Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Rampant
Diana Peterfreund
August 2009
416 pages (hardcover)
Publisher - HarperTeen
Source - Purchased

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...and attraction that could jeopardize everything.

Unicorns totally kick butt. I never thought I could actually take "Killer Unicorns" seriously, but Peterfreund makes it all believable. After the first chapter, I was hooked. Astrid was a believable protagonist, and I really felt for the girl when she had to leave her life behind to train to become a hunter. Astrid's roomate, Cornelia or "Cory", was strong and smart. Phil, and all the other girls, are all strong, but have their weaknesses. 

These girls have so many rules binding them to the cloisters, in order to keep them hunters. Despite that, they all work together to reach their goals - killing the unicorns. The story was easy to follow, and had an addictive quality to the writing. There's even a bit of romance, mystery, and by the end you'll be wanting to start all over again. I couldn't put this book down even if I wanted to. 

Highlights: Rampant is exciting, fun, and original. The fight scenes were incredible, and so well described. I felt like I was there, witnessing everything. Even the descriptions of the unicorns were intriguing - I never thought I'd say unicorns were scary, but some of Peterfruend's unicorns were a bit intimidating. The best part had to be that it was that everything was very realistic, and each character was their own unique person. 

Lowlights: I disliked Astrid's attempt at escaping her hunter destiny, but I'd have to say it's pretty realistic. Can't blame a girl for trying, but thank goodness it didn't work out the way she wanted it to.

Rating: