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Black Unicorn (Unicorn #1)

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 1,944 ratings · 70 reviews

Nobody knew where it had come from, or what it wanted. Not even Jaive, the sorceress, could fathom the mystery of the fabled beast. But Tanaquil, Jaive's completely unmagical daughter, understood it at once. She knew why the unicorn was there: It had come for her. It needed her. Tanaquil was amazed because she was the girl with no talent for magic. She could only fiddle wi...more

Mass Market Paperback, 188 pages

Published August 15th 1993 by Tor Books (first published October 1st 1991)

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Aug 06, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone, young girls

My all time favorite book. An intelligent YA novel by Tanith Lee that never talks down to its audience. A creative take on this mythical beast, Lee's unicorn is hardly the gentle creature the reader expects. Tanaquil, the heroine, is a spirited and likable young girl, probably the most lovable of all Lee's characters. This fantasy novel takes place in a jewel of a fictional world and is ultimately about family relationships, learning that one's world and one's family may be far from perfect, but...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fantasy and Magic lovers! Good for adding variety to typical magical scenarios!

Recommended to Nicole by: Library in Middle School

Shelves: fantasy

Some might question why I would rate this book Four out of Five Stars, and I will back up my reasoning for this by stating that at first read, it may not seem like it's worth such a rating. The beginning all the way through until nearly the very end is full of chaotic, annoying, even frustrating situations. There are so many things that are all over the place, and that go wrong or annoy the heck out of you in this book, or that make no sense in any logical way possible. Plus the people, with the...more Some might question why I would rate this book Four out of Five Stars, and I will back up my reasoning for this by stating that at first read, it may not seem like it's worth such a rating. The beginning all the way through until nearly the very end is full of chaotic, annoying, even frustrating situations. There are so many things that are all over the place, and that go wrong or annoy the heck out of you in this book, or that make no sense in any logical way possible. Plus the people, with the exception of--ironically--Gork, in my opinion, are all for the most part things to just get in the way and muddle everything up even more. It can be a really annoying read because the entire mood of the book is wrought with high-tension and a very tangible line of ire. Every second you can sense an aggression in the characters or situations the story leads you through. And when there's no anger, you're still liable to grit your teeth and try to muscle your way through. Even the way the story reads adds to this, and since this is the only book I've read by Tanith Lee, I'm not sure if this is her writing style, or if she did it on purpose. However, I'm leaning towards the second one for a reason that I will explain shortly. The book for the most part, to sum it up, comes off as a very terse, very aggravating read. There's little sense in it, and the situations you read about are hard to accept, because they're either annoying or revolting or insulting enough to make any sensible person refuse to.

...and then you get to the part of the book's namesake: The Unicorn. It's not your normal fantasy book, because instead of being filled with awe-inspiring magical lands and deeds and High Magic, and blah blah blah, etc.~ You have the world of chaos I described to you above. Indeed, when you first are introduced to the unicorn in the book, it's not a fussy, pretty-pet-me pony-type like you expect, with posies in its hair and all that girly mush (no offense, gals; I like my girly things every so often too~) you expect from what you've heard of unicorns. No, instead you have this powerful, otherworldly, fearsome creature more like a monster than some frilly confection of a girl's imagination. This creature alone strikes an elaborate and shadowy feeling of magic throughout the story, casting a streak of vivid life on the obscenity of the contrived world around it. It's so alien in the scenario of this book that it immediately catches you, and refuses to let you go. You read on for pages wondering where it went, when it'll appear again, what it wants and where it's taking you.

Then you find out. You find out everything. But it doesn't prepare you for the thrilling, beautiful concept that this book throws at you. It's like a fraction's glimpse into something you never expected, and yet makes so much...sense! And just as soon as you've got it, you get thrown yet another curve. And it's almost too much to bear, but through it, the main character, Tanaquil, finds a strength that's no longer grim, no longer stumbling or bitter. She grows in a way that you almost don't notice until at the very end of the book you realize you're seeing someone else talking, and that all the smarts and sarcasm she had before have now gone through possibly the worst and most beautiful fire ever. Knowing what she had to turn her back on would wrench anyone's heart right into their throat, because it's cruel and wonderful, sad and yet has to be the way it ended. And because of that, you realize her mind and her heart have been cured by the flames of that terrible trial, and she's grown out of that stubborn, vengeful child she was at the beginning of the book.

Oh, one other character I must talk about. The Peeve. It's actually the name of a race of little animals with thick, curly fur that live in the desert and like to burrow. I always imagined them as a cross between these really fuzzy doggies, with all their snuffling and snorting, and bone-digging and such. *Laughs* There's one in this book, and it doesn't have a name throughout the entire thing, so while Tanaquil just talks to it directly, the author addresses it "the peeve" and so on. But. IT IS SOOOOOO CUTE. Seriously! I'm a big animal lover, and I've read a TON of fantasy books with different types of animals in them, old and new species alike. But this one... is just... EPIC!!! I am seriously in jaw-dropping, fangirly-squeeing, "I MUST HAVE ONE NOW!!!!!" love with the Peeves! XD They are flippin' hilarious and undeniably cute!! <333 Plus the one that's with Tanaquil can talk, since some loose magic touched it, so you get these absolutely precious lines from it throughout the rest of the rancid situations in the book that just bring a smile to your face or make you laugh. And trust me, in this book, you could REALLY use that! From every territorial to dog-like trait it has, to the image of it throwing up tons of sand as it digs furiously for whatever it's looking for now, is so priceless in this book.

In the end, the greatness of this book is in its ending, when you find out not just what the unicorn wanted Tanaquil to do, but also what happens when Tanaquil follows it into where it leads her. And I'm being very specific here. There is something amazing that happens, but to avoid spoiling the book, I don't want to say it. However, there's something that happens when Tanaquil's in that last place the unicorn leads her to, and when she turns around and looks back behind her, and sees what happened because of the fact that she crossed that threshold...the words that she says to that place, and the way it accepts her words...that's one of the most powerful scenes in the entire book. The power of what she decided, and what she said there in that place, is profound. It's part of the choice she makes, on the very last page or two of the book, when she tells the peeve what she wants to do now. What she's going to do. All the acrid, vicious, aggressiveness of her world and ours is made up for by those last parts of the book. It makes every bad and ireful thing worth it; makes the abrupt, wild, chaotic journey seem like the smallest price to have paid for what she's learned and decided to do now. And I can honestly say it's one of the best endings to a book I've ever read. It's got such hope, maybe a foolish, thin hope, but powerful and unstoppable for someone who saw just what it could be like if it was really accomplished.

*Smiles* You won't know the full meaning of it until you've read this. Trust me, all the annoyances and stupidity and disgust is worth it for the end. It's one of those books, and definitely one of those experiences. It's just so worth it. If you're a fantasy or magic lover at all, you have to give this book a shot. It's probably not the typical magical fairytale you're used to, but it's a great story for feeding the mind with rich, amazing ideas. Bringing in my own personal experience, this is one of the five or six books I read out of hundreds when I was in 7th Grade that always stuck with me. And being a huge Fantasy reader during that time, almost all of them were the same genre as this book. Yet this was one of the very few that I still remember and keep close to my heart even now, nearly ten years later. It has influenced a great deal of my own writing over the years, until it's become a permanent staple of my imagination. *Smiles warmly* And that is the highest compliment I can pay a book and its author.

I still feel it was missing something, and it left me needing more--wanting much, much more. I could never bring myself to say it was "amazing," because there was always an element missing to the characters themselves that made it hard to feel an affinity even for Tanaquil at some points. She was a wonderful character, but maybe it was the style of the book that threw me off. It was very to-the-point and didn't elaborate on the main character in a lot of places where it could have. This made it hard to relate to Tanaquil as closely as I wanted to a lot of times. If there had been more focus on Tanaquil as the main character, this would have been eased and probably made the book a lot more relate-able and even enjoyable. Instead we get a sense that Tanaquil herself is just another character, one that we happen to be following more than the others. That's the only real complaint I have for this book: that Tanaquil as the main character should have been placed into that position a little more relate-ably instead of seeming so distant from the reader. At the same time, I can understand how this would be difficult considering the mood of the story, but I feel that it should have been manageable, and would have greatly improved the book.

