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The Secret of the Unicorn Queen #1
Swept Away
Sheila McCarthy feels she is an ordinary teenager until she is transported into a parallel world and captured by a band of young women warriors riding unicorns.
121 pages, Paperback
First published November 5, 1988
11 people are currently reading
394 people want to read
About the author
Josepha Sherman
216 books69 followersJosepha Sherman was an American author, folklorist, and anthologist. In 1990 she won the Compton Crook Award for the novel The Shining Falcon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 9, 2019
I am trying to balance my review of this book between my gleeful nostalgia at re-discovering an out-of-print series that I LOVED in middle school and knowing deep down that these books are really not very good. (What I mean by "good", I guess, is that the writing is pretty crappy).
So, what I love about these books is that they are just straight-up, unashamed, super-campy stock fantasy novels, but overflowing with lady protagonists and characters. The main character is a lady (Sheila), the troupe of unicorn-riding warriors are all ladies except for the protag's token love interest (who is only there because his big sister, Illyria, is the lead warrior!), and even Illyria's love interest prince guy is a damsel in distress under his own evil-sorcerer's curse.
All the ladies are super capable and most of them are fantastic fighters, even better than the men, and have empowering back stories. Pelu is a healer (read: veteranarian and sorta-doctor) who ran away to the troupe because women were not allowed to be healers. There is an escaped slave, but she is a red-head from an urban city, while the (token) black character is a very dark-skinned (yay!) Princess who ran away from an arranged marriage. There's a brunette archer looking for her sister and a younger girl who is only there to be Sheila's rival (boo!), but all in all it is a whole group of almost-diverse women with one single guy in the back. How often does THAT happen???
The plot, unfortunately, is a bit unimaginative. It's your standard portal-style fantasy where the protag drops into another world and joins some sort of rebellion. There is a fun twist where everyone thinks she's a sorceress because of the 80's technology "magic" in her backpack, but now that mostly serves to date the book rather extremely. I mean, she scares off an army by playing Beat It on her Walkman. It's a bit much at times. (Buuut, what did I expect? I mean, look at the covers!)
And, I have to be honest, the writing is terrible. If this was a TV show, it would be Xena: Warrior Princess, right down to the terrible dialogue and super campy plots. Buuuuut, I enjoy watching Xena every now and then and my nostalgia for these books makes the kitsch more bearable. And I am ALWAYS happy to see better representation of women in all literature, including super-campy, tropey fantasy novels.
So, what I love about these books is that they are just straight-up, unashamed, super-campy stock fantasy novels, but overflowing with lady protagonists and characters. The main character is a lady (Sheila), the troupe of unicorn-riding warriors are all ladies except for the protag's token love interest (who is only there because his big sister, Illyria, is the lead warrior!), and even Illyria's love interest prince guy is a damsel in distress under his own evil-sorcerer's curse.
All the ladies are super capable and most of them are fantastic fighters, even better than the men, and have empowering back stories. Pelu is a healer (read: veteranarian and sorta-doctor) who ran away to the troupe because women were not allowed to be healers. There is an escaped slave, but she is a red-head from an urban city, while the (token) black character is a very dark-skinned (yay!) Princess who ran away from an arranged marriage. There's a brunette archer looking for her sister and a younger girl who is only there to be Sheila's rival (boo!), but all in all it is a whole group of almost-diverse women with one single guy in the back. How often does THAT happen???
The plot, unfortunately, is a bit unimaginative. It's your standard portal-style fantasy where the protag drops into another world and joins some sort of rebellion. There is a fun twist where everyone thinks she's a sorceress because of the 80's technology "magic" in her backpack, but now that mostly serves to date the book rather extremely. I mean, she scares off an army by playing Beat It on her Walkman. It's a bit much at times. (Buuut, what did I expect? I mean, look at the covers!)
And, I have to be honest, the writing is terrible. If this was a TV show, it would be Xena: Warrior Princess, right down to the terrible dialogue and super campy plots. Buuuuut, I enjoy watching Xena every now and then and my nostalgia for these books makes the kitsch more bearable. And I am ALWAYS happy to see better representation of women in all literature, including super-campy, tropey fantasy novels.
January 2, 2014
Synopsis: "When her eccentric friend Dr. Reit invents an amazing transport into other worlds, Sheila McCarthy accidentally falls through the portal into the kingdom of Arren. There, Sheila finds herself part of a band of warrior-women. Astride unicorns, they gallop toward a dazzling city made of marble. But will they arrive in time to stop the evil king and his wicked wizard henchman from carrying out their deadly plans? And will Sheila ever be able to return home?
