Skandar and the Unicorn Thief
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-28 07:52:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：A.F. Steadman
- ISBN：1665912731
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Cassandra Celia
，
This was absolutely fantastic。
Nasia
，
ΟΚ， μόλις το τελείωσα， πότε βγαίνει το επόμενο είπαμε;;;;！！！ 😍Εντάξει， πάμε λίγο πιο ψύχραιμα！ Είχα την χαρά να είμαι από τους πρώτες αναγνώστες αυτού εδώ του βιβλίου， του "Σκάνταρ και ο κλέφτης του μονόκερου" της A。F。 Steadman， από εκδόσεις Ίκαρος και ειλικρινά χαίρομαι τόσο πολύ για αυτό！Δεν θα κρύψω ότι το ξεκίνησα επιφυλακτική γιατί έχω πολύ καιρό να διαβάσω βιβλίο φαντασίας που να είναι με έφηβο πρωταγωνιστή。 Όμως όσο διάβαζα， τόσο με παρασερνε το βιβλίο και έγινα engage με τους πρωταγωνιστ ΟΚ， μόλις το τελείωσα， πότε βγαίνει το επόμενο είπαμε;;;;！！！ 😍Εντάξει， πάμε λίγο πιο ψύχραιμα！ Είχα την χαρά να είμαι από τους πρώτες αναγνώστες αυτού εδώ του βιβλίου， του "Σκάνταρ και ο κλέφτης του μονόκερου" της A。F。 Steadman， από εκδόσεις Ίκαρος και ειλικρινά χαίρομαι τόσο πολύ για αυτό！Δεν θα κρύψω ότι το ξεκίνησα επιφυλακτική γιατί έχω πολύ καιρό να διαβάσω βιβλίο φαντασίας που να είναι με έφηβο πρωταγωνιστή。 Όμως όσο διάβαζα， τόσο με παρασερνε το βιβλίο και έγινα engage με τους πρωταγωνιστές του。 Ενθουσιάστηκα όταν ο Σκάνταρ κατάφερε να γίνει αναβάτης， λυπήθηκα με τις λύπες του， σοκαρίστηκα με τις αποκαλύψεις που του έγιναν！Νοιώθω ότι υπάρχει πολύ μεγάλο μέλλον στο σύμπαν που δημιούργησε η συγγραφέας， έχει δημιουργήσει ένα στιβαρό background για επόμενα βιβλία， έχει φτιάξει αληθινούς χαρακτήρες που θες να μάθεις πώς θα συνεχίσουν την πορεία τους στην ζωή αυτή。Θα πω επίσης ότι ενώ είναι 440+ σελίδες， το διάβασα σε λίγες μέρες μέσα， το έπιανα σε ανύποπτο χρόνο και ανυπομονούσα να μάθω την συνέχεια。 Πρόκειται για ένα εκδοτικό φαινόμενο που έχουμε καιρό να δούμε， θέλω πολύ να δω κόσμο να το διαβάζει και να βιώνει αυτά τα συναισθήματα。 🦄 。。。more
Viktoria Szilagyi
，
Skandar and the unicorn thief It’s a great book。 For me it’s a must read the characters are amazing。 I absolutely love it。 One of my favourite parts is when Skandar opens the hatchery door to meet his new unicorn companion。 Don’t worry this happens toward the start。 The book is about both of them。 The more you read the more interesting it gets。 I recommend it highly。- Katie （10 years of age）
Beth Jones
，
Thank you to the publishers， Simon and Schuster， for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。This book is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while， and I was so excited when I received an advanced copy of it last year。 The world of middle grade fantasy is rapidly expanding and seeing these new and exciting stories is so heartwarming。 Giving out chapter samplers for this book at work has generated a lot of excitement， and I’ve heard a few parents mention how m Thank you to the publishers， Simon and Schuster， for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。This book is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while， and I was so excited when I received an advanced copy of it last year。 The world of middle grade fantasy is rapidly expanding and seeing these new and exciting stories is so heartwarming。 Giving out chapter samplers for this book at work has generated a lot of excitement， and I’ve heard a few parents mention how much their child is looking forward to the release after reading the first chapter – now I can see why！Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is jam-packed with magic， excitement， adventure and danger。 It will help to generate a whole new generation of readers， and hooked me from the first page。 Skandar has wanted to travel off the mainland to become a unicorn trainer for his whole life， but when he finally gets the chance， it doesn’t happen quite in the way he expected。There’s an edginess， an element of danger， that I loved about this book and I can see it appealing so much to younger readers。 It feels almost forbidden with the edge of darkness but was still crammed full with adventure and entertainment。My only small complaint is it felt a little long and the characters felt a bit underdeveloped for the length of the book， but I still enjoyed the read。 I can definitely see this one being a big middle grade release of the year and I think a lot of younger readers are going to love it！★★★★4 out of 5 stars-BethMay your shelves forever overflow with books！ ☽ 。。。more
Brett
，
I loved this book。 It reminded me of reading Percy Jackson and Harry Potter for the first time （with dangerous unicorns added in）。 Skandar is sent to the Island， where he has to figure out how he fits in with the other students paired with unicorns。 There's four different magical elements that he and his unicorn can be allied with; fire， earth， water， and air， but he doesn't quite fit in with any of them。 Even more intriguing， students live in a magical treehouse in groups of four， but each grou I loved this book。 It reminded me of reading Percy Jackson and Harry Potter for the first time （with dangerous unicorns added in）。 Skandar is sent to the Island， where he has to figure out how he fits in with the other students paired with unicorns。 There's four different magical elements that he and his unicorn can be allied with; fire， earth， water， and air， but he doesn't quite fit in with any of them。 Even more intriguing， students live in a magical treehouse in groups of four， but each group is made up of one student from each element。 The book was funny， and fast-paced， and I loved the banter between the four main characters！ Plus， I think it would be awesome to be paired with a magical， flying unicorn。 I loved the new ideas this author brought to the story， and I can't wait for the rest of the series！ 。。。more
Emer
，
really fun ！ actually probs is worth the hype
Shelli
，
This review is based on an ARC my bookstore received。I was thinking what I wanted to say in this review before I came to GoodReads， but after reading the reviews left so far， I find that most of what I wanted to say has already been covered over and over again。Pros: The idea of the unicorns is a great one。 The whole hatching scene with Scoundrel was great， and leads to Skandar's first meeting with his friend group， also great。 Predatory unicorns have been done before in MG fiction， but these guy This review is based on an ARC my bookstore received。I was thinking what I wanted to say in this review before I came to GoodReads， but after reading the reviews left so far， I find that most of what I wanted to say has already been covered over and over again。Pros: The idea of the unicorns is a great one。 The whole hatching scene with Scoundrel was great， and leads to Skandar's first meeting with his friend group， also great。 Predatory unicorns have been done before in MG fiction， but these guys are just fascinating and I love the unicorns' names， which are all reminiscent of the names given to race horses。 The idea of the immortal unicorns being forever dying， and how bonding with humans solves this， is an electrifying one！ I love it！I also really liked the relationship between Skandar and his dad。 I rarely see a father in MG novels that is just a complete wreck who can't really do anything right， and we definitely get that here。 The author does very little to make us feel sympathy for the dad， who makes poor choices the entire short time he's in the book。 Often I just wanted to shake him。 And yet， of course his children always forgive him。 That's just how family is。 The scene where he accidentally locks his kids out of their apartment and they're just completely used to it really stuck with me。I feel like the most successful part of the story was not the underlying good-versus-evil plot being developed， or the world-building， but the friendships formed between the four main characters。 The author did a very good job setting up how they came together， why they stayed together as friends， and explaining why each character acts the way they do。（Side note: When the instructor told the trainees to form their own groups of four to live together， I had the biggest cringe moment。 As a kid I would always HATE when teachers would say to form your own groups， because I never had anyone to connect to。 So I definitely felt for Skandar in that scene。）Cons: Tropes are no stranger to the MG genre， and I would never say a book is bad just because it's "a Harry Potter clone，" as long as it has other positives going for it。 However， I found myself struggling while reading this story because so much of it is all things I've read before。 Everything from the standard elemental magic， the standard 'chosen one' storyline， how the students are divided into one of four groups each represented by a color and a symbol。。。this is all feeling familiar。。。I think a writer can get away with these overused tropes if they have other strengths to bring to the table， like strong characters and a world that pulls us in and makes us want to be there。 But I feel like we missed out on seeing the bond growing between riders and unicorns because it just sort of magically appeared。 As a little girl taking riding lessons， I spent as much time bonding with my horse in the stall， brushing him out and cleaning the stall， than I did in the riding ring。 I would have liked to see more of that。And the world of this story is filled with fear and judgement and adults that none of the children can depend on。 It's not a place I'd want to be。 I can't picture myself making an OC and a unicorn and putting myself in this world。I'm definitely not done with this series。 I look forward to the next volume。 But it won't be knocking any of my top fave MG novels out of their place in my heart。 。。。more
Omiai
，
for starters， i just loved this book！ It was great fun， had compelling characters， a fantastic new take on unicorns （though i'd call them Alicorns， since they have wings and horns）。 I dont want to spoil too much of the story， but the unicorns themselves are dark， destructive and violent creatures， nothing like the cute version pop culture has created。 Each unicorn is destined for a specific person， who is able to hatch the unicorns egg。 however， if a unicorns hatches without a rider， it becomes for starters， i just loved this book！ It was great fun， had compelling characters， a fantastic new take on unicorns （though i'd call them Alicorns， since they have wings and horns）。 I dont want to spoil too much of the story， but the unicorns themselves are dark， destructive and violent creatures， nothing like the cute version pop culture has created。 Each unicorn is destined for a specific person， who is able to hatch the unicorns egg。 however， if a unicorns hatches without a rider， it becomes a wild unicorn， a creature that will live forever while also dying forever， rotting away。 Skandar wants to be a rider， it's all he's ever thought about。 It's all his dad wants for him。 And he does become a rider！ but discovers he is the weilder of a forbidden element， spirit， known as the death element。 no one talks about it and all literature on this element has been destroyed。 So he must learn to hide his powers， without being thrown out of the 'school' for new riders。 the whole book was almost impossible to put down。 it reminded me of reading Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the lost cities book， as it had similar （though maybe slightly faster） pacing。 the world building was excellent， never bombarding you with too much information at once， but giving you enough that you really wanted to know more。i will absolutely be reading more of this series， i will likely end up preordering any future books。also， it seems the movie rights to this book， being the author's debut， have already been sold。 I can see why， as this book would likely make an excellent film （and i'm not usually the biggest fan of film adaptations）， but it has such a visual style and would likely look great on screen。 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED！ 。。。more
Lenny_reads
，
Niekedy priateľstvo vzniká samo， automaticky， inokedy k jeho vzniku pomôže ，，vyššia moc”。 Skandar je 13-ročný outsider， bez priateľov， bez vyšliapanej cestičky。 Ale on sníva o tom， že sa dostane na Ostrov， tajomné miesto， ktoré slúži na liahnutie a výcvik jednorožcov a ich jazdcov。Ak si predstavujete jednorožca ako krásne a mierumilovné stvorenie， rýchlo si túto predstavu vyhoďte z hlavy。 Jednorožece sú krvilačné beštie， ktoré by zožrali aj svojho jazdca， keby spolu neboli spojení a spriaznení o Niekedy priateľstvo vzniká samo， automaticky， inokedy k jeho vzniku pomôže ，，vyššia moc”。 Skandar je 13-ročný outsider， bez priateľov， bez vyšliapanej cestičky。 Ale on sníva o tom， že sa dostane na Ostrov， tajomné miesto， ktoré slúži na liahnutie a výcvik jednorožcov a ich jazdcov。Ak si predstavujete jednorožca ako krásne a mierumilovné stvorenie， rýchlo si túto predstavu vyhoďte z hlavy。 Jednorožece sú krvilačné beštie， ktoré by zožrali aj svojho jazdca， keby spolu neboli spojení a spriaznení osudom。 Len toto sú ale spriaznené jednorožce。 A čo tie divoké？ Tie nemajú nikoho， sú nesmrteľné， páchanú hnilobou a bez váhania by ti zožrali aj domáceho miláčika alebo aj celú rodinu。Teraz by som mala napísať， že na takúto knihu som už stará a rozhodne nie som cieľovou skupinou。 Som na túto knihu som stará a nie som cieľovou skupinou， lenže to nič nemení na skutočnosti， že ma čítanie neskutočne bavilo。 Hoci už dávno nemám 13 rokov， pri čítaní mi vôbec nerobilo problém vžiť sa do kože Skandara alebo členov jeho partie。Úžasné， originálne vďaka jednorožcom， plné živlov， ich ovládanie a používanie na boj， k tomu si domyslite lietanie， behanie， tajomstvá， nebezpečného nepriateľa a riešenie záhady a máte predstavu o tom， čo v knihe nájdete。Skandar sa ku mne dostal v obrovskom predstihu vďaka vydavateľstvu Host， za čo im musím zas a znovu ďakovať， lebo presne takúto knihu chcete kúpiť sebe， svojim deťom， svojim kamarátom knihomolom， aj všetkým ostatným， ktorý milujú fantastické príbehy。 。。。more
