I really enjoyed this. I would definately recommend this to a YA audience. The autism rep was great because we need it more in fiction. I liked Iselia's character and her growth throughout the book. The few issues I had was I wish the other characters were more memorable and that the story itself is a safe story, nothing too outside of the box. Also, I agree with other reviewers when they say I wish it wasn't the changeling who had autism because it may be misinterrupted as autisic people aren't human or they could think they aren't human. I know what the author was trying to say by showcasing it that way, but it's just my opinion. Overall, this is a solid fantasy book and would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the atmosphere and setting that Unseelie created, and the characters and storyline were really interesting. I thought the Seelie’s journey was really lovely and that all the characters in this novel were extremely interesting and complex. This is such a good interpretation of Fae legend and creates a well-thought out world that is held together with prose that is addictively readable. This was a really enjoyable story that seems realistic even in its fantastic nature.

DNF @24%
This book is so boring, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I didn't care about anything happening, I didn't like the writing, and the characters had no personality.

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and a final copy via BookishFirst, all opinions are my own. This book was released on January 3, 2023 and is available now.

This follows twin sisters Iselia aka Seelie and Isolde as they try to survive in a world of magic, shapeshifters, and fae. Seelie is a changeling, not human but not fae either. As the author mentions in her author's note, it is believed that changelings were used to describe autistic children in early mythology as a way to explain the unexplainable. While we've come a long way in the world of autism diagnosis and treatment, we still have a long way to go. You can really tell that alot of love and care went into creating Seelie's character and I'm sure alot of the author's own experiences can be seen in her.

Being a changeling with uncontrollable magic, Seelie is both feared and misunderstood. She finds it difficult to interact with humans and sometimes finds it hard to control her emotions. In order to survive, she and Isolde have turned to a life of theft and pickpocketing, so when they target a large mansion on a festival night they run into another team of theives they didn't plan for as well as a treasure that has a mind of it's own that latches onto Seelie. The twins end up on a quest they didn't intend to go on, and Seelie must learn to harness the magic she fears and despises to save herself and her beloved sister.

I really enjoyed going on this quest with Seelie. The world building was well done as was the character development. Not only does Seelie have to learn to harness her magic but she is also on a self-discovery quest as well. By accepting her magic she is accepting that she is not like other people and that is OK. The story had good pacing and kept me engaged the whole time. The story wrapped up nicely but did leave things open to allow for more adventures with Seelie, Isolde, and her new allies. I would happily read more from this author and more about Seelie and her adventures should there be more.

I was really excited to see that one of the main characters is a changeling fae girl who is autistic. Part of me wishes it hadn’t been the changeling who fit this diagnosis since in this world they’re seen as less than human and that seemed a little on the nose for me, but I do like that she is strong with so many magical talents. And everyone should be able to look at a magical hero and see themselves sometime. Seelie (an unfortunate nickname that is at least recognized) is a changeling, but her human parents adopted her and raised her and her human twin sister, Isolde. Forced to leave their home and their parents they are getting by with Isolde’s thievery skills. They are presented with an opportunity they literally cannot refuse which sets them off on an adventure to find an magical treasure that will have the power to set them free and allow them to return home. All four characters had great potential but only Seelie felt truly developed well enough. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4889681754
https://www.amazon.com/review/RS94GBP4DRYM0/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

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This was surprisingly fun. I'm loving this trend of characters only being visible to certain characters or bonded and chained to characters. I love it I think it's super fun and interesting. Despite it being a fae book we really didn't see a lot but the few we did and the quick glimpse into the fae world have me ready and excited more. I was genuinely surprised by how much I loved this book .its a super fun take on fairies and one of the few stories about changelings that stays in the human world, that being said I kind of hope we get to explore more of the fae world in book two which I am in desperate need of given that ending!

Unseelie wasn't exactly the book I was expecting and that was both good and bad for me. The things I liked were the strong and positive representation of an autistic main character through Seelie. I liked the relationship she had with her human "twin sister, Isolde. They are both strong young women who are finding their way using the abilities they have.

The world building is also strong. The author creates a world that has some of the fae lore we are used to with a few of its own modifications here and there. It makes the book feel like a world you are watching unfold in front of you and was quite creative.

Even though I thought the storyline was strong and inventive. It did move slowly for me in places and made it difficult for me to keep reading at times. That was disappointing because I truly wanted to completely love this book and that prevented it. The best I can say is I liked it. I need for a book to keep a solid pace and when I feel as if it lags, my enjoyment is impacted at that point.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I was so intrigued by the synopsis of this book. To have a main character with autism sounded like a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately for me this book fell flat. It was very chaotic at times. I felt like there were a lot of things that weren't explained or that happened for no apparent reason. The ending was a bit abrupt. Overall I did enjoy the autism aspect though.

Two sisters facing hardship, a neurodivergent main character, magic, danger, adventure, Faeries, shapeshifters, and more! This book seems to have it all, and does a great job of balancing it all.
Housman has a way with pacing that made this an easy and very enjoyable read. Seelie's character is probably the most fleshed out since readers get her thoughts and narration.

