SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF by A.F. Steadman--an amazing tale of friendship, courage, and unicorns! Highly recommended.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Soar into a breathtaking world of heroes and unicorns as you’ve never seen them before in this fantastical middle grade debut perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson and Eragon series!
Skandar Smith has always yearned to leave the Mainland and escape to the secretive Island, where wild unicorns roam free. He’s spent years studying for his Hatchery exam, the annual test that selects a handful of Mainlander thirteen-year-olds to train to become unicorn riders. But on the day of Skandar’s exam, things go horribly wrong, and his hopes are shattered…until a mysterious figure knocks on his door at midnight, bearing a message: the Island is in peril and Skandar must answer its call.
Skandar is thrust into a world of epic sky battles, dangerous clashes with wild unicorns, and rumors of a shadowy villain amassing a unicorn army. And the closer Skandar grows to his newfound friends and community of riders, the harder it becomes to keep his secrets—especially when he discovers their lives may all be in graver danger than he ever imagined.
REVIEW
From the moment I heard about this book, I wanted to read it. Not only because of the awesome cover but the book blurb really caught my attention. I'm happy to say that the book turned out to be even better than I hoped. With amazing characters, an interesting story line, and a fabulous setting, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief took me on quite a ride. From the very intense prologue that introduced me to the bloodthirsty wild unicorns I was hooked. After reading this book, you are likely to never imagine unicorns the same way again. Which is why this book may not be for young readers who enjoy the purely magical, friendly, white unicorns. Unicorns in this book are immortal, magically powerful, flying creatures that eat meat and sometimes violently attack each other. Despite this, Skandar desperately wants to become a unicorn rider. Riders bond permanently to their unicorns and participate in the Chaos Cup where the winning rider becomes the leader of the Island where the unicorns reside.
The shocking theft of the winning unicorn right under the noses of the most powerful riders gives Skandar his first glimpse of the Weaver, who seems to have nasty plans for the Mainland, where Skandar and his family live. After a stunning disappointment on the day of his qualifying test, Skandar seems to have lost any chance at being a rider. But everything changes when a mysterious figure shows up to whisk Skandar away to the Island. He quickly discovers that he's different than all the other riders, and only with the help of some other Hatchlings does he make it into the training school. As he begins training, he learns for the first time what it's like to have friends. But keeping secrets and hiding his difference causes problems between him and his unicorn, causing a great deal of stress for them both. And as the Weaver continues to cause problems, Skandar learns that his difference might be all that stands between the Weaver and his family.
Well-written and full of interesting details, Steadman has created a thrilling story. On top of that she has created well-rounded characters to surround Skandar that make it possible for him to face his challenges. His relationships with his sister, father, and new found friends all play a key role in the story, with each character having strengths and weaknesses that play into what happens. I look forward to getting to know them better. In addition to the great plotting and characterization, the themes presented are powerful ones. Themes about condemning everyone with a certain trait, trying to please a parent, the power of grief, and above all the others, the importance of good friends, all shine through loud and clear. A fabulous read that I can't recommend highly enough.
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