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ankysbookbubble's review
4.0
Unicorn Tracks was a cute, albeit short read.
The characters were sweet, the setting was beautiful and the animals only added to the flair.
I love how casually the fantasy elements were merged into the scenes. Like how normal it was to spot a mermaid, or a unicorn!
The adventure itself was well written and an enjoyable ride.
I wish the story had gone on longer, because I'd have loved to read more of Mnemba and Kara.
All in all, Unicorn Tracks was colorful, beautiful and a super sweet read!
The characters were sweet, the setting was beautiful and the animals only added to the flair.
I love how casually the fantasy elements were merged into the scenes. Like how normal it was to spot a mermaid, or a unicorn!
The adventure itself was well written and an enjoyable ride.
I wish the story had gone on longer, because I'd have loved to read more of Mnemba and Kara.
All in all, Unicorn Tracks was colorful, beautiful and a super sweet read!
vll295's review
When Julia reached out to me about her book, I knew this was a book that sounded very interesting. I am happy to report that it didn't disappoint. As a little girl, I remember having a toy unicorn (from Lisa Frank) and all of the magic it had. This book kept the magic alive in me and I am so glad.
This book was one of love. The women in the story cannot be together, but you can feel the connection every time they interact. I appreciated that element of this book.
The plot of the story was interesting and well written. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the opportunity.
Disclaimer: I was awarded this book from the author. Though I did not pay for the book, the opinions are strictly my own.
This book was one of love. The women in the story cannot be together, but you can feel the connection every time they interact. I appreciated that element of this book.
The plot of the story was interesting and well written. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the opportunity.
Disclaimer: I was awarded this book from the author. Though I did not pay for the book, the opinions are strictly my own.
cat_thecatlady's review
4.0
reading this book was an experience! and one I enjoyed it. I avoided reading too much about the synopsis but I was sold after lesbian romance and unicorns.
at first it was very hard to understand the world and how everything worked there. I felt a bit underwhelmed with the lack of explanation and world building. but after I got more familiar with it, I really enjoyed this book.
the two main character shined, of course, but the relations they had with the rest of the cast were lovely.
definitely recommend this book to any fantasy lovers looking for something out of the box!
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/book-review-91-unicorn-tracks-by-julia-ember/
at first it was very hard to understand the world and how everything worked there. I felt a bit underwhelmed with the lack of explanation and world building. but after I got more familiar with it, I really enjoyed this book.
the two main character shined, of course, but the relations they had with the rest of the cast were lovely.
definitely recommend this book to any fantasy lovers looking for something out of the box!
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/book-review-91-unicorn-tracks-by-julia-ember/
bluebeereads's review
4.0
Quite The Novel Idea ~ Words from the Clouds
This was such a nice read! I'll be honest though and say that it's hard for me to review shorter books because there's usually not that much to talk about. Not that this book lacked substance. Not in the least. Unicorn Tracks managed to meet my expectations and then some!
The writing in this book was very vivid and I really felt like I was there with Mnemba and Kate sometimes. I haven't read many books with Africa as a backdrop and it was very nice. It definitely would make want to visit the place if I wasn't so sensitive to the heat. I mean, I would die there. For real. But I really liked the world-building with all the creatures. Also major props to the author for managing to work unicorns into the story without making it corny!
I do believe the story itself could have benefited from more development, which is what I usually think with short stories like this. There's a lot going on in this book and it defintely would have brought this book to the next level. It also would have helped with the secondary characters. They felt a little too one-dimensional to me, though they weren't uninteresting, if that makes sense. I just wanted more from them. But the two girls, Mnemba and Kate were really well-developed and I loved them. Their romance is very very sweet and well-paced. It gave me flutters in my stomach on multiple times.
Overal, Unicorn Tracks is very magical, adventurous and romantic. It's a fun and quick read that I do highly recommend. So check it out, if you can.
This was such a nice read! I'll be honest though and say that it's hard for me to review shorter books because there's usually not that much to talk about. Not that this book lacked substance. Not in the least. Unicorn Tracks managed to meet my expectations and then some!
The writing in this book was very vivid and I really felt like I was there with Mnemba and Kate sometimes. I haven't read many books with Africa as a backdrop and it was very nice. It definitely would make want to visit the place if I wasn't so sensitive to the heat. I mean, I would die there. For real. But I really liked the world-building with all the creatures. Also major props to the author for managing to work unicorns into the story without making it corny!
