Okaaay….this isn’t your little sister’s unicorn. Instead, the unicorns in this book are high-spirited, carnivorous, violent, and dangerous beasts. Oh, and that is just the domesticated ones; the wild unicorns are down-right murderous. And, these unicorns also have wings. So, yes, this novel diverges sharply from the stereotypical unicorn and takes perhaps more inspiration from the legends of deadly kelpies and other dangerous beasts.
And, this book is absolutely fantastic! If your middle-schooler hasn’t discovered this series, then they are in for a delightful discovery. This is a first-rate fantasy with a well-developed magic system and setting. The protagonist, Skandar, is a kind and brave person who finds other kind and brave friends to help him. Skandar is part of a quartet of friends/students, and each member of the group has been well-developed to bring a variety of personalities into play. There is plentiful action, peril, and magic, but there is also heart and deeper themes.
The author indulges in some delightful names for the unicorns (Blood Moon, Silver Blade, New Age Frost, Sunset’s Blood, etc.), which appropriately feels like a nod to the names of high-strung, thoroughbred race horses.
This is the first book in a series and a New York Times Bestseller. The second book, Skandar and the Phantom Rider, is already published so readers can go straight from this brilliant book to the next. Additional hot tip: Audiobook reader is smashing!
Review of an Unabridged Audiobook
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 2 religious profanities
Violence/Gore: Scene in which mythical creatures attack a village, no details, but implied violence/death; characters watch a race in which creatures try to bite each other and elements are used by the riders to attack/injure each other, some mention of blood, description of one rider and creature being burnt and suffering other injuries; implied violence as a character forcibly kidnaps a creature; descriptions of the violent nature of creatures, mention of blood; a character is going to punch a schoolmate and is stopped by being pulled to the ground; character and their mount are forcibly detained, vague details and outcome unclear; description of a hatching process in which characters are stabbed, mentions of blood; character is burned by a mythical creatures; mythical creatures are carnivorous and wild-natured so there are many references to them killing/eating various animals/meat (mention of blood) and many instances where they cause injuries using magical elements; reports of violence, reports of deaths (humans & unicorns), and reports of abductions (humans & unicorns); verbal threats; mention of snow turning pink from blood of animals that are being eaten by unicorns; verbal threat of harm; verbal threat of death; implied death of individuals that didn’t survive a magical event; stampede of wild animals causing damage and implied harm, possibly death; signals seen that mean someone has been killed; reference to past killing of riders & unicorns; descriptions of wild unicorns, which is a little gruesome; characters and unicorns battle with magic in training and in races, resulting in injuries; report that some unicorns were executed; character throws an item at another character; reference to someone jumping off a cliff (suicide).
Sex/Nudity: None
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a parent, bullying, severe depression (parent), anxiety and panic attacks, murder, rivalry, poverty, suicide.
Alcohol/Drug Use:
None
