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Once Upon a Unicorn
A science-minded unicorn and a (literal) fiery horse reluctantly team up in this fantasy adventure.
Have you ever heard of a unicorn who is more interested in science experiments than magic?
Or a flaming horse who's a walking fire hazard?
When a pumpkin-headed menace called Jack o' the Hunt and monsters untold threaten their home, this unlikely pair must team up to save all of the Whisperwood--and themselves!
Have you ever heard of a unicorn who is more interested in science experiments than magic?
Or a flaming horse who's a walking fire hazard?
When a pumpkin-headed menace called Jack o' the Hunt and monsters untold threaten their home, this unlikely pair must team up to save all of the Whisperwood--and themselves!
274 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2020
4 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Lou Anders
39 books202 followersLOU ANDERS is the author of the novel Once Upon a Unicorn, the Thrones & Bones trilogy of fantasy adventure novels (Frostborn, Nightborn, and Skyborn), and the novel Star Wars: Pirate’s Price. He is the recipient of a Hugo Award for editing and a Chesley Award for art direction. In the tabletop roleplaying game world, Anders is the creator and publisher of the Thrones & Bones: Norrøngard campaign setting. He has also done game design for Kobold Press, River Horse, and 3D Printed Tabletop. In 2016, he was named a Thurber House Writer-in-Residence and spent a month in Columbus, Ohio, teaching, writing, and living in a haunted house. When not writing, designing, and editing, he enjoys playing roleplaying games, 3D printing, weightlifting, and watching movies. He lives with his wife, children, and two golden doodles in Birmingham, Alabama. You can visit Anders online at louanders.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 14, 2020
While geared towards young children, Lou Anders's new book is a glorious, riotous tale delivered by a snide puck type narrator (who I am sure I am related to somehow) that should be read by all.
From the moment you open the book, Curious and Midnight's story takes off like a rocket. The action pushes the reader forward while a new world opens before them. Filled with new faires, hilarious entanglements, and two determined foes, OUAU comes alive as soon as you crack the spine.
The narrator of the story is familiar and unknown. She (I say that because I picture her as a SHE) knows how to hook and bait while providing a quick-witted banter with the reader. She does not give one lens to the story; she is determined to open up windows to threads that will come together in the end. Her transitions are flawless.
Curious and Midnight are the perfect enemies. I found a bit of myself in each of them, but Midnight most of all. She is a night mare that I connect with even at the ripe age of 44.
Curious speaks to the inner toddler who always asks, "Why?" His insatiable desire to know why something works is a perfect foil to someone who has a plan, aka Midnight. Their "flaws" are instantly identifiable, as is their inclination to have the last word.
This book begs to be heard, not just read. I can see Simon Vance, Rosario Dawson, or Lou himself reading this to a group of children and adults sitting around a campfire. The narrator's voice needs to be heard and experienced beyond the page.
While it is true that this book does not have a lot of exposition or descriptions, the story is better off. An immersive roller coaster of action and discovery provides a chance for the reader to escape into a fantastical world that implores Lou to share more tales as you reach the last page.
I am not an ageist. A magical book deserves readers of any age, and this is one of those books. Those looking for a chance to enter into a world that grabs you and refuses to let go buy this book already!
Before I end this review, I want to address the cover of this book. I am not one who keeps dust jackets, but this one is beyond gorgeous and deserves to stay with the book.
From the moment you open the book, Curious and Midnight's story takes off like a rocket. The action pushes the reader forward while a new world opens before them. Filled with new faires, hilarious entanglements, and two determined foes, OUAU comes alive as soon as you crack the spine.
The narrator of the story is familiar and unknown. She (I say that because I picture her as a SHE) knows how to hook and bait while providing a quick-witted banter with the reader. She does not give one lens to the story; she is determined to open up windows to threads that will come together in the end. Her transitions are flawless.
Curious and Midnight are the perfect enemies. I found a bit of myself in each of them, but Midnight most of all. She is a night mare that I connect with even at the ripe age of 44.
Curious speaks to the inner toddler who always asks, "Why?" His insatiable desire to know why something works is a perfect foil to someone who has a plan, aka Midnight. Their "flaws" are instantly identifiable, as is their inclination to have the last word.
This book begs to be heard, not just read. I can see Simon Vance, Rosario Dawson, or Lou himself reading this to a group of children and adults sitting around a campfire. The narrator's voice needs to be heard and experienced beyond the page.
While it is true that this book does not have a lot of exposition or descriptions, the story is better off. An immersive roller coaster of action and discovery provides a chance for the reader to escape into a fantastical world that implores Lou to share more tales as you reach the last page.
I am not an ageist. A magical book deserves readers of any age, and this is one of those books. Those looking for a chance to enter into a world that grabs you and refuses to let go buy this book already!
Before I end this review, I want to address the cover of this book. I am not one who keeps dust jackets, but this one is beyond gorgeous and deserves to stay with the book.
August 8, 2021
When I finished reading Once Upon a Unicorn to my two youngest kids, I asked them what they thought. Their responses were as follows:
G (Age 6) said the book was a very good story and that she really liked it. Her favourite part was Wartle, Curious the unicorn's puckle friend. She gave it five stars
C (Age 8) said he really liked the book, especially the surprise twist near the end. He also praised the quality of the characters in the story. He gave it five stars.
O (Age 11) read the book for himself and said he thought the book was good. He really liked how well everything was explained around the end of the book and that he thought several parts were quite funny. He also liked how the story switched perspective between Curious, Midnight, and the narrator. He liked all the characters and recommends the book. He gave it five stars and finished by saying again, that it's a good book and that he loved it.
I (age irrelevant) took a while to warm up to the story, and found some parts of it quite difficult to read out loud without stumbling. I enjoyed the descriptions of the various fairies and really enjoyed the characterization of Queen Titania. I rate the story four stars and will seek out Lou Anders' other work to read to the kids. The star rating listed reflects my kids' thoughts, since the book is aimed at people of their ages.
G (Age 6) said the book was a very good story and that she really liked it. Her favourite part was Wartle, Curious the unicorn's puckle friend. She gave it five stars
C (Age 8) said he really liked the book, especially the surprise twist near the end. He also praised the quality of the characters in the story. He gave it five stars.
O (Age 11) read the book for himself and said he thought the book was good. He really liked how well everything was explained around the end of the book and that he thought several parts were quite funny. He also liked how the story switched perspective between Curious, Midnight, and the narrator. He liked all the characters and recommends the book. He gave it five stars and finished by saying again, that it's a good book and that he loved it.
I (age irrelevant) took a while to warm up to the story, and found some parts of it quite difficult to read out loud without stumbling. I enjoyed the descriptions of the various fairies and really enjoyed the characterization of Queen Titania. I rate the story four stars and will seek out Lou Anders' other work to read to the kids. The star rating listed reflects my kids' thoughts, since the book is aimed at people of their ages.
September 11, 2020
"I don't think everything that is beautiful is beautiful. Not really. And I think a lot of things that aren't beautiful really are."
Everyone knows that unicorns are beautiful and golden and don't really think about much besides themselves. And everyone also knows that night mares are mean and fairies are always good. Right? So what happens when a unicorn with a Scientific Mind meets a night mare who's determined to prove that she's just as Good as any unicorn? Oh, and there's a guy with a pumpkin for a head who's trying to catch them, too.
So, I've been with obsessed with unicorns since I was about, oh, three years old or so, and I think it's safe to say it may be a life long condition. I was very excited to get an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book. A unicorn with a Scientific Mind AND a night mare AND a fairy queen whose personality may be more aligned with the original fairy folk than Disney (those tales were originally warnings, after all)? I am absolutely in. Curious the unicorn is trying to conduct an experiment when he encounters Midnight the night mare, who has her own Plan. The two soon end up saving each other from Jack o' the Hunt, a pumpkin-headed entity who wants the two horses for his own reasons. Curious and Midnight must put aside their prejudices and work together to save their world. I really enjoyed this book. It's a longer chapter book that's recommended for grades 3-7 by the publisher. The characters are well-written, and I honestly didn't see one of the twists until shortly before the reveal. A lot of people think unicorns are only for girls, but this book will appeal to all readers. Thank you to Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC.
This review originally published at Bookworms in the 'Burg: https://bookwormsintheburg.blogspot.c...
Everyone knows that unicorns are beautiful and golden and don't really think about much besides themselves. And everyone also knows that night mares are mean and fairies are always good. Right? So what happens when a unicorn with a Scientific Mind meets a night mare who's determined to prove that she's just as Good as any unicorn? Oh, and there's a guy with a pumpkin for a head who's trying to catch them, too.
So, I've been with obsessed with unicorns since I was about, oh, three years old or so, and I think it's safe to say it may be a life long condition. I was very excited to get an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book. A unicorn with a Scientific Mind AND a night mare AND a fairy queen whose personality may be more aligned with the original fairy folk than Disney (those tales were originally warnings, after all)? I am absolutely in. Curious the unicorn is trying to conduct an experiment when he encounters Midnight the night mare, who has her own Plan. The two soon end up saving each other from Jack o' the Hunt, a pumpkin-headed entity who wants the two horses for his own reasons. Curious and Midnight must put aside their prejudices and work together to save their world. I really enjoyed this book. It's a longer chapter book that's recommended for grades 3-7 by the publisher. The characters are well-written, and I honestly didn't see one of the twists until shortly before the reveal. A lot of people think unicorns are only for girls, but this book will appeal to all readers. Thank you to Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC.