Thus begins the spellbinding story of an ordinary teenager trapped in an extraordinary place. Swept Away! and Sun Blind are the first two novels in the dazzling adventure The Secret of the Unicorn Queen.
The Secret of the Unicorn Queen is the newest addition to the Del Rey Imagine program, which offers the best in fantasy and science fiction for readers twelve and up."
My Review: There is a lot going on with this first book in the series. There is some scifi (which I am not a huge fan of but it worked well getting this story started) and then the fantasy element and loads of adventure, even had a little romance mixed in too. The characters took some getting use to but they tend to grow on you. I loved the little bit of romance, it had a very sweet touch but isn't overwhelming and didn't take over the story like happens so much in current novels. I am looking forward to what happens in the rest of the series.
Thus begins the spellbinding story of an ordinary teenager trapped in an extraordinary place. Swept Away! and Sun Blind are the first two novels in the dazzling adventure The Secret of the Unicorn Queen.
The Secret of the Unicorn Queen is the newest addition to the Del Rey Imagine program, which offers the best in fantasy and science fiction for readers twelve and up."
My Review: There is a lot going on with this first book in the series. There is some scifi (which I am not a huge fan of but it worked well getting this story started) and then the fantasy element and loads of adventure, even had a little romance mixed in too. The characters took some getting use to but they tend to grow on you. I loved the little bit of romance, it had a very sweet touch but isn't overwhelming and didn't take over the story like happens so much in current novels. I am looking forward to what happens in the rest of the series.
February 26, 2021
This was one of my favorite childhood books that I probably read 100 times and my dad brought the entire series over to my house recently. I read Swept Away with my 9 year old daughter and still loved it. As an adult I recognize how bad the writing is, but it is still a super fun, feminist, fantasy adventure. I’m so glad my parents kept so many of my childhood books!
January 26, 2008
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.
This is the first book in the series. Shelia must find a wat to survive in this stange world until Dr. Reit can save her. She comes across this band of women warriors (and one cute boy) and must convince them that she's not an evil witch sent by their enemies.
I loved it. When I read it as a little girl I wwanted my own Unicorn and would spend hours day-dreaming about what I would name it.
These books are safe for girls of all ages and that's one of the reasons I love them so much.
This is the first book in the series. Shelia must find a wat to survive in this stange world until Dr. Reit can save her. She comes across this band of women warriors (and one cute boy) and must convince them that she's not an evil witch sent by their enemies.
I loved it. When I read it as a little girl I wwanted my own Unicorn and would spend hours day-dreaming about what I would name it.
June 18, 2021
Oh man... Yet another bit of nostalgia that, unfortunately, does NOT hold up.
I remember borrowing this entire series from a friend when I was maybe... 11 or 12? And, at the time, I freaking loved it. Devoured the whole thing in a matter of days. And I was SO excited to find the books again so I could relive all the Unicorn-y adventures with Shelia and the riders.
But oh man... Book One was so terrible I barely got through it. Cliché characters, poor plotting, boring world building, stilted dialogue, all sorts of grammar errors... Basically it read like the first draft of story written by someone who was 11 or 12.
Don't think I'll be finishing the series.
I remember borrowing this entire series from a friend when I was maybe... 11 or 12? And, at the time, I freaking loved it. Devoured the whole thing in a matter of days. And I was SO excited to find the books again so I could relive all the Unicorn-y adventures with Shelia and the riders.
But oh man... Book One was so terrible I barely got through it. Cliché characters, poor plotting, boring world building, stilted dialogue, all sorts of grammar errors... Basically it read like the first draft of story written by someone who was 11 or 12.
Don't think I'll be finishing the series.
October 23, 2016
If you're a pre-teen girl in rural Ohio, Swept Away describes exactly what you hope will happen to you: dumped into another land with strong women (and unicorns, duh) where language issues are solved by touching the Gem of Speaking and your collection of objects from the World of Science helps you get a leg up in a world blessedly unlike your own.
This book is dated, and the writing is bad. But the Secret of the Unicorn Queen series offered escape from the misery of adolescence and the limitations of Earth.
This book is dated, and the writing is bad. But the Secret of the Unicorn Queen series offered escape from the misery of adolescence and the limitations of Earth.