Nonetheless! This is a book that is worth the read, and will probably add variety to the typical fantasy books that are out there. Its ideas may come off coarsely, but the ideas themselves are so worth your reading that it well makes up for it with them. Plus, the character is smart, if a little cynical at first. It's a great book for anyone expanding their Fantasy/Magic collections, and will give you a swift, interesting lesson in mood-setting. Pick it up, in the library or on sale, but give it a shot. You may find it more interesting than you bargained for, even if the writing style may sometimes catch you off guard and set you off balance. It's earned the stars I gave it by my book!(less)

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May 08, 2012 Melissa Prange rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tanaquil is bored. Living in an isolated palace with her sorceress mother, she finds little to do. She spends as much of her idle time as possible fixing things for the servants and guards. She is excellent at tinkering--which is just as well since she has absolutely no proficiency for magic (much to her mother's dismay). Things, however, aren't breaking quick enough for her liking, and she's tiring of her clothing disappearing and her oranges changing into birds. She's ready for a change, but h...more Tanaquil is bored. Living in an isolated palace with her sorceress mother, she finds little to do. She spends as much of her idle time as possible fixing things for the servants and guards. She is excellent at tinkering--which is just as well since she has absolutely no proficiency for magic (much to her mother's dismay). Things, however, aren't breaking quick enough for her liking, and she's tiring of her clothing disappearing and her oranges changing into birds. She's ready for a change, but her mother refuses to allow her to leave the palace.

Things begin looking up when a doggish creature called a peeve brings her a bone. She follows this strange, speaking creature into the desert. Together, they dig up an entire skeleton--one belonging to a unicorn. Tanaquil sets to work fixing the unicorn's bones back together. She wishes to make the skeleton move with the aid of one of her inventions, but she can't get it to work.

Meanwhile, during a dinner, some of her mother's magic seeps out and touches the unicorn, bringing it back to life. The unicorn dashes out into the desert, and Tanaquil and her companion, the peeve, are drawn along with it, venturing out into the wide world in pursuit of the mysterious creature.

Tanith Lee's Black Unicorn is a short book, but an enjoyable one. Tanaquil is a able heroine with a penchant for mechanics. She's likeable and different enough from your average fantasy heroine to make her interesting. Her sidekick, the peeve, kept me entertained throughout the entire novel. The little beastie had a mind and a personality all its own. It could be grumbly, inappropriate, and silly and is best described as a wonderful combination of a dog and cat. Tanith Lee wrote more books about these two, and I can't wait to read their other adventures.

The actual plot of the Black Unicorn was fairly standard: A bored heroine goes off in search of adventure. The story stands out, however, because of its deft mixture of Clockpunk and fantasy. There are automatons and demons in this story. I liked that I hadn't seen a world quite like this one before. It was refreshing, even if the story was very reminiscent of everything from Alice in Wonderland to Mary Brown's Pigs Don't Fly.

If you like unusual fantasy novels with strong heroines, I'd recommend you give Black Unicorn a try. I dare you not to want a peeve of your very own by the end of it. (less)

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Aug 20, 2012 Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What an interesting writing style. At times, Tanith Lee does carry on a bit, with her detailed, incredibly dramatic, poetic descriptions of things. Still, several times I was amazed at her poetic prose. She can do amazing things with the turn of a phrase. Clever, intelligent, and highly feeling all at once.

The story itself, the adventure, was pretty entertaining and original, (especially the first half), but honestly, my favorite character was this little desert animal called a "peeve." It was s...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Rusty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, children-ya

The beginning of trilogy by Tanith Lee introduces Tanaquil, 16, who believes that her mother has no time for her and wonders if she really loves her. Tanaquil is seemingly void of the magic her mother possesses but finds that she can repair almost anything and what she repairs never again breaks. Bored and frustrated with her life, when her pet peeve finds a bone in the desert the strangeness of the bone appeals to her and the two uncover a skeleton of a unicorn. Missing some pieces, Tanaquil fa...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Dayna Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first book in an interesting series. Tanaquil is a young girl whose sorceress mother, Jaive, is disappointed in her because she has no magical abilities. All she is able to do is fiddle with machinery and fix anything that breaks. When a peeve digs up a unicorn skeleton, Tanaquil puts it together. When it comes to life she knows it has come for her. It needs her, but for what? Tanaquil and the peeve set out on a journey of self discovery to aid a mythical creature and what they find is amazi...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Kyle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, adventure, devourable, diamonds-in-the-rough, fantasy, favorites, mythology, teen