This review originally published at Bookworms in the 'Burg: https://bookwormsintheburg.blogspot.c...
September 24, 2020
I picked up an ARC of this at the PLA conference earlier this year hoping it would be a good fit for my niece, who just turned 10. She’s an avid fan of My Little Pony and unicorns in general, and I’m hoping the right books will get her to fall in love with reading. Many of the unicorn books I’ve found are aimed at younger readers, but this a bit more sophisticated by comparison without being serious or too dark. I try to read a book before I give it to her, and have been through a few that I felt were too mature. Many deal with death, or puberty, or other mature subjects. This strikes just the right balance for a pre-teen. There’s a humorous tone throughout, with the author sometimes playfully talking directly to the reader and giving the occasional chapter names like “Wait! He Can’t Die Now! What Would the Rest of the Book Be About?”
The story is set in a fairy world where unicorns escaped persecution by humans that is divided into two halves separated by a river. The safe and beautiful half where good fairies and unicorns live is ruled by the fairy queen Titania. The bad half Is full of evil creatures, including the night mares, fiery horses who cause bad dreams. The story focuses on a curious unicorn whose fate become entangled with a nightmare who can’t control her fire magic. The pacing is good, with the story moving quickly along and plenty of action. It’s full of unique creatures, some of which are a bit scary, making this a good Halloween read. I’d say the scariness is a little beyond some of the darker My Little Pony episodes, and it has a similar appeal, with a theme of friendship running through it, but not as cute in style.
I rarely give books five stars, and to me this book isn’t perfect—I figured out the twist early on. But I think it is just about perfect for my niece and other ten-year-olds, and exactly what I was looking for.
The story is set in a fairy world where unicorns escaped persecution by humans that is divided into two halves separated by a river. The safe and beautiful half where good fairies and unicorns live is ruled by the fairy queen Titania. The bad half Is full of evil creatures, including the night mares, fiery horses who cause bad dreams. The story focuses on a curious unicorn whose fate become entangled with a nightmare who can’t control her fire magic. The pacing is good, with the story moving quickly along and plenty of action. It’s full of unique creatures, some of which are a bit scary, making this a good Halloween read. I’d say the scariness is a little beyond some of the darker My Little Pony episodes, and it has a similar appeal, with a theme of friendship running through it, but not as cute in style.
I rarely give books five stars, and to me this book isn’t perfect—I figured out the twist early on. But I think it is just about perfect for my niece and other ten-year-olds, and exactly what I was looking for.
June 9, 2025
The author is very interactive. It sorta reminded me of The Tale of Desperaeux.
I like Wartle <3
Winky is kinda like Moonbeam from The Guardians.
I like Wartle <3
Winky is kinda like Moonbeam from The Guardians.
October 3, 2020
I bought this book for my niece and had to devour it before wrapping it for her. I can't wait for her to read it! A great tale with fun perspectives and plots. I definitely think this is a great way to introduce a younger reader to some of the less commonly known creatures of fae.
February 8, 2021
In a magical land ruled by Titania the Fairy Queen, night mares and unicorns are mortal enemies. But when Midnight the night mare sees kelpies trying to drown Curious the unicorn, she decides to prove that night mares are better than unicorns by helping save him. After the unexpected rescue, the two find out they were both chasing the same wispy wood wink. Curious wants to do some experiments with the blue magic. Midnight wants to see if eating it will help her get better control of her fire. And they have a bit of a disagreement as to who gets the wispy wood wink. They need to settle their argument, get Curious back to the unicorn side of the river, and deal with a sinister fairy who has his own plans for them.
This was a very fun fantasy that introduces some lesser-seen fantasy creatures and some interesting unicorn mythology. I like the message that what makes something beautiful or good isn't how they look. I also like seeing two characters who've been told all their lives that they should be enemies realizing that maybe the borders should be brought down, their differences aren't that big, and being friends has great worth. The bad guy in this is a bit creepy if you have a good imagination (mythical creature based on a certain character in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" but WAY scarier) so know who you hand this to and whether they can handle the few scenes with the baddy. Anders employed a unique, quirky, humorous voice for the narration, and there's some really fun wordplay (this would make a great read aloud but then you'd miss some of the word play stuff). I am going to have to hunt down more of his middle grade stuff. I'm quite pleased that this is a unicorn story that isn't necessarily "girly" and should be enjoyable for all fantasy adventure fans. My favorite part was the writing.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Violence is threatened by some nasty creatures, the kelpies threaten to drown characters and others aren't very nice, but no one is permanently hurt.
