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Rampant (Killer Unicorns #1)

by Diana Peterfreund (Goodreads Author)

3.64 · rating details · 2,660 ratings · 630 reviews

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns...

Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. Fortunately, they've been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.

Or not.

Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfrien...more

Hardcover, 402 pages

Published August 25th 2009 by Harper Teen (first published August 18th 2009)

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May 10, 2011

Joel marked it as to-not-read-ever

Recommends it for: generic teen girls

Recommended to Joel by: certainly not the art department

Shelves: ya, vote-getters

This book is about giant killer unicorns. GIANT KILLER UNICORNS!

So why does it have a generic picture of a teen girl on the cover? Is it really and truly the case that today's generic teen girl will only read a book with a generic teen girl on the front, because that is how she identifies that it is indeed a book for generic teen girls to read?

Because if I was a generic teen girl and I wanted to read a book about GIANT KILLER UNICORNS, I wouldn't look for the one with me ...more

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Nov 10, 2011

Hannah rated it

This book had such great plot potential. A group of teen virgin huntresses in a secret society in Italy hunting poison horned, razor teethed, merciless unicorns. What could be cooler than this!? Unfortunately, the book did not live up to its potential; it wasn't a good book at all. I felt that unicorn hunting came second to lame romance in this book. There seems to be more paragraphs talking about the huntresses’ nonexistent sex lives than their actual training for killing unicorns. The main cha...more

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Jan 24, 2010

Nic rated it

I'll start by saying this is a fantastic premise. It's about as high-concept as you get: "Killer unicorns!" The only basic book idea to hook you in fewer words is Jurassic Park, with, "Dinosaurs!"

The author also set up a lot of compelling dilemnas for Astrid, the protagonist. She has the special powers of a unicorn hunter thanks to being a female virgin descended from Alexander the Great. No one knows why for sure, but that's the way it goes. But does she wa...more

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Feb 11, 2009

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

Think unicorns are sweet, magical horse-like creatures? Think again!

Diana Peterfreund introduces us to the darker side of unicorns in her novel RAMPANT. Peterfreund's unicorns are man-eating monsters. They can kill with poison in their horns, rip someone apart with their sharp teeth, and some have breath that can kill (literally).

Astrid Llewelyn has listened to her mother's crazy stories about extinct man-eating...more

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Nov 24, 2009

Michele rated it

When Astrid's potential prom date is attacked by a unicorn not only is her social life in ruins but she realizes her eccentric mother has been right all along. Unicorns do exist and they aren't the happy my little ponies we have been led to believe they are. They are man eating monsters with poisonous sharp horns. Astrid's mother said they were extinct and is ecstatic to find out they aren't. Now Astrid can embrace her heritage as a unicorn hunter.

Astrid is a descendent of a famous u...more

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Mar 22, 2010

Heather rated it

Shelves: ya-scifi-fantasy, books-read-in-2010, worst-reads-ever-read-nevertheless, ya-library-books

I had plagued this book with prejudices from the beginning, so I probably had no business reading it in the first place, which makes this an unfair rating and review. I actually wanted to stop reading it at least ten times and never pick it up again, that would be a first for me, because I can never not finish a book even if I hated it.

I hated this book with a fiery passion. If it wasn't for my policy of finishing a book I started, then I never would have gotten to the ending, which...more

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Feb 03, 2012

Kathy rated it

Shelves: girls_kick_butt, romance, young-adult-fantasy

When I first started Rampant it was a little slow, all the history of the unicorn legends and stories and the histories of the bloodlines and all that, but at the same time I found it fascinating. I can't imagine the amount of research Peterfreund had to do for Rampant. I love stories that are centered around legend and folklore and I love the concept of virgin girls kicking major monster butt!!!

As Beth Revis' (author of Across the Universe) mentioned the feminism aspect of the story...more

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Apr 15, 2011

Priscilla rated it

Fantastically surprised to how much I enjoyed this read!

