lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
Great book! I loved the bit when they were in NY, it was awesome! And the snakes, and how one talked medieval English, and the other modern teen slang, that was so funny! Loved it!
sincerelyyoursannie's review against another edition
3.0
Elayne’s family has been passing on stories about a land of mythical creatures but she never takes them seriously. After all, they are just fairytales.
One day, she stumbles through a tapestry and discovers that the stories aren’t just stories, the magical land actually exists.
She is attacked, rescued and then taken prisoner by a tyrant king.
Each of them see a different purpose for her presence there; a meal, a hero or a villain. She wants to return to her home, but an age old promise keeps her there.
She soon releases that sometimes a hero needs to go to extreme measures to first become one.
Read the full review here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.com/2021/09/29/the-hunt-of-the-unicorn-by-c-c-humphreys-book-review/
One day, she stumbles through a tapestry and discovers that the stories aren’t just stories, the magical land actually exists.
She is attacked, rescued and then taken prisoner by a tyrant king.
Each of them see a different purpose for her presence there; a meal, a hero or a villain. She wants to return to her home, but an age old promise keeps her there.
She soon releases that sometimes a hero needs to go to extreme measures to first become one.
Read the full review here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.com/2021/09/29/the-hunt-of-the-unicorn-by-c-c-humphreys-book-review/
nica2006's review against another edition
3.0
This a great fantasy book that opens a person imagination to the land of beasts. The story follows Elayne who is given a gift by her father that has been passed down in her family for generations, a unicorn horn. Elayne doesn't really believe that that is what it is, but decides to accept it anyway and wears it on a chain around her neck. While on a field trip to the local museum, Elayne comes across a tapestry with her initials woven into it. Before she knows it, she is traveling through the tapestry into a fantasy world, where a unicorn has summoned her. Moonspill has summoned her to help with the tyrant that is ravaging the land. Elayne must make the decision to accept her destiny or try to change it.
nightfalltwen's review against another edition
1.0
It was all I could do to finish. This book isn't interesting at all.
oreolover15's review against another edition
3.0
http://brookejeansbooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/hunt-of-unicorn.html
shayshkers's review against another edition
3.0
I can always appreciate an imaginative book. And that is what carried most of my stars here. The world was beautiful and creative with an old world sort of feeling to it. I appreciated the traditional portrayal of the unicorn as a powerful and sometimes violent creature. I had a hard time with the main heroine who felt like a one dimensional stereotype of what someone thinks a teenage girl would be like. That said, I feel like someone else could have told this story better.
readingrobyn's review against another edition
2.0
Is it possible to give unicorns a dark side?
I've come to the conclusion that unicorns are probably the hardest sell of all magical creatures. Sure, they are right up there with rainbows and butterflies on the popularity scale for most females under the age of fourteen (or at least they used to be before Edward came along), but the mythology of unicorns is pretty simple. In the same way vampires are an embodiment of darkness, unicorns are an embodiment of purity. A unicorn is a healing creature with a thing for virgin girl companions. I guess when I ask if unicorns can have a dark side, what I'm really asking is: Is there an interesting story to be found within the mythology?
Unfortunately, I'm not totally convinced. Although The Hunt of the Unicorns is a perfect example of a really great attempt the story here was just too... tame for me.
This isn't the sort of thing I would normally choose to read, but I got this book after meeting C.C. Humphreys in 2011 and have put off reading it till now. Confined to my bed I had only the books in front of me to choose from and I wanted something I knew I could read through quickly. The Hunt of the Unicorns fit the bill, so I started reading, and got incredibly bored, incredibly quickly. If I was reading this under different circumstances I can almost guarantee that I would have set it down for a looooong time before continuing, but desperate for entertainment I pressed on.
To give the author credit, he put a lot of work into creating an interesting magical world for his story to take place in. The imagination and variety of beasts that he uses was oddly fascinating and I feel he succeeded in what he was trying to achieve in that world. However, it was also very touch and go. In some places I feel he didn't take things far enough, in others you can see the development of the world getting to broad and getting in the way of the development of the characters and the plot. For me, the characters are the most important part of any story. In the Hunt of the Unicorn it was more about the world building then it should have been.
Our protagonist Elayne is a great character in concept, but not in execution. It wasn't till I finished the book that I realized that she wasn't really a character, but a story device. I had no idea of who she really was. She had plenty of motivation, but very little substance. She's sort of just a teenage girl who gets swept up in a adventure, which is fine, but I ask for a little more.
On the other hand I was happy to see that the unicorn character, Moonspill, was a character in his own right and not just a horse with a horn. He had his own motivations and of all the characters in the story he stands out as one of the more rounded. Also very noteworthy is the character of Amphisbaena. A two-headed snake with mouths like no other. Amphisbaena is a surprisingly funny character gifted with all languages of man, beast, and magical creature alike.
Overall, everything was pretty good. There wasn't anything I hated or disliked and I finished the book without many complaints. Then of course I sat down to write this review and really thought about it.
I realized two things.
First off, near the beginning of the book there is a scene that is central to the unicorns role in Goloth, Land of the Fabulous Beast. The role of the unicorn is to apparently purify the water so all the animals in and around Goloth can drink from the rivers because of course the humans have f-ed it all up. Normally, I would have considered mentioning this to be a spoiler because at the time it seemed like a pretty big deal. I thought that it was going to be part of the central plot of the story, but it isn't. It actually amounts to nothing. I can understand wanting to showcase the unicorns powers, however there are quite a few moments later in the book where this water-purification thing should be brought up again, but it isn't.
Then my second problem, the big, giant, plot hole problem. Later on in the book, when talking about the unicorns, it is mentioned by Moonspill that there is a place that is far away, over mountains yonder, where his children are safe from the dangers of Goloth. In this magical world, or at least in Goloth, Land of the Fabulous Beast all creatures are hunted, hunting is what everything is all about, the book is called The Hunt of the Unicorn. So if there is a place that is safe, why don't all the creatures just leave and go there? If the forest is on fire, you leave the forest.
I will say, before I put a cap on this review turned unexpected rant, that while I was reading The Hunt of the Unicorn it was an enjoyable experience, but the more thought I put into it the more I'm disappointed. For a book that I went into with very low expectations it did pretty well! Now however, I just find myself wanting to move on.
If I were to recommend this to someone it would be to younger YA readers. If I was just coming into the YA genre and I loved adventure fantasy then this would have blown me away!
I've come to the conclusion that unicorns are probably the hardest sell of all magical creatures. Sure, they are right up there with rainbows and butterflies on the popularity scale for most females under the age of fourteen (or at least they used to be before Edward came along), but the mythology of unicorns is pretty simple. In the same way vampires are an embodiment of darkness, unicorns are an embodiment of purity. A unicorn is a healing creature with a thing for virgin girl companions. I guess when I ask if unicorns can have a dark side, what I'm really asking is: Is there an interesting story to be found within the mythology?
Unfortunately, I'm not totally convinced. Although The Hunt of the Unicorns is a perfect example of a really great attempt the story here was just too... tame for me.
This isn't the sort of thing I would normally choose to read, but I got this book after meeting C.C. Humphreys in 2011 and have put off reading it till now. Confined to my bed I had only the books in front of me to choose from and I wanted something I knew I could read through quickly. The Hunt of the Unicorns fit the bill, so I started reading, and got incredibly bored, incredibly quickly. If I was reading this under different circumstances I can almost guarantee that I would have set it down for a looooong time before continuing, but desperate for entertainment I pressed on.
To give the author credit, he put a lot of work into creating an interesting magical world for his story to take place in. The imagination and variety of beasts that he uses was oddly fascinating and I feel he succeeded in what he was trying to achieve in that world. However, it was also very touch and go. In some places I feel he didn't take things far enough, in others you can see the development of the world getting to broad and getting in the way of the development of the characters and the plot. For me, the characters are the most important part of any story. In the Hunt of the Unicorn it was more about the world building then it should have been.
Our protagonist Elayne is a great character in concept, but not in execution. It wasn't till I finished the book that I realized that she wasn't really a character, but a story device. I had no idea of who she really was. She had plenty of motivation, but very little substance. She's sort of just a teenage girl who gets swept up in a adventure, which is fine, but I ask for a little more.
On the other hand I was happy to see that the unicorn character, Moonspill, was a character in his own right and not just a horse with a horn. He had his own motivations and of all the characters in the story he stands out as one of the more rounded. Also very noteworthy is the character of Amphisbaena. A two-headed snake with mouths like no other. Amphisbaena is a surprisingly funny character gifted with all languages of man, beast, and magical creature alike.
Overall, everything was pretty good. There wasn't anything I hated or disliked and I finished the book without many complaints. Then of course I sat down to write this review and really thought about it.
I realized two things.
First off, near the beginning of the book there is a scene that is central to the unicorns role in Goloth, Land of the Fabulous Beast. The role of the unicorn is to apparently purify the water so all the animals in and around Goloth can drink from the rivers because of course the humans have f-ed it all up. Normally, I would have considered mentioning this to be a spoiler because at the time it seemed like a pretty big deal. I thought that it was going to be part of the central plot of the story, but it isn't. It actually amounts to nothing. I can understand wanting to showcase the unicorns powers, however there are quite a few moments later in the book where this water-purification thing should be brought up again, but it isn't.
