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A review by foggy_rosamund
Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember
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.