A review by foggy_rosamund
Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Ann Pierce

3.0

Unicorns, as fantasy creatures, fascinate me, and this book is an enjoyable adventure in a world populated with dragons, unicorns, and pans (satyrs). Jan, the main character, is a young, hot-headed prince, running wild in the mountains, hiding from ferocious gryphons, little suspecting he is destined to be a hero. The fantasy elements are not unique, but it's nice to read a book that focuses solely on mythological animals, and it's so rare that this feels fresh. My main problem with this novel is that the unicorns feel too much like intelligent horses and not enough like magical creature. In "The Last Unicorn", unquestionably the best unicorn book, the myths and magic surrounding the unicorn are palpable. Whereas this story could work almost as well if it were about mustangs rather than unicorns. However, it's enjoyable, and I'm glad I picked it up.