The Secret of Shabaz

by Jennifer Macaire

Once upon a time, there was a brave and noble unicorn whose name was Shabaz. So wondrous was this beast, so loyal and devoted to his mistress, that he gave up his horn to a powerful magic to save her and her infant daughter from the evil and terrible Dark Lord, a necromancer. He travels through time with his precious cargo, and Birchspring, a warrior elf, to a place they believe will be safe. Two hundred years have passed. Tania, a servant lass, toils in the stable of the once mighty Castle Storm. An orphan, Tania has only her Grandfather Birchspring, and the tired old war horse she tends. Her life is hard and dull with drudgery. Until Tania hears that a new Dark Lord has risen, and threatens the centuries of peace the countryside has enjoyed. It is not all she learns. "Grandfather" Birchspring can no longer contain the secret of Tania’s heritage. The tired old war horse can no longer maintain his masquerade. Together, the three cannot sit idly by while the evil force that destroyed Tania’s mother returns to finish what he once started. Ill equipped, with only great heart and noble purpose, they ride to war. But it is more than battle they encounter. And it is only the force of love that will endure. Love, and the unicorn’s final, precious gift.

Genres: Fantasy

313 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Jennifer Macaire lives in France with her husband, three children, & various dogs & horses. She loves cooking, eating French chocolate, growing herbs and flowering plants on her balcony, and playing golf. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. She graduated from St. Peter and Paul high school in St. Thomas and moved to NYC where she modeled for five years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories.

Reviews

[King Haddock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although weak in introduction, the book becomes increasingly better, if not spectacular. I in fact label this fantasy as the World's Most Predictable Book. Nothing came as a surprise to me and I was able to see future developments many chapters in advance. It has been a while since I read the book, but I do recall the main character Tania is the daughter of an evil necromancer. She was brought forward in time with a fatherly elf named Birchspring and the loyal unicorn Shabaz. Through an adventure that involves magic, dungeons, love, and war, she discovers the truth about her heritage.

[Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the award for worst cover/back art goes to this book. But you should not judge a book by its cover.

Shabaz isn't my new favorite book, but I definitely enjoyed it. I think I'll always have a soft spot for it.

The writing isn't spectacular, and lots of times it just isn't very believable. Tania and Eloren, for one thing. Their relationship is just a bit weird, and while I certainly saw it coming, it didn't exactly pan out smoothly.

The horses, however, are all awesome. I love Karen. And Hex. And all of them.

And the elves! And orcs! The world is so cool! I really did get excited about all the different species, and I love all the talk about fairies and griffins and how the world is much bigger than the story. It makes the world seem real (even if some of the characters seem fake).

No, it's not perfect. Far from it. But it's a pretty fun read.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

was a great book!

[Ning · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Chris Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a fun read A unicorn with no horn. Good twist in the tail.