I remember this fantasy vividly from my childhood, or at least the first "book," with Tanaquil, the fortress, the peeve and the bones of the unicorn. Re-reading it now I seem to have completely forgotten about the rest of the story so that's probably why it doesn't quite live up to the first part for me. But overall this was definitely worth a re-read as an adult. Tanith Lee has a unique voice in fantasy, one that I appreciate very much. Her prose is vivid, fresh and alluring. I look forward to...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Kit★ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, y-a, series

I decided to read this one because of its small size, and that fact that it'd been sitting on my TBR pile for awhile. So, since I'd just read a few romances in a row, I was wanting a change, and decided on this one. From the first couple of pages, I was hooked. Already, there was a talking portrait of a sorceress, wine coming from the bath spout, a meandering, oddly-built castle/fortress, and a furry little talking animal. The main character, Tanaquil, is the sorceress' daughter. She's a young g...more I decided to read this one because of its small size, and that fact that it'd been sitting on my TBR pile for awhile. So, since I'd just read a few romances in a row, I was wanting a change, and decided on this one. From the first couple of pages, I was hooked. Already, there was a talking portrait of a sorceress, wine coming from the bath spout, a meandering, oddly-built castle/fortress, and a furry little talking animal. The main character, Tanaquil, is the sorceress' daughter. She's a young girl, tired of her mother's magical crap, and all of the nonsense that happens (like the wine from the bath), and the lack of organization and normalcy in the place, like the lack of regular meals, and the frequent disappearance of her clothes and belongings. Tanaquil occupies her time fixing things for people, clocks, toys, crossbows, anything really, but she's so good at it, that once a thing's fixed, it never breaks again, and she's running out of things to fix. The fortress is isolated, way out in the middle of a desert, so she can't go anywhere, and she's just bored to death. One day, one of the peeves (the aforementioned furry little creatures) brings a bone to Tanaquil, a fantastic sparkly and strange looking bone. She coaxes him into telling her where he found it, and after some convincing, he moves his den to her room. They go and dig up the rest of the bones, and Tanquil puts them all together, and it turns out to be the skeleton of a unicorn. Well, it comes alive, and runs off into the desert, and Tanaquil and the peeve run off after it, eventually getting lost. After awhile, the black unicorn returns, and drags Tanaquil to an oasis before she dies, but then it disappears again. Soon, a caravan comes through on their way to the City by the Sea, and Tanaquil proves her skills with mending things and earns passage with them, going out of the desert for the first time ever in her life. Soon, they are near the city. However, the peeve's mischief and another appearance by the unicorn get them kicked out of the caravan and they have to make it the rest of the way to the city alone. At the gates, she has to pretend that the peeve's talking is a trick of hers to get in. She makes her way to the main market area and it's not long before the peeve is causing trouble again, snatching food and breaking things, getting Tanaquil into trouble. She ends up repairing a beautiful clockwork cobra for a snake charmer and earns a night with an outhouse for shelter and a morsel of dinner. The next day, the guy reports her to the Artisans' Guild, and they try to force her to join with outrageous fees. During the ceremony, again there's trouble, and the unicorn shows up again, frightening all the guildsmen, letting Tanaquil and peeve make their escape. In the middle of this riot, she is found by a girl in a chariot who happens to be the princess Lizra. She takes them back to the palace, and it's not long before the two girls are friendly. Lizra's life is similar in many ways to Tanaquil's. Soon it is the festival of the blessing, celebrating the ancient legend of a white unicorn rising from the sea and helping the first prince found the city. There's to be a massive procession to the sea, and a ceremony as well, but the black unicorn shows up again and everyone panics, mass stampede back to the city. The prince, Lizra's father, makes an embarrassment of himself in his fear. When it's over, only Tanaquil and Lizra are left behind, puzzled. They've figured out that they are sisters, Lizra's father being the same man Tanaquil's mother claims to have denounced. Tanaquil isn't exactly thrilled though, as the prince is cold and standoffish and rude. So they don't let anyone else in on the secret. Everyone blames Tanaquil for the chaos, claiming she is a witch, so she and the peeve make their way from the city and go back to the place by the sea where the unicorn had appeared. There's, Tanaquil's mother shows up as an apparition and she confirms that Tanaquil's father is indeed the prince. She also tells Tanaquil that the unicorn is not from their world, and that Tanaquil needs to help get it back to where it came from. Turns out Tanaquil has some magic of her own with the fixing she does. So Tanaquil needs to fix the portal gate to the unicorn's world, which she quickly does. The peeve follows the unicorn through, and so Tanaquil follows too. This different world is amazing in its beauty and perfection, and they follow the unicorn for awhile until Tanaquil realizes everything they've touched has blackened and died. They make a hasty retreat, but not before the unicorn gives Tanaquil the gift of invincibility. Tanaquil takes the keys to the gate with her so that no one else can use it. Once back in her own world, the prince's soldiers are waiting for her, but thanks to the unicorn's gift, they can't hurt her. In the end, she decides to go out and see the world, setting off to travel until she is content. At the very end, the peeve says, "I found a bone," repeating what he said to Tanaquil that started everything back in the desert. I want to find the other books in this series soon so I can find out what else is going to happen. I liked this book, it wasn't really what I was expecting, but it was good. I liked the nonsensical things that happened and the world was interesting to imagine. So they others are on my wishlist now.(less)

