The Last Hunt (The Unicorn Chronicles, Book 4)
Grade 5-8 This final volume satisfyingly concludes an exciting and intricately plotted series that began withInto the Land of Unicorns(Scholastic) 16 years ago. In the parallel world of Luster, inhabited by a large cast of familiar creatures such as unicorns and dragons, along with unfamiliar beings such as Squijum, a squirrel/monkeylike creature, and Dimblethum, a half human, half bearlike creature, Coville creates an epic story of the fight for good versus evil with all of its inherent ambiguities. Beloved's centuries-old vow to hunt down and kill all of Luster's unicorns because one killed her father is finally about to come true. Only teenaged Cara, with her mixed unicorn and human blood, granddaughter of the Queen of the Unicorns, and of Beloved herself, can save them. Powerful beings older than the land itself aid Cara in her quest to heal the rift and defeat Beloved. Despite this volume's length, the pace is brisk, with one cliff-hanging adventure following another right up to the climactic conclusion. Events from previous books are mentioned in the narrative, making it not absolutely necessary to have read the other books in order, although that would be ideal. Fans of the series will be delighted.Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, TrentonCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.