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.

I was excited and nervous to jump into this book. I'm autistic and had no idea (other than knowing I was different than others) until I was a young adult. I'm also a mother raising an autistic son. When I first read about this book being written by an autistic author about an autistic main character in my very favorite genre, fantasy, I worried. I worried it would be a stereotype in a lot of ways. You'd have an overly brilliant main character with an inability to understand situations, zero empathy, or a complete inability to be understood. It's what you see in almost all representations and its not only insulting, but disheartening. This author did NOT go the stereotypical route with Seelie and I'm thankful. I'm even more thankful NetGalley gave me the opportunity to read this book before it came out into the world and gave someone like me a chance to review it honestly.

Was this the perfect book? Nope. Were the characters perfect? Another nope. Was this everything I could ever hope for in terms of representation and understanding for autistic individuals? Heck no. No book is perfect, no characters are written exactly the way you dream, and there isn't a single book, movie, etc. that will ever fully represent what it means to be autistic in a world which isn't built for you... not even a fantasy world.

Did I devour this book in 24 hours? Yes, Yes I did. Did I enjoy it? Definitely. Did I see myself in Seelie? Most certainly. Did I die a little when I got to the end and wished for another 300 pages? Heck yes. This book was slow to start and the pacing is never "fast", but it enfolds in an unhurried, natural kind of way I don't read a lot. I found myself hooked to this story and desperate to find out all the little secrets and backstories of the characters. I really enjoyed this book and sadly, I don't always enjoy the books I fall into. I have been known to rage at characters, to nit pick every plot hole until it ruins the book, and usually end the book disappointed because I never felt a moment of surprise... but this book wasn't any of those. It was a peaceful, exciting, reprieve from reality and I loved it.

Now, to talk about the actual plot of the book without giving anything away. We have a typical four person main cast of characters:
Seelie - our main character, who is autistic in a world without a diagnosis for being "different". She's right on the cusp of adulthood, but still about naïve (not ever in a way that feels like the author is condescending, but just in a naturally sheltered sort of way). Seelie is also a changeling with a strong ability for magic. Where and how she has this magic isn't really delved into, but it's because Seelie has tried to ignore her magic for as long as she's lived. You are in her head throughout the story, so you know what she knows and it isn't very much about her world, magic, or the past of the faeries of either court. She picks up information from the people she ends up around, but it is still just a tiny snippet and I'm desperate for more and I feel like by the end of the book, so is Seelie. As far as autistic representation, I am very similar to Seelie. I struggle with eye contact, I struggle with being overstimulated, I lose my ability to form words, I constantly fidget, and I crave routine and constants in my life. So, while she is far and away from a representation of all autistic lives, she was an amazing one for my own and I not only cared about her, I related to her on a soul deep level. Seelie isn't perfect, but neither am I and I enjoyed her so much more for all her imperfect bits than her magic and power.
Isolde (Sol) - the other half of Seelie and her sister. Seelie and Sol are beyond different, even though they are identical. Sol is strong and fierce and craves adventure and excitement. She can fight, handle a blade, a natural pickpocket, and an all around badass. We only get to see her through the eyes of her sister and half way through the book you can see this is a very tiny window to see someone through. We don't really every get to know what her life was like with a sister like Seelie, but we do see she's never resented Seelie for being herself. Sol, does however, want more from life than Seelie wants for her. We also find out Sol might not be exactly who she believes herself to be by the end of the novel and I can't wait to find out how she reacts to it all and who she allows herself to become in the future.
Olani - This girl is still a bit of a mystery to me. We do get a big hunk of backstory for Olani around the mid point of the book, or even a bit before, but I still feel like we barely scratched the surface. Olani is an enchanter with healing power. Her parents are healers, her brothers are healers, and she's been basically a mercenary for awhile even though her family thinks she's also a healer. Olani is funny and kind and a bit rough around the edges, but she's also fiercely loyal and seems to genuinely care about others... unless they threaten someone she cares for and then they're dead she's moving on. I wasn't as interested in Olani as I think I was supposed to be, but she felt like a side character for the entire book to me and no matter how big a role she played I just never connected with her. Hopefully, in a next book I can get a better understanding of her as a character and her reasoning beyond just wanted to have an adventure.
Raze - I liked Raze from the moment we meet him. He's an adorable red head (the odds of red heads being in so many fantasy books just doesn't seem feasible, but here is yet another handsome ginger to swoon over) with a charismatic personality and desperate desire to be loved. He has a bit of a tragic backstory. He was abused at a young age. He's a shapeshifter and his power has never been seen as enough by those who were meant to care for him and its left some deep scars. Raze is also funny which I adored. The book is a bit heavy emotionally, so it was wonderful to have him to lighten everything up. His jokes and snark also felt more natural than most characters in fantasy and he never felt like just another plot device. Raze is also the only character I even debated yelling at during my reading.... (JUST KISS HER)! I look forward to reading more about him. He reminded me of my partner in a lot of ways. He understood Seelie on a very profound level without having to constantly question her and I not only appreciated it, but I loved it.
(Honorable Mention) Birch - this little kitty was hilarious and I was so glad he was added to the book. A mischievous little brownie in the shape of a small kitten was just the cutest. I needed to know where he was at the end of the book and it made me crazy that no one seemed to be worried about him. I am worried.

Overall, I think this is an awesome book. I would recommended it to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy, books with faeries good and bad, books with interesting female characters with powers, and anyone who wants to experience a little bit of what it is like for an autistic person in their daily life. Please, don't go into this book expecting a lot of romance (there is just a touch of romance) or even a huge heist plot because honestly the heist they originally botch is over in the first few pages, but this is a book about four characters on an adventure to find treasure, find themselves, and make a found family.