1) The mythology. Oh my! I'm kind of a nerd, so when this book get's deep into the myth of the unicorns I was utterly fascinated. Yes, I'm going to be looking into these myths right after this.
2) Kick-ass females. There's a lot of them here that wield swords, bows, axes, daggers, and cross bows.
3) Unicorns are scary. No one likes to be cut, not even by a unicorn. I love how I'm terrified by them now.
4) Romance?!! WH...more

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Nov 17, 2009

Rebecca rated it

First thing I have to say about Rampant is how cool is this cover. But the cover is actually not the first thing that drew me to this book. No, it was the unicorns. It is not everyday I get to read a book about unicorns. Much less killer unicorns at that. That is why I am very happy that I managed to grab a hold on Rampant and read it to the very end.

From the first couple of pages we are instantly drawn into the action with a unicorn attack and I thought it was very cool and very ex...more

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Sep 21, 2009

Christy rated it

Shelves: young-adult, owned

I picked up the book at 4:30pm. I read straight through until 12:30am and had only 20 pages to go when I absolutely had to go to bed so I could at least be in some acceptable shape for work the next day. In a word: RAMPANT is addictive, and like the alicorn venom that affects the body at an alarmingly fast rate, the book takes hold of the reader from the moment the first unicorn shows and doesn't let go until you've read it all the way through. Except, you know, reading the book doesn't give ...moreI picked up the book at 4:30pm. I read straight through until 12:30am and had only 20 pages to go when I absolutely had to go to bed so I could at least be in some acceptable shape for work the next day. In a word: RAMPANT is addictive, and like the alicorn venom that affects the body at an alarmingly fast rate, the book takes hold of the reader from the moment the first unicorn shows and doesn't let go until you've read it all the way through. Except, you know, reading the book doesn't give you all the nasty side-effects of having been run through with a poisoned unicorn horn.

RAMPANT, like Diana Peterfreund's work in the SECRET SOCIETY GIRL series, features a new cast of spunky characters! This set of girls (whose ages range in the teens) are sent to the Eternal City to train to hunt down (and slaughter) killer unicorns. They are the virginal descendants of Alexander the Great, gifted with the ability to be superhero-esque in their fight against the beasts.

I admit: I didn't know if I was going to "buy" it. Meaning, the story, not the book itself. I wasn't sure how Diana would feed me this story about killer unicorns galloping about the world, goring and eating humans. But, in the opening chapter, in one single scene, I bought the whole thing -- hook, line, and sinker.

The heroine and narrator, Astrid, is an unwilling hunter caught up in the monstrous world wherein she must learn to be a warrior and accept it as her own destiny. This gift, or this curse as it may be, was thrust upon her, and throughout the novel she struggles with her ability to commit to the cause. To take responsibility. To actually become, willingly, a unicorn hunter. She toys with ways to escape the enormous task, considers unloading the burden -- after all, the only thing she would have to do would be to cash in her V-card and her special ability would be gone. Perhaps, maybe, she could return to her normal life -- nevermind that the life she left behind wasn't much of one to begin with. Her indecision keeps the reader on edge as one wonders: will she take up her destiny?

The answer, of course, is that she must. How could she not? But what will it take, to bring her to that edge, to push her over the line -- where, then, is the point of no return?

That tension there kept me hooked (well, along with all the unicorn attacks that would come and the bloody mess that it would leave behind) all throughout the novel. I kept reading, hardly glancing up, hardly eating until I was twenty pages from the end. I needed to know: how would it end. I knew, even as I bought this book, that there would be another to come... now, I just hate that I have to wait until Fall 2010 to get my hands on it.

The characters in the book are incredibly diverse. Phil has an air of rebellion around her, a devil-may-care attitude, and yet she shows such love for her cousin Astrid, I just love her all around. At one point, your heart breaks for her. Cory, the ultra-focused unicorn hunter that was the first to arrive, comes off somewhat misunderstood. And Lilith, Astrid' mother, who had told her of the existence of unicorns for years. At first, I was ambivalent towards her. But later... later, I strongly disliked her.