While similar to many stories in the genre, Housman's main character and the twists and turns in the plot make this book stand out from the crowd. I look forward to see what happens next!

Readers that enjoy fantasy and adventure stories would enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Who doesn't love a good heist story? And your MC is a fae changeling? The story alone would have drawn me in, but also the fact that your MC is autistic, written by an autistic author, who wrote the book she wished she could've read as a kid? This is an under serviced area in literature, especially fantasy. And this story delivers! It starts off kind of slow, but once we get the group together and the plot thickening, the storyline was great! This was definitely a solid debut novel. I really enjoyed reading this one and I'm excited to pick up the second book!

I always enjoy faerie tales when some "humans" have special gifts or are rumored to be changelings. I really enjoyed Seelie's journey as she tried to navigate the human world then other worlds with her new found family all trying to find a treasure.
At the beginning, the author discusses that she, like her fmc, is autistic and wrote the book that she herself was looking for as a teen or young adult. Being neurodivergent when everyone expects you to be a certain way seems impossibly difficult. It's hard enough trying to fit into all the other typical normie standards.

There were a lot of family power struggles since her new friends were on a mission as well. Seelie and her sister Isolde who are twins have a whole whimsical backstory that I enjoyed but as they learned more may not have been the real story. And Seelie has a hanger on, that won't let go, let's see if they end up being useful.

I can't wait to see what book #2 will bring for these characters!

Thank you inkyardpress and netgalley for the e-aRC for my honest and voluntary review.

I will not be reviewing this book until Harper Collins comes forth and takes care of it’s employees #harpercollinsunionsupporter

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC of this!

A fun adventure with an autistic changeling, her human sister, and some new associates as they take on a heist. This was very entertaining and I didn’t realize going in it was a duology- I can’t wait to see more of it. The world was very fun.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Unseelie caught my attention due to its pretty cool concept and spin on the mythology around changelings, expanding on one belief surrounding autistic children. While it could easily have fallen flat, I appreciate that this was written from experience as an autistic person, and not to mythologize autistic people as “special” or “differently abled,” or worse as “burdens” to their caregivers. And there really aren’t many fantasy stories with autistic leads, so it’s great to see one that contains that mystical element, and plays with it, but also plays against it, allowing the lead to exist in the world in spite of her differences from what is considered “the norm.”

Seelie is incredibly relatable, in that she doesn’t exactly fit in with her society. And while her world wouldn’t have the name for it, I like how her traits are made explicit, and it resonated with me as someone who hasn’t really had a clear professional diagnosis, but is pretty certain I have autism through my own community engagement and research.

And while I admit to not knowing a ton about the original myth, I did like that this story allowed for the twins to have a relationship, which countered my initial perceptions about changelings as mere replacements. Seelie and Isolde’s relationship is the standout from the book. Isolde helps Seelie in social situations, but it’s never a case where Seelie is infantilized or Seelie lacks real agency to do so.

The plot is pretty interesting, with a couple different layers. It’s pretty fast-paced, and there’s constant intrigue, from the heist to the gradual development surrounding the larger mystery at play. There’s satisfactory resolution for this book, while also teasing what is to come in the following installment.

This is a fun debut, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy, especially if you enjoy faeries or are looking for autism rep.

Unseelie is the story of Seelie, a changeling, and her twin sister Isolde, who is a human, trying to survive life and take care of each other. Unfortunately, a mission to do a little pick-pocketing goes wrong, and the two run into another pair of potential thieves, and Seelie accidentally (and magically) takes the thing they want. After a quick escape, the other two thieves manage to find them, and a whole new mission ensues.

This was a fun debut by Housman! The world-building and exposition was great, and I enjoyed the take on the changeling myth (which involves that autistic kids in the past were thought to have been regular kids, changed out with faerie-kind.) There was a lot of fun magic, and the story was left open for a sequel. All in all, definitely a good fantasy adventure story!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookishfirst for the e-ARC and galley!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of Unseelie!

Changelings-- fairies left in the place of stolen babies. Except for when a mother braves the fae realms to take both of her daughters home. That is how Isolde and Iselia-- Seelie-- have come into the world as twins, but a magical accident forces them from home. On their seventeenth birthday, they embark on a new adventure and make a few friends (and enemies!) along the way.

The author of Unseelie offers a reclaiming of the Changeling myth; historically the idea of a changeling was used to seriously hurt or kill people, especially children, who were born different whether mentally or physically. Autism was one such difference that could have brought on the idea of a changeling swap. With an autistic author and her autistic main character, though, we get a story of love and acceptance of Seelie's differences by her family and those she meets along the way.

The story itself is fun and exciting as we watch Seelie grapple with the magic she never asked for and the power she has. As the companions quest for the treasure, she must learn to control both her emotions and her magic. We get to watch Seelie grow into herself over the course of the book, and that was an absolute treat.

