What do you think?
Rate this book
The Secret of the Unicorn Queen #6
Moonspell
Sheila and her warrior friends face violent storms, savage tribes, and the evil sorcerer Mardock when they escort the unicorns of Arren to the distant mountain land of Ryudain to replenish their power.
122 pages, Paperback
First published April 22, 1989
157 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 26, 2019
I took an extra long time to re-read this book, because I was sad for my little nostalgia-trip to end. I loved these books as a kid and though re-reading them has been an effort in enduring possibly the kitchy-est fantasy on the planet, it's been a really enjoyable experience.
I remember loving this book in particular out of the series because Sheila finally gets her own honest to goodness magic. And because it's the last book and it's sad. Looking back, I actually think this is one of the weakest books in the series (which makes sense, because Sunblind was the absolute worst and it was also written by Gwen Hansen). It's really abrupt in, like, every way? The whole Ryudain thing was never explained to my satisfaction and suddenly Mardock got way more powerful than he was before? In the Dark Gods we kind of moved him from the impressively powerful category to the malevolent trickster category, but suddenly in this book he is reading minds. Ok.
The romance in this entire series was one big dud. It wasn't believable and there was no payoff. They got about one kiss scene per book, but the constant knowledge that Sheila was going home kinda nipped that in the bud.
The big final scene was so abrupt and poorly-written that it was actually kinda painful. The adventure slams to a halt in a matter of lines and I'm pretty sure I got reader's whiplash from the suddenness of it all. The weird goodbye was sad and, again, abrupt. There were a few meaningless platitudes offered.
I think this book's major downfall was isolating Sheila and Darian from the rest of the riders. The ensemble of women warriors is precisely what made this series stick in my mind. I couldn't have told you a single plot line from these books a year ago, but I could tell you about Myno and Nanine. I could tell you Pelu and Illyria's backstory and Dian's insecurity. I remembered Kara's graceful exit after finding her sister and Zanara-Ki's sudden appearance. The riders were what made the book special and they really weren't even in this book.
So, all in all, I adored these books as a child, but have to admit that they aren't very good. That being said, there is plenty of room in this world for campy genre fiction and I am really happy to see a corner of it where women are friends and warriors and ride unicorns to magic waterfalls. I love these horrible books.
I remember loving this book in particular out of the series because Sheila finally gets her own honest to goodness magic. And because it's the last book and it's sad. Looking back, I actually think this is one of the weakest books in the series (which makes sense, because Sunblind was the absolute worst and it was also written by Gwen Hansen). It's really abrupt in, like, every way? The whole Ryudain thing was never explained to my satisfaction and suddenly Mardock got way more powerful than he was before? In the Dark Gods we kind of moved him from the impressively powerful category to the malevolent trickster category, but suddenly in this book he is reading minds. Ok.
The romance in this entire series was one big dud. It wasn't believable and there was no payoff. They got about one kiss scene per book, but the constant knowledge that Sheila was going home kinda nipped that in the bud.
The big final scene was so abrupt and poorly-written that it was actually kinda painful. The adventure slams to a halt in a matter of lines and I'm pretty sure I got reader's whiplash from the suddenness of it all. The weird goodbye was sad and, again, abrupt. There were a few meaningless platitudes offered.
I think this book's major downfall was isolating Sheila and Darian from the rest of the riders. The ensemble of women warriors is precisely what made this series stick in my mind. I couldn't have told you a single plot line from these books a year ago, but I could tell you about Myno and Nanine. I could tell you Pelu and Illyria's backstory and Dian's insecurity. I remembered Kara's graceful exit after finding her sister and Zanara-Ki's sudden appearance. The riders were what made the book special and they really weren't even in this book.
So, all in all, I adored these books as a child, but have to admit that they aren't very good. That being said, there is plenty of room in this world for campy genre fiction and I am really happy to see a corner of it where women are friends and warriors and ride unicorns to magic waterfalls. I love these horrible books.
May 1, 2021
Omg I really wish this was also a movie with a movie soundtrack. I was sad that this was the last book in the series. I just keep rereading the whole 6 books over and over again. The details take you on a journey with your imagination on what happens. Great books for all ages and safer too because it was not as scary as harry potter or the lord of the rings. I did think the scientist would look like the scientist from back to the future. Loved reading about sheila the warrior princess. Maybe someday it will even be a video game. It's already on apple itunes on audio books. Best series ever!!!!!
December 31, 2010
My favorite series from my childhood. I probably re-read it every 2-3 years.
March 20, 2014
Synopsis: "Every seven years, the unicorns of Arren must journey to the distant mountain land of Ryudain to replenish their power - and Sheila and her warrior friends are duty-bound to escort them there safely before the next full moon.
But many dangers await them on this trip - including the mysterious terrain, violent rainstorms, a savage tribe who want to sacrifice the unicorns to their angry gods...and the evil sorceror Mardock. Ready to strike out at Sheila for thwarting his plans for unlimited power, he is determined to use his magic to destroy her - and any chance she has of getting home...."
My Review: This was a bit of an improvement over the last book, though again a new character was added, but this time she was suddenly the answer to everyone's problems and had all the answers. I also found it odd that in this book suddenly everyone believes that Sheila can really do magic. The ending was kind of abrupt but of course there had to be a little bit of an opening at the end so it wasn't so unhappy.
But many dangers await them on this trip - including the mysterious terrain, violent rainstorms, a savage tribe who want to sacrifice the unicorns to their angry gods...and the evil sorceror Mardock. Ready to strike out at Sheila for thwarting his plans for unlimited power, he is determined to use his magic to destroy her - and any chance she has of getting home...."
My Review: This was a bit of an improvement over the last book, though again a new character was added, but this time she was suddenly the answer to everyone's problems and had all the answers. I also found it odd that in this book suddenly everyone believes that Sheila can really do magic. The ending was kind of abrupt but of course there had to be a little bit of an opening at the end so it wasn't so unhappy.
February 24, 2015
I started reading "Secret of the Unicorn Queen" when I was around 12-years-old. These are the books that made me fall in love with scifi/Fantasy. Take a normal girl (Shelia), and drop her into a parallel universie with unicorns, a cute boy and an evil tyrant who must be defeated and you've got the makings of a great story. Plus Shelia, has her back-pack full of your basic normal school stuff but that "normal sutff" equates to life-saving magic in the Unicorn Queen's relm.
These books are safe for girls of all ages and that's one of the reasons I love them so much.
Book six, is saddly the last of series.
These books are safe for girls of all ages and that's one of the reasons I love them so much.
Book six, is saddly the last of series.
November 12, 2012
MY LEAST FAVORITE IN THE SERIES!!! :( AND ALL BECAUSE THIS IS THE END. I have grown to see the characters as my friends and family. Grown to love them. One of the best series I have read. . .and I read the series at least once a year since I was 7. . . The characters were/are believable, the story line an amazing journey that takes you from our reality to another. Truly LOVE!
May 3, 2008
I was only about 11 years old when I read this series, but I consider it a childhood favorite. Great read for the young at heart who love unicorns and fantasy.
June 28, 2011
Was this the last book? I don't know. It was a good series, but it let magic solve most of the problems. The characters seemed real, I liked the setting too.
November 10, 2019
A stroll down teenaged-me memory lane.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews