Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund.
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Pages: 416.

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.

Rampant was one of the most entertaining and action packed books I’ve ever read. Mixing fantastical elements with teenage angst and killer unicorns results in an enthralling story that grabs you and doesn’t let go.

I was a little skeptical over the idea at first. A book about blood-thirsty unicorns seems kind of out of the blue, but fortunately, my skepticism was very unnecessary. Despite how bizarre the idea may be, the story comes with history of the unicorns, different species of unicorns- I could go on and on, but overall, everything fits.

One thing that might put people on the fence is the written gore. I’ve never read a young adult book that had so much. But before you cringe and click away, let me say that I absolutely LOVED it. It’s not disgustingly descriptive and it’s not all over the place. When you’re writing a story about unicorns that KILL, there needs to be some blood. Most YA novels would cut that out, but I’m so glad that they didn’t.

Overall, I loved it. The characters, the unicorns, the gore, the setting, the action; everything. Astrid’s journey is just beginning and I cannot wait to get my hands on book two. Astrid is my new favorite ass-kicking, unicorn-slaying heroin! I definitely recommend you pick up a copy of Rampant today!