Book Review: Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A. F. Steadman

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

by

A. F. Steadman

 

A NEW HERO TAKES FLIGHT 

 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

 

Publication date: 3rd May 2022

 

Series: Skandar #1

 

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

 

Pages: 400

 

Format read: Hardcover

 

RRP: $19.99AU

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

My review of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

 

I absolutely love the cover of this book! After reading a few chapters of the story I realised that it wouldn't be for my unicorn loving mini reviewer. To her, unicorns are loving, fun and mostly soft and cuddly. The unicorns in this tale are carnivorous and there are a few rabbits devoured throughout.

 

Unicorns don’t belong in fairy tales; they belong in nightmares.

 

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has themes of resilience, courage and friendship. Skandar seems to attract the school bully and he doesn't see himself as being very brave. I really liked that when the school bully was harassing a younger boy Skandar didn't hesitate to jump in and defend him.

 

Steadman follows the tried-and-true trope of the 'chosen one'. Her writing is uncomplicated and the plot straightforward. As this is the first in a series there is a big focus on world-building. However there wasn't enough action to keep me fully engaged and I found Skandar moody and a bit annoying. Although, with a few twists and scrapes for our heroes to navigate, I feel there is plenty that will appeal to the target audience of 9 - 12 year olds.

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Photo credit Annabel Church

A.F. Steadman grew up in the Kent countryside, getting lost in fantasy worlds and scribbling stories in notebooks. Before focusing on writing, she worked in law, until she realized that there wasn’t nearly enough magic involved. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Skandar series.