Fiona White
，
A。F。 Steadman has hit the jackpot - unicorns to bond with， amazing treehouses to live in， friendship groups to grow with。 From the horse lovers， to the Harry Potter faithful， to the reckless and the dreamers， this book builds a world filled with characters and challenges that kids will adore。 I'm looking forward to recommending it to my Grade Sixes and know that， from now on， everyone's heart will soften a little when they hear the name Scoundrel。 A。F。 Steadman has hit the jackpot - unicorns to bond with， amazing treehouses to live in， friendship groups to grow with。 From the horse lovers， to the Harry Potter faithful， to the reckless and the dreamers， this book builds a world filled with characters and challenges that kids will adore。 I'm looking forward to recommending it to my Grade Sixes and know that， from now on， everyone's heart will soften a little when they hear the name Scoundrel。 。。。more
Cameron
，
DNF @75% markI was given this book by Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review。Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is a mediocre middle grade book。 It felt like it was trying to hard to compete with other books such as The Lighting Thief and HP and many others。 The plot moved at such a snail's pace that I just could not pay attention to what was happening。 It could have been 100 pages shorter and I would have been happy。 The chosen one trope is something that is so overused in fiction and I DNF @75% markI was given this book by Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review。Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is a mediocre middle grade book。 It felt like it was trying to hard to compete with other books such as The Lighting Thief and HP and many others。 The plot moved at such a snail's pace that I just could not pay attention to what was happening。 It could have been 100 pages shorter and I would have been happy。 The chosen one trope is something that is so overused in fiction and I'm sad that it's coming back so hard recently。 Skandar wasn't that interesting of a main character and every other character seemed very one dimensional。 The best thing about this was the unicorns。 They were horrifying and blood thirsty。 There were moments that it was actually kind of gory for a middle school book。 But overall I just never really jived with the book unfortunately。 Now I know I'm not the audience that this book is geared towards and who knows？ Maybe there will be a kid out there that absolutely loves this book！ 。。。more
Lucy Lillianne
，
Rozhodně pochopím， že tato kniha bude mít u mladších čtenářů úspěch。 Ale já ji hodnotím ze svého pohledu a knihu nemůžu označit za něco úžasného。 Je svým způsobem originální jelikož využívá jednorožců jako hlavního tématu a to jsem ještě neměla možnost číst。 Díky nim， ovládání živlů a vznikajícím skupinkám přátel， mi to trošku připomíná Percy Jacksona。 A poukazováním na párování jedinců s těmito tvory zase tak trochu Eragona a jeho dračici。 Zdálo se mi， že je zde hodně nelogičností okolo jednoro Rozhodně pochopím， že tato kniha bude mít u mladších čtenářů úspěch。 Ale já ji hodnotím ze svého pohledu a knihu nemůžu označit za něco úžasného。 Je svým způsobem originální jelikož využívá jednorožců jako hlavního tématu a to jsem ještě neměla možnost číst。 Díky nim， ovládání živlů a vznikajícím skupinkám přátel， mi to trošku připomíná Percy Jacksona。 A poukazováním na párování jedinců s těmito tvory zase tak trochu Eragona a jeho dračici。 Zdálo se mi， že je zde hodně nelogičností okolo jednorožců。 Především， pokud je dětem předurčeno mládě， proč skládají nějaké zkoušky ještě předtím， než se pokusí spojit？ Sice tu nějaké vysvětlení bylo， ale i tak。 Pokud jsou jezdci tak důležití， proč je během studia tak eliminují？ Proč jsou jednorožci z vajec？ A pokud jsou divocí jednorožci nebezpeční， proč je nechávají vylíhnout？ A to ani nemluvím o tom， že ani jejich strava se mi moc nelíbila 🤣。 A to hlavní， jak můžou bránit hlavnímu padouchovi se dostat k lidem， když jednorožci létají？ Jak uhlídají celé nebe？ Prostě nechápu。。。Ale samozřejmě se nad některé věci dokážu povznést a beru to spíše jako lehké čtení。 Nejsem cílová skupina a díky tomu na to pohlížím jinak。 Navíc by mělo jít o prvotinu， takže je potřeba i k tomu přihlédnout。。。 Rozhodně je to příběh s velkým potenciálem， ale zatím se pluje spíše po povrchu a do příliš velkých detailů se autorka nehrne。 To， co se děje na konci， mě napadlo už tak v půlce knihy， takže žádné velké překvapení。 Ale díky nemnoha náznakům je jasné， že velké finále nás teprve čeká。 A taky mám trochu obavu o vývoj Kenny。。。 Každopádně zůstal prostor pro vylepšení a s dalšími díly už to snad bude propracovanější a detailnější。 。。。more
Evi
，
3。5
Mary Hale
，
This book had a lot of promise but it didn't quite deliver。 It was like an adventure story that never went anywhere。 It's also a very familiar premise and it felt like I'd read it before。 The characters were solid， I enjoyed getting to know them。 I'm glad I read it but I probably won't read more by this author。 This book had a lot of promise but it didn't quite deliver。 It was like an adventure story that never went anywhere。 It's also a very familiar premise and it felt like I'd read it before。 The characters were solid， I enjoyed getting to know them。 I'm glad I read it but I probably won't read more by this author。 。。。more
Štěpánka Levá
，