And Giovanni. (Slight swoon here). It'll be fun to see how his role grows as the series progresses.

Perhaps where Diana shows her strength is not only in the prose that she writes. It's fluid. There's a strong Voice in the work. The descriptions are vivid, elaborate at times. If you've read her other work, none of this will be a surprise.

But the details! The history! The richness! The retelling, recreating of worlds and histories. The revelations that come, little by little, and never at a rush... great timing, excellent pacing, but extraordinary details.(less)

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Jan 07, 2011

Wealhtheow rated it

Recommended to Wealhtheow by: Shinynickel

Shelves: fantasy, ya

Astrid just wants to grow up to be a doctor, but her mother's obsession with unicorns has made it difficult. And then, in the midst of a steamy make-out session with her boyfriend, a unicorn attacks. Turns out her mother was right all along--unicorns do exist, and they're out for our blood. So instead of prom and graduation, Astrid gets shipped to Italy to a unicorn-hunting training camp.

I love the twist of turning unicorns into bloodthirsty predators, and the unicorn-hunters are e...more

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Jul 24, 2010

Chantele rated it

When I heard of this book, "killer unicorns" I thought it would be pretty cool. I mean, all I've ever heard about unicorns was how beautiful and pure they were, and in this book they are nothing but sharp teeth and poisonous horns.
While the overall idea is unique, I just couldn't get a good picture of a razor sharp tooth, man eating unicorn in my head. I tried, I really did, but I just kept thinking of a beautiful white, not dangerous, horse with a horn. ;)
Astrid was a ...more

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Aug 24, 2009

Darcy Wishard rated it

What image comes to mind when you think of a unicorn? Rainbows and green meadows? Goodness and purity? Well these my friends, are not the unicorns we discover in the world of Rampant! These unicorns can kill you with their venomous acid breath or rip a hole in you with their poisonous horns. Yeah, not too pleasant...

I was caught up in this book from the first few pages. Astrid's adventure starts in chapter one and the roller coaster continues all the way to the last page. She is a st...more

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Mar 03, 2009

Lenore Appelhans rated it

16 year old Astrid has always thought her mother was nuts with all her talk of killer unicorns and how they were driven to extinction by a virgin ancestor. But when Astrid’s best chance for a prom date is mauled by a unicorn in an apparent reemergence, Astrid discovers the truth behind the legends and joins a convent of virgin warrior maidens in Rome charged with protecting mankind from the foul beasts.

Sounds kind of out there doesn’t it? But Author Peterfreund has done her research ...more

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Jul 24, 2010

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Shelves: books-i-own

Go Team Unicorn!

I've always been a fan of unicorns, stemming from the days of Legend starring Tom Cruise. I guess I've always been mesmerized by magic and mythology. Things that aren't "real" but.... could they be?

Rampant has revived my love for mythology and magic, in the form of flesh eating unicorns!

Plain and simply this book was awesome. Unique and action-packed, not to mention a little bit of romance thrown in... I could not put it down. I love...more

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Feb 25, 2011

stephanie rated it

Shelves: 2009, absolutely-must-read, fantasy, would-rec, young-adult, 2011

you guys. YOU GUYS.

YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK. it's freaking AWESOME. of course, i am a mythology freak also, but STILL.

KILLER UNICORNS, PEOPLE! KILLER UNICORNS!!

and there are layers upon layers to this. women's rights and growing up and accepting responsibility and becoming yourself, not defined by other people.

i love this story so much. i love astrid, and phil, and cory, and bonegrinder.

and i LOVED a certain karkadann. oh, the history and h...more

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Dec 26, 2009

Nan rated it

Recommends it for: Tamora Pierce fans

Recommended to Nan by: Angie Thompson

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

I hate unicorns. That is, I hate them now. As a kid, I cross-stitched two unicorn pictures to hang on my bedroom wall.

Thankfully, that phase passed pretty quickly. I grew tired of the sickly sweetness associated with unicorns, and I moved on.

