Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 17/02/2023
Published by: Harlequin Audio
ISBN: 9781488218019
Cover:
This gorgeous cover gives a fierce illustration of Seelie and her sister Isolde. Besides this, the lovely colour scheme and details make the design even more stunning.
Writing:
Vivid descriptions effortlessly establish a creative world and undercurrent of tension. However, I struggled with the regular information dumping and shallow worldbuilding, especially regarding the fairy realms and powers.
Magic has a cruel sense of humor
Storyline:
As the world and characters are introduced, bursts of action keep the story engaging and make for a promising start. Sadly, the adventure is soon bogged down by backstories and excessive details that slow the story’s pace, so I found it hard to stay invested.
Main character:
Seelie is an interesting protagonist whose autism is shown rather than told. Readers are given lots to consider through her struggles and how she is perceived by other characters. Yet, even with the tiny character development she experiences, I failed to connect with her character as she seemed selfish and monotonous.
People with common sense are rare
Secondary characters:
The eclectic bunch who journey with Seelie possess different strengths that enable them to work well together. While they are also given distinct personalities and sad backstories, I thought these lacked substance and struggled to relate to the characters.
Romance:
Despite initial sparks, the romance that played out seemed forced, and there was little to make me root for the characters. It was not until the story approached the climax and the characters worked closely together that I finally began believing the developing romance.
Narration & Audio:
Elena Rey’s narration was lovely, and I liked the different voices given to the characters. However, I wished more was done to enhance the story through the narration and audio.
In short, ‘Unseelie’ was an easy, magic-filled read with a thought-provoking representation of autism. Although the slow pace and simple characters made it difficult for me to remain invested in the story, the foundation was laid for a strong sequel. Those who loved this should check out Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty for another mix of mystery, romance and magic, plus a great representation of schizophrenia.
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