August 5, 2018
Couldn't get enough of these when I was a kid.
May 1, 2021
Love this series! Please someone make a movie series!!
January 7, 2018
Oh, if only I had known of this series in the 1980s, when it was written! A while back I found volumes 2 through 6 at a used bookstore and purchased them all, and then finally tracked down a copy of volume 1 on eBay. I mostly liked the cover art; I didn't expect the books to be as well-written and exciting as they are, but I just finished reading volume 1, Swept Away, and it is definitely one of the best fantasy series I have ever read!
I loved how feminist the book was. The title character, Sheila, who is teleported from Earth to another realm, and is greeted by a group of all-female warriors. One of the women is even specified to be black. The women fight back against male oppression on their planet; one woman is a runaway princess who refused to marry a bigamist prince and become part of his harem, and another who wanted to be an animal healer left to pursue that dream when her village scorned her for choosing a man's profession. Sheila's reaction is to tell the girl, "That's ridiculous! What difference does it make if you're male or female? Where I come from, a woman can do anything she wants!" Growing up with a chauvinistic father and all male siblings, and having been told all throughout my childhood that my place was in the kitchen where I should be serving them while they loafed on the couch, this is a positive message I desperately could have used growing up.
I can't describe how clever the plot is without giving anything away. Let me just say it is extremely well-written and -paced, and it has just the right nostalgic touch, as Sheila repeatedly gets herself out of sticky situations by using a cassette tape player to shock otherwordly persons with Bon Jovi and Michael Jackson. Other than that and the lack of cell phones, this book really stands the test of time. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a copy for a teenage or younger girl in my family, but I also want to say that I'm approaching 40 and I still found it a highly entertaining page-turner. Can't wait to read the next volume!
I loved how feminist the book was. The title character, Sheila, who is teleported from Earth to another realm, and is greeted by a group of all-female warriors. One of the women is even specified to be black. The women fight back against male oppression on their planet; one woman is a runaway princess who refused to marry a bigamist prince and become part of his harem, and another who wanted to be an animal healer left to pursue that dream when her village scorned her for choosing a man's profession. Sheila's reaction is to tell the girl, "That's ridiculous! What difference does it make if you're male or female? Where I come from, a woman can do anything she wants!" Growing up with a chauvinistic father and all male siblings, and having been told all throughout my childhood that my place was in the kitchen where I should be serving them while they loafed on the couch, this is a positive message I desperately could have used growing up.
I can't describe how clever the plot is without giving anything away. Let me just say it is extremely well-written and -paced, and it has just the right nostalgic touch, as Sheila repeatedly gets herself out of sticky situations by using a cassette tape player to shock otherwordly persons with Bon Jovi and Michael Jackson. Other than that and the lack of cell phones, this book really stands the test of time. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a copy for a teenage or younger girl in my family, but I also want to say that I'm approaching 40 and I still found it a highly entertaining page-turner. Can't wait to read the next volume!
September 3, 2022
I first read this book as a kid back in the 80’s when it was first released, and I absolutely fucking loved it. Warrior women and unicorns and Bon Jovi for the win. I loved it & it will forever hold a special place in my heart.
I recently decided to take a trip down nostalgia way and revisit this seminal series from my childhood. For old times sake.
Here’s the thing: this is not a great book. It’s not very well written. Adult Me can see these flaws. Adult Me spent a lot of time rolling her eyes and cringing at all the things that Kid Me didn’t notice and didn’t give a damn about because she found the story itself to be so damn cool.
For that reason alone, this book gets 3 stars. This book/series had a huge impact on Kid Me, and I am grateful for it.
Looking forward to revising the rest of the series…even if I end up cringing my way through it.
I recently decided to take a trip down nostalgia way and revisit this seminal series from my childhood. For old times sake.
Here’s the thing: this is not a great book. It’s not very well written. Adult Me can see these flaws. Adult Me spent a lot of time rolling her eyes and cringing at all the things that Kid Me didn’t notice and didn’t give a damn about because she found the story itself to be so damn cool.
For that reason alone, this book gets 3 stars. This book/series had a huge impact on Kid Me, and I am grateful for it.
Looking forward to revising the rest of the series…even if I end up cringing my way through it.
October 7, 2021
I probably would have given this 4 stars in my younger years but as I middle aged lady it’s gets an ok.