This book confirmed for me that unicorn worshipping is a very bad idea. When an animal has horns, what are they for? They're usually a weapon used when fighting another animal. They're not some kind of beauty accessory.

...more

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Apr 25, 2009

Claire marked it as to-read

Shelves: adults-reading-ya-lit, first-person-narrator-all-ages, high-school-and-beyond, a-7th-and-8th-grade-middle-school-t

With this glammed up cover and the unicorn mythology, I really expected to be disappointed, but I liked this book. It is light weight yet for girls (or boys) who liek the Lioness Rampant series, this is a possibility. A strong, in this case, modern girl is born into a (get this) unicorn fighting family - only virgin women of this particular descent can slay the mortal enemy of humans, the unicorn. Once thought to be extinct, the unicorns are returning and the members of this far flung family are...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Katharine rated it

Shelves: ya, fantasy, adventure

Although Rampant is very different in genre and subject matter, I can't help comparing it to Diana Peterfreund's other series, Secret Society Girl and its sequels - both favorably and unfavorably.

Let's start with the good: Rampant is very well-written. I think Peterfreund's prose is smoother and more consistent in this book. Setting descriptions are vivid, and her action scenes are excellent - they're clear and easy to envision, without losing the fast pace. This is something a lot ...moreAlthough Rampant is very different in genre and subject matter, I can't help comparing it to Diana Peterfreund's other series, Secret Society Girl and its sequels - both favorably and unfavorably.

Let's start with the good: Rampant is very well-written. I think Peterfreund's prose is smoother and more consistent in this book. Setting descriptions are vivid, and her action scenes are excellent - they're clear and easy to envision, without losing the fast pace. This is something a lot of authors never get right (including, in my opinion, JK Rowling). Peterfreund definitely has a knack for writing un-put-down-able books. Without using obvious techniques like cliffhangers on every chapter, she keeps me glued to the page (this was true for the SSG series too).

The subject and setting, a group of young woman who are destined by inheritance and blood to hunt down dangerous man-eating unicorns, is of course extremely creative and unique. It's another compliment to the author that as bizarre as this sounds, she somehow makes it believable within the framework of the story.

Now, unfortunately, we get to the flaws. I said the setting is surprisingly believable, which it is, but the novel opening I felt was weak and rushed. Astrid, the heroine, gets too many surprising revelations in a short time without really processing them, and thus the reader doesn't get to process either. It feels a bit info-dumpy, and there are portions that are told, not shown, which would have been stronger if we got to experience through Astrid's emotions and reactions. Instead of having her read a brochure about the secret order of unicorn hunters, have her discover it little by little with lots of dialogue and questions. Once we get truly established in the storyline, the writing is much much stronger, but the first few chapters were shockingly un-grabby considering Peterfreund's usual skill.

A related problem is that major conflicts are set up in the opening but barely touched on later. A major weak point was Astrid's relationship with her obsessive mother. The mother's characterization seemed exaggerated and lacked the subtlety I noticed in Peterfreund's other books, and Astrid fails to deal with the relationship in a believable way. The jump from overly-pushy Lilith to overly-concerned Lilith felt clunky, and then she completely disappears from the denouement of the novel.

This brings me to characterization. It was spotty. Peterfreund tends to write ensemble-cast stories, and of course not all the many side characters can get equal attention. But I felt she handled this better in the SSG series with quick and memorable character sketches. Here, a number of the other unicorn hunters tended to blur together for me. On the other hand, Astrid's cousin Phil I thought was brilliantly drawn and very identifiable. In fact she tended to steal my attention from Astrid herself, which may be only because I find it easier to relate to a college student than a high-school-aged protagonist, but I suspect may be also due to the fact that Phil is better written than Astrid.

Most unfortunate of all, because I know Peterfreund can write sizzling romance, Astrid's love interest came across as completely bland and flat. He seemed to exist only to provide info-dumps about Rome, and as a backdrop for Astrid's angsting about her required unicorn-hunter virginity. (Which, admittedly, was an issue Peterfreund mostly handled with subtlety and nuance.) It's hard to tell why Astrid falls for him, other than that he acts like a gentleman toward her. Yes, that's a nice quality for your hero, but it doesn't really provide a complete or interesting characterization.

Astrid herself is a mixed bag for me. While she's a strong heroine, some of the most interesting conflicts in her character were, again, brushed over. In the SSG series, Amy's massive self-doubt issues and her struggle to figure out her place provide a character arc that continues throughout the series, and is particularly well-written in book 4. Astrid, similarly, is torn between her destiny and her natural inclinations, but the attempt at resolution is really anvilicious and didn't convince me that her motivations made much sense. Both series are written in first-person, but Amy's voice in the SSG series had a lot more personality and zing. The narration here didn't give me a good handle on who Astrid really is.

The SSG series got stronger as it progressed, so I'm really hoping that the next few books in the Killer Unicorns series clear up some of these characterization issues. At any rate, Rampant was definitely good enough to make me want to continue reading the sequels. (less)

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Dec 14, 2011

Liyana rated it

This is one of the best books I've read so far. I had some misgivings about this book after the initial hype. Killer unicorns? Really?

Diana Peterfreund pulled off the whole shebang without a hitch. We're first introduced to Astrid, who's just a normal teenager with a loony for a mother. It's not loony, adorable loony. It's crazy loony. You have to read Rampant to find out just how crazy her mother is.

Astrid doesn't believe in unicorns. She's heard of them, of her so called he...moreThis is one of the best books I've read so far. I had some misgivings about this book after the initial hype. Killer unicorns? Really?

Diana Peterfreund pulled off the whole shebang without a hitch. We're first introduced to Astrid, who's just a normal teenager with a loony for a mother. It's not loony, adorable loony. It's crazy loony. You have to read Rampant to find out just how crazy her mother is.

Astrid doesn't believe in unicorns. She's heard of them, of her so called heritage from her mother, but tch. Unicorns. Who in ther right mind would believe that? Then her boyfriend almost gets gored by a unicorn during a make out sesshun. Add in a cameo by a backstabbing best friend, and away goes Astrid's life as she knows it.

This is where reality takes a backseat, and fantasy gleefully takes the reins. Astrid is sent off to a convent in Rome where she learns how to fight unicorns now that she's received her calling. The action really starts there, even though at times I'm struck by the absurdity of it, like when potential hunters start coming from all over the world, and all of them seemed to be rich and/or influential in some way, and just able to stave off normal lives. Which also means that their parents are willing to sacrifice their daughters to a foreign land "fighting unicorns". It could be a kidney smuggling ring, for all they know.

However, the descriptions are breathtaking, the writing is superbly lucid and the characters are just fantastically detailed. I especially dislike Astrid's mum, in case it wasn't obvious before. It's the worst case of parents pushing their dreams onto their children that I have ever read. Astrid's roommate, Cory, was pretty horrible even though there was a backstory to explain why. Her cousin, Phil, however, is just plain awesome. It was convenient that she was quickly removed as a potential adversary for Astrid.

There's a hint of romance in Rampant. Astrid's requisite love interest is lackluster and easily forgettable. All that I remember of him is that he's through and through a normal boy. The mythology makes up for all of that, with the different types of unicorns and their origins.(less)

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Sep 30, 2011

Dana rated it

Astrid just thinks her mom Lilith is crazy. Unicorns, a calling, battles and warrior ancestors is just crazy she isn’t alone her Uncle her mom’s brother feels the same. However, everything changes that night her boyfriend is almost gored to death by one. After, that night her life is never the same.

Astrid is shipped off to the Cloisters in Rome and begins leading a life she never asked for and never wanted. In the process she meets Giovanni an art student she is pretty sure she’s ...more

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Aug 30, 2011

Kate rated it

This book fell way short for me. I was excited to read it, I liked the idea that we were going to see unicorns in a new light and I especially liked that the main character, Astrid's, path was dictated by the life of Alexander the Great. I saw so many cool ways this could go. And go they did. I was really into this book for about 90% of the pages.

To start I really liked the mythology behind who the unicorn hunters were, that they were descendants of Alexander the Great who had a ...moreThis book fell way short for me. I was excited to read it, I liked the idea that we were going to see unicorns in a new light and I especially liked that the main character, Astrid's, path was dictated by the life of Alexander the Great. I saw so many cool ways this could go. And go they did. I was really into this book for about 90% of the pages.

To start I really liked the mythology behind who the unicorn hunters were, that they were descendants of Alexander the Great who had a great war horse, which was actually a unicorn. I liked how that whole plot line played out, the interweaving of Alexander and his horse, the mythology surrounding Diana and the virgin hunters and then how these girls are called upon to take up their place in the line of hunters when the unicorns re-emerge. Peterfreund does a phenomenal job creating this world, I felt like I could very clearly picture everything from Astrid and Giovanni to the Cloisters to the different types of unicorns. I never felt the need to page back and remind myself which was which- from the Zhi to the Karkadann I got completely what they were and what they looked like. Each hunter was well thought out and their reasons for being there played out nicely. I was completely with them as they struggled to become not just good hunters, but good unicorn hunters and as they contemplated what being a hunter meant. It was all very well done and then, for me, it crumbled.

Going into the last section I felt like there were a lot of loose ends. What ever became of Brandt, Astrid's sort of boyfriend who was attacked by a zhi and then miraculously cured by a unicorn poison remedy and then subsequently disappeared? To me it seemed like it was heavily hinted that the Gordian, who was bankrolling the hunters training may have taken him to perform tests on him. How about Seth, the seemingly good guy who we end up finding out was being paid by Gordian to deflower Astrid's cousin? He also disappears, but to where. What of the other hunters that the Gordian is supposedly keeping and running tests on? We know one was sent in to be a spy at the Cloisters (she changed sides), but what of the others? These are just three plot lines that are left completely unanswered. The final battle is supposed to be epic, but to me it was an epic let down. There was none of the gore and violence we saw earlier in the book, I wanted to see the girls really fight, but instead it seemed like they just walked on in and got down to slaughtering the unicorns. It ends and the head of The Gordian is taken out by the Karkadann and then it's over. I finished it and literally thought "Huh. So that was odd." Not the best way to end a book.

Others loved this book, so it's entirely possible I missed something, or that these things will be answered in the sequel, but on it's own I thought this book could have been great if it wasn't for these few things that closed the book out. (less)

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Jul 27, 2011

Sara rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars

Plot: 5 Stars
Unicorns are an underrated supernatural creature in the urban fantasy genre, especially evil ones. This book had me hooked the moment it told me that unicorns were dangerous. It was so ridiculous, it was awesome. I didn't think I'd be able to take this book seriously, but after only a couple chapters, I knew I'd never think of unicorns as cute and harmless again.

Maybe it's because I'm twenty-two, maybe not, but I thought the author handled the subject of sex quite...more

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Jul 18, 2011

P.M. rated it

Killer unicorns? Apparently so. Astrid is hanging out with her boyfriend when one attacks and gores him - possibly fatally. Luckily, Astrid's mom is an expert who has a Remedy which cures Brandt who promptly dumps Astrid. Then Mom finds a training academy for unicorn hunters in Rome and enrolls Astrid. Once there, she enters the world of unicorn hunters and finds a bond with the most famous hunter of 150 years ago who killed the giant unicorn ridden by Alexander the Great. She also finds she is ...more

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Jul 08, 2011

Kathryn rated it

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I read some reviews on here and thought "Well, at least it's just from the library."

Especially after I read these sentences from the second page:

"I wished I could forget my early indoctrination and act sanguine about these namby-pamby unicorn stories. But one-horned beasts of any stripe still gave me the willies."

WTF?!?!? What normal American teenager uses the words indoctrination, sangui...moreI didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I read some reviews on here and thought "Well, at least it's just from the library."

Especially after I read these sentences from the second page:

"I wished I could forget my early indoctrination and act sanguine about these namby-pamby unicorn stories. But one-horned beasts of any stripe still gave me the willies."

WTF?!?!? What normal American teenager uses the words indoctrination, sanguine, namby-pamby, or willies? I've never met one, but hey, maybe that's because I live in Tennessee and haven't been exposed to a more "cultured" teenager. Doubtful, though.

Luckily, though, that sort of language petered out and eventually disappeared, and for that I was very grateful. I noticed that the writing seemed choppy, and that she would hop from one place/ state of mind to the next without any sort of preamble or description of the journey between. That irritated me, but Mrs. Peterfreund made up for it with her wonderful descriptions of Rome and the Cloisters (and the feisty females that lived in them), and the creativity she used when it came to coming up with new takes on these unicorn species ( I loooove Bonegrinder sooooo much I WANT ONE! Although it would eat me...)

I liked Astrid, although I found myself yelling at her for either A.) taking too long to make the obvious decision, or B.) being a whore and trying to screw her boyfriend in a lawn chair to get out of unicorn hunting. I don't understand this. I WOULD LOVE TO MOVE TO ROME AND HUNT FREAKING UNICORNS! Ciest la vie....

Unfortunately, Giovanni seemed to be the typical, tall/dark/handsome guy who wasn't supposed to feel anything for her but miraculously does and claims she is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and adores her... oh and guess what! He's into classical art as well! Seems that teenage girls (I am one, but don't understand this) love those types.

I didn't like Phil. 'Nuff said. Her mother is a crazy bitch. Again, 'nuff said.

But the creativity, pacing, and plot made me reluctantly become enchanted by this story. Thank God I got the sequel as well, because if I had to wait until I went to the library again, I would be majorly pissed. This was a really good book, and I would definitely recommend it for fans of YA fantasy.(less)

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Jul 05, 2011

Yola NY rated it

Shelves: fantasy-romance, punya, terjemahan, supernatural

biasa sih..
rada bingung bacanya, mgkin gara2 tulisan satu halaman yg kayaknya terlalu penuh kalau buat ukuran novel (jadi gak bs rileks bacanya, tulisannya jg gak nyediain space gede nih), trus ini buku p1 tapi tokohnya udah banyak banget! haha, bingung bedain para pemburu, udah lupa aja ama kesan mereka. dan terlalu lumayan banyak bahas2 sejarah kuno, haha, jadi kayak balik ke bangku skolah lagi -____-

Astrid tokoh utamanya. aneh jg ngebayangin nama "astrid" itu org amri...morebiasa sih..
rada bingung bacanya, mgkin gara2 tulisan satu halaman yg kayaknya terlalu penuh kalau buat ukuran novel (jadi gak bs rileks bacanya, tulisannya jg gak nyediain space gede nih), trus ini buku p1 tapi tokohnya udah banyak banget! haha, bingung bedain para pemburu, udah lupa aja ama kesan mereka. dan terlalu lumayan banyak bahas2 sejarah kuno, haha, jadi kayak balik ke bangku skolah lagi -____-

Astrid tokoh utamanya. aneh jg ngebayangin nama "astrid" itu org amrik, malah jadi kebayang artis indo. heeu. awal baca masih ogah2an ama nih karakter. dikirim ke Itali, buat ngikutin pelatihan pemburu unicorn (hah! bayangin, masa' sih makhluk seindah + yg biasanya nolongin para tokoh di novel lain itu diburu) tapi masih blum terima keputusan sepihak dr ibunya itu. yeah, ibunya si astrid nih kayaknya trllu maniak ama unicorn-dan pemburu ini.

