Friday, February 12, 2010

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Astrid hates her mother's obsession with unicorns. According to Lilith, unicorns are nasty, man-eating monsters and Astrid herself is descended from a long line of women warriors who hunt them. But Astrid has never bought into the stores - until her boyfriend, Brandt is gored by one and nearly dies. Suddenly Astrid finds herself packed off to Rome where the cloisters of the Order of the Lioness (a.k.a. unicorn hunters) is being revived. But when she arrives, nothing is what she expected. Surrounded by expectations of what she's "supposed" to be and hating every minute of it, Astrid must discover whether she has what it takes to embrace her birthright and lead her fellow warriors against an enemy that once again threatens mankind.


This story, told from Astrid's point of view, is definitely an interesting twist on fairy tales about fluffy versions of unicorns. I felt as though it was a little slow getting started, but once I got into it, there was plenty of action and side stories to keep it going. It was also a bit difficult to keep track of all of the characters, but I didn't feel as though it detracted from the story. By the end, I was wondering if there would be a sequel - and hoping that we would find out more about what happens to Astrid and her friends. I would definitely recommend this book to older teens, particularly those who like stories that take place in the 'real world' or about women warriors.



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