Rampant
by Diana Peterfreund
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Publisher: Harper Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 416
Source: Bought
Interest: Killer Unicorns
Challenge: None
Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns . . .
Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. Fortunately, they've been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.
Or not.
Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend—thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.
However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to—perhaps most dangerously of all—her growing attraction to a handsome art student . . . an attraction that could jeopardize everything.
(Summary from Barnes and Noble)
Go Team Unicorn!
I've always been a fan of unicorns, stemming from the days of Legend starring Tom Cruise. I guess I've always been mesmerized by magic and mythology. Things that aren't "real" but... could they be?
Rampant has revived my love for mythology and magic, in the form of flesh eating unicorns!
Plain and simply this book was awesome. Unique and action-packed, not to mention a little bit of romance thrown in... I could not put it down. I loved the mythology surrounding this novel and wonder what type of research Peterfreund conducted and how much she made up. It was absolutely fascinating, either way.
I loved the character of Astrid and I loved watching her personal growth throughout the novel. She is a very likable character and I can imagine readers won't have a hard time relating to her. She's imperfect, but admirable, courageous and just a normal girl tying to figure out who she is. I love strong female characters.
Rampant was definitely unpredictable, I had no idea what was going to happen next! There is so much more going on in this story that I initially anticipated.
I can't wait to read the next novel in the series, Ascendant, and continue to read Peterfreunds novels!