di pelatihan itu brkmpul deh para cewek-cewek yg konon katanya keturunan dari para pemburu wanita jaman baheula. dan semuanya harus virgin, soalnya kekuatan mereka itu yah letaknya di situ (bagus jg lah, jadinya gak ada seks bebas di novel ini. hihi). banyak deh tokoh pemburunya, aku lupa. ada sepupu Astrid juga, sama2 keturunan Llewyn. karakter Phillippa ini bertolak belakang ama Astrid.

pelatihan mereka dimulai dr cara berburu pake panah dlu. sampai ke perburuan mereka yg pertama, yg lumayan menghasilkan korban berdarah. tapi yah dalam novel ini kurang detail banget latihannya, padahal kan ini intinya latihan perburuan unicorn gitu, yg dilatih cuma panah doank. eh trus tiba2 udah ahli aja make pisau -___- bakat sih bakat, tapi kan lebih seru kalau ada prosesnya gitu.

mereka ketemu cowok2 ini. giovanni dan seth. dan trnyta mereka hmm.. aku cm bs bilang si seth ini cowok "tukang-kabur", sampai akhir crta gak jelas tuh kabar dia gmn, beneran kabur atau udah keburu mati dimakan unicorn. tapi aku suka Giovanni! hehe, walaupun dia emang bukan tipe cowok yg heroic atau super gitu, (sayangnya dia cuma manusia, huhu, padahal ngarep entah dia pemburu jg atau gmn, tapi yaah, pemburu unicorn cuma berjeniskelamin cewek) sikap dia yg selalu ada bt nolongin Astrid, wow!!

yaah, tetep biasa sih crtanya, walaupun ada letupan pnsran. hehe. teteeep deh masih blum bs bayangin unicorn itu makhluk jahat. yg kebayang malah kuda besi di iron fey series. (less)

· see review

May 05, 2011

Erin rated it

Shelves: young-adult

When I started this book I was a little skeptical. Killer unicorns, really? And for about the first 50 pages I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to keep reading. But then, I don’t know what happened, all of a sudden the main character, Astrid, came alive for me. Suddenly she was brave and strong and I needed to know how her story ended. From there the rest of the book flew by and I’m desperate to know if there will be more in the series.

The premise of the book is this: unicorns are not all...more

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Apr 04, 2011

Whatchyareading added it

Shelves: caitlin, fantasy, series, young-adult

After weeks of carrying the book around in my bag and not having any chance to read it, I finally put other things aside and used every spare minute today to finish it.

This book was most entertaining, and very original. I loved the idea of killer unicorns. Before I started the book, I was envisioning sprawling battles with swords and crossbows and majestic yet terrible beasts that are ravaging the unsuspecting population.

And I was not disappointed in that regard. What I d...more

· see review

Mar 13, 2011

Rebecca C rated it

Basic premise of the book: unicorns are not really the sparkly rainbow-farting cuddly beasts of legend. The legends are bullshit. In reality, unicorns are actually toxic and flesh-devouring killing machines that must be stopped at all costs. Enter the Cloisters, a group of virginal lady warriors who via some mystical, mostly unexplained, dna-based power go all Incredible Hulk when in proximity to said one-horned beasts. Astrid, typical teenage girl who previously had nothing more to worry about ...more

· see review

Feb 20, 2011

Lillianm rated it

Shelves: fucking-awful, rage-inducing

I honestly don't think I 've ever been more annoyed and angry at a book while reading it. Just...it was terrible. The idea is solid and interesting, but the characters are so derivative and annoying that I couldn't bring myself to care for them. In fact, I couldn't stand most of them. The only character I truly enjoyed was Phillipa and the struggle she has to face within the book is heartbreaking. But the main character is such an obnoxious bitch and so terribly underwhelming that the book fell ...more

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Diana Peterfreund has been a costume designer, a cover model, and a food critic. Her travels have taken her from the cloud forests of Costa Rica to the underground caverns of New Zealand (and as far as she’s concerned, she’s just getting started). Diana graduated from Yale University in 2001 with dual degrees in Literature and Geology, which her family claimed would only come in handy if she wrote...more

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