I do believe the story itself could have benefited from more development, which is what I usually think with short stories like this. There's a lot going on in this book and it defintely would have brought this book to the next level. It also would have helped with the secondary characters. They felt a little too one-dimensional to me, though they weren't uninteresting, if that makes sense. I just wanted more from them. But the two girls, Mnemba and Kate were really well-developed and I loved them. Their romance is very very sweet and well-paced. It gave me flutters in my stomach on multiple times.
Overal, Unicorn Tracks is very magical, adventurous and romantic. It's a fun and quick read that I do highly recommend. So check it out, if you can.
booksandladders's review
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Actual Rating: 4.5*
I really enjoyed this one. I just wish it had been a little longer. I'm going to unpack my feelings as one long ramble so don't mind me. The biggest takeaway is that I really recommend picking this one up.
Let me start by saying what I didn't like: the length. I thought this one was too short for everything that I thought should have been in here/expanded upon. I liked that there was a "Beast Guide" (IDK WHAT ELSE TO CALL IT) as an appendix at the end, but I would have liked more interaction with the animals during the course of the story. We really only saw a couple creatures and I wanted MOAR OF THIS. I think it would have been interesting to see them in their natural habitat and just in general and CREATURES. Also, at the end, everything worked itself out fairly quickly and easily. I think a little bit more time was needed for me to feel satisfied, especially with
Otherwise, everything else was GREAT. I have no other complaints. I liked the plot, the characters, the development, literally everything. This is what a novel should be. AND there is ladylove! LADY LOVE. Nothing could be better imo. Like main things in this novel: diversity, unicorns, lady love. That = excellent novel to me.
PICK THIS ONE UP. BUY IT. NOW. Also, Books and Ladders will have a Guest Post on April 17th that is SUPER COOL AND AWESOME, so watch for that.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
Actual Rating: 4.5*
I really enjoyed this one. I just wish it had been a little longer. I'm going to unpack my feelings as one long ramble so don't mind me. The biggest takeaway is that I really recommend picking this one up.
Let me start by saying what I didn't like: the length. I thought this one was too short for everything that I thought should have been in here/expanded upon. I liked that there was a "Beast Guide" (IDK WHAT ELSE TO CALL IT) as an appendix at the end, but I would have liked more interaction with the animals during the course of the story. We really only saw a couple creatures and I wanted MOAR OF THIS. I think it would have been interesting to see them in their natural habitat and just in general and CREATURES. Also, at the end, everything worked itself out fairly quickly and easily. I think a little bit more time was needed for me to feel satisfied, especially with
Spoiler
releasing the unicorns. I thought that was wayyyy too easy. I mean, I understand there was HIGH STAKES because there could have been emotional disaster if something had gone wrong, but it just was like WHACK, done.Otherwise, everything else was GREAT. I have no other complaints. I liked the plot, the characters, the development, literally everything. This is what a novel should be. AND there is ladylove! LADY LOVE. Nothing could be better imo. Like main things in this novel: diversity, unicorns, lady love. That = excellent novel to me.
PICK THIS ONE UP. BUY IT. NOW. Also, Books and Ladders will have a Guest Post on April 17th that is SUPER COOL AND AWESOME, so watch for that.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
foggy_rosamund's review
4.0
Set in Nazimbwe, a fictional African nation, this story focuses on Mnemba, a gifted tracker and tour-guide, and Kara, a white woman from fictional Europe. Kara, daughter of a naturalist, arrives in Nazimbwe intent on having an adventure and learning about unicorns before it's time for her to marry. The story follows Mnemba and Kara as they learn that the beautiful unicorns are being mistreated and used in the manufacture of weapons. As they take down the poachers, Mnemba and Kara fall in love.
I enjoyed this book hugely. If you've ever been a fan of fantasy animals, or grew up enjoying stories set on horseback, you'll find a lot to love here. Numerous different fantasy creatures feature, including gryphons, manticores, mermaids and phoenixes. Julia Ember is great at developing animal's individual personalities, and filling her story with gorgeous details of wild animals. I also appreciate the book's focus on animal welfare, and the problems with poaching and shooting animals for sport.
The plot is very exciting and rattles along swiftly. If anything, this book is too fast-paced and would benefit from a slower approach, particularly in the central part of the story. It's wonderful to see a lesbian novel that not only takes place in an original fantasy setting, but features a Black woman. Especially because we Mnemba in her element as an experienced and talented tour-guide and tracker. It's also good to see her dispel many of the illusions Kara has about the country, who thinks she knows more than someone who actually lives there. All this said, I would have loved to see Kara and Mnemba's relationship develop at a slower pace. It was hard to believe they could so quickly fall in love, especially when they were both dealing with their own problems: Kara is facing an unwanted engagement; and Mnemba has experienced a rape the previous year.