Mám obecně #middlegrade knihy hodně ráda。 Některé jsou skvělé a netrpělivě vyhlížím pokračování。 Jiné co jsem četla jsem po prvním dílu poslala dál do světa。 Skandar patří v mém případě do té první kategorie， určitě si pokračování moc ráda přečtu。 Věřím， že s prvním dílem nabere autorka nějaké zkušenosti， dostane spoustu zpětné vazby a druhý díl bude o něco víc propracovanější。Rozhodně cením nápad na “zlé” jednorožce。 Celkově je to zajímavý svět。 Kromě Ostrova， kde se nacházejí jednorožci se jed Mám obecně #middlegrade knihy hodně ráda。 Některé jsou skvělé a netrpělivě vyhlížím pokračování。 Jiné co jsem četla jsem po prvním dílu poslala dál do světa。 Skandar patří v mém případě do té první kategorie， určitě si pokračování moc ráda přečtu。 Věřím， že s prvním dílem nabere autorka nějaké zkušenosti， dostane spoustu zpětné vazby a druhý díl bude o něco víc propracovanější。Rozhodně cením nápad na “zlé” jednorožce。 Celkově je to zajímavý svět。 Kromě Ostrova， kde se nacházejí jednorožci se jedná o náš svět， pouze Ostrov je trochu jiný。 Kniha má 340 stran， já bych klidně uvítala o pár desítek víc s nějakým větším popisem Ostrova nebo toho， jak probíhá “výuka”。 Mám spoustu otázek， snad na ně v pokračování dostanu odpovědi。 Knížku jsem si opravdu užila。 Je to velice čtivé， místy lehce napínavé a nechybí sem tam nějaký zvrat。 Hlavně ke konci samozřejmě。 Nemusíte se bát ani toho， že se jedná o první díl série。 Konec není vyloženě otevřený， za což jsem moc ráda。 A ty jednorožci， nejsou to jen ty “hezký”， ale divocí hnijící koně， ňamka :D Z těch čtyř dětí jsem oblíbila hlavně holky - Bobby a Flo :D celkově se ty čtyři děti skvěle doplňují。 Tento záměr se autorce moc povedl。Jste-li dospělí， tak to pro vás bude fajn nenáročné čtení， které vám třeba připomne nějaká vaše dobrodružství z dětských let。No a kdo se chystá číst knížku s dětmi， tak se připravte， že po vás budou chtít minimálně poníka :D Ale spíš rovnou počítejte s nějakým pořádným obr koněm。 。。。more
Tim Joseph
，
Loved， loved， LOVED this story！ Great Characters， solid plotting and pacing， and a unique twist on classic magic systems。 I cannot wait to see what Steadman and Skandar have in store next！
Filipa
，
In a world where it is imperative for children to bound magical Unicorns – lest they go wild and are too dangerous to humankind – we follow thirteen-year-old Skandar， a boy whose dream has always been to be an Unicorn Rider。Skandar’s father is someone who suffers from severe mental health problems， and since their mom passed away， it has been up to Skandar and his older sister Kenna to look after him。 Then， when Skandar is told he can’t take the exam that would allow him a chance at the Hatchery In a world where it is imperative for children to bound magical Unicorns – lest they go wild and are too dangerous to humankind – we follow thirteen-year-old Skandar， a boy whose dream has always been to be an Unicorn Rider。Skandar’s father is someone who suffers from severe mental health problems， and since their mom passed away， it has been up to Skandar and his older sister Kenna to look after him。 Then， when Skandar is told he can’t take the exam that would allow him a chance at the Hatchery door， and a mysterious Rider shows up with her very scary and dangerous Unicorn to fly him from the Mainland over to the Island nevertheless， he embarks in an adventure of a lifetime。 Afraid he will be uncovered as a fraud and a cheater at any given moment， Skandar can’t avoid to be filled with wonder at the magic of the Eyrie – the place where Hatchlings （new riders） learn how to ride and use the magic attached to their Unicorns – and his very own Unicorn （even when his Unicorn is trying to eat his hair）。The world of Skandar is very cinematic， you can play everything behind your eyelids as your eyes go over the words。 You easily crave the possibility of seeing these places for yourself， even if fire-breathing and lightning-filled Unicorns do not sound very safe to be around。Even bonded to their Riders， the Unicorns are a force of nature， having distinct individual personalities and catching their Riders off guard with their unpredictable behaviour。 As a reader it is very fun to observe one Unicorn lighting their farts on fire and another shocking the Rider when they are trying to ride。 I think children （and adults） will find the Unicorns endearing – the exception when they catch an unlucky rabbit or owl passing by and have blood all over their snouts。 Gross， I know！ To say that to train with your Unicorn is hard， may come as an understatement。 However， the bond between Rider and Unicorn is also filled with wonder。 The bond is for life and the inexplicable connection is filled with love and understanding， something that is not spoken， but understood in between feelings down the bond and protective gestures from both parties。 Skandar is a kind， sensitive kid。 Full of dreams and full of fears， he has been an outcast all his life。 Bullied in school because of his father's illness he has always been protected from bullies by the older sister he so adores， he tries to fit in in this new world， to take it as new start where people won’t make fun of his family anymore and where maybe， just maybe， he can find people to befriend。 The villain is this vague presence throughout the whole thing。 They are constantly attacking but also very much out of sight。 As the story progresses and Skandar learns more about himself， he ends up more entangled with this dangerous enemy than he would like。It has the Chosen One trope and a lot of older readers will have strong opinions on that。 It draws some comparisons to Harry Potter。 As I was reading， I was playing it as a movie in my head and it gave me the same feeling I get when I watch Philosopher’s Stone。 The discovery of a new world， classes and challenges to overcome， the group of friends getting together to uncover the mysteries on their own （because they can’t rely on anyone else）， etc。 With all that said， it stands on its own， for its more up-to-date themes – mental health， insecurities and vulnerabilities are underlined over all the magic and acts of bravery and that sets a very specific tone within such an epic world of elemental magic， sky battles and ancient secrets。As an adult reading this book， I found so many scenes to be heart-breaking。 Both Skandar and Kenna’s patience and kindness towards a father that is not really there， is so very sad。 The children’s grief for their mother is ever present， especially after being left to parent themselves。 The siblings find happiness in day dreaming about one day going to the Island and hatching themselves a Unicorn and the obvious affection they have for one another is very tangible and ever present。As the plot thickens and some major mysteries get uncovered， it made me shed a tear or two。 I’ll give that to the amazing writing and the author’s ability to create not just a very interesting world but full flashed out， three dimensional characters that you can’t help to feel for。Skandar makes himself some tentative friendships that grow into something beautiful and， again， heart-squeezing at times。 Flo who never wanted to be a Unicorn Rider and gets matched with a Silver Unicorn – one of the most powerful of all; Bobby who is very easy going and the first to really stand by Skandar and who also gets panic attacks from time to time; and Mitchell， whose father is an authority figure， who is very at odds with Skandar and his illegalness。With these four navigating the novelty of being Hatchlings， A。F。 Steadman really shines a light on how you can be vulnerable and have all your weaknesses， and that does not mean one bit that you won’t achieve the things you dream of。 Especially when you join forces – being during Sky Battles or moments of doubt – to enable you to move forward。I think that is a message that will grab the readers’ hearts and will give Skandar the tools to soar into everyone’s bookshelves and make it an instant bestseller。 。。。more