This was a very fun fantasy that introduces some lesser-seen fantasy creatures and some interesting unicorn mythology. I like the message that what makes something beautiful or good isn't how they look. I also like seeing two characters who've been told all their lives that they should be enemies realizing that maybe the borders should be brought down, their differences aren't that big, and being friends has great worth. The bad guy in this is a bit creepy if you have a good imagination (mythical creature based on a certain character in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" but WAY scarier) so know who you hand this to and whether they can handle the few scenes with the baddy. Anders employed a unique, quirky, humorous voice for the narration, and there's some really fun wordplay (this would make a great read aloud but then you'd miss some of the word play stuff). I am going to have to hunt down more of his middle grade stuff. I'm quite pleased that this is a unicorn story that isn't necessarily "girly" and should be enjoyable for all fantasy adventure fans. My favorite part was the writing.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Violence is threatened by some nasty creatures, the kelpies threaten to drown characters and others aren't very nice, but no one is permanently hurt.
July 12, 2021
I read this aloud with my 8 year old. We both enjoy this fantasy adventure.
December 24, 2020
This was such a unique concept with superb writing. The writing style was so good, because the unknown narrator did it in a storyteller way. What I mean by that is the narrator knew that this was a book and was directly interacting with the reader. If you were paying attention then you knew one of the twists, but it was still written so well! There is a twist/secret that I have not seen before, but I did wondered if maybe the author was slightly influence by the movie Rise of the Guardians, due to one scene. Except this book was more than that scene, because there was a twist and a lot of implications. As I am writing this I realize that you could also compare the twist/secret to the reveal in Moana.
Verdict: This was so good and everybody should read it!
Verdict: This was so good and everybody should read it!
December 1, 2020
We read this book aloud at bedtime for a 4 year old and a 7 year old and let me tell you - it was an excellent choice. The voice of the narrator was very fun to read, and the story was truly engaging from beginning to end. I'm sure kids will enjoy the book themselves, but I particularly recommend this book for parents who are looking for read aloud options.
December 30, 2021
This was a super cute story- and I liked that it kept true to the idea that fairies are tricky and not super friendly beings. The narration took a little while to get used to since it comes across very much like a small child telling a story and jumps around a lot with a few tangents but ultimately that added to the charm of the story
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April 8, 2021Fantasy book set in a fantasy land, fairies and one human character.
Absolutely loved this Unicorn and Nightmare book. It's so funny and sweet and is all about not judging a book by it's cover. It was a perfect read aloud.
Absolutely loved this Unicorn and Nightmare book. It's so funny and sweet and is all about not judging a book by it's cover. It was a perfect read aloud.
June 2, 2025
Cute little read aloud that really appealed to my 7 year old, unicorn-obsessed kid. The story takes place in a forest divided in two--the good part where the Unicorns live and the bad part where the Night Mares and all the other wicked fairy creatures live. The story follows a curious unicorn named Curious and a Night Mare named Midnight who find themselves in a tricky situation and wind up with no choice but to work together to get out of it. The moral of the story is that we are more alike than we seem and that good and bad are things better to figure out on your own rather than listen to what others have told you along the way.
June 27, 2025
This one took some time getting into. The narrator is a character in the story and it took a while for me to get into it. But after a few chapters, I found it to be fun and pretty hilarious. It has a good take on being kind to people different than you. It's a little dark at times (the Wildwood has some "wicked fairies" and scary creatures in it), but it isn't scary.
Found in L4M YT Volume 29.
Found in L4M YT Volume 29.
Want to read
November 29, 2020Note: I received an ARC of this book at ALA Midwinter 2020.
March 22, 2021
Not my favorite-just okay.
Some scary bits for younger ones and some of the narrative feels as if the reader is being talked down to.
Not a bad read just not the best, in my opinion.
Some scary bits for younger ones and some of the narrative feels as if the reader is being talked down to.
Not a bad read just not the best, in my opinion.
November 17, 2021
I thought this book was really good!
March 7, 2022
Very simple to follow, and a fun read!
June 27, 2025
This one took some time getting into. The narrator is a character in the story and it took a while for me to get into it. But after a few chapters, I found it to be fun and pretty hilarious. It has a good take on being kind to people different than you. It's a little dark at times (the Wildwood has some "wicked fairies" and scary creatures in it), but it isn't scary.
Found in L4M YT Volume 29.
Found in L4M YT Volume 29.
November 4, 2022
A favourite that I like to revisit for the Halloween holiday. This story is chock full of adventure, charm, and hilarity throughout the pages.
Actual rating 4.5 out of 5
Actual rating 4.5 out of 5
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews