juliannealkire's review against another edition
4.0
Hilarious. I did get a bored a couple of times at about halfway through. Each episode of boredom didn't last long but was nevertheless unfortunate.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
3.0
Ok, I read this book for the cover, which is extraordinary and hilarious and just flat-out delightful. There weren't enough squirrels in the book, but Princess the Destroyer is a worthy evil unicorn. On the whole, an excellent story for middle grade boys. Not quite enough in it for middle aged ladies, but some priceless dialogue between bad unicorn and her minion, and remarkably funny frobbit antics.
chwaters's review against another edition
4.0
It's kind of hard to begin to describe what all happens here in Bad Unicorn. Middle school student Max Spencer has been in possession of a book called the "Codex of Infinite Knowability" for as long as he can remember. Little does he know that the mere fact that he can hold the book without getting shocked proves that he is, in fact, the descendent of a very powerful wizard from another universe. As it turns out, there are other universes, and in one of those universes, a carnivorous unicorn named Princess has developed an insatiable hunger for non-magical flesh (human, in particular) and conspires with her wizard to find a way to the Techrus (our world). A very powerful and evil wizard makes a deal with Princess: find they boy with the book and, in exchange, Princess is free to turn Texas into an all-you-can-eat human buffet. Things go pretty awry though. An ill-timed spell lands Max and his friends in the distant future, a time when all machines have become sentient (and Princess has converted to an immortal robot body, because why not?) and both humans and magic are extinct. Princess is on the hunt. Max is mostly clueless and lost. Someone had better figure something out before the squirrels take over.
Some books start out funny and lose steam after a few chapters. There are very few books that can remain consistently funny through and through. This, however, is one of them. It's extremely clever and occasionally a bit dark. It's a brilliant skewering of the entire middle-grade fantasy genre while exemplifying everything that's great about that genre. Bad Unicorn reads a bit Douglas Adams for a younger crowd. Older audiences won't be disappointed either. A ton of fun and a refreshing change of pace.
Some books start out funny and lose steam after a few chapters. There are very few books that can remain consistently funny through and through. This, however, is one of them. It's extremely clever and occasionally a bit dark. It's a brilliant skewering of the entire middle-grade fantasy genre while exemplifying everything that's great about that genre. Bad Unicorn reads a bit Douglas Adams for a younger crowd. Older audiences won't be disappointed either. A ton of fun and a refreshing change of pace.
the_cheesiest_slytherin's review against another edition
4.0
I started out not liking this, but after awhile it became very enjoyable. I will definitely read the next book when it comes out.
littlemissbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book of the "Bad Unicorn" trilogy, a series that will bring both kids and adults to tears, laughing.
The story is about Max, a somewhat awkward, nerdy middle school student who finds an old book which makes him accidentally travel into the future. There, humans are extinct and machines have taken over the world - all thanks to a unicorn from a different realm with a questionable kind of food preferance.
Will Max and his friends be able to get back to their own time and mabe even save humanity?
The storyline appeals to middle schoolers as well as to adults, is definitely unique and a little bit over the top. What made me enjoy this book so much though, aren't the plot or the characters, who, to be honest, I wasn't quite so fond of, but the writing style. It's just so dry, sarcastic and funny that I couldn't help laughing out loud quite a few times.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy unusual and fun stories.
The story is about Max, a somewhat awkward, nerdy middle school student who finds an old book which makes him accidentally travel into the future. There, humans are extinct and machines have taken over the world - all thanks to a unicorn from a different realm with a questionable kind of food preferance.
Will Max and his friends be able to get back to their own time and mabe even save humanity?
The storyline appeals to middle schoolers as well as to adults, is definitely unique and a little bit over the top. What made me enjoy this book so much though, aren't the plot or the characters, who, to be honest, I wasn't quite so fond of, but the writing style. It's just so dry, sarcastic and funny that I couldn't help laughing out loud quite a few times.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy unusual and fun stories.
levitara's review against another edition
4.0
Encountered thanks to my personal random book challenge.
This is book for kids and it definitely shows with chapters that are written from the kids POV but then there is lot of chapters from adults POV and I can honestly say those could have come from some adult fantasy. I really enjoyed those parts. But even the rest was quite nice. Lot of good jokes, not so many that fell flat.
This is book for kids and it definitely shows with chapters that are written from the kids POV but then there is lot of chapters from adults POV and I can honestly say those could have come from some adult fantasy. I really enjoyed those parts. But even the rest was quite nice. Lot of good jokes, not so many that fell flat.
literary_princess's review against another edition
3.0
Fun and funny, but definitely longer than it probably needed to be. Seemed like it might have been a good parody almost of a lot of fantasy/sci fi stories, except it didn't quite take it further than just to mimic and use similar names. Still, I think middle grade and younger teen readers looking for something light and adventurous will like it. Recommend to fans of What We Found in the Sofa.
aylea's review against another edition
2.0
This review originally found at The Children's Book and Media Review
Princess the Destroyer is a carnivorous unicorn that is determined to find Max Spencer so that she can be given free rein to eat all of the humans in Texas. Max Spencer is a seventh grader who might not be smart or popular, but he is the heir of a powerful sorcerer and so is the only person who can read the Codex of Infinite Knowability. Max accidentally transports himself and his friends to a future where the humans have all been eaten by Princess the Destroyer. After making friends with the frobbits, some of the last friendly survivors on earth, Max and his friends have to defeat Princess and her legions of robots to save their lives and the last of humankind.
While the idea behind the book is fun, many of the ideas are not executed well. The book is clever with its plays on fantasy tropes, but too many plot lines are forgotten in the favor of too many gags. There is enough humor to prompt a few chuckles, but many of the jokes are likely to go over the heads of the book’s target audience. The characters have little depth and are not very interesting, often using stereotypes to create character. The ending is highly dependent on waiting for the next book to explain things. The humor may keep some people entertained, but the overall impact of the book is not as high as it could have been.
Princess the Destroyer is a carnivorous unicorn that is determined to find Max Spencer so that she can be given free rein to eat all of the humans in Texas. Max Spencer is a seventh grader who might not be smart or popular, but he is the heir of a powerful sorcerer and so is the only person who can read the Codex of Infinite Knowability. Max accidentally transports himself and his friends to a future where the humans have all been eaten by Princess the Destroyer. After making friends with the frobbits, some of the last friendly survivors on earth, Max and his friends have to defeat Princess and her legions of robots to save their lives and the last of humankind.
While the idea behind the book is fun, many of the ideas are not executed well. The book is clever with its plays on fantasy tropes, but too many plot lines are forgotten in the favor of too many gags. There is enough humor to prompt a few chuckles, but many of the jokes are likely to go over the heads of the book’s target audience. The characters have little depth and are not very interesting, often using stereotypes to create character. The ending is highly dependent on waiting for the next book to explain things. The humor may keep some people entertained, but the overall impact of the book is not as high as it could have been.
booksandbosox's review against another edition
2.0
http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2013/05/review-bad-unicorn.html