Name: Skandar and the Unicorn Thief
ISBN: 9781398502710

A. F. Steadman

The first book in a new fantasy adventure series for readers aged 9+. Soar into a world where unicorns are real - and they're deadly. They can only be tamed by the rider who hatches them.

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

A.F. Steadman

A young boy who dreams of riding a deadly unicorn of his own fights for his destiny in this fantastical middle grade debut perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson and Eragon series! Unicorns don’t belong in fairy tales—they belong in nightmares. The deadly beasts can only be tamed by the rider who hatches them. Skandar Smith has only ever wanted to be a unicorn rider, and the time has finally come for him to take his Hatchery Exam, which will determine whether he is destined to hatch a unicorn egg. But when Skandar is stopped from taking the exam, and the mysterious and frightening Weaver steals the most powerful unicorn in the world, becoming a rider proves a lot more dangerous than he could ever have imagined. As he faces elemental magic, fierce sky battles, ancient secrets, nail-biting races and, of course, bloodthirsty unicorns, Skandar realizes he and his friends are in graver danger than he ever imagined.

It's not a profound book, but not every book need be. What it gets flak for I personally love. 

2. Basically a repackaging of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter

3. grim unicorns for the sake of quirkiness

I would have adored this as a kid way more than PJO and HP so I enjoyed it now. It's great fun for children and adults unsurprisingly like to crap on it because it's not anything new.

Brianna

It's not a profound book, but not every book need be. What it gets flak for I personally love. 

1. Classic Chosen One plot

2. Basically a repackaging of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter

3. grim unicorns for the sake of quirkiness

I would have adored this as a kid way more than PJO and HP so I enjoyed it now. It's great fun for children and adults unsurprisingly like to crap on it because it's not anything new.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, unicorns, mythology, magic

Age Relevance: 13+ (parental death, poverty, depression, animal violence, animal death, panic attack, death, gore, emotional abuse, suicide)

Explanation of Above: There is parental death mentioned and poverty alluded to. There are mentions of depression and there is one panic attack shown. There is also some emotional abuse of a child shown and there is one very VERY vague mention of a suicide (throwing themselves off a cliff is how it’s stated). There is some animal violence shown toward the unicorns and there is animal death mentioned throughout the book in regards to unicorns. There is some death mentioned or alluded to the in the book and some very slight gore in the form of body parts seen and rotting flesh mentioned.

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Synopsis: 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: I really love this book! I think it’s a great HP replacement book and it’s got such a great story and adventure. The book has amazing world building and the characters are very lovable and well developed. I thought that the book also did well when it talked about equality and prejudice, which I think kids in the middle grade age range can understand.

The only issue I had with the book is that it does read young, so if you’re an older reader then you might have a few issues reading this book, but it’s very age appropriate.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

 

Book: Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

 

Author: A.F. Steadman

 

Book Series: Skandar Book 1

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, unicorns, mythology, magic

 

Publication Date: May 3, 2022

 

Genre: MG Fantasy

 

Age Relevance: 13+ (parental death, poverty, depression, animal violence, animal death, panic attack, death, gore, emotional abuse, suicide)

 

Explanation of Above: There is parental death mentioned and poverty alluded to. There are mentions of depression and there is one panic attack shown. There is also some emotional abuse of a child shown and there is one very VERY vague mention of a suicide (throwing themselves off a cliff is how it’s stated). There is some animal violence shown toward the unicorns and there is animal death mentioned throughout the book in regards to unicorns. There is some death mentioned or alluded to the in the book and some very slight gore in the form of body parts seen and rotting flesh mentioned.

 

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

 

Pages: 448

 

Synopsis: 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: I really love this book! I think it’s a great HP replacement book and it’s got such a great story and adventure. The book has amazing world building and the characters are very lovable and well developed. I thought that the book also did well when it talked about equality and prejudice, which I think kids in the middle grade age range can understand.

 

The only issue I had with the book is that it does read young, so if you’re an older reader then you might have a few issues reading this book, but it’s very age appropriate.

 

Verdict: I love it! Highly recommend!

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

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