The Unicorn Quest Blog Tour and Giveaway

It's the The Unicorn Quest Blog Tour! Leave a comment below stating why YOU are a magical unicorn, and you will be entered to win a copy of this new book. Please make sure your comment links to your blog or gives me some way to contact you!


Benko, Kamilla. The Unicorn Quest
February 6th 2018 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
E ARC provided by the publisher

When Claire and her sister Sophie move into Windemere Manor after the death of their great aunt Diana, who collected all manor of odd objects, they aren't entirely sure what to do with themselves. Sophie is recovering from an undisclosed illness, and their parents are still overly protective and scared for her. Claire is scared as well, but irritated that Sophie doesn't spend as much time with her as she used to. When the sisters investigate an odd chimney in the house, they find it is a portal to a magical kingdom. Claire doesn't think it is a good idea to travel there, but when Sophie disappears, she knows she must go in search of her. However, when Claire arrives in Arden, she is met by the rather hostile Nett and Sena, who inform her that her sister has been there but has also been accused of stealing a magical artifact that is keeping the fragile peace of the Arden guilds, and is nowhere to be found. Claire, of course, must embark on a quest across the lands in order to find her sister. This is treacherous, even with Nett, a Tiller, and Sena, a Forger. The guilds are protective of their lands and loathe to let others cross them, so Claire must use her wiles and wits to locate her sister. She eventually finds that she and her sister are more entwined with the fortunes of Arden than they ever could have imagined. Once the artifact is found, will Arden be saved and their time in the kingdom over? Or are there more adventures awaiting the girls?
Strengths: The land of Arden is well developed, and the fracturing of Arden into guild divisions makes sense. It's serious, but not scary, and the fighting is in the past, which is a nice touch in a lighter fantasy for younger readers who are more interested in magical adventures, friendships, and unicorns. Claire's desire to find her sister despite her reluctance to enter Arden is realistic, and her fear for her sister despite her annoyance at her is something with which many readers will sympathize. The magic skills are an interesting touch. I'll be curious to see where this adventure takes us. If I had a paper ARC, I would have three students who would read this right away!
Weaknesses: Arden is a typically Anglo-Celtic medieval world, and there are so many fantasies with this setting. While I always have readers who adore this, I personally am looking forward to the Rick Riordan imprint that will introduce more fantasies from different world cultures.
What I really think: Definitely will purchase for fans of Pierce's Alanna, Wrede's Dealing with Dragon's, Levine's The Two Princesses of Ba'Marre, Hale's Princess Academy,  and Jessica Day George's  and Diana Zahler's fantasy books.

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