There are some things I wish we had seen more off-- most specifically Birch the Brownie cat. I feel like the Gossamer storyline could have been explained better, and overall I got the feeling that this book is more on the line between middle grade and young adult fantasy rather than being firmly in either category.

I would definitely recommend this book to a younger teen reader or someone just getting into fantasy. There is no romance in this book, so if that's what you like in your fae fantasies, this is not the story for you. I'm very excited for the second book!

This is a #ownvoices book. The author begins the book talking about her experiences with autism and her diagnosis as well as how that relates to her character. I appreciated the insight from the author.

Seelie and Isolde are twins in that they look identical and grew up with the same parents, but there is something different about Seelie. Seelie is a changeling believed to be a baby made by the fairies switched for a human baby. Somehow Seelie's parents ended up with both babies.

The two sisters end up having an adventure with two unlikely traveling companions trying to find a treasure that only Seelie can lead them to.

This book was a little chaotic at times. The author had a lot of big ideas that she was trying to put into one book. It helps that she broke it up into three acts but it was still a lot. I loved Seelie's descriptions of trying to fit in with mortals and how even when she imitated them she was still just a bit different. I think this is something that a lot of people can identify with, especially neurodivergents. I also appreciated what over-stimulation looked like for someone with magic. It was like a physical representation of what over stimulation feels like.

I'm excited to see where the author goes with these characters in the next book.

What I liked most about Unseelie was the main character. She’s coded as autistic, which the author makes clear in the preface, when she writes that she wanted an autistic lead in a fantasy novel because, growing up, she’d never read one. And she’s right— neither had I.

I’m not in the spectrum, so I can’t pretend to speak for what this book might mean for people who are, but I really appreciated the breath of fresh that Seelie (the main character) is. She’s not a classic YA fantasy lead. She’s temperamental, sometimes unhelpful, but not an anti hero either.

At the center of the novel is an adventure, a trip following a magical compass to along hidden treasure, which puts pressure on Seelie and her twin sister’s relationship, and on what Seelie is willing to be and do.

The end of this book was a bit abrupt and I can tell there’s a lot more to learn about this world and it’s villains, and more space for Seelie and her sister to grow.
I can’t wait for the sequel.

Ivelisse Housman's YA fantasy Unseelie begins on the eve of Revelnox, a festival that celebrates the thinning of the veil between their world and the faerie realms. Struggling to survive after running away from their homes, changeling Iselia "Seelie" Graygrove and her twin Isolde plan to use the celebration to cover their heist of the Wildline Manor and end up getting more than they baragained for when their caper causes them to cross paths with Raze and Olani, a duo on a mission to uncover the truth and regain their rightful places in Auremore. On their journey for treasures unknown, Seelie learns more about herself than she had bargained for, and steps into her power to become a force to be reckoned with.

This book interested me for numerous reasons. The first being that I have always been mildly fae obsessed, so all fae content is exciting to me. More than that, I was interested in the author's interpretation of the idea that changelings were actually autistic children. Seelie, always considered the outcast, often unable to verbally express herself, feels like a true representation of neurodivergence. As someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, a "disorder" that shares many things in common with autism, I recognize and relate to Seelie's reactions. This is perhaps one of the most authentic portrayals of what it means on the spectrum that I've ever read. Me fifteen years ago would have loved this book more than I can truly say, and I think teens now will relate highly to this novel.

I wanted more out of the ending, but I feel secure in the knowledge that Housman is waiting until the next book to give it to us.

You'll love this book if you liked The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black (or really, any Holly Black) or Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone Trilogy.

Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove looks like her twin, Isolde, but is an autistic changeling left by the fae as an infant. Seelie has unpredictable magic and can't fit in, but that magic draws the twins into the hunt for a fabled treasure. When it falls apart, the sisters make unexpected allies and reveals a mystery involving the history of humans and fae alike. The secrets of the faeries are incredibly valuable, and Seelie must learn to harness her magic.

Unseelie is book one of a duology. The fae and humans live in separate but occasionally overlapping worlds, and changelings are sometimes left in the human world as the result of bargains. Festival days also let the two worlds mingle, and it's during this time period that the twins meet Raze and Olani during an attempted heist. It goes wrong very quickly, and the four are forced to work together. Seelie has little patience for this, and it doesn't help matters when her magic goes awry. She's scared of it and the loss of control, and hates feeling catered to or stared at like an oddity.

Seelie is autistic, but it's not outright said in the text. In this kind of fantasy setting, they don't have that word. But she has the sensory issues, the difficulty reading social cues, and problems with figures of speech and getting all of her thoughts out coherently. She gets nervous, so people with anxiety can definitely sympathize with her and know what she's going through. Seelie wants so hard to have her world set to rights, to return to how it was in the past. Unfortunately, there are so many complications and none of it goes according to the plan. This leaves her entering faerie realms, trusting Raze and Olani, arguing with her sister, and making bargains she knows she shouldn't. I completely lost myself in her world and her feelings, and immediately wanted to read the next book in the duology. It should be just as immersive and entertaining as this one.