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A review by martuchi
Skandar y el ladrón del unicornio by A.F. Steadman
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This novel is SO BAD I want to cry. Even if I’m almost in my 20s, I love reading these types of books. However, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is the exception.
I imagined this would be a mix between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, and I wasn’t completely wrong in some parts. Although it takes some elements from both series, it sucks at doing so.
We have a (half) orphan who is a complete idiot and does not act his age at all. I know I’m 6 years older than him, but please, he’s so dumb. Skandar is 13 but acts like Harry when his was a first year at Hogwarts.
(Also, let’s ignore the part where Steadman takes most of Harry Potter’s system of houses, teachers, and even the outfit of the villain wth)
The narrator wasn’t telling you the story at all, they were saying things as the story went along. For example: oh yes, Bobby is having a panic attack… and? Steadman just told you that instead of explaining it. There was some storytelling missing there.
Moreover, Bobby’s panic attacks seemed too forced and I didn’t believe them for a second. As someone who had them frequently when younger, I hated that this was taken so lightly. It was stupid to read, really.
Even more, Mitchell’s relationship with his father was also forced out of nowhere. I don’t want you to say to me how the relationship is bad and all, I want you to tell me how they feel about it. Explain it through feelings and situations instead of saying it through random conversations.
Readers are not idiots, we can read between the lines. We don’t need the protagonists to have a conversation between them to know the entire backstory between two characters.
The real villain was predictable. And that’s the only thing I really liked in the story. Plus, the Unicorn lore was interesting, but far too complicated to understand if you only explained its entirety, once, at the beginning of the story.
And coming back to Skandar. He LOVES acting like a victim. Steadman gave him one of the most annoying character traits for a protagonist: main character syndrome. He believes everything is about him and plays the victim regardless.
Flo is the only likable character here. Bobby is a wannabe Ron Weasley. Mitchell is what the author wanted Draco Malfoy to be.
P.S:
I will read the second book, though. I want to have a laugh while reading this nonsense instead of suffering like with this dull novel.
I imagined this would be a mix between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, and I wasn’t completely wrong in some parts. Although it takes some elements from both series, it sucks at doing so.
We have a (half) orphan who is a complete idiot and does not act his age at all. I know I’m 6 years older than him, but please, he’s so dumb. Skandar is 13 but acts like Harry when his was a first year at Hogwarts.
(Also, let’s ignore the part where Steadman takes most of Harry Potter’s system of houses, teachers, and even the outfit of the villain wth)
The narrator wasn’t telling you the story at all, they were saying things as the story went along. For example: oh yes, Bobby is having a panic attack… and? Steadman just told you that instead of explaining it. There was some storytelling missing there.
Moreover, Bobby’s panic attacks seemed too forced and I didn’t believe them for a second. As someone who had them frequently when younger, I hated that this was taken so lightly. It was stupid to read, really.
Even more, Mitchell’s relationship with his father was also forced out of nowhere. I don’t want you to say to me how the relationship is bad and all, I want you to tell me how they feel about it. Explain it through feelings and situations instead of saying it through random conversations.
Readers are not idiots, we can read between the lines. We don’t need the protagonists to have a conversation between them to know the entire backstory between two characters.
The real villain was predictable. And that’s the only thing I really liked in the story. Plus, the Unicorn lore was interesting, but far too complicated to understand if you only explained its entirety, once, at the beginning of the story.
And coming back to Skandar. He LOVES acting like a victim. Steadman gave him one of the most annoying character traits for a protagonist: main character syndrome. He believes everything is about him and plays the victim regardless.
Flo is the only likable character here. Bobby is a wannabe Ron Weasley. Mitchell is what the author wanted Draco Malfoy to be.
P.S:
I will read the second book, though. I want to have a laugh while reading this nonsense instead of suffering like with this dull novel.