The allure of magic, bonds of sisterhood and the steady thrill of adventure live at the heart of Ivelisse Housman’s UNSEELIE, a beautifully written and genre-defining young adult fantasy.

Told from the perspective of Iselia, or Seelie for short, a determined protagonist on a quest to get back home, readers are introduced to a slew of well-developed characters in UNSEELIE — from Isolde, Seelie’s fiercely protective twin sister to Olani, a mercenary-adventurer-turned-ally, to Raze, a budding love interest, readers are brought along on a perilous journey with an unlikely group of treasure hunters that leads them to unexpected places and encounters with dangerous adversaries.

Most significantly, Seelie is autistic, and the author — who is also autistic — vividly brings to life her feelings and experiences being neurodivergent in a world that refuses to accept those that are different. She does this in a way that invokes empathy, understanding and inspiration for Seelie and what she goes through, while still spotlighting and celebrating her unusual power — one which stems from the very parts of herself Seelie fights to silence.

The relationships between the characters in this book are another of my favorite elements; especially the unconditional love shared by Seelie and Isolde, both sisters by birth and chosen family. They have their struggles, especially as the two grow to long for different things in life, but it’s heartwarming to follow how they navigate any tension — always choosing one another in the end. Their bond is, in my humble opinion, the real highlight of the book; although Seelie and Raze’s slow-burn romance adds a lively, will-they-or-won’t-they dimension to the text.

We don’t spend much time with the other characters, including the antagonists — still not entirely sure what to make of Gossamer and Leira in all of it — but I expect more backstories will come with the next installment, which I’m now eagerly awaiting.

Where the author leaves the story is also a delicious cliffhanger of sorts — several questions have been answered, but so many more have emerged in the wake of those discoveries. It is the best kind of ending, in that it is both simultaneously satisfying and leaves you wanting so much more.

UNSEELIE is a gloriously crafted, fantastical tale that gives readers insight into autism by spotlighting an autistic MC — which is a kind of inclusivity that YA as a genre could desperately use more of. I can’t wait to read what comes next from Ivelisse Housman. If it’s anything like UNSEELIE, it’s bound to be remarkable.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

(3.75 rounded up)

this was a really solid fantasy book. it was good and honestly, it's only going to get better.

i connected to the characters pretty much right away. i loved the sisterly bond between seelie and isolde and was definitely the highlight of the story; seelie was such a compelling lead and i could really relate to her. i also really loved the side characters and the implied romance between seelie and raze is kind of... everything to me??? i think their dynamic was really well written and their dialogue / banter read as very natural to me. i also really love the worldbuilding, how it put a different spin on fae and a lot of fantasy elements that we are used to seeing (changelings, dragons, et cetera) and i thought the author did a very good job with that.

i came into this with almost no expectations and was very pleasantly surprised with this read. i pretty much devoured it all in one sitting and i hope to see a sequel on my shelves sometime soon!!

Thank you, Inkyard Press, for allowing me to read Unseelie early!

I just couldn't connect with this book and I'm so sorry. because it sounded very exciting initially.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before it releases!

This book was such a fun read. The witty banter between the characters was amazing. It’s a bit on the long side but it was great throughout the whole story. I never got bored or wanted to put it down.

I didn’t really like Raze at the beginning but he quickly grew on me and he may be my favorite character from this story. I’m excited to see where this story goes because the way it leads off, there has to be a second book in progress and I am impatiently waiting to get my hands on it. I want to see if anything becomes of Raze and Seelie. I feel like there is a connection but nothing really happened in this book to really put you on the border of a relationship between the two.

Did I mention it has dragons? Any books that has dragons is a book I want to read lol. Also, I feel like this was really well written. I will definitely be buying an actual copy of this book!

Unseelie was spectacular! Seelie and Isolde are great main characters; I loved their devotion to each other and the way their strengths complemented each other. Seelie is an autistic changeling, and I could definitely see the parallels between how autistic people are treated in our world and how changelings are treated in Seelie's world. The magic system was really interesting, also; I loved seeing Seelie figure out how to use her magic and learn that she is capable of far more than she thought. The two side characters, Raze and Olani, were great, too. I'm hoping for a potential romance between Isolde and Olani in the next book!
I wasn't sure if Unseelie was meant to be a standalone when I started reading, but Housman left just enough loose ends to set up for a sequel!