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kherridwyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
3.75
This is definitely a YA book, but it's still a good read. It does drag a bit in the middle but overall I enjoyed the story and characters.
As an autistic person, I could heavily relate to the things Seelie would think, say, or do. The fact that this was written by an autistic author really makes it that much better, especially since I too could relate.
Definitely recommend giving it a read if you're interested in magic, faeries (Seelie & Unseelie), friendship/bonds grown during a difficult adventure, and warring minds.
As an autistic person, I could heavily relate to the things Seelie would think, say, or do. The fact that this was written by an autistic author really makes it that much better, especially since I too could relate.
Definitely recommend giving it a read if you're interested in magic, faeries (Seelie & Unseelie), friendship/bonds grown during a difficult adventure, and warring minds.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Blood
Minor: Child abuse and Confinement
hales_1243's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Classism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Any book which depicts changelings in the traditional sense, with children stolen from the cradle and a faerie put in their place, leaving behind a child who speaks too well, and knows too much, but has trouble adjusting to the human world... such stories must grapple with the striking similarity that this basic description has to an allistic parent seeing their autistic child and misunderstanding them or being disturbed by their existence. Rather than merely acknowledging this fantastical descriptor of what are most likely real autistic children through history, UNSEELIE embraces it, centering on an autistic, changeling protagonist. Iselia, "Seelie", is loved by her family, knows who she is, and finds herself on an adventure with her human sister after the prejudice of their neighbors forced them to leave their parents behind and start a new life.
The story opens with a heist gone wrong forcing them to team up with a couple of people who want Seelie to help them accomplish their goals. Seelie is trying to deal with more magic than she's ever had in her life while staying focused on her goal of fixing things and getting back to their parents. Unfortunately it seems like everyone else has a different goal in mind, and eventually things come to a head. As the first book of a duology, UNSEELIE resolve several of its major plot threads and establishes a new paradigm for the sequel to resolve. I like the main characters and I'm excited to see where the sequel goes.
The story opens with a heist gone wrong forcing them to team up with a couple of people who want Seelie to help them accomplish their goals. Seelie is trying to deal with more magic than she's ever had in her life while staying focused on her goal of fixing things and getting back to their parents. Unfortunately it seems like everyone else has a different goal in mind, and eventually things come to a head. As the first book of a duology, UNSEELIE resolve several of its major plot threads and establishes a new paradigm for the sequel to resolve. I like the main characters and I'm excited to see where the sequel goes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
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: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
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: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
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