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As the evacuation of all magical creatures from Briton to Avalon is in progress, Lennox the unicorn, his wife, and young son are being chased by human hunters. The queen of the witches and several fairies help the trio of unicorns reach safety, but now the family must stay concealed and are unable to roam freely. Lennox’s son Bryant, impatient and stubborn, ends up going out one night and is pursued by Tamarie, his mother. Both of them fall prey to the traps of fishermen, leaving Lennox alone to grieve as perhaps the last unicorn. Heading to Avalon in hopes of meeting other surviving unicorns, Lennox discovers a fierce competitor, kind allies, and must go on his own journey to change the fate of the area and save creatures of all races from the dangerous gudgers.
Anyone jumping into this book as their starting point for the author’s Tales of Avalon stories will be unsure of some of the people, places, and events discussed in the book, but Lennox’s story serves as a stand-alone adventure that happens parallel to many of the key plot points of the other books. Inspired by Arthurian legend and classical fantasy, this book follows in many of the traditions and tropes of its predecessors but strikes out in many new imaginative directions of its own. Lennox’s character is noble and honorable but also darkly driven by revenge at times, and the perspective of following a unicorn rather than a knight or a wizard opens up a lot of opportunities for creative storytelling and exciting adventure. More than just the average fantasy book, Bourne gives increased depth to her own series of books while simultaneously telling an entertaining, well-crafted story in its own right.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review