In this high-octane conclusion to the Unseelie duology, two sisters discover that the things that make them different can lend them more power than they ever imagined.
Isolde Graygrove has always put her changeling twin sister first. But ever since Seelie returned from the faerie realms with a newfound confidence in her magic and secrets she’s keeping even from her twin, Isolde can’t help but wonder: who is she, if not her sister’s protector?
Seelie knows there are some problems even magic can’t solve. Like the distance between her and Isolde, the terror of her growing and unfamiliar emotions for Raze, or the fact that the world’s last firedrake has imprinted on her like a baby duckling. Still, she can’t help but try.
When Seelie accidentally splinters the three realms, tangling the human and faerie worlds together into something new, the vicious faerie Gossamer is determined to take full advantage of the chaos unleashed. Seelie and Isolde will need to spill their secrets, decide who they can trust, and navigate the sinister glamour of the faerie courts to save humankind and fae alike.
I’ve been waiting to read Unending for three years, and now that I finally have, I was more than impressed by the second half of this autistic fairy changeling story. With high stakes, fleshed out characters, and great neurodiverse rep, this was a fantastic conclusion to Seelie and Isolde’s story.
Like the first book, we’re following twin sisters, Seelie, an autistic changeling, and Isolde, a thief. Several months have passed and now it’s time for the winter solstice celebration. They, along with Raze and Olani, are planning to leave Leira’s castle with the last firedrake in the world, but when things go horribly wrong and all realms are on the brink of collapse, the sisters and their friends have to risk everything and dig deeper into their identities as they dive further into the fairy world’s complex structure.
As I said with Unseelie, what attracted me initially to these books was the autistic protagonist, Seelie, especially when autistic rep for protagonists is still uncommon in books. This time, we have ADHD rep from another character, leaning in from a reveal late in Unseelie. The experience was conveyed well and very relatable to me at least, and I love how the character’s interior thoughts and actions further convey this, along with them reflecting on this.
This book has three POVs, with Isolde having her own chapters along with Seelie, the two siblings sharing equal POV time, and a handful of chapters with a third POV character introduced late in Unseelie.
Once again, Seelie was my favorite, as she’s dealing with her magic which has some new twists due to some events in Unseelie and said magic makes everything worse. She has to deal with her emotions with all the trouble she caused as well as wonder if she can indeed fix it and holding in a bunch of secrets. It’s clear that she’s in a lot of turmoil over this and add some familiar faces to the mix, it’s not exactly a good time for Seelie as she has a lot of emotions to process.
I was quite surprised to how much I loved Isolde, mostly because she has her own POV now, and has to deal with no longer being Seelie’s “protector” (much like how many siblings of autistics feel like they have to watch over them) and has to find her new role, as well as dealing with her feelings for Olani as well as discovering another aspect of herself. She spends much of the book having to deal with all three while trying to keep herself grounded.
The rest of the cast was also fleshed out well. Aris goes through a lot of character development and I was almost attached to her by the end. Raze and Olani go through quite a bit as well. The rest of the cast was fun and fleshed out and filled out this great story.
While sisterhood remains the primary pillar of the story, there’s a bigger focus on the romance in this book, with Seelie/Raze and Isolde/Olani being the two main pairings, continuing from rivals to blossoming romantic feelings in the first book. What impressed me the most was how the feelings conveyed were filtered through the neurodiverse lens, which I felt was somewhat relatable in terms of dealing with others, like how Seelie needs to process everything as she dives in fully into everything and knows that can be an issue and many autistics have said the same about their romances. The romances do have some tension, but is mainly in the cute slow burn category. No spice.
The world is very fleshed out, taking a lot from traditional fairy lore, but in a way that newcomers would come to understand it. There’s a very fairy tale feel to the world. Thanks to the descriptive and immersive prose, I felt like I was in these various realms and experiencing things with the sisters. It’s paced well, mixed with some action and plenty of time for emotional processing and bonding. There were a few twists, partly with the changeling myth that was touched in book 1, but expanded here. For those unfamiliar, Seelie is a twist on the autistic changeling myth more commonly spread in the 20th century, and it’s done rather well.
I highly recommended if you’re looking for neurodiverse protagonists in a fairy fantasy adventure story with sibling dynamics and strong romance subplot, and I’ll be looking out for more of Housman’s works if they’re just as impactful as these two books!
*I received an ARC from the author as part of the Unseelie Court Street Team. All opinions are my own.*
This was a satisfying end to a fun duology. Much like in Unseelie, I enjoyed the representation of neurodivergent characters that felt genuine.
One thing that surprised me was the amount of action in this book. It was certainly more fast-paced than Unseelie while still taking time to flesh out Seelie and Isolde's individual growth outside of their relationship as twin sisters.
Overall, this brought the duology to an end in a way that I was happy with and made me glad to have picked Unseelie up last year.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read and review Unending!
Unending is book two in the Unseelie Duology, an enchanting YA fantasy romance with faeries, magic, adventure, sisterhood and heartfelt lived-experience autism/ADHD representation. I was so excited to see how Ivelisse Housman would conclude this duology, and it did not disappoint. The premise of Unending follows an autistic changeling and her twin sister who embark on the treasure hunt heist of a lifetime. They work together to untangle the human and faerie worlds while navigating faerie court drama, high stakes fae bargains and a magical tournament.
There are so many things I adore about this duology between its rich world building and lore, complex characters, rivals to lovers romance, and of course our autistic changeling heroine, Seelie. She is delightfully snarky, sarcastic and had such a powerful character arc. Seelie and her twin sister Isolde have a beautifully layered, realistic and healthy sister relationship, overflowing with emotional depth. I loved their sister-besties dynamic so much. The rivals to lovers romance is sweet, wholesome and felt very natural. Raze is charming and patiently waits for Seelie to process her feelings for him between many cute moments of flirting and banter. Their love story is a true slow burn and definitely worth the wait! What I fell in love with most about this series is its unique take on changeling mythology, subtle and beautifully portrayed neurodiversity representation through depictions of autistic changelings that felt very natural and real. For me, Ivelisse Housman’s Unseelie Duology is canon autistic representation.
If you love faeries, adventure, neurodivergent heroines, strong sister dynamics and rivals to lovers romance, you will love the Unseelie Duology. Thank you so much to Ivelisse Housman for a copy of this ARC! I am so thankful to have an early copy of a series so near and dear to my heart and to be a part of the Unseelie Court Street Team!
This is the kind of dragon content we need more of in 2025...dragons that are basically cats with the attitudes of toddlers.
Unending is the second and final book in the Unseelie duology, and for all of you readers who have been waiting since the release of book 1, I promise it's 100% worth it. I still think this reads on the younger side of YA - though the dark themes continue in this one - but that doesn't make it any less impactful. Full of queer and neurodivergent representation, this duology is totally worth the read for anyone looking to introduce themselves to, reacquaint with, or simply continue exploring the fantasy genre.
Seelie and Isolde are now in the custody of Leira Wildfall due to Seelie's bond with Egg the Dragon, but they don't intend to obey her wishes for long. After an escape attempt goes wrong, leaving the realms shattered and a dangerous villain on the loose, Seelie, Isolde, and their friends must embark on an adventure to save the mortal world as they know it. Like book one, the pacing is quite quick, although the chapters are divided into both Seelie and Isolde's POVs, which becomes more important in the second half. There was plenty of action, mixed with more cozy vibes and found family bonding. Isolde's chapters tended to have more suspense in the last 50%, but both sets of POVs were intriguing and kept me invested. The ending is satisfying, if a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed it. I think I might have enjoyed book one just the slightest bit more, although that may change on a reread. Some parts of this just didn't feel as high-stakes as I was expecting, and the pacing felt a bit off toward the end. Regardless, it's a worthwhile read for fantasy lovers of all kinds.
My wish was granted: we got an Isolde POV. I loved Seelie's growth in this book as she both came into her powers and her identity. Her dynamics with Raze were so sweet and tender, and she's such a fierce yet soft character that is easy to relate to for plenty of readers. Isolde's chapters were interesting because we hadn't seen inside her mind in book one. Her love for her sister shines through, as well as the compassion she hides behind her dark exterior. I liked the dynamics between Olani and Isolde; they meshed well together, and I thought the themes of truth and trust fit well in the context of the story. I really appreciate how the relationship between Seelie and Raze progressed (it's slow, but that makes it even better). The only character that didn't 100% fit for me was Aris, but it's because I pictured her as, like, a 30-year-old woman and couldn't picture her as 16... Otherwise, I liked Gossmer's backstory, and I just wish we got to see a bit more of Leira.
Fans of Unseelie will not want to miss its sequel, Unending, as it concludes the duology with a mix of heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
*I received a free copy from the author for this review*
Seelie and the gang are back to thwarting evil enchanters and malevolent fae, this time with a baby dragon holding the fate of magic in his clumsy paws. Hands down, he was the best part. I need more adorkable dragons, immediately. 😍
Seelie’s floundering love story with Raze was touching. She tried, she misunderstood, Raze grew frustrated, it was the perfect miscommunication trope! Yet Raze was so sweet to her even when he had no idea what the heck this girl wants.
My favorite POV might’ve been Gossamer. He was so interesting, from his thought process to the prose used to describe it. Every time I turned the page and saw the interior artwork of thorns, I got a little shiver.
I wanted to see more growth from both Seelie and Isolde, especially the latter. She needed to figure out who she was without her sister and where she’d be going next with the abrupt changes in her life and the story. I wanted to see her struggle with being a changeling, what it meant to her and how she’d change to become a better, stronger woman. Her romantic relationship with Olani felt like a distraction from her life crisis. She and Isolde would’ve balanced out the romantic tension from Seelie and Raze’s chapters as friends.
Plus, poor Aris wouldn’t be a third wheel. 😬
The pacing was also too fast for me. In the first book it was more meandering, moving only as fast as their wagon. It gave me time to get to know Seelie, and grow to love her. This book jumped right into the action. There were times I felt like I couldn’t keep up with what was happening, or didn’t get to know the new characters as much as I wanted to.
So this book wasn’t my favorite, just because I like slower, character centric books. That’s what Unseelie felt like. But if you love heart-pounding action, whirlwind romance, and wild magic, read this one!
I requested this arc based on the cover, not knowing it was the second half a duology, but at no point in the story did I feel lost. While the book dived right into the action — and never really let up — the characters were so well established that I quickly got to know who was who, their motivations, their strengths and weaknesses. The two romances, though I was coming into them already having met and started their various flirtations, built steadily through the book.
Olani and Isolde are a well matched pair, with a shared sense of humor and drama, a shared strength of character and the shared desire to protect their respective siblings. More importantly, they’re friends, and the blossoming of the romance between them felt natural and right. Seelie and Raze have a more traditional boyfriend/girlfriend vibe, with Seelie both wanting and needing a softer, gentler partner with more traditional roles. She doesn’t want the push and pull but instead an embrace, and Raze gives that to her.
The side characters, Aris, Briar, and Egg all have their moments without ever stealing the show, and the ending was well done, though I imagine readers who’ve been with the series from the first book might enjoy it more. The bond between the sisters is, I think, my favorite part. They supported one another, loved one another, and trusted one another. It’s sweet.
Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.
Ivelisse did it again. This was a fantastic completion to the duology and I am so glad to be a part of the ARC group reading it. Even more I get the feeling of being seen throughout the book and falling more in love with the characters created. I just wish it wasn't the completion. I'll definitely have to make visits back to the world for this story.
I actually love the action that's within the pages and I love the moments between all the characters. I'll refrain from saying anything specific so you all can experience every bit yourselves.
If you're looking for a book where you are neurodivergent and looking to be seen and heard in a fantasy book I highly recommend this one. If you like cute adorable baby dragons, I will also recommend this one. Action, wit and banter, as well as a unique cast of characters all with their own personal little differences that make them all the more endearing... Yeah, you guessed it. I recommend this one.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ivelisse Housman, and HarperCollins Children's Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
4.25 stars
This was a good second book to finish off the duology. I loved the way that Isolde and Seelie’s story was told. It was good to see them come into their own. There were more representations of ADHD and queer romance. At times it felt like the story was meandering. I did lose interest in some parts. I’m not sure why. But overall I enjoyed the duology. I would highly recommend it!
This book was literally amazing and I loved every single part of it the yearning oh the YEARNING it was so great I’m just so sad that there will be no more of this I wish it didn’t have to end.