I received this Arc from Netgalley. Thank you for the chance to read this book early. My review is honest and 100% my own thoughts about the book.

Definitely interesting 🤔....

Now this was an interesting book. The title states it all. It’s a western with an Unicorn. What an interesting combo.

What I loved even more was the fact that the unicorn can shapeshifter into a human male form. He was sassy and hated being compared to his lesser cousin the Horse “peasants”

I loved the cowboys and unicorns relationship and the adventures they go on.

Wasn’t sure how a spaghetti western with unicorns and magic was going to work, but it did. This was a really fun read and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

This was a quick read, a fun story, but with some sloppy writing that made it read like a draft version instead of the final book. Also, I did not like the way the characters talked, though it may have been intentional to give them the rough demeanor of the western times. I would have preferred to get some more details, especially at the beginning, which made me feel like reading a sequel and missing background information from the previous book.
However, I enjoyed unicorn Edward (which I envisioned as the black sheep uncle of unicorn Kurt from the children's book series) with his snippy and very un-fairytale comments and of course the plot itself.

I WANTED badly to like this. I truly did. But there simply wasn't enough leadup to make me understand the world, or the people in it, and by halfway through when I still didn't 'care' about any of these people, or the town, or why the characters, I just couldn't move on. I DO know some customers that may be more patient than I am, and plan on sharing it with them however.

Today is Clint Gulliver’s wedding day. Once his vows are spoken, he’ll surrender his Marshal’s badge and his matching pair of magic seven shooters, and ride out of Solace with his beautiful wife Mai — but not his unicorn companion, Edward. Unfortunately, a Water Reader interrupts the ceremony with a dire prediction: the psychopath whom Clint and Edward drove out of Solace is coming back with a small army. And, more, a dark man “riding a unicorn of a different color.” With the townsfolk refusing to defend themselves, it’s up to Clint and Edward to save the day once again — even if they die in the process, leaving Mai an almost-widow on her almost-wedding day ….

I stumbled across a copy of Unicorn Western on netgalley while looking for new fantasy novels to read. Intrigued by the description, I downloaded the file and added it to my To Be Read pile. A few weeks passed before I got to it, and I’m glad when I was finally able to read it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Unicorn Western. This is a terrific mash-up of unicorn lore, fantasy, and the classic western. Platt and Truant gather together all of the well-known tropes of these disparate genres, mix and match, twist around, and come up with something familiar, but also entirely original.

For example: the world of Unicorn Western is divided in two. There is The Realm, a beautiful land of prosperity and free-flowing magic. Then there is The Sands, dry and desolate and almost empty of magic except for the wild unicorns who wander as they please. An exile from The Realm, Clint has no hope of ever returning to it; even if he were to look for it, he could never find his way back. But he is still a Marshal, and there is plenty of lawlessness in The Sands that only a Marshal and unicorn can hope to deal with.

I love the relationship between Clint and Edward. Clint is the typical stoic lawman, but he has depths of pain and courage that most people never see. As for Edward: what most people in The Sands do not understand is that a unicorn is not a pet. A unicorn chooses a Marshal, lending that person their magic to maintain the peace and protect the innocent. Edward may be arrogant, foul-mouthed, and entirely too fond of apple brew and turkey pie, but he truly does respect Clint — and he is hurt that Clint would give up on their partnership to get married and ride off with a woman.

Platt and Truant have also created a unique dialect for the people of The Sands. “Yar” and “nar” in place of yes and no; “pleasem” and “thankoo” and Otel instead of hotel. There are plenty of other examples. The result is almost a sing-song dialogue, whether the speech is words of exasperated affection between Clint and Mai, or hatred and bitterness between Clint and … well, that would be spoiling it.

Also, have I mentioned the epic unicorn brawl?

Unicorn Western is a heck of a lot of fun. The first book is free (for how long, I have no idea) through most digital store fronts. Grab a copy, enjoy it, and then read the rest of the series. I, for one, can’t wait to see what further adventures await Clint and Edward in the desolation of The Sands.

Recommended to fans of The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark, the Merkabah Rider series by Edward M. Erdelac, the Jeremiah Jones Cowboy Sorcerer series by H. Duke, and Once Upon a Time in the Weird West.

How the West was won...with Marshals riding intelligent, magical unicorns.

One Marshal in particular is thinking of retiring and getting married. Until he hear of a gang coming to town. A gang that includes a unicorn gone bad and his rider gaining some of the magic.

His soon to be bride does not want to leave. His unicorn is making arguments to leave. The Marshal is stuck in the middle.

This is a true western but with some fantastical addition. The book is hard to put down. Cannot wait for the next one.

WOW, LOVE IT
An original idea, plenty of humour, the perfect mix of two genre.The unicorn was my favorite and now I have to go and buy the saga.
I'm at loss for words and can only say go and read it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine