

As a person who has dealt with hearing loss most of my life, it was fantastic to see a strong, fierce main character with deafness who slays! I loved the devices created to increase her hearing and the hand language that so many of the characters use to communicate. Margo meets many magical people in the story who help guide and support her and the themes of loyalty, honor, and love make each connection meaningful. I especially enjoyed her relationship with Tys, a acrobat mage who always seems to be in the right place at the wrong time.

I give Unravel five stars for beautiful world building, loveable character and a unique twist on a familiar Yuletide poem. This magical Own-Voices is a wonderful new release perfect for fans of fairytales, fantasy, and found families.

#Unravel #NetGalley

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I was really excited about the premise of this book. A Deaf MC in a fantasy world? And she's a princess? And she's a witch? Sign me up!

I thought Loken's portrayal of Marguerite was nice, and I particularly liked that we got her perspective of other people's words, so if she didn't hear something, neither did we!

However, I began to find the book very, very slow-paced. It began to feel very "so we traveled here. and then we traveled there. and then here. etc" and I just found my mind wandering constantly. I don't know if that's because I had recently read another fairytale-esque book that was super fast paced and engaging, so maybe I was still stuck in that reader mode, but I found it very hard to get into this one.

I really enjoyed the magic system though! Skeincraft is a very cool idea for magic, I just felt like the pacing of the book and the lingering descriptions of everything held back any interest I had in world-building or characters.

However, loads of people seem to have really enjoyed this one, so give it a go for yourself. It wasn't for me, but it might be for you!

Three stars.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the characters and enjoyed seeing their growth through the book. The protagonist is deaf and I was really hoping the book would capture that reality a bit better. It did address it and it was a main point, but it didn't feel like it gave a very accurate depiction in many cases. The pacing also wasn't perfect and sometimes I found myself frustrated with the silly decisions the protagonist made as she seemed to always make things harder on herself, but it made for a long and interesting story and the ending was great. The book had some nice and unique aspects that set it apart from others of the same genre, so definitely worth the read!

What first attracted me was the deaf representation as I feel like we don’t get to read about that much in fiction, but for me, the story didn’t hold my attention and I found myself bored and skimming pages to get to the end quicker. I also couldn’t get my head around the world as it felt like there wasn’t much world-building inserted into the story, so it made it difficult for me to immerse myself in the time and place.

This book did have potential but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers! Thank you so much for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review!

So... an honest review. An honest review of this book is that it feels like way too much happened while also NOTHING happened. It makes it so hard to pinpoint specifics about what's wrong, because everything just doesn't add up? Which is so sad.

The world-building and magic system is convoluted and uninspired, which sucks to say. The magic system at least had promise (I love magic systems that work in specifics, especially crafts), but ultimately there was nothing there. We never learned anything about magic, not how it was done. We just know she stitches and magic happens, and this is a well established kind of magic but it just isn't explored at all.

And the world-building... I hate to say it, but it feels downright lazy. It's just a mishmash of French and Dutch names. REAL WORLD FRENCH AND DUTCH PLACES. WITH A FEW LETTERS SWITCHED. French is directly used. It's hard to read. I don't mind standard European-inspired fantasy, I think everyone on earth is conditioned to accept it even if we want more diverse fantasy. But this is too blatant, it's physically painful.

The main and only draw of this story is the protagonist is Deaf/HOH. That's it, and as a hearing person I don't want to speak over Actual people being depicted here, but it just... doesn't connect. She's given a magical hearing aid, which is actually really interesting. But she experiences next to no hardships from her disability despite spending most of the book bemoaning that she's treated so poorly, when there's really only TWO characters (both absurdly cartoonish villains) who truly treat her poorly because of it.

Also, sign language is a thing here! But any excitement I had soon fizzled out. See our protagonist (verbal) and her hearing love interest become fluent in sign language in a couple weeks from scratch. And despite traveling all over, this is universally used. She faces no communication barriers. Because sign language is definitely universal and doesn't have languages and dialects of its own, right?

I'm giving this two stars because there WAS potential here, but it just missed the mark. A shame.

Marguerite has had many obstacles growing up. Even though she is next in line for the throne (after her father) her uncle thinks a deaf person should not rule; he even broke her hand to keep her from signing. Her uncle also fights against everything magical and since Marguerite is a witch, she must keep that hidden from him as well. After seeing her first witch trial, Marguerite runs away with a rescued child and her uncle takes his chance to seize the throne. What will he do to keep Marguerite from the throne? What obstacles will she need to overcome while fighting back?

Unravel is a stand-alone supernatural novel that was an amazing read with interesting characters. Loken’s freshman novel broke the mold with a strong female protagonist that did not let her deficits become a disability. This book had action and adventure with the reader discovering hidden truths around every turn. One of my tells of a good book is thinking about it when I’m not reading it and that is what Unravel did for me. Unravel is a great read that will have readers thinking differently about those who we call disabled.

I really cannot express how beautiful--and heart pounding--Unravel by Amelia Loken is. I finished it a couple of days ago, but my mind keeps drifting back to it. Marguerite de Perdix, the main character is a princess, a princess with many obstacles to overcome, more than the typical princess. I love her because she makes some questionable decisions along the story and faces consequences, but she does not give up.

Marguerite is also a witch--no spoiler, readers find out in the first chapter--a powerful one at that. I love all things witch-y and magic-y, but the way her powers manifest themselves and are made stronger is through a way completely new to me: through her embroidery. In fact all of the witches' and mages' powers manifest themselves through cool physical ways: herbs, ropes, etc. I was entranced by this.

Of course, since it is important that Marguerite is a princes, readers should expect power struggles, cruel rulers, and warring territories; and given that the setting is a fantastical Northern European-esque medieval kingdom, readers can also expect unequal treatment of women, witch hunts, prejudice treatment of people from other territories, and the seeming "religious" folk take power. Unravel has all of this, and then some. Top it off with a hint of romance, intrigue, and plenty of swordplay, and you've got one awesome read.

I didn't want to leave Marguerite and Tys and the land of Valonia, and I am certainly glad I took the trip. Grab this book as soon as you can!

Thanks to Sword & Silk Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC. This is an unpaid, honest review.

A rich, fast-paced and enjoyable YA fantasy which follows Sixteen year old Marguerite, granddaughter to the King of Valonia. When the King dies and her father is swiftly dealt with by her scheming uncle Reichard, the Kingdom’s former Bishop- Princep seizes the throne—despite being behind Marguerite in the line succession. Contending she’s too deaf to rule.

Having broken her hand for using sign language, Marguerite is used to his hatred but with his war on witchcraft taking any lives, she must hide her own magic of Skeincraft—the magical craft of seeing & embroidery.

Fleeing from her homeland having rescued a child from a death sentence and with the help of a handsome acrobat, Marguerite manages to hide in a neighbouring empire where magic is able to flourish and she finally begins her training.

But with war on the horizon, she returns home but is swiftly imprisoned. But her love for her people is vast and Marguerite continues to defy him but if order to save Valonia she has to rely on her homemade invisibility cloak, questionable allies and Tys, the one boy she never should have trusted.

The medieval inspired world building and magic system (which even explores why magic is found more often in women than in men) is absolutely lovely and the varying types of magic that’s portrayed(Herbcraft, Stonecraft, Skeincraft, etc) was really interesting. Though I must admit Skeincraft-magic used through sewing and embroidery) was probably my favourite of them all. It’s also the magic variant we get the most detail about as it’s our protagonist, Marguerite’s specialty.

Marguerite was a really compelling character that really goes through a lot of awful things in such a short amount of time but, she’s an incrediblly strong and determined protagonist who genuinely cares about her people. I loved how openly caring she is and doesn’t loose her selfless nature despite her uncles awful treatment of her. I also loved watching Marguerite develop her magical skills, plotting to take down her enemies (mostly her uncle) and save her kingdom from war—which is pretty badass.

I also really enjoyed seeing deaf/HOH rep which has been lacking in fiction (especially fantasy) for a while— I’d definitely love to see more books like this in future.

Overall, a fast paced and spellbindingly witchy YA fantasy debut with rival kingdoms, political intrigue, romance and an endearing MC I know everyone is going to love.

Also a massive thank you to Sowrd and Silk Books and Netgalley for the e-arc.