Not much character development, Sheila our Swept Away one of the title learns to ride and swing a sword halfway decently in less than 3 pages so this is really about the action. Some of the technology she happens to have is used kind of cleverly but the world building is super generic but I suppose to a young reader it might seem quite exotic.
Definitely naming my next horse, er unicorn, Morning Star or Quiet Storm 😆
Not much character development, Sheila our Swept Away one of the title learns to ride and swing a sword halfway decently in less than 3 pages so this is really about the action. Some of the technology she happens to have is used kind of cleverly but the world building is super generic but I suppose to a young reader it might seem quite exotic.
Definitely naming my next horse, er unicorn, Morning Star or Quiet Storm 😆
Read
December 26, 2021Like most of the reviews, I read this series when I was a kid and loved it. I was never able to get the 6th book at the time, so never found out how it all finished. I recently found the 6th book, so am rereading the series.
They are aimed at tweens, but it's a shame each book is only around 120 pages. They feel a little rushed, but they are still a fun read. I'm enjoying reading them again.
They are aimed at tweens, but it's a shame each book is only around 120 pages. They feel a little rushed, but they are still a fun read. I'm enjoying reading them again.
June 12, 2025
I loved these books when I was a kid - what a delight to find the whole set in my mom’s attic. In this book Sheila finds her way to a magical land, learns to ride and become a warrior, and uses random stuff she had her in backpack to save the day. Unicorns!
August 30, 2014
This was my absolute favourite book when I was little - like, I have this super vivid memory of tiny 4/5 year old me sitting on our kitchen counters, swinging my tiny legs and telling my grandma all about how great this book was and how many times I had read it (a lot) - but I had never read further than this book in the series. BUT LO! This book and the second one, Sun Blind, are on Kindle! I GET TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!
Anyway, I reread this and it definitely holds up to tiny Meg's opinion. I will take all your warrior women fantasy universes, ESPECIALLY when they come with UNICORNS and TIME TRAVEL and ROCK SOLID LADY/LADY FRIENDSHIPS. The found family dynamics are strong in this book and so obviously my heart is with it forever.
Anyway, I reread this and it definitely holds up to tiny Meg's opinion. I will take all your warrior women fantasy universes, ESPECIALLY when they come with UNICORNS and TIME TRAVEL and ROCK SOLID LADY/LADY FRIENDSHIPS. The found family dynamics are strong in this book and so obviously my heart is with it forever.
June 27, 2009
One of my favorite series as a kid! I stole them from the library after checking them out continuously for almost a year :) Oddly enough--rereading these 6 books recently--I was still able to enjoy them. They are very short, but for how short they are they still manage to tell a complete and compelling story. The action keeps moving and I really like the main character. She's very much who every girl would like to be, but has real enough flaws that she doesn't venture into the dreaded Mary Sue territory. The best part of these books is the world building, which gave my 8 year old mind a lot of fodder for classroom daydreams :)
8 Vanyels
9 Moonwinds
9 Stendels
.50 LHMs
8 Vanyels
9 Moonwinds
9 Stendels
.50 LHMs
September 8, 2012
This was my favorite series as a little girl and I still love it 20 years later. I remember getting in trouble for staying up too late reading because even though I had read them a million times, I was still worried about poor Sheila. How could I leave her alone in Arren when time there was so precious?! Throughout the series Sheila has to make tough choices and learn to stick up for herself and others. Fortunately she has a group of strong women (the unicorn warriors) to help her figure things out. It has action, mystery, the slightest bit of romance. How perfect was Darian btw? It is the perfect read for any young girl or girl young at heart.
February 5, 2018
I don't care how old you are this is a great book. . . have read the series over and over again ever since I was 7, my comfort when I am ailing, and it never gets old. It is a quick read that takes you on a journey to a whole new world of magic and unicorns. Follow along with Shelia, the Unicorn Queen and her gang of wild women and save the world for the Evil Mardock. Shelia falls away into a portal her scientist friend Dr. Reit made. It wasn't supposed to take her away from her own world but what she found. . . her wildest dreams come true as she becomes the hero in a fantasy world.
November 16, 2015
I started reading this series as a child, but for some reason, never got any more books in the series after the first one. Re-reading it again as an adult, I can see a lot of the obvious flaws and plotlines, but at the same time I don't really care :) Like my favourite Narnia books, it features an ordinary school girl transported by accident into another world, where fierce warrior women battle evil from the backs of their unicorns. Oh