As with much of this novel, it was nice to see a woman who has been raped represented in a sympathetic and compassionate manner, but I felt that her character has not been fully-fleshed out, and the author dealt with the emotional and physical ramifications of the rape too quickly. I was also a bit troubled at times by her descriptions of Nazimbwe as I worried that, though her portrayal was very positive, she at times over-simplified that country and the problems that they were dealing with.
All the said though, this book is a delight to read. The animals that populate it, from the adorable baby unicorn to the blood-thirsty mermaids and the spirited horses, make it lively and fun, and Mnemba is extremely likeable. The plot is also very gripping, and I read the book in a matter of hours. Would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy and is looking for LGBTQ books.
I enjoyed this book hugely. If you've ever been a fan of fantasy animals, or grew up enjoying stories set on horseback, you'll find a lot to love here. Numerous different fantasy creatures feature, including gryphons, manticores, mermaids and phoenixes. Julia Ember is great at developing animal's individual personalities, and filling her story with gorgeous details of wild animals. I also appreciate the book's focus on animal welfare, and the problems with poaching and shooting animals for sport.
The plot is very exciting and rattles along swiftly. If anything, this book is too fast-paced and would benefit from a slower approach, particularly in the central part of the story. It's wonderful to see a lesbian novel that not only takes place in an original fantasy setting, but features a Black woman. Especially because we Mnemba in her element as an experienced and talented tour-guide and tracker. It's also good to see her dispel many of the illusions Kara has about the country, who thinks she knows more than someone who actually lives there. All this said, I would have loved to see Kara and Mnemba's relationship develop at a slower pace. It was hard to believe they could so quickly fall in love, especially when they were both dealing with their own problems: Kara is facing an unwanted engagement; and Mnemba has experienced a rape the previous year.
As with much of this novel, it was nice to see a woman who has been raped represented in a sympathetic and compassionate manner, but I felt that her character has not been fully-fleshed out, and the author dealt with the emotional and physical ramifications of the rape too quickly. I was also a bit troubled at times by her descriptions of Nazimbwe as I worried that, though her portrayal was very positive, she at times over-simplified that country and the problems that they were dealing with.
All the said though, this book is a delight to read. The animals that populate it, from the adorable baby unicorn to the blood-thirsty mermaids and the spirited horses, make it lively and fun, and Mnemba is extremely likeable. The plot is also very gripping, and I read the book in a matter of hours. Would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy and is looking for LGBTQ books.
bayy245's review
4.0
I absolutely loved Unicorn Tracks. It was a quick read, but a really nice one. And girls kissing always wins me over. I love how the mythical creatures were just part of their world and no one questioned it. I also adored the unique world Mnemba lived in. It had beautiful world building and forbidden romance, which is always nice.
I loved how Mnemba’s people had their own culture and language and the peeks we got into it. I also like her story line of overcoming her assault. It felt real and relatable considering I also am a victim of assault,
Although I enjoyed this book, I would’ve liked more explanations between the differences between the two countries. I felt like we just didn’t quite enough to understand how different the countries really were. I also would’ve liked a little more build up in Mnemba and Kara’s relationship, I feel like it was a little to quick. But over all it was a nice, quick read.
I loved how Mnemba’s people had their own culture and language and the peeks we got into it. I also like her story line of overcoming her assault. It felt real and relatable considering I also am a victim of assault,
Although I enjoyed this book, I would’ve liked more explanations between the differences between the two countries. I felt like we just didn’t quite enough to understand how different the countries really were. I also would’ve liked a little more build up in Mnemba and Kara’s relationship, I feel like it was a little to quick. But over all it was a nice, quick read.
kittybd's review
1.0
DNF. I wanted to love this book so much but I couldn't get over the fact that it felt more like a weird outsider perspective of an African culture.
thechaoshour's review
4.0
Quick thoughts (right after reading)
1. The only disappointment with this book was the length. It was way too short for what could have been.
2. I loved the little details in this plot. There was so much diversity it was crazy! Not only was there racial diversity but there was also a character struggling through a sexual assault and even two girls falling in love. It was pretty great.
3. I loved our main character. I thought she was strong and fun but she asks never complained or rushed into a situation only to end up needed to be saved.