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Jun 07, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, series

I'd read this back in high school, but really didn't remember anything about it, so I decided to reread the series to see if it was as good as I remember it being. Well, yes and no.

The plot revolves around Tanaquil, the young daughter of a powerful (if erratic) desert-living sorceress. When a semi-tame peeve (think a catlike creature)discovers a sparkling, moonlight-colored bone, she is intrigued and follows it to find the rest of the bones. She uses her unmagical talent for mending things to p...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Echo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 50-books-in-09, fantasy

Tanaquil is the daughter of sorceress Jaive. They live in a fortress in the desert, and Jaive's magic is always leaking around the place and making all sorts of interesting things happen (like the desert creatures called "peeves" gaining the ability to talk). Tanaquil herself doesn't have any of her mother's abilities, and she only keeps herself entertained by her ability to fix things. Then one night, a peeve comes to her window with a beautiful bone. Tanaquil convinces the peeve to lead her to...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Anya Behn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beautifully written in a calm engagingly entwined manner. The story is musing on greater themes about why our world is the way it is, yet is not at all pendantic. I highly recommend this book. It is suitable for young adults and younger; I will recommend it to my child at around 12.
It's one in a series of fantasy books by different acclaimed authors called 'Dragonflight'.

I am left with a sense of peaceful musing after reading this book, as well as a sense of lasting beauty.

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Oct 23, 2012 Carrie Penney rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy fans, young girls

Shelves: random-book-list-challenge, fantasy, magic, unicorns, young-adult, own, adventure, single-parent, coming-of-age, 1st-in-a-series, demons, tanith-lee, kickass-spirited-strong, part-of-a-series, rrrc, monopoly

Yet another great book by Tanith Lee, this is the fourth book of hers that I have read, and I have yet to be disappointed.

Black Unicorn is a story, about a young girl, Tanaquil, who is bored and lonely. She feels her mother, who is powerful sorceress, has no time for her. Her father she knows nothing of him, she has never known him. She can mend things, everything she fixes, never breaks. One day with the help of peeve,( cat like animal) she discovers a bunch of bones in the desert. Puts them t...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Kayla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't particularly know what it was about this book that I enjoyed, when I tend to dislike books with unicorns in them. Perhaps it was because the unicorn wasn't a big focus of the book.
The setting and writing style of the book strongly reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones' Castle series. Those books were some of my favorites, so perhaps that had a big impact on my giving this book 4 stars instead of my usual 3.

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Jan 29, 2013 Kaila rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, fantasy, young-adult, unicorns

I will think about this every time I pick this book up NO MATTER WHAT I DO:

(Thank you Natalie Dee for being random/awesome)

Loved this book. Didn't talk down to its audience, the heroine was a redhead (yay!), the peeve was hilarious. The unicorn was one of the best I've seen - majestic, powerful, and terrifying. Like a unicorn should be.

Getting the sequels asap.

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Jun 09, 2011 Jeremiah Bookworm rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy

The strong, independent female character is reminiscent of Robin McKinley, only Lee has a much cleaner writing style, uncluttered with all the unnecessary detail of McKinley's works. In places the writing style is strikingly elegant and beautiful, and though the story gets off to a slow start, it builds to a breathtaking conclusion which whets the reader's desire and sense of wonder, a requirement for all good fantasy fiction.

