The Darkest Unicorn

Dark Unicorns #2

by Alice Hemming

In the usually peaceful kingdom of Essendor, people are going missing. Despite the new strict curfew, adventurous Thandie sneaks out at night on a dare from her friends and encounters a strange, unsettling boy. Little does she know that this meeting will force her life wildly off track, pushing her toward an unexpected danger and a fearsome unicorn who is at the very heart of the terrible disappearances she's heard so much about.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Unicorns

367 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2022

About the author

Alice Hemming is the author of over fifty books for children, including the bestselling Dark Unicorns series (Scholastic), and picture book, The Leaf Thief with illustrator Nicola Slater (Scholastic 2020), which has sold across the world and been translated into nineteen languages. Alice lives in Hertfordshire, UK with her husband and two children, and works in a writing shed at the top of her garden.

Reviews

[N.L. McFarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book, 'The Midnight Unicorn', but I found this one to be much more enchanting. I was gripped from the start with the characters and the plot flowed effortlessly into something that I read in two days...
I loved that one of the main characters reminded me of another fairytale character and how well the author had described everything. A lovely read and a fantastic adventure.

[KBooks - · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enchanting story!
I was gripped straight away, with the characters and adventures! 🏔🏰🦄🐺

People can’t change the past but they sure can change how they act in the future 💪🏼 we are as strong as our weakness!

It goes to show that the memories that matter never fade! And the people that love you most will never give up hope! 💕

[Gemma Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome tale

I loved this just as much as my 8 and 11 year olds as I read it aloud! All the emotions kept us enthralled. XXxxx

[Mya Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, twisty af but that's why I loved it. Its a cute cry

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might not make much sense since I wrote this at 11:30 at night but here is my review:
“If I find myself in danger of growing old then I shall throw myself off a high mountaintop”
This book like the first one was really good at first at the start I was a little confused about why they spent the first 4 chapters and 40 pages on not the main character and I was confused and a little mad. But then I found out that those 4 chapters and 40 pages were really important because they were the pages of the first child Sander kidnapped and how we know that the Greatest unicorn was evil. So I found it kind of crazy how these two girls just go off with this some random guy not ever seeing him before and just going off to see some magical unicorn who grants wishes like two girls did this and they are completely insane like haven't their parents ever warn them of stranger danger anyway it's ridiculous. There are a few mentions in this book of what happened in the last book like Berwick he was one of King Zelos’s slaves and is now part of the royal council he is mentioned in this book and the golden tree that Audrey and Alette grew that is also mentioned in the book so the book is still connected to the Midnight Unicorn which is pretty cool. I like how the villain in the story is a unicorn it makes a really cool storyline because usually, unicorns are cool good strong creatures but in this book the Greatest Unicorn is evil and it is so cool. I kinda got mad at Sander a lot because he kept lying just when I start to trust him he lies and this happens throughout the whole book just when I start to trust him again we find out that he has lied again and it was so frustrating. I predicted that Sanders deal with the Unicorn was that he wouldn't grow old and I was happy to find out that it was true but I am so mad at him that he sacrificed his life like yeah cool he got rid of the unicorn but he could have gotten rid of the unicorn and still be alive it was possible and I’m just so mad that he decided to die and then when the book mentioned what he said earlier in the book “If I find myself in danger of growing old then I shall throw myself off a high mountaintop” I couldn't believe that he was serious in saying that anyway I was kinda hoping that he would somehow still be alive and come back to us but sadly he didn't. This book is all about change and not change it about embracing what's around us and live in the moment and that our memories are so important to us and its ok to wish that, that moment never ended but its also ok to let go and move on because it helps us learn and grow and know that what we do have is really important. Just like Linelle she wished that she could have more so she and her father could have a better life but in the end, she knew that the life she has was great, and just because she didn't have jewels and riches she knew that it doesn't matter because she has her father who loves her and they are happy and that's all she needs. And Thandie all she wanted was her mother she didn't want to admit that hetty was her sister and that her home wasn't with her mother anymore but with Ma Tilbury, Hetty, Filch, and Tib they are her new family and her new home she didn't want to admit this but throughout the book, she realized that they were her family and where she lived with them is her home. She might never have found out what happened to her mother but she accepts that she has to let go and be with the people in her life who love her she will always have the memories of her mother and that is what is important.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linnel a farmers daughter who goes to study on the outskirts of the woods and meets Sander who has a pipe and plays beautiful music, he tells Linnel of the unicorn and how he can grant her a wish Sander takes Linnel to meet the unicorn.
Linnel is the first of many missing children resulting in a curfew, Thandie and her friends dare each other to go out the city walls where Thandie meets Sander.
Thandie is a strong willed girl who is determine to find the missing ones and leaves with Sander on the journey to the Darkest Unicorn, the journey takes them through many beautiful places and on to meet Linnel father who Thandie promises to bring Linnel back to. Thandie reaches the darkest unicorn and finds the missing ones but the missing ones have no memories, Thandie finds Linnel and prompts her memories which starts to break the spell. The darkest unicorn grants the missing ones wishes leaving them with no memories so the stay willingly at the castle in the sky. Thandie helps with the memories and Sander fights the unicorn freeing the missing ones, Thandie leads them all home and returns home to her family in Arvale.

