HarperTeen – June 1, 2009

What comes to mind when you think of unicorns? Flowing, curling, pastel manes?  A single, glittery horn?  A kind and magical creature?  Well, you’d be wrong.  Unicorns are vicious, man-eating creatures.  Their teeth are razor sharp, they are faster than a sports car, and their ability to track prey is eerie.  To make matters worse, unicorns can only be killed by female warriors that are direct descendants of Alexander the Great – and oh yeah – the female warriors must be virgins.  

Astrid has grown up with her mother’s stories of evil unicorns and how her ancestors were some of the fiercest unicorn hunters in history.  When Astrid’s friends enjoyed the fairy tale versions of these creatures, she was always a little creeped out by them.  Astrid also had to come to terms with the fact that her mother might be crazy since all she talked about and researched was man-eating unicorns.

Astrid loses control of her life after witnessing a unicorn attack.  It, coupled with reports of  mysterious “wild animal” attacks around the world, leads Astrid’s mother to believe that this is proof of the beginning of a reemergence of the unicorns.  Astrid is immediately shipped off to Rome to begin training to be a warrior – against her will.

Astrid experiences a lot during her time in Rome.  She learns about her family’s history and their role in unicorn hunting.  She experiences some of the local culture and meets a handsome young man.   Most importantly, she comes face-to-face with unicorns and is forced to see if she has what it takes to be a warrior.

RAMPANT is a unique story.  Never before have I read or even heard of killer unicorns.  Astrid is a strong, female character and extremely likable and her strong relationship with her cousin, Phil, adds a lot to the story.  Rome’s romantic atmosphere provides an interesting backdrop for bloody unicorn battles and adds to the mysterious feeling of the book.  Romance is scattered throughout the tale, but it doesn’t dominate or take away from the action.  The way the story ends, it seems possible that Astrid’s story could continue, but the ending is satisfying enough as it is that it definitely works as a stand-alone.

Rampant