This book was fun for exactly what it was, a unicorn/horse magical adventure. It's childish and silly and don't go looking for much plot. But it's a fun story so there's that.

I'm usually a fan of quirky narration, but this book didn't really do it it for me. No matter how many times I tried the narration just kept taking me out of the story.

"I don't think everything that is beautiful is beautiful. Not really. And I think a lot of things that aren't beautiful really are."

Everyone knows that unicorns are beautiful and golden and don't really think about much besides themselves. And everyone also knows that night mares are mean and fairies are always good. Right? So what happens when a unicorn with a Scientific Mind meets a night mare who's determined to prove that she's just as Good as any unicorn? Oh, and there's a guy with a pumpkin for a head who's trying to catch them, too.

So, I've been with obsessed with unicorns since I was about, oh, three years old or so, and I think it's safe to say it may be a life long condition. I was very excited to get an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book. A unicorn with a Scientific Mind AND a night mare AND a fairy queen whose personality may be more aligned with the original fairy folk than Disney (those tales were originally warnings, after all)? I am absolutely in. Curious the unicorn is trying to conduct an experiment when he encounters Midnight the night mare, who has her own Plan. The two soon end up saving each other from Jack o' the Hunt, a pumpkin-headed entity who wants the two horses for his own reasons. Curious and Midnight must put aside their prejudices and work together to save their world. I really enjoyed this book. It's a longer chapter book that's recommended for grades 3-7 by the publisher. The characters are well-written, and I honestly didn't see one of the twists until shortly before the reveal. A lot of people think unicorns are only for girls, but this book will appeal to all readers. Thank you to Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC.
This review originally published at Bookworms in the 'Burg: https://bookwormsintheburg.blogspot.com/2020/09/once-upon-unicorn.html

I'm not especially interested in unicorns, but I do love quirky fantasy adventure and fantasy tropes upended. And that was the appeal for me with this book. A unicorn who's too curious for his own good. A nightmare out to prove herself. And a queen who's, to no one's surprise, not as good as people think. While the queen's arc is fairly predictable, Anders does take us through some interesting twists of motivation and plans. The characters are not simply good or evil, but a combination.It's a solid, pleasant read with a strong focus on self-acceptance and recognizing the complexity in others.