Rampant by Diane Peterfreund

It's time for another wonderful review with Heather from A High and Hidden Place. This is getting to be a regular event on my blog and I quite enjoy it! This is the first half of our conversation. To read the other half, you have to go over to Heather's blog. She is the red typing and I am the black.

So, killer unicorns! What did you think?

I loved the killer unicorns! On the one hand they were the noble beasts from other fantasy novels, but on the other hand it was a totally different experience reading this book! I mean, it had killer unicorns! I hate to say it but I imagine the book has more chance of being known as that than its actual title, but that is the risk you take when you try to be different. It could have been terrible, but Peterfreund carried it out so well. It was just fun to read a book about killer unicorns, as crazy as that might sound! What about you? What did you think about the killer unicorns?

I LOVED the killer unicorns. I admit, I was a bit concerned when I heard that. As the parent of a six-year-old girl who is totally enamoured with UNICORNS, I had that preconceived notion in my head of unicorns as coming in saccrine colors of pink, purple and white and being all about rainbows and butterflies. But these unicorns KICK ASS! I thought Peterfreund did an excellent job of making them her own creatures; something hard to do with something as ancient as the concept of mythical unicorns.

They do kick ass, huh? So, what did you think about the character that kicks the unicorns asses, Astrid? Did you like her?

I really did. I thought her resistance to her calling was natural, as well as her eventual embracement (is THAT a WORD???) of her destiny. I liked her strength, her courage, her determination. She felt so real! Which is weird, since this is a book about killer unicorns and killer unicorn hunters! But she did, she felt very real and I thought Peterfreund did an excellent job developing her character. Did you like her?

Yes, I did. She annoyed me at times, but I think that was only natural. As someone that is well aware of how parents can try to get you to do what they wanted to do when they were your age, I could really relate to her! I felt like she really fell off the page and that by the end of the book I really knew her. I am hoping that there will be a sequel because I want to know what happens to her next!

What did you think of her mother? Dum, dum, dum....

Oh, man, you would just have to ask that, wouldn't you? She reminded me SO much of my own mother it was scary! Some parents have dreams when they are young, but instead of living them they have children. Then, the children start to grow-up and the parents want them to do all the things that they never had a chance to do. Sometimes this is a good thing, like with Astrid, but in other cases it can be very unhelpful. Astrid found her calling because that is what she was born to do, but it was unfair of her mother to be so single-minded. Just because her mother wanted to be a unicorn hunter doesn't mean that Astrid does. She just had to be... Sometimes I liked Astrid's mother, but other times she reminded me too much of things that I would rather not think about! What about you, what did you think about Astrid's mother?

Her mother was a YOU KNOW WHAT!! Dude, talk about overbearing! I definitely did not like her. I did not have a typical upbringing, my mother was out of the picture. I was raised by my grandmother. So I don't know the relationship between mother and daughter from the daughter side but I know if my grandmother had acted like that, I would've acted out a whole lot more than I did!!! And please, someone shoot me if I ever treat my own daughter that way! I suppose Astrid's mother meant well, for a crazy person, but I was so glad when she left the story!

Don't worry, if you still know me in the future I will be sure to tell you to back off! (In the nicest possible way, of course!) What did you think about all of the secondary characters? Who was your favourite? Was there anyone that you didn't like?

I liked most of them. I really liked Giovanni. He. Was. Hot. And Cornelia, or Cory, the British one. She was like, super annoying, but in a really great way. She's like that annoying, by the book, A+ student we all love to hate. Oh, and Phil. Phillipa. She was great. I felt SO BAD for her, when that unspeakable thing happened to her. And then Astrid's mother was treating her like something worse that death...it was just SO WRONG. I was so glad when she was made the, what was it called? Donna? She was awesome!

I loved Phil. She was such a great character! I wasn't sure about her when she first appeared, but she turned out to be a great character! I felt really bad for her, too, but I think she really rose above it. She was probably my favourite secondary character, but I also liked Cory. She was really shocking when we first meet her, but she grew on you as you got to know her. Giovanni was great. Another character that I wasn't so sure about in the beginning, but as his character was developed and we learned more about him, I really didn't mind him at all. Now, his friend is the lowest form of life imaginable! He deserved anything that came his way.

I totally agree about Seth. I did have a tiny problem with that part of the book. He just disappeared and there was no retribution of any kind! No resolution to that part of the story really! I hope maybe he'll get what's coming to him in book two!

Head on over to Heather's blog to read the second half!

My thanks to Harper Collins for sending me this book!