Lola Hodgson
，
ouch。with the way this has been hyped i wanted to like it， but i honestly could not force myself。 it was fine， but it was just full of poorly used tropes， underexplained or lazy lore and an overdone plot。i will say i thought the friendships were well done。overall， i just felt like there are better examples of the same thing。2。5
Enairolf
，
Lorsque j’ai eu cette proposition de Masse critique privilégiée， j’ai de suite tenté ma chance。 J’étais si heureuse lorsque j’ai vu que j’avais été sélectionné。 Ce roman je l’avais déjà repéré dans les sorties du mois de mai et j’étais très impatiente de découvrir cette histoire。 Déjà parlons de cette merveilleuse couverture。 Elle n’est pas fantastique franchement？ Je suis tombée sous le charme dès que j’ai posé les yeux dessus。 J’ai trouvé que ça faisait très Percy Jackson cette couverture et r Lorsque j’ai eu cette proposition de Masse critique privilégiée， j’ai de suite tenté ma chance。 J’étais si heureuse lorsque j’ai vu que j’avais été sélectionné。 Ce roman je l’avais déjà repéré dans les sorties du mois de mai et j’étais très impatiente de découvrir cette histoire。 Déjà parlons de cette merveilleuse couverture。 Elle n’est pas fantastique franchement？ Je suis tombée sous le charme dès que j’ai posé les yeux dessus。 J’ai trouvé que ça faisait très Percy Jackson cette couverture et rien que pour ça， j’ai vraiment adoré！Je remercie encore une fois Hachette Romans pour la confiance accordé pour l’envoi de ce service presse。 J’ai pris énormément de plaisir à dévorer ce roman。 Sincèrement， à peu de choses près ça aurait pu être un coup de coeur tant j’ai aimé cette histoire。 Je ne peux que vous conseiller de foncer en librairie dès le 4 mai pour pouvoir découvrir l’histoire de Skandar， vous allez en prendre plein les yeux et découvrir une histoire plus que merveilleuse。 Tout est réuni pour faire passer au lecteur un excellent moment。 C’est un roman jeunesse， certes， mais oh combien passionnant。 On le ressent durant notre lecture， je ne vais pas vous mentir。 On sent que nos héros sont de jeunes ados mais franchement ce n’est pas pour ça que l’histoire est enfantine。 Pas du tout même！J’ai complètement adhérer à la plume de l’auteure。 C’est vraiment le genre de plume que j’aime lire。 C’est super fluide， on ne voit vraiment pas les pages défiler。 Le roman défile à toute vitesse et chaque page est un vrai plaisir à découvrir。 C’est également très addictif！ On a un beau petit roman de 450 pages et pourtant j’ai eu l’impression d’en lire cent。 On est tellement plongé dans cette histoire， on est tellement embarqué aux cotés de nos personnages， on est dans une bulle tout simplement et one ne voit pas le temps passer。 Et en plus de ça， c’est le genre de roman qui se lit super vite。 C’est vraiment une petite merveille à lire。On va suivre le personnage de Skandar， un jeune garçon de treize ans。 Il a toujours eu un rêve : celui de chevaucher une licorne d’être l’un des rares chanceux à faire éclore une licorne， à s’unir pour la vie à elle， à s’entraîner dans le but de remporter avec elle la course la plus prestigieuse et surtout devenir un héros！ Alors que le rêve de Skandar s’apprête à devenir réalité， les évènements prennent un tour très dangereux… Un mystérieux ennemi a volé la licorne la plus puissante de l’île！ Et tandis que la menace plane， Skandar va découvrir un secret qui pourrait faire voler sa vie entière en éclat…Déjà parlons de l’univers en lui même。 Je l’ai trouvé vraiment merveilleux et fantastique à découvrir！ On est dans un monde où les licornes existent， mais attention， les licornes sont destinés à une seule personne， elles sont liés à une seule personne et ce lien est très puissant。 Mais ce son surtout de vraies licornes et pas les licornes que l’on nous vend de base avec une queue arc en ciel et qui font caca des paillettes hein。 Ici elles ont même un côté un peu effrayantes je trouve！ J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé le fait que les cavaliers appartiennent tous à un élément， ça m’a un peu fait penser aux maisons dans Harry Potter。 J’ai été happé dès les premières pages。 L’auteure nous offre vraiment un univers bien ficelé， bien travaillé et tout est bien amené。 On a beaucoup de mystères autour de l’Île， je sens que par la suite on va découvrir encore un tas de choses et je suis déjà plus qu’impatiente！Concernant les personnages， j’ai adoré Skandar。 Son personnage évolue au fil des pages et prend peu à peu confiance en lui。 Il a droit à une excellente évolution et j’ai beaucoup aimé le suivre。 Je le trouve très courageux parce que parfois on oublie qu’il n’a que treize ans。 Il a beaucoup de responsabilités sur ses jeunes épaules。 Il a tant de choses à devoir gérer。 J’ai apprécié le voir prendre son courage à deux mains et ne pas baisser les bras。 J’ai beaucoup aimé la relation qu’il avec sa soeur Kenna。 Même si on ne la voit que très peu dans le roman， on voit bien qu’elle fera toujours tout pour le protéger。 Kenna n’a pas réussi son examen elle et ne vas donc jamais pouvoir avoir une licorne。 Et malgré sa tristesse et sa déception， elle encourage et soutien son frère。 Skandar va être accompagnée de trois autres cavaliers。 On a la jeune Bobby， qui nous apparaît comme quelqu’un de détestable。 Au début， je me suis vraiment dis que c’était une petite peste détestable。 Mais on découvre très vite que ce n’est absolument pas le cas。 J’ai beaucoup aimé son personnage d’ailleurs。 Et puis on a Flo et Mitchell。 Ce que j’ai le plus aimé dans ce groupe d’amis c’est que malgré les préjugés qu’ils peuvent avoir， ils vont au dessus et font tout pour aider Skandar。 J’ai vraiment adoré leur amitié et la cohésion de groupe qu’ils ont su créer tous ensemble。L’intrigue est vraiment géniale à suivre。 On est très vite happé dedans， on découvre l’île， les enjeux， les licornes et tout ça au fur et à mesure。 On est pas noyé sous le flot d’informations。 On nous en donne petit à petit。 L’intrigue avance tranquillement， au fil des chapitres。 Plus on avance， plus on découvre de choses et plus l’étau se resserre。 Concernant l’identité de l’Arachné， j’avais de gros soupçons sur son identité pendant un bon moment et pour une fois j’avais raison。 Mais même si pour moi c’était prévisible， on garde quand même le secret jusqu’à la fin！ C’était une intrigue palpitante， j’ai adoré faire partie de cette aventure entouré de licornes。Ce roman jeunesse fut une merveilleuse lecture。 Sincèrement j’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé ce roman。 Quand je pense qu’il va falloir attendre l’année prochaine pour avoir la suite raaaaah je suis beaucoup trop impatiente。 Un roman jeunesse qui en part pas dans l’enfantin， une intrigue palpitante qui nous tient en haleine jusqu’à la dernière page， des personnages très attachants qu’on adore suivre， des licornes au noms particuliers， un univers magique si bien travaillé et passionnant à découvrir。 C’est une grande réussite pour moi， une lecture qui a frôlé le coup de coeur。 Je n’ai qu’une envie maintenant c’est d’avoir la suite entre les mains！ 。。。more
Klara （klarinkniznisvet）
，
Ocitáme se ve světě， kde žijí jednorožci。 Nečekejte ale žádná roztomilá stvoření。 Tato zvířata dokáží být dost nebezpečná。 Zkrotit je dokáže pouze jezdec， který byl přítomen u jejich vylíhnutí。 Hlavní hrdina Skandar vždy toužil být jezdcem a vypadá to， že přichází jeho chvíle。 Všechny děti třinácti let musí totiž projít zkouškou z líhnutí， která pomáhá vybrat ty， kteří se mohou stát uchazeči。 Když ale není ke zkoušce připuštěn a následně u něj doma zaklepe žena tvrdící， že je Skandar výjimečný a Ocitáme se ve světě， kde žijí jednorožci。 Nečekejte ale žádná roztomilá stvoření。 Tato zvířata dokáží být dost nebezpečná。 Zkrotit je dokáže pouze jezdec， který byl přítomen u jejich vylíhnutí。 Hlavní hrdina Skandar vždy toužil být jezdcem a vypadá to， že přichází jeho chvíle。 Všechny děti třinácti let musí totiž projít zkouškou z líhnutí， která pomáhá vybrat ty， kteří se mohou stát uchazeči。 Když ale není ke zkoušce připuštěn a následně u něj doma zaklepe žena tvrdící， že je Skandar výjimečný a byl rovnou vybrán， celý jeho svět se obrátí vzhůru nohama。 Jestli je tak výjimečný， proč se k líhnutí jednorožců dostal jiným způsobem než ostatní？ A co se stane， když je nejmocnější jednorožec na světě ukraden záhadnou postavou Jehly， která všem začne komplikovat život？Skandar a zloděj jednorožců je knihou， kterou si zamilují děti i dospělí。 Je plná dobrodružství， akce， přátelství a nečekaných zvratů。 Námět je sice dost podobný jiným middle grade příběhům， kde se setkáváme s výjimečným hrdinou začínajícím chodit do školy pro vybrané děti， ale to jej dělá ve výsledku čtivým。 Autorka příběh postavila na zajímavých a originálních základech， které mají šanci zaujmout。 Kdo by totiž nechtěl číst o jednorožcích， kteří dokážou být až smrtelní？Skandara a jeho přátele si není těžké zamilovat。 Líbilo se mi， že si k sobě museli hledat cestu a nakonec se rozhodli spolupracovat。 Akcí je děj skutečně plný， což vás bude nutit otáčet stránku za stránkou， abyste zjistili， jak to ve skutečnosti je。 Zakončení navíc připravuje půdu pro pokračování， kterého se upřímně už nemůžu dočkat。 Stále zůstalo dost věcí nevysvětleno a já doufám， že nám na ně A。 F。 Steadman příště odpoví。 。。。more
Kara （bookishskippy）
，
Sadly i did not enjoy this as much as i would:（
book_adam_73
，
Výborná middle great knížka （což znamená， že pro čtenáře od cca。9-13 let， ale je to jako třeba harry potter， cílově pro děti， ale čtou to všechny generace） která byla velice čtivá， také jednorožci byli velice osvěžující komponent， má krásnou obálku， má skvělé hrdiny a skvělý svět;）Za reading copy moc děkuji nakladatelství Host v rámci spolupráce。 Kniha vychází 28。4
Yasmin Bateman
，
Unicorns unlike any other！ Get ready folks for Skandar to come soaring into your lives in officially 9 days time！ April 28th！ You'll want to read this！ Think Percy Jackson meets How to Train Your Dragon meets Divergent！ You think you know unicorns？ Think again。 These unicorns are hungry beasts， destined to be bonded or they will suffer a fate worse than death。 I have loved every second of this book and thank A。F Steadman and Simon and Schuster for providing me with the opportunity to read an ear Unicorns unlike any other！ Get ready folks for Skandar to come soaring into your lives in officially 9 days time！ April 28th！ You'll want to read this！ Think Percy Jackson meets How to Train Your Dragon meets Divergent！ You think you know unicorns？ Think again。 These unicorns are hungry beasts， destined to be bonded or they will suffer a fate worse than death。 I have loved every second of this book and thank A。F Steadman and Simon and Schuster for providing me with the opportunity to read an early copy。 I definitely think this story has something for everyone。 The Island is a new place to call home。 And though I am way older than 13 I'd like to think when I was the Hatchery door opened for me and my unicorn Dying Dusk Revenge was waiting for me。 #skandarandtheunicornthief 。。。more
Ashley
，
I won this as a goodreads giveaway and while I am older than the target audience， still enjoyed it thoroughly and felt like a fun read for a young reader。 I would recommend for sure to others in the target reader age and feel that my own niece and nephew would find this to be something they enjoy and would share with their own friends。
Maureen
，
Choisir entre une Licorne à domestiquer et une Licorne sauvage， laquelle prendriez-vous？Nous faisons la connaissance de Skandar， un jeune garçon de 13 ans qui vit seul avec son père et sa grande sœur Kenna depuis la disparition de sa mère。 Il n'a qu'un rêve en tête， celui de chevaucher sa licorne。 Malheureusement sa sœur elle n'a pas eu cette chance et a échoué ses examens d'entrée sur l'Île。 Skandar a aussi d'autre préoccupations， à savoir， rester en un seul morceau alors qu'il est le souffre d Choisir entre une Licorne à domestiquer et une Licorne sauvage， laquelle prendriez-vous？Nous faisons la connaissance de Skandar， un jeune garçon de 13 ans qui vit seul avec son père et sa grande sœur Kenna depuis la disparition de sa mère。 Il n'a qu'un rêve en tête， celui de chevaucher sa licorne。 Malheureusement sa sœur elle n'a pas eu cette chance et a échoué ses examens d'entrée sur l'Île。 Skandar a aussi d'autre préoccupations， à savoir， rester en un seul morceau alors qu'il est le souffre douleur d'Owen。Le jour fatidique de son examen arrive， en plus du stress il doit gérer la jalousie de sa sœur mais aussi l'état de son père qui s'est aggravé depuis la disparition de leur mère。Mais rien ne se passe comme prévu et son entrée sur l'Île se déroule dans des circonstances mystérieuses。 Mais qui est cette personne qui a fais irruption pendant la Coupe du Chaos et surtout pourquoi à t'elle volé la Licorne la plus puissante de l'Île？Ce roman est un petit bonbon que j'ai lu en un rien de temps。 Certes cela reste du jeunesse mais un jeunesse avec des Licornes qui ne sont pas les êtres que l'ont nous vend。 En effet ici， elles sont surtout des êtres sanguinaires dont il faut se méfier。Dès le début de ce roman j'ai été happée par l'univers mis en place par l'auteure， à savoir， une Île où on élève des Licornes avec lesquelles on apprends au quotidien à développer sa magie。 Ainsi que par le système de magie mis en place， il existe 4 types de magie élémentaires qui sont l'eau， le feu， l'air et la terre et peut-être bien qu'il y en a un 5ème。 Cet univers est développé à merveille， je l'ai trouvé intriguant de par son côté mystérieux。 Je pense que l'Île ne nous a pas dévoilé tout ses secrets。Au fil des pages l'intrigue ne s'essouffle point bien au contraire， l'auteure réussi à nous maintenir en haleine grâce au rythme qu'elle nous impose。 Elle nous distillé des informations au compte goutte， et les quelques révélations ne m'ont pas vraiment surprise dans le sens où je me doutais de certaines choses car on mets l'accent dessus à plusieurs reprises。 On sens que l'auteure a travaillé son monde， façonné à sa manière pour être le digne héritier d'une certaine saga méga connue。Les personnages quant à eux nous paraissent sympathiques， un brin naïfs mais surtout aventureux。 J'ai adoré Kenna même si elle n'a pas un grand rôle dans ce roman， elle protège son frère malgré le fait qu'elle ait échouée。Skandar lui est un jeune garçon qui prends confiance au fil des pages et on ne peux que s'attacher à lui surtout quand surviennent les révélations chocs de ce roman。Ses amis， quant à eux， je les ai adoré。 Malgré leur préjugés， ils arrivent à passer outre et c'est le début d'une bien belle amitiés。Les liens que les cavaliers tissent avec leur Licorne est bien trouvé， et j'ai adoré pouvoir suivre les évolutions de chacun。 Le style d'écriture est fluide et immersif， je pense que grâce à cela les plus jeunes peuvent s'identifier à un des personnages。 Elle ne nous laisse pas de répit， on est toujours dans l'action ou bien dans la réflexion。Je pense que la suite ne peux être que meilleure au vu de la fin， et j'espère que l'auteure réussira vraiment à me surprendre par la suite。En bref une saga jeunesse qui n'est pas sans rappeler une certaine autre mais qui se différencie par un univers riche et intriguant。 。。。more
Joy
，
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review。 Ever since this book deal was first announced， I’ve been anxiously awaiting its release as I’ve been looking for a fun， magic-filled adventure fantasy to dig into。 I loved the premise about a young boy who struggles with wondering if he was always meant to be the villain， hoping it would be a unique twist on the chosen one trope。 Many people have said it much better， but unfortunatel Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review。 Ever since this book deal was first announced， I’ve been anxiously awaiting its release as I’ve been looking for a fun， magic-filled adventure fantasy to dig into。 I loved the premise about a young boy who struggles with wondering if he was always meant to be the villain， hoping it would be a unique twist on the chosen one trope。 Many people have said it much better， but unfortunately SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF gets a bit lost in its comp titles。 The world is divided into The Island and the Mainland， where our endearing protagonist is from。 Growing up with an equally ambitious sister and a father prone to depressive episodes， Skandar has always bonded with his family over the highly-touted Chaos Cup， where skilled riders and their unicorns compete in an often bloodthirsty competition to become champions。 Each year thirteen years old on the Mainland take the Hatchery exam that determines whether their eligibility to go to the Island and discover if they are bonded with a unicorn。 Skandar wants nothing more than to see if he is destined to become a rider as his late mother once promised him—except he finds out on the morning of that he’s been banned from taking the exam。 Things only get more complicated and dangerous when a stranger in the night comes to Skandar’s home to bring him to the Island illegally and Skandar must lie to those around him that he’s supposed to be there。 Nothing can prepare him for the special sacred bond he begins to form with his destined unicorn—or the knowledge that he harbors a powerful， dangerous， and forbidden magical gift。 It has already been discussed how SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF doesn’t quite add its own special twist to the MG fantasy-adventure genre， but I greatly enjoyed the portrayal of mental health and friendship in this story。 As a relatively new cat mom， I could empathize with the magnetic bond between rider and unicorn—and feel the pain of those whose bonds have been broken。 All’s to say， I’m optimistic for this debut and hope to see more of Skandar and friends for a long time。 4。5/5 stars 。。。more
Leron
，
I received an ARC of this and read it because magic + vicious unicorns = yes， please。 The rest of the review is kinda spoilery， but the TLDR is that I had fun （despite plot holes and stuff that the target audience probably wouldn't notice or care about）， and I think middle school kids will find things they can really explore and enjoy in the series。（view spoiler）[This had a bunch of fun tropes like "Protagonist is denied chance to partake in mandatory， nation-wide exam to recruit new unicorn rid I received an ARC of this and read it because magic + vicious unicorns = yes， please。 The rest of the review is kinda spoilery， but the TLDR is that I had fun （despite plot holes and stuff that the target audience probably wouldn't notice or care about）， and I think middle school kids will find things they can really explore and enjoy in the series。（view spoiler）[This had a bunch of fun tropes like "Protagonist is denied chance to partake in mandatory， nation-wide exam to recruit new unicorn riders because unknown reasons，" and "Protagonist is whisked away to the unicorn Island anyway by mysterious shadowy figure who gets apprehended on arrival，" and "Protagonist finds out he is the special， secret， forbidden type of unicorn rider and has to hide it or he'll be killed。" All these tropes are done pretty well and make you interested and curious in the story and characters。 Classic "training to be riders but also having to hide his special magic" trope was also well done and fun to read。 The bad guy was spooky， and the wild unicorns fittingly disgusting。 Overall， well paced and fun to read。 Kinda reminded me of Nevermoor， with splashes of Harry Potter or Eragon。Unfortunately， though， there were quite a few things that just didn't make sense or were a bit poorly done。 For example， I really hate the whole trope of adult humans being like "oh no， this SINGULAR Spirit Wielder went on a rampage and killed a bunch of unicorns and riders in revenge for the death of their unicorn， so therefore ALL SPIRIT WIELDERS must also be evil （despite zero evidence） so therefore we will round them all up， kill their unicorns， and throw them ALL in prison forever。 