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sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, Ableism, Death, and Child abuse
starrysteph's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The start to the Unseelie Duology was fresh, magical, and engaging.
We’re following adventurer sisters Iselia (Seelie) and Isolde. They’re twins - sort of. Seelie is an autistic changeling, struggling to control her wild magic, feeling out of place among humans, and wishing for a peaceful family life.
After a disastrous incident in their hometown, the girls are on the run. Isolde is a skilled thief and Seelie supports her sister and helps power their magical wagon. But when a heist goes wrong, they find themselves paired up with unlikely allies as they hunt for a mysterious (and valuable) treasure.
While the plot is entertaining and the slow-burn romance is sweet, it’s the autistic representation (and the switch-up of changeling lore) that makes Unseelie shine. We get to hear Seelie’s story entirely from Seelie’s perspective and with Seelie’s voice. She is centered.
I found all four of our main treasure-hunters engaging and charming. The story and many of the tropes felt familiar, but Seelie’s perspective was so fresh that it kept me interested in the world. I’d love to see more development for the other three in book 2 (and wish we had gotten a bit more in depth characterization here), but I thought they were all likable.
I was hungering for a faster pace & will be looking forward to the second half of the duology to explode right into action. The writing overall was simple yet well done. It’s generic in some ways - but absolutely stellar in others.
I’ll be recommending this to YA readers far and wide. :)
CW: death, violence, blood, fire, drowning, injury, ableism & eugenics, hate crime, vomiting, panic attacks, kidnapping, child abuse (mentioned), confinement
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Ableism, Vomit, Child abuse, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Confinement
andloveistoolong's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Hate crime, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
shelvesofivy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'll likely have to come back to this review later simply because I can't possibly compact all of my thoughts about this book right now. But I had so much fun all throughout this story, and can't wait for the next one!
I love that Seelie isn't written with a spotlight on her autism as if to say "look at me, I'm representation!" Rather, it's written as a natural part of her person, like any other character traits would be. They're also consistent, because it's just a part of who she is. I seem to remember seeing someone write that this book is like a love letter that only an autistic author could write, and I fully agree ♡
Beyond the representation, I just fell in love with the main cast. Every one of them was distinct and lovable, even when they were at each other's throats.
And the story itself!! It reminded me of how much fun I had reading fantasy adventures as a child, always itching to pick up the book and see where it took us next. I loved that we had to question everything and not trust what we saw 100% of the time.
I laughed and cried ♡ I'll definitely need to reread whenever the next installment comes out
I love that Seelie isn't written with a spotlight on her autism as if to say "look at me, I'm representation!" Rather, it's written as a natural part of her person, like any other character traits would be. They're also consistent, because it's just a part of who she is. I seem to remember seeing someone write that this book is like a love letter that only an autistic author could write, and I fully agree ♡
Beyond the representation, I just fell in love with the main cast. Every one of them was distinct and lovable, even when they were at each other's throats.
And the story itself!! It reminded me of how much fun I had reading fantasy adventures as a child, always itching to pick up the book and see where it took us next. I loved that we had to question everything and not trust what we saw 100% of the time.
I laughed and cried ♡ I'll definitely need to reread whenever the next installment comes out
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
ilana_banana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Bullying
Moderate: Confinement
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