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The Skandar series is said to be the most highly anticipated children's book since Harry Potter Credit: ITV Skandar and the Unicorn Thief was a total joy to read; a whole world of deep magic and acts of courage, sacrifice and loyalty . An epic quest journey that I hope will continue for much, much longer. But just as Skandar’s dream is about to come true, things start to take a more dangerous turn than he could ever have imagined. A dark and twisted enemy has stolen the Island’s most powerful unicorn – and as the threat grows ever closer, Skandar discovers a secret that could blow apart his world forever . . . Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is a stunning, highly dramatic and exciting story that takes a totally new look at unicorns and every other story I've ever read about with them. My review copy arrived with an unexpected seal around it that I had to break open to discover which 'element' I was destined to be allied to. With that and the powerful, tense and startling Prologue with its final line "Because unicorns don't belong in fairy tales; they belong in nightmares", I was completely captivated and hooked.
The similarities were too many for it to be pure coincidence, and although I don’t mind writers taking inspiration from other stories. I just felt that in this case, there wasn’t a lot of originality regarding the storyline and characters. This was especially disappointing as despite this, “Amari and the night brothers” was still significantly more interesting and engaging. I’ll always remember,” Dad continued, looking straight at Skandar, “when that first Chaos Cup finished, your mum took your tiny hand, traced a pattern on your palm, and whispered, quiet as a prayer, ‘I promise you a unicorn, little one.’”Skandar had heard this before, but he didn’t mind one bit. He and Kenna were always desperate to hear about their mum. Grandma—Dad’s mum—used to tell them about her, but they liked it best when the stories came from Dad, who’d loved her most. And sometimes, when he repeated them, there were new details, like how Rosemary Smith always called him Bertie, never Robert. Or the way she had liked to sing in the bath, or her favorite type of flower—pansies—or the element she’d liked watching best—water—in the first and last Chaos Cup she’d ever seen. For sure,” the rider replied, nodding confidently. “There’s a real mix of abilities among the competitors, Tim. People are fixating on the fire strength of Federico Jones and Sunset’s Blood, but what about Ema Templeton and Mountain’s Fear? They might be air-allied, but they’re multitalented. People forget that the best Chaos Cup riders excel in all four elements—not just the one they’re allied to.”
Skandar watched, mouth open, as New-Age Frost’s hooves touched down in the arena’s sand. Aspen pushed him forward, fierce determination in her eyes as she passed under the finishing arch. and do you think we’ll see some fierce elemental battles today?” The reporter’s face was flushed with excitement. Skandar and Scoundrel bond, but it's entirely designed by fate, so you don't get that Hiccup and Toothless moment of understanding between them; Skandar and Scoundrel are suddenly one being, and that's it. It isn't earnt nor satisfying. Meanwhile the elemental magic system is about as standard as you can get, with characters wielding The Last Airbender-like elements to defeat their enemies. Even the shunned fifth element of spirit is by-the-numbers soul or heart or whatever you'd like to call it. If you've seen W.I.T.C.H., you know how magic here works. It's stupid, yeah. It also create a super-elitist society. You have the unicorn-bonded racers on one hand, and the plebe on the other. Which you would have also in a world of magic wielders against non-magic people. But here the goal of those elite, instead of power, or knowledge, or anything meaningful, is just the dazzling and shallow glamour of racing. Bleh. Since the vilain is dealing with real power and magic-hungry plebeian, it doesn't feel like they are in the same story at all.The writing, as well, marks this as obviously a debut. Not the worst I've ever read, but there are plenty of instances of needlessly convoluted descriptions and cringey dialogue. Even aspects of the plot was incredibly convenient. Steadman said she had wanted to be an author “for as long as I can remember”, but was “just so overworked”. “There was no room in my brain for anything other than cases coming up. I thought I didn’t want to do this forever, so I stopped,” she said. Kenna’s face changed at once. Her eyes dulled; the smile dropped from the corners of her mouth. Her elbow collapsed, and she turned to the wall again, gathering her coral duvet round her shoulders. Skandar entered the kitchen to the sound of sizzling eggs and blaring early Cup coverage. Dad was humming, leaning over the pan. When he saw Skandar, he gave him an enormous grin. Skandar couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen him smile. The commentator groaned. “That’s Hilary Winters and Sharp-Edged Lily out of the Chaos Cup this year. Looks like a broken arm, some nasty burns, and an injury to Lily’s wing.”
It’s hard for you kids to understand, really.” He sighed, staring at the screen. “Thirteen years ago, when my generation first watched the Chaos Cup, it was enough just knowing the Island existed. I was far too old to be a rider. But the race, the unicorns, the elements… it was magic for us—for me, for your mum.” Skandar and the Unicorn Thief introduces our hero as an uncool 13-year-old from the seaside town of Margate, whose status changes when he is spirited away to join the elite who have passed the Hatchery exam – the unicorn world’s equivalent of the 11-plus, which entitles them to join an island training camp for everyone’s favourite TV spectacle, the Chaos Cup. When she was rising 13, her parents divorced and her father left. “We lost our house and didn’t have any money at all. My mum had me and my two brothers. And I think I had to grow up a lot then. We were kind of making everything OK together, though my mum was a superhero. She never really let us know that things were not OK.” Simon & Schuster, which will publish the first book in the series in spring 2022, said the deal was believed to be record-breaking for a debut children’s author. Sony Pictures has also signed an “aggressive” seven-figure deal for the feature film rights in the series, which is aimed at readers of nine and over. A dazzling feat of imagination. I loved every breathless moment of it!’ – Cat Doyle, author of The Storm Keeper’s Island and co-author of Twin CrownsSkandar stayed very still, not daring to turn his head away from the screen as the unicorns entered the arena. Dad only talked about Skandar and Kenna’s mum on Chaos Cup day. By his seventh birthday, Skandar had given up asking about her at any other time—learning it made Dad angry and upset, learning it made him disappear into his room for days. Skandar jumped up, shouting with excitement. “They won! They won! See, Kenna, I told you! I called it, I called it!” Never seen your mum so full of emotion as she was on the day of the first Chaos Cup,” Dad continued. “She sat right where you are now, smiling and crying, and holding you in her arms. Only a couple of months old, you were.” To conclude, Skandar and the unicorn thief doesn’t live up to the hype. Currently, there are too many publishers and agents trying to desperately cash in on the next Harry Potter. However, the result of this conundrum is a host of new middle-grade releases that are festered with predictable stories, repetitive personalities, and imitated tropes. There’s only a limited number of times you can rehash a good story before it loses its magic and intrigue.
The trouble was, Dad had never acted like it was rare to pass the Hatchery exam. He loved unicorns so much, he was desperate for one of his children to become a rider. He said it would fix everything—their money problems, their future, their happiness, even the days he couldn’t get out of bed. Unicorns were magic, after all. Margate was the Kentish town Steadman and her mum would visit for shopping trips to Primark when she and her two younger brothers were growing up in the nearby village of Chillenden. Like Skandar, she was also spirited away to an elite private school – King’s, Canterbury, thanks to a music bursary. She had her first go at writing a children’s book when she was 13, and wrote another when she was 15. “I was quite a confident child,” she says, “but there was always a part of me that was sensible and reserved.”
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