Jude Spitzer's Reviews > Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

If you're going to entice me by comparing it to Percy Jackson, you better be ready for me to compare it to Percy Jackson. This is no where near as compelling, sadly. What was with the adults in this book? The complete lack of regard for human life? I kept waiting for the actual plot to pick up, and the conflict picks up in chapter 20, and there's 22 chapters. I also had some problems with the setting. I feel like this novel would have set itself apart by having its own world with its own rules. Really hard to believe modern day UK would totally come to accept a secretive island that poses a huge threat to the mainland as a whole, and would be super okay, seeing it as an honor even, with sending children to that island to bond with bloodthirsty beasts, or die trying.

Others have said it before me, but the recycled tropes are littered all throughout the book and nothing new is done with them. I was directed towards this book by a Barns and Noble employee who I'm now assuming had been told to try and sell as many copies of the book as possible. Saw him again after I finished it, and he asked how I liked it, and when I said it was okay but I kept picking things out I'd read before, but done better, he didn't seem surprised that was my opinion.

And my own nitpick- just because people in-universe address how strange his name is, doesn't mean it's not VERY distracting that among kids named Mitchell, Amber, and Bobby, there's a boy named Skandar. Who isn't brave, except when he is. Who isn't special, except when he is.

Like others I really wanted to like this book. I love unicorns, and seeing them as riding companions like many books do with dragons sounded right up my alley. But I wasn't impressed.