Skandar and the Unicorn Thief: The major new hit fantasy series

A.F. Steadman

Format
Hardback
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Ltd
Country
United Kingdom
Published
28 April 2022
Pages
400
ISBN
9781398512429

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief: The major new hit fantasy series

A.F. Steadman

The first book in the hotly anticipated new fantasy adventure series for readers age 9+, from A. F. Steadman. If you like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Eragon or His Dark Materials, you’ll love this …

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

So begins Skandar and the Unicorn Thief. Soar into a world where unicorns are real - and they’re deadly. They can only be tamed by the rider who hatches them.

Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith has only ever wanted to be a unicorn rider, and the time has finally come for him to take his Hatchery Exam, which will determine whether he is destined to hatch a unicorn egg. But when Skandar is stopped from taking the exam, and the mysterious and frightening Weaver steals the most powerful unicorn in the world, becoming a rider proves a lot more dangerous than he could ever have imagined.

And what if Skandar was always destined to be the villain rather than the hero?

Get ready for unlikely heroes, elemental magic, fierce sky battles, ancient secrets, nail-biting races and, of course, bloodthirsty unicorns.

Review

by Tye Cattanach

‘Unicorns don’t belong in fairy tales, they belong in nightmares.’

They also need to be hatched. They can then only be tamed by the human who hatches them. Skandar has waited his whole life to take the hatchery exam and become a unicorn rider. The pressure to succeed is even greater after his sister, Kenna, the most promising student of her year, failed the exam. But when the mysterious Weaver steals the most powerful unicorn in existence, things get pretty hectic, very fast.

Fans of Percy Jackson and Jane Doe are going to adore the first book in this brilliant new series by A. F. Steadman. It is a highly cinematic, compelling and enthralling read, without doubt the best new start to a series I’ve read since Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston. It has absolutely everything one could want from a reading experience. It is incredibly fast-paced, and packed full of adventure, elemental magic, epic battles, ancient secrets galore and savage, bloodthirsty, unicorns. Not to mention moments of genuine humour and plenty of heart to spare. A. F. Steadman has indeed made a spectacular first impression! For ages 11+.