Book Review

Rampant
by Diana Peterfreund

This is a book about unicorns. Now, before you do a double take and ask yourself if I actually read a book about unicorns, let me tell you that these unicorns are different. They are killer unicorns who eat humans and animals, they have fangs, they have a horn that is full of poison that can kill. To make them even more powerful is the fact that only virgin women from the family line of Alexander the Great can kill them.

This book does not contain the happy white horses with the rainbow in the backdrop and pink and purple hair flowing through the wind. This is not some cute little story. And that is the reason I liked this book. I also liked the book because there is a very strong female protagonist in the novel. She stands her ground while trying to figure out this life with unicorns. Her name is Astrid. Without giving too much away Astrid finds herself in Rome training to be a hunter. As she trains she learns about herself, the other girls in training, and the world around her.

There is a lot of action and gore in this story. It is not inappropriate, but really helps engage the reader. There is a love story involved, but it helps move the plot along and therefore I could tolerate the storyline. I think this is a perfect book for 7th grade and up to those who like the thought of killer unicorns and romance.