4. I'm very happy with how this book turned out and I seriously recommend it to everyone.
Full Review:
What I Loved:
I've been wanting to read this book ever since I saw a few people I follow on Twitter had reviewed it. It was initially the cover that drew me in, plus the talk about unicorns. I'm telling you all right now that I'm team unicorn and that this book did not disappoint.
I think my favourite part of this book was all the diversity! It wasn't one of those books where the author tries to shove it all in to cover their bases, it just flowed really nicely with the story. We had two main characters, one from and African-like country and the other seemed to be from and American or English inspired country. Their cultures were completely different and it was fun seeing them learn more about each other. That's not even all of it though! We also saw one of the characters struggle with sexual abuse and sexuality. Though she didn't really struggle with her sexuality which was actually kind of refreshing. She just went with it and didn't care which I loved. It just made the romance feel so much more natural (though I was disappointed there was no male character I got to crush on hehe) and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The romance in general was very well done for such a short book.
Another thing I loved about this story was our main character Mnemba. She was the strong, independent type character that we've been seeing in YA a lot lately, only I thought she was better. My absolute favourite part about her was that she actually learned from her mistakes! There was one scene where she kind of rushed head first into a dangerous situation and instead of going back into that same situation (which happens way too often in YA books) , she actually goes and finds help! Imagine that! She knew she couldn't do something on her own and she went to get people who could help her, not because she's a girl and girls are weak, but because she's smart and knew that if she failed the first time then she needed to do something different.
What I Didn't Like:
The only reason why this book didn't get 5 stars from me was because of the length. I thought so much more could have been done with this book but instead it was rushed just a little bit and ended too soon. I could have used just a little bit more information and some extra time for the relationship between our two main characters to grow.
Who I'd Recommend To:
I'd recommend this to any YA fan that's always complaining about not seeing enough diversity in books. This is the perfect book for you because it's full of it. It hits culture differences, mental illness, LGBT romance, mythical creatures, and so much more! Plus it covers all those topics and does it effortlessly.
See the full review on my blog
1. The only disappointment with this book was the length. It was way too short for what could have been.
2. I loved the little details in this plot. There was so much diversity it was crazy! Not only was there racial diversity but there was also a character struggling through a sexual assault and even two girls falling in love. It was pretty great.
3. I loved our main character. I thought she was strong and fun but she asks never complained or rushed into a situation only to end up needed to be saved.
4. I'm very happy with how this book turned out and I seriously recommend it to everyone.
Full Review:
What I Loved:
I've been wanting to read this book ever since I saw a few people I follow on Twitter had reviewed it. It was initially the cover that drew me in, plus the talk about unicorns. I'm telling you all right now that I'm team unicorn and that this book did not disappoint.
I think my favourite part of this book was all the diversity! It wasn't one of those books where the author tries to shove it all in to cover their bases, it just flowed really nicely with the story. We had two main characters, one from and African-like country and the other seemed to be from and American or English inspired country. Their cultures were completely different and it was fun seeing them learn more about each other. That's not even all of it though! We also saw one of the characters struggle with sexual abuse and sexuality. Though she didn't really struggle with her sexuality which was actually kind of refreshing. She just went with it and didn't care which I loved. It just made the romance feel so much more natural (though I was disappointed there was no male character I got to crush on hehe) and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The romance in general was very well done for such a short book.
Another thing I loved about this story was our main character Mnemba. She was the strong, independent type character that we've been seeing in YA a lot lately, only I thought she was better. My absolute favourite part about her was that she actually learned from her mistakes! There was one scene where she kind of rushed head first into a dangerous situation and instead of going back into that same situation (which happens way too often in YA books) , she actually goes and finds help! Imagine that! She knew she couldn't do something on her own and she went to get people who could help her, not because she's a girl and girls are weak, but because she's smart and knew that if she failed the first time then she needed to do something different.
What I Didn't Like:
The only reason why this book didn't get 5 stars from me was because of the length. I thought so much more could have been done with this book but instead it was rushed just a little bit and ended too soon. I could have used just a little bit more information and some extra time for the relationship between our two main characters to grow.
Who I'd Recommend To:
I'd recommend this to any YA fan that's always complaining about not seeing enough diversity in books. This is the perfect book for you because it's full of it. It hits culture differences, mental illness, LGBT romance, mythical creatures, and so much more! Plus it covers all those topics and does it effortlessly.
See the full review on my blog