Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
“A fresh folklore twist amid the wave of vampires and zombies.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Tired of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Try Astrid the unicorn hunter.” Locus
Review
“As swift and sure-footed as a killer unicorn, RAMPANT weaves a vibrant new mythology from venerable threads.” Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies series
Review
“RAMPANT is a thrilling read, with strong girls, unusual and scary unicorns, and hidden dangers everywhere. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish! Please, miss: might I have some more?” Tamora Pierce
Review
“With an atmospheric setting, personable ensemble cast and some reasoned discussions about virginity, this gripping page-turner evokes the same grrl-power spirit as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, packed with action, mystery and a complex and intriguing mythology.” Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns. The fluffy, sparkly, friendly "horses" so popular the world over don't exist. Real unicorns are killers.
Beasts the size of elephants, with cloven hooves that shake the earth, hides impervious to bullets, and horns that contain a deadly poison, unicorns can outrun a sports car and smell a human from a mile away.
And they can only be killed by virgin warriors descended from Alexander the Great.
Sixteen-year-old Astrid Llewelyn has grown up with her mom Lilith's tall tales about unicorns and their exalted family heritage, but figures her mom's crazy. But the scary stories her mom told her about the monsters in her formative years left her with a firm phobia about unicorns, even the cutesy kind popular with young girls.
But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend in the woods--thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to prom--Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter.
"As swift and sure-footed as a killer unicorn, Rampant weaves a vibrant new mythology from venerable threads."--Scott Westerfeld, bestselling author of the Uglies series
About the Author
Diana Peterfreund has lain in silence on a forest floor while a panther stalked its prey nearby. Shes swum with sharks in the Great Barrier Reef, lived next door to a very lonely alligator, let piranhas nibble on her toes, and watched as a hyena seriously considered eating her husband. Shes seen all kinds of predators, but nothing scares her more than unicorns. A graduate of Yale University, she now lives in Washington, D.C., and has written six books for adults and teens.