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Jan 23, 2013 Becki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book reminds me of a lot of the great children's movies such as dark crystal, labyrinth and never ending story. The only negative point I have is I felt it suffered a little from a solid direction for the reader initially, it wasn't until 80% of the way through the plot made more sense.

Despite that I adored this book, I'd love to see it a movie the characters and world were brilliant!

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Jan 11, 2011 Milli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really a fun read. The writing style is a bit different though - it's quick and focuses more on the plot than the characters which makes the story a bit superficial, so don't expect this to read like most other typical fantasy books. However, it's still well-written and I absolutely love the dry humor, and the peeve is one of my all-time favorite characters!

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Sep 08, 2012 Juliana rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Im wondering if I missed something- everyone else is rating it about 4 stars! I just didn't like it. It didn't flow very well, and some parts of it just didn't relate to each other or make sense. I just couldn't get through it- its the first book ever I haven't finished because i just didn't like it

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Aug 20, 2009 Dixie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I remember reading this book over and over as kid. It was one of the first fantasy books I remember reading. I love Tanaquil in this book.This is a book about coming of age, discovering yourself, and realizing you are exactly who you are suppose to be. One of my favorite books of all time!

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Aug 19, 2010 Meri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-and-childrens

I found this while browsing the library shelves and suddenly remembered how much I loved it! There are scenes from the book that I can still see in my imagination today, probably 17 years after I read it. I can't believe I forgot about it for so long! I'm so glad my library has it.

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May 13, 2010 Kristie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

Only so-so. It was an interesting story, but the author spent a lot of time describing things and places, and by the end of the book I still didn't feel like I knew the main character that well. I don't think I'm even going to bother reading the next book.

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Dec 10, 2012 Becky Koski rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An excellent read, lots of unique aspects to the usual fantasy. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I were closer to the intended age range (YA, probably aimed at 11-16 year olds). I plan to see if Tanith Lee (whose short stories I have read before and thoroughly enjoyed) has written more for adults.

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Apr 28, 2010 Haley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

This was an interesting story that was lacking in a few areas but still worth reading. It goes along well with the red unicorn. I can't tell which one I liked more but the character development by the red unicorn was much better making for a little bit more of an interesting read. (SKIP GOLD UNICORN!)

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Feb 10, 2012 Jared rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A powerful and disturbing take on unicorns--shades of Le Guin. Starts off charming and light, buy slowly morphs into a nightmare of a children's novel. Still fit for children, but pregnant with a dread that will spook adults.

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Oct 04, 2012 Tenaya Jayne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Tanith Lee. This book took me back to my early love of reading. It's written for the 12yr age range but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lee has such a wonderful imagination. I loved the peeve!

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Apr 22, 2011 Maddy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

very young adult aimed, but an entertaining tale, and interesting in the exploration of a person with dangerously unknown powers. The first and best in the trilogy.

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Oct 13, 2012 Laura Martyn added it · review of another edition

I love this series, and how Tanith Lee gives you just enough details of two extraordinary worlds, while letting you use your imagination to fill in the rest.

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May 27, 2011 Thomas Ponce rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At tht time I read this book I really enjoyed it. It is a great story that shows how it is okay for child to be different from what some may expect one to be.

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Feb 12, 2010 Cara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read this when I was 12, and loved it then. In a fit of nostalgia I found and bought a used copy (sadly this book is OOP), and I still love it now.

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Mar 06, 2008 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: youth-titles

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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What's The Name o...: YA (probably?) fantasy w/ female MC and pet peeve? [s]	9	47	Oct 27, 2012 08:48am

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About Tanith Lee

Tanith Lee is a British writer of science fiction, horror, and fantasy. She is the author of 77 novels, 14 collections, and almost 300 short stories. She has also written four radio plays broadcast by the BBC and two scripts for the UK, science fiction, cult television series "Blake's 7."
Before becoming a full time writer, Lee worked as a file clerk, an assistant librarian, a shop assistant, and a...more

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Books by Tanith Lee

The Silver Metal Lover (Silver Metal Lover, #1)

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Quotes from Black Unicorn

“I haven't changed. Something's happened to me, that's all.” — 3 people liked it

“She braced herself for the pain of the perfect horn breaking her heart.” — 1 person liked it

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Black Unicorn (Unicorn #1)

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