Review: The Hunt of the Unicorn

The Hunt of the Unicorn by C.C. Humphreys

Summary: Elayne thinks the old family story that one of her ancestors stepped through a tapestry into a world of mythical beasts makes a great fireside tale. But she lives in the real world. In New York City. And she’s outgrown that kind of fantasy.

Until she finds herself in front of a unicorn tapestry at the Cloisters museum and sees her initials woven into the fabric. And hears a unicorn calling to her. And slips and falls—into that other world.

Suddenly the line between fantasy and reality isn’t so clear. But the danger is real enough. Almost before she can think, Elayne is attacked by a ferocious beast, rescued by a unicorn, and taken prisoner by a tyrant king. Each of them seems to have an idea about her—that she’s a hero, a villain, dinner!

But Elayne has a few ideas of her own. She wants to overthrow the king; she wants to tame the unicorn. She wants to go home! And she’s willing to become both hero and villain to do it.

My Thoughts: Before I begin my review, I should make one thing clear. I am a unicorn lover and collector, taking care to only keep gorgeous, majestic unicorns around (forget the childish, cute ones). I feel this is a necessary tidbit about me, as it might – well, probably does – influence my opinion of this book – or any book wherein one of the main subjects is a unicorn. Well, I don’t know, maybe not. I mean, a bad book is a bad book, whatever creatures might be within its pages … anyway, no, this is most definitely NOT a bad book. Very good, but I’m getting ahead of myself …

When I read the title of this book, my interest was instantly piqued – for what I’m guessing are now obvious reasons. I wasn’t further excited by the description, but decided to give it a go anyway. I think the reason the description didn’t further excite me is because it sells the story short. This makes it all sound so simple, but it’s so not. It’s an intricately woven fantastical tale that leaves a fantasy lover (such as myself) quite satisfied. And, best of all, loose ends don’t get left at the end. This story stands on its own! (Such a refreshing thing, as I think series are overdone these days.)

The chapter on the hunt of the gryphon was absolutely amazing. (I no longer have the book available to me, but I believe “griffin” is spelled “gryphon” – hence my spelling of it here.) The hunt itself, along with the chase at the end was written so very well. I felt my heart accelerate as the action progressed, until the very end moment of the chase. WOW. So well done.

The book as a whole is action-packed and fast-moving. There were very few chapter breaks at which I felt I could put the book down. The action was going, and the next chapter continued it. There were a few spots where I could put the book down without feeling like I was interrupting the current scene, but not a lot. So, if you read this book, be prepared to sit and read for long stretches. But, it’s a good thing – unputdownable books are the best!

The Hunt of the Unicorn includes all manner of mythological beasts, no just unicorns. There are manticores, the aforementioned gryphon, and many others. If you love mythological creatures, this book is for you! Heck, if you love fantasy, this is a good read. (And if you love unicorns like I do, then buy the book NOW!) I highly recommend it. In fact, this was a tour book (and ARC, to be precise), and I was sad to let it go. I will definitely purchase a copy for my own enjoyment again and again.

Long story short: Awesome book, especially if you’re a fan of the fantasy genre and/or mythical creatures. The Hunt of the Unicorn is a wild ride with surprising incidents thrown in to keep the reader on her (or his, I suppose) toes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was made even happier at the end because there are no loose ends left – I actually closed the back cover satisfied!

My Rating: 5 stars

Source: Received through Book It Forward ARC Tours for review.

Read It: The Hunt of the Unicorn is scheduled for release on March 8, 2011. You can pre-order it HERE. (This is an Amazon link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011.

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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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