This is a story I’ve read with my little girl but very much enjoyed.

[Charl (thinkingbookishthoughts) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A foolish rule from ruling fools.”

After many children are reported to have gone missing in the last few years, Essendor enacts a strict curfew for the safety of its citizens. Thandie is a brave young girl who sees the curfew as just another way for those in charge to say they’re doing something. After an argument with her fellow orphan and foster-sister, she leaves home vowing to have an adventure and save the Stolen Ones.

I’ve always loved fantasy but there’s something about a children’s fantasy story that hits differently. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately, one of those where you have 100s of books but simultaneously nothing to read, and knew eventually that a kids book might be the thing to sort me out. The Darkest Unicorn is a lovely story with everything you’d expect from a good fairy tale – magic, weird and wonderful creatures and a story that makes you need to read on. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and the story that sprung from Alice Hemming’s imagination.

While elements of the story were forgivably predictable, it was full of unexpected twists and turns that kept me intrigued. I enjoyed this story more than I expected to and will likely read another of the set next time I can’t decide what I want to read.

[Steph Wu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Scholastic for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect upper primary action-adventure novel. I definitely feel like my younger self would have enjoyed this book a lot more.

I wasn't much of a fan of the prologue with Linnel, personally got really annoyed at her and her stupid decisions which kind of causes the whole plot in the first place. When we got introduced to Thandie, that's when the story got rolling and I started becoming invested.

I think the underlying themes and morals are portrayed very well to younger readers. I loved the multi-point of view chapters, especially Sander's.

Overall I thought this was a lovely read and a great adventure and storyline.

[pothreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. I found Sander particularly interesting. He constantly switched between trustworthy and shifty, which was so intriguing. I love his character arc of going from villain to hero aswell. I found the ending a little bit emotional, seeing Linnel reunited with her father. I did notice quite a few errors, such as incorrect words, missing words and even a sentence or 2 that didn't make sense. Maybe I just didn't understand the sentences and they are correct, but not quite sure.

[Aozguch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I enjoyed this book as much as the first one, because the first one had a much faster pace and more individual plot lines to juggle.

It's still a good book, but it doesn't have some of the certain details that made me enjoy the first book so much.

The main protagonists, Sander and Thandie, don't complement each other as exactly as Audrey and Alette.

I still liked the story a lot though, and the themes that pop up in it, particularly Sander's.

4/5 stars

[Yurei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea how this kid’s novel got me crying, but here I am.
This novel just has a way of making me feel immediately connected to all the characters, and also has a really great fantasy vibe to it. Would definitely recommend. I especially love Sander’s+ Thandie’s character arcs, they’re pretty well written in my opinion.
I’m not even joking when I said I cried for hours after Sander died (It’s stupid I know).

[Rachel C. Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The editor dropped the ball on this one. They allowed the use of "then", instead of "than" and didn't catch the fact that the time period between Linnell's abduction changed from 2 years to 5 years to 3 years and back to 2 years throughout the story.
The story was a good one, overall. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Aleisha Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is now one of my favourite books of all time. I couldn’t put it down. I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. This book had me crying and smiling. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all! I would 100% recommend this book to anyone

[Rebecca La Marca]

DNF p62

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical. I was gripped from beginning to end.

[Starz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The atmosphere is great but I wasn't a fan of the writing style. Regardless, I really liked this story and the vibes it gives off.

[Lily Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some things happened in this book that I did not expect, but it was a really good book and I highly recommend

[Micki_1989 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 simple and easy to read

[Jessica Schott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one! There was a lot more magic, mystery, and adventure! Kept me on the edge of my seat!

[Aysha Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is better than the first!!

[Me Just · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my favourite in the series love it

[Chloe Mcgrory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the first an easy joyous read

[Amy Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good read. I've never known a book to make me cry due to a happy ending. Where do I start. When I first started to read the darkest unicorn I was wondering who these new characters were, while I was continuing reading the first chapter, it took a turn that no one was expecting. A young farm girl living with her father, goes on a quest with a strange pipe playing boy she meets in the woods. Things become very real once she meets the unicorn.
Very good read I could not put the book down. I was always wanting to know what happened next.
A story that will keep you on your toes.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline of this book was incredible. I loved how it flicked between time and you could hear both Sander and Thandie. I loved how music was intertwined into the adventures. I could almost imagine the tune. My favourite scene was when Thandie recovered all their memories by playing the pipe and singing.
However, the grammar and technique wasn't amazing. There were several parts where it said 'somehow she knew' which could have been cool but it just made it confusing and frustrating. There was also a part where they repeated something with no effect and was just a bit strange.
Overall, great fantasy storyline with loads of great adventures.👍

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!!!!