Then my second problem, the big, giant, plot hole problem. Later on in the book, when talking about the unicorns, it is mentioned by Moonspill that there is a place that is far away, over mountains yonder, where his children are safe from the dangers of Goloth. In this magical world, or at least in Goloth, Land of the Fabulous Beast all creatures are hunted, hunting is what everything is all about, the book is called The Hunt of the Unicorn. So if there is a place that is safe, why don't all the creatures just leave and go there? If the forest is on fire, you leave the forest.
I will say, before I put a cap on this review turned unexpected rant, that while I was reading The Hunt of the Unicorn it was an enjoyable experience, but the more thought I put into it the more I'm disappointed. For a book that I went into with very low expectations it did pretty well! Now however, I just find myself wanting to move on.
If I were to recommend this to someone it would be to younger YA readers. If I was just coming into the YA genre and I loved adventure fantasy then this would have blown me away!
tiamatq's review against another edition
2.0
When Elayne's father asks her to read a story the night before he goes into the hospital, she grudgingly agrees. It's a fantasy, about maids and unicorns, but it's also a family history. Elayne is the descendant of a girl who promised to help a unicorn, should he need it. And suddenly Elayne is swept into a world of magical beasts, hunts, and a dangerous ruler determined to whip out the few unicorns left. It may be her destiny, but Elayne has no idea how to tame a unicorn or defeat a king.
Though fans of fantasy may enjoy this story, Humphreys' writing is clunky and the characters are one-dimensional. Elayne brings a modern teen's sensibilities to a medieval setting (we hear about how much her dress starts to stink after a few days, that she has no clue how to ride a horse, and how disgusting the food is - mostly meat and wine), and there are some funny parts to the story. We get a few chapters as told by Moonspill, an aging unicorn, and I enjoyed his perspective, but it wasn't enough to save this book. I would recommend it for upper elementary, except the author threw in a few colorful phrases that seemed entirely out of place. If you have a high demand for books with unicorns, perhaps get this, but it's not a must-have.
Though fans of fantasy may enjoy this story, Humphreys' writing is clunky and the characters are one-dimensional. Elayne brings a modern teen's sensibilities to a medieval setting (we hear about how much her dress starts to stink after a few days, that she has no clue how to ride a horse, and how disgusting the food is - mostly meat and wine), and there are some funny parts to the story. We get a few chapters as told by Moonspill, an aging unicorn, and I enjoyed his perspective, but it wasn't enough to save this book. I would recommend it for upper elementary, except the author threw in a few colorful phrases that seemed entirely out of place. If you have a high demand for books with unicorns, perhaps get this, but it's not a must-have.
pegahe's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, I won't be doing a formal review. Loved the unicorns, and the action but felt something missing. Great for fantasy lovers. Interesting concept and tons of potential. A good read.
chelseadenisse's review against another edition
3.0
This book, even though it was good, had some problems
Characters: All the characters were awesome! They all had their glitches but isnt that what makes them more relatable? They were very intertaining and I enjoyed reading about all of them, even if they were evil they were cool. Some of them fooled me I admit. I never quite knew if they were good or bad.
Plot: The plot was where I had most of my problems in. One of the main porblems was that there were too many exclamation marks in very unnecessary places. Another problem was that even though I understood the author just wanted us to get a clear picture I felt she was being to descriptive. The last problem I think I had is that there were some parts that were very interesting but it seemed to only last a moment then it was gone and a bit boring.
Overall: Overall, even though this story had a lot of problems I think the idea and the characters overpast many of them. This story was very good and if she fixed some of the problems I believe that (to me) it would be one of the best books!
Characters: All the characters were awesome! They all had their glitches but isnt that what makes them more relatable? They were very intertaining and I enjoyed reading about all of them, even if they were evil they were cool. Some of them fooled me I admit. I never quite knew if they were good or bad.
Plot: The plot was where I had most of my problems in. One of the main porblems was that there were too many exclamation marks in very unnecessary places. Another problem was that even though I understood the author just wanted us to get a clear picture I felt she was being to descriptive. The last problem I think I had is that there were some parts that were very interesting but it seemed to only last a moment then it was gone and a bit boring.
Overall: Overall, even though this story had a lot of problems I think the idea and the characters overpast many of them. This story was very good and if she fixed some of the problems I believe that (to me) it would be one of the best books!