Rampant (Killer Unicorns, #1)

by Diana Peterfreund

After sixteen-year-old Astrid Llewelyn survives a vicious unicorn attack, she learns that she is a descendant of the most famous unicorn hunter of all time and she must travel to Rome, Italy, to train in the ancient arts in order to carry on her family legacy and save the world from the threat posed by the reemergence of lethal unicorns.

• ISBN10: 0061490040
• ISBN13: 9780061490040
• Publish Date: 31 August 2010 (first published 25 August 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Even though I am a huge fan of fluffy, sparkly unicorns who poop rainbows and butterflies, I loved Rampant, where the unicorns are vicious and venomous! Yep, killer unicorns! Astrid has grown up being told tales of their family's history in fighting these terrible beasts, but she never believed it. At least until one night, a goat sized unicorn impales her boyfriend in the woods and the only person she can think to help is her mother. Apparently, unicorns aren't extinct and now it's time for Astrid to claim her birthright as a unicorn hunter whether she likes it or not.

Rampant was not what I was expecting at all, but in a good way! It was much more exciting and violent! Not that violence is a good thing, but there were several battle scenes between the hunters and the unicorns to keep the pace going. And the author does not shy away from injuries! Although I did have to wonder how no regular humans happened to stumble upon these fights when they're being held out in the open? Teenage girls with bows and blades aren't exactly a common sight.

Rampant also surprised me with its frank discussions about sex, even from the very beginning. Unicorn hunters are all women, and in order to be hunters they have to remain virgins. Yes, that sounds incredibly sexist, but Astrid thinks so too! She questions this strange requirement and considers having sex just to escape her destiny. This also brought up questions about why virginity is such a big deal, especially for girls, and the double standards surrounding it. There's also a part that focuses on rape and what constitutes it, even though there's really no grey area, even if some people try to act like there is. Which is sad. But an important point to bring up.

So, Rampant is definitely not all sunshine and rainbows. Astrid and the other girls have a mission to save humanity from killer beasts. Although at some points it seemed like the unicorns aren't all bad, and there's some pretty crappy humans thrown in the mix, messing with their lives. The ending definitely left me craving more, as it's clear that the girls may have won this battle, but there's certainly more strangeness out there.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

I had been avoiding Rampant for a while. Five years, in fact. And I should have avoided it for a bit longer.

A couple of friends and I read Rampant for our first book club pick, and it was entirely underwhelming. I was expecting a thrilling book about unicorn hunters, full of kickass heroines and action. Obviously, I was wrong. There were a lot of female characters, yes, but none of them particularly stood out. Astrid, the main character, was okay, and I really liked her cousin, Phil, but other than that, none were very important or memorable.

And the unicorns were weird. So weird. One of them in particular talked to Astrid in her head and it was just odd. Bonegrinder was adorable and cute, though.

I didn't like the unicorn/virginity lore much either, mostly because I'm not too sure if Peterfreund was trying to send some sort of message or if it was simply a matter of unicorns = purity = virginity. That doesn't sound too great either to be honest.

And, finally, the matter of rape wasn't handled so well. One of the characters is raped and it was talked about to begin with, in a somewhat realistic way, and then later on it's brushed aside.

[Sam@WLABB]

This is a story about unicorn hunters, but we are not talking about the fluffy unicorns who poop rainbows. We are talking about killer unicorns. The story focuses on Astrid, who is a decedent of one of the most powerful unicorn hunting families. She is a reluctant hunter, but eventually embraces her destiny.

I really enjoyed this book. It had action, adventure, a little bit of romance and a lot of girl power. I also liked all the background information concerning Rome, Alexander the Great, the unicorns and of course, the Order of the Lioness. There is also a nod to social issues that impact young women. I appreciated the way the author addressed these issues without judgement or begin preachy. These are good discussions about sexual assault and sexuality that could be beneficial for some young women to "overhear".

[Stephanie]

Astrid was born into a long line of unicorn hunters. But she doesn't have to worry about that now. Unicorns are extinct. At least that's what everyone thought until Astrid meets a unicorn in the woods and attacks her boyfriend. Now her mother is sending her off to Rome to train to become a unicorn hunter. There she meets Neil and Cory, the ones who set up everything for other unicorn hunters to stay and train together.

Astrid does not want to be a unicorn hunter. When she first shows up at the cloisters she is greeted by the house unicorn, Bonegrinder. She can't fathom killing this cute unicorn that absolutely adores all the unicorn hunters. So when her cousin, Phillipa, comes to join Astrid in the training and takes her out into Rome to get away from the place for a little bit, they meet two boys, Giovanni and Seth. Giovanni just might be the way to get Astrid out of this unicorn killing, because after all, you have to be a virgin to be a unicorn hunter.

I loved this book! I waited a few days to write this review because I wanted to think about it for a little. This book has been on my mind ever since I finished it. I loved the mythology, the setting, the history, the unicorn hunters. It made me have a new fascination with unicorns. I'm really fighting the urge to pick the book back up and read it again.

There were some points in the book that kind of made me cringe. Cory throws the Bonegrinder off a balcony one day and shoots it in the stomach another day. I just felt so bad for that poor little unicorn that does nothing but love and adore the unicorn hunters. But then again, I can understand considering they are killer unicorns and will kill anyone who isn't a unicorn hunter. But then I got over that once the bigger and more dangerous unicorns came into play.

I really don't know what else to say. I want to go so into detail with this book, but I obviously can't do that without spoiling anything. It was action packed and very entertaining and I just loved the mythology. Did I already mention that? I even did some research about unicorns, to see what Peterfeund made up and what was 'real' so to say.

So. Yes. I really loved this book I can't wait to pick up the second novel, Ascendant.

[celinenyx]

This book has a premise that is as awesome as the story itself. This book is about KILLER UNICORNS. Yes, you have read that correctly. Unicorns are not the fluffy white harmless creatures everyone thinks them to be. They are something entirely different. I quote:

"Unicorns are man-eating monsters.
They don't have wings, they aren't lavender or sparkly, and you could never catch one to ride without its goring you through the sternum.
And even if it somehow managed to miss you major arteries - and it never misses - you'd still die from the poison in it's horn.
But don't worry. My great-great-great-great-great-aunt Clothilde killed the last one a hundred and fifty years ago."

This is what sixteen years old Astrid has been told all her life by her unicorn-obsessed mother. She or course doesn't believe this nonsense, until her boyfriend is attacked by one. Luckily, he survives, but her chances of him taking her to prom are instantly eradicated. This confirms everything Astrid has been told all this time, and her mother sends her off to Rome to be educated in the reopened unicorn hunters headquarters.

If you think killer unicorns are awesome, you will absolutely love this book. Not only is the idea utterly amazing, the presentation is really good. Rampant has a solid plot, with more than enough lore to support the story. At first, the extensive background may seem a little bit overwhelming, but these pieces of information are so often referred back to that you will remember them without effort.

"This was the karkadann, the most dreaded and deadly of all unicorns. This was the creature of nightmares, the thing my family fought for so many generations."

I cannot stress the fact enough how utterly brilliant this book is. Astrid has made it to my top 3 most kick-ass heroines. I love that there finally is a girl in a YA novel that doesn't hide behind her crush at every sight of danger. She is truly self sufficient, and actually has to protect her crush from being hurt. I adore that she isn't dependant. It annoys me that almost all female characters seem to be nothing without their male counterparts.

This is at times a rather dark book. The unicorn hunting business is not at all without risk. Any of the girls could die in an ambush. More often than not there are at least a few broken bones after a fight. I think it's great that Ms. Peterfreund didn't gloss over the fact how horrible combat is. It isn't all honour and glory, it's frightening and a struggle for life and death. You can see that this takes a toll on the girls, as would be expected. But it must be done, and only the hunters can take unicorns down. They accept their duty with their heads held high and bows strung and axes raised.

"The kirin turned in our direction and lowered its head to charge. It was smaller than the one I'd seen before, barely more than a yearling, yet every bit as deadly. I froze, forgetting all Lino's archery lessons as the monster stared me down with its glowing, golden eyes."

It's not all about fighting and killing though. There is a clear message about growing up and learning how to make your own choices. The hunters must keep their virginity, otherwise they will lose their powers. This makes for a rather tough topic for the girls to cope with. They will have to make a choice between love or their obligations.

"I wasn't quite sure what kind of "unicorn crap" I could potentially pull off. You might lie about having lost your homework, but I wouldn't be able to pretend I'd killed a kirin if I hadn't."

This is one of those books you come across that you think is so great you can't stop talking about it. As you might tell from the abundance of quotes from this book, I obviously can't get enough of it. While I'm reviewing, I'm skimming through the pages again, looking for great passages. It makes me want to reread the whole book. While I just finished! *sighs*

Please read this. That way we can all squee together. There is also a sequel to Rampant, called Ascendant. I must have that book now!