And also wipe out Spirit magic from our teaching and our history and everything so everyone forgets it ever existed and also we will kill any new Spirit Wielders that pop up or just refuse to let them onto the Island so their unicorns will just hatch wild and then attack us later because they're immortal but whatever。" Though， to be fair， the whole Covid-blaming and racialised blaming of all Chinese/Asian people has made me realise that maybe people are this dumb and are this quick to judge， so perhaps this reaction wasn't that farfetched even though it's horrible。 Still annoys me though， and is so unfair because the actions of ONE person shouldn't reflect poorly on the whole group。I was also disappointed with the Bad Guy （the Weaver） and their aim。 Like， I thought maybe when it was revealed that the Weaver was stealing non-riders and giving them a bond with a wild unicorn， that maybe the Weaver was taking them and bonding them with their destined unicorn that they missed out on hatching because of some reason or other， and so the Weaver was actually helping both the wild unicorns and the random humans。 I thought maybe it would be a case of mistaken identity and the Weaver wasn't actually a bad guy but was just trying to help the wild unicorns who literally cannot die but whose body still decomposes。 Maybe it would turn out that the Weaver was doing the right thing and the system that is currently in place would be revealed as the bad thing and the Protagonist （Skandar） would help bring change to this instead of just fighting the Bad Guy。But no。 The Weaver just wants to build an army so they can rule the Mainland （which I think is England？？） AND the Island。 Because who knows why。 There is never a motivation other than "I want to rule the world。" Which is another trope that annoys me， because have they actually thought through how they are going to rule it？？ And like， are they going to make living conditions better？？ Or pay proper wages？？ Like， if you rule it and make everyone a unicorn rider， who's going to tend the fields and clean the waterways and dispose of rubbish and build roads and teach in schools？？ Or will the Weaver just sit on an imaginary throne and end up not actually ruling anything？？ I dunno。Finally， Skandar just got a bit annoying at the end。 He was quite "poor me poor me， I can't let Spirit magic out ever because then I'll be killed or declared a nomad （i。e。 kicked out of training）。" He also got annoyed at his unicorn， Scoundrel's Luck （which is a great name）， for being annoying and trying to use his most powerful/allied magic i。e。 Spirit。 Skandar never actually spent time alone with Scoundrel to try and build a relationship outside of their magic and automatic "bond，" so you never really saw their relationship grow stronger， and Skandar also never thought that maybe he could try and sneak Scoundrel out at night or something to， I don't know， go practice Spirit somewhere private where they wouldn't be found out？？ To like， maybe work on the magic he was best at and that Scoundrel wanted to use？？ Maybe that would have been a good idea to kill a few birds with one stone？？ Just felt like Skandar wasn't doing everything he could to make his unicorn happier or to learn more about himself and his magic on his own because there was no one to teach him anything。But yeah。 Besides the few plot holes， it was alright。 I think the 8-10 age group would love it。（hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Haley
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Skandar and the unicorn thief was honestly so good！ It was original with blood thirsty elemental unicorns。 A school for training。 Amazing characters。 The friendships were great。 I loved that Skandar wasn’t the popular kid everyone loved。 I loved that we got to see a character experience panic attacks and give awareness to that。 I loved the bonds between rider and unicorn as well as the different elemental Magics。 These unicorns are also so freaking unique！ They are NOTHING like the ones in any o Skandar and the unicorn thief was honestly so good！ It was original with blood thirsty elemental unicorns。 A school for training。 Amazing characters。 The friendships were great。 I loved that Skandar wasn’t the popular kid everyone loved。 I loved that we got to see a character experience panic attacks and give awareness to that。 I loved the bonds between rider and unicorn as well as the different elemental Magics。 These unicorns are also so freaking unique！ They are NOTHING like the ones in any other book。 While I did know who the weaver was from the time Skandar arrived on the island I still would give it five stars because if I was the targeted age range for this book I might not have saw it coming。 I’m very excited for the next book and plan to buy a copy for my son and。 Few of his friends because I think kids will love Skandar， scoundrels luck and their quartet。 Such a fun， easy and entertaining read that I think so many people would love！ This book is NOT targeted to a specific gender either， ANYONE could love this story of adventure。 This book gave me Percy Jackson vibes so if that’s your kinda thing you might enjoy this book。 。。。more
Richard Harrison
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As unicorns are my six-year-old's favourite animal， I thought he might be fairly captivated by this story。 Unfortunately this was derailed by him asking numerous questions after （and during） every sentence。 So I finished it myself and I’ll get his review if we ever get to the end together。I enjoyed reading this story， I love fantasy and all the Chosen ones and wizarding schools， that have emerged since Harry Potter。 I think this book is being well set up for success with the movie deal in place As unicorns are my six-year-old's favourite animal， I thought he might be fairly captivated by this story。 Unfortunately this was derailed by him asking numerous questions after （and during） every sentence。 So I finished it myself and I’ll get his review if we ever get to the end together。I enjoyed reading this story， I love fantasy and all the Chosen ones and wizarding schools， that have emerged since Harry Potter。 I think this book is being well set up for success with the movie deal in place and a massive PR push。I think there were some massive gaps and leaps in the worldbuilding that made it a bit super-confused and I hope subsequent books give us some more history on why unicorns NEED a rider and have all their weird elemental powers。 Placing this in the modern era was also an odd choice。 I was always wondering where the Island was and how unicorns had never been discovered before。The strength is definitely in the characters who have interesting personalities and great， nuanced interactions。 A particular favourite is Bobby who struggles with panic attacks but is otherwise brave， capable， and loyal。 Will definitely read more of this series。 。。。more
Mark Buxton
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