I'm usually such a big fan of fantasy and this story felt fresh and new. I was just not able to keep myself in the story. The bits that did hold me were beautiful and I'd be interested in reading others from this author! Also, the cover art is gorgeous!

I’ll be completely honest and admit that it was the gorgeous cover that caught my eye. And then when I found out it was about two sisters, one a changeling who’s written as autistic? I couldn’t request a copy fast enough. And it definitely met all of my expectations! While I didn’t realize it when I started it, this is the first book in a series. While several plot lines are wrapped up well, there’s many that aren’t, up to a mild cliffhanger.

Seelie is a changeling, raised along with her human twin sister Isolde in a small village until her magic caused an accident. Now they travel from town to town in an enchanted wagon, picking pockets to get by and leaving town as soon as anyone suspects Seelie’s a changeling. But on the night when the fae still walk among mortals, a burglary gone wrong lands the sisters in more trouble than they could’ve imagined.

I’m always up for a heist novel and this is an absolute gem of one. From the beginning, the sisters and the mysterious pair of Olani and Raze are completely outmatched and they’re not foolish enough to think otherwise. Rather than relying on gee-whiz powers (though we do see some of that) they’re hoping their speed and stealth will get them to the prize first. Their journey is paced well, with little tidbits about each of the characters’ pasts and motivations dropped along the way. It does have a lot of common YA fantasy tropes – Seelie and Unseelie courts, power-hungry ruling families, only the main character can save the world!! – that sort of thing, but nothing feels stale. I thought Birch, the brownie who lives in the sisters’ wagon, was an especially charming and hilarious touch.

I liked Olani and Raze and the relationship that form between them and the sisters. There’s a light romantic element between Raze and Seelie (though Seelie would deny it til the cows come home), and tantalizing hints of one between Olani and Isolde. Other than that, the relationships are explored are either as friends or as family. When Seelie thinks of family, she mainly thinks of her sister Isolde. She’s impetuous and a bit fearless and she loves her sister dearly. Isolde understands her in a way that no one else does, but she’s not Seelie’s caretaker. Seelie’s perfectly capable of managing on her own and frankly is sometimes the one cleaning up Isolde’s messes. Such a close and deep relationship doesn’t come without disagreements of course but there’s no doubt that they’d do anything for each other.

“I don’t want to be the changeling enchanter who summons storms and flings fireballs. I just want to make my parents proud, to feel the comfort of family and home. I want to make cakes somewhere cozy, where no one has any expectations of me, and be left alone.”


But what I truly loved about this book is that it’s told from the POV of an autistic heroine written by an autistic author. It never comes out and uses the descriptions we’d use today – sensory meltdowns, stimming, discomfort with eye contact, difficulty reading emotions – but we’re shown what life is like in Seelie’s head in a very matter-of-fact way. It was so refreshing to have a character just be neurodivergent without all the hand-wringing and filtering through a neurotypical perspective.

In some ways Seelie’s relationship with magic is a stand-in for her neurodivergence. She’s struggled all her life to blend in, to push down her magic, and now it keeps exploding out of her in violent and unpredictable ways. The others are insistent she needs to learn to manage it but Seelie’s so used to thinking of her magic as wrong – as something that makes her unworthy – that none of their arguments sway her. It’s Raze who, with a moment of vulnerability and empathy, helps her understand and move towards accepting her magic.

“It’s an inconvenience to be unwanted. It’s a curse to be needed.”


Raze has a complicated connection with his family, as does Seelie, though their respective relationships are nothing alike. There’s no doubt that Seelie’s family loves her – her mother defied a fae court in order to take both of her daughters back! – but it doesn’t seem like they always understand her. Raze is equally not what his family expected or wanted, but instead of Seelie’s family’s passive reinforcement of her desire to keep her magic chained, he’s abused to try to get him to adhere to what they want. So while they start as reluctant allies, their similarities lead them to become friends.

“Maybe by the time we get there I’ll have decided whether I want to redeem my family legacy or burn it all to the ground.”


Overall, I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in one day and immediately tried to look up when the sequel would be out. Recommended for anyone looking for a delightfully fun road trip/heist novel, made even better by the autistic rep!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is a really great read. I love it even more after finding out the author is autistic, just like the character. Keep this author on your radar!

Housman's Unseelie is a new YA fantasy (heavy on the YA) that puts us following Seelie—our autistic MC who is misunderstood. A changeling since birth, she's been a misfit and cast out from the normals of society and has fled with her sister Isolde to find a way to become rich enough to move themselves and their parents away from the toxicity of their current village. They run into two others in the course of their adventure, leading them to an adventurous trek looking for a treasure.

Honestly, I'm so torn on how I feel about this book. It had so many pros and cons. The side characters were AMAZING. Olani and Isolde were definitely the shinning points, while I felt like Raze and Seelie were kind of.. bland. They both got on my nerves for 90% of the book. The plot-line was relatively familiar and lacking unique factors, yet the presentation and creativity behind the magic and fantasy-aspects was definitely there.

All in all, it was enjoyable enough, if not a little heavy on the YA. I'll definitely finish the duology, as I can see the potential for the story, and would definitely recommend it for those who are looking for a quick read without tons of world-building!

I really wanted to love Unseelie but ultimately the story and the characters just fell short for me. The heist, the magic system, the bond between sisters and the allies all had potential but just didn't deliver in the way I wanted it to. I felt like there wasn't much world building or character development and I often found myself feeling like the story was just dragging on and on. I did love the enchanted wagon, Destiny and the brownie disguised as a cat named Birch. Overall I just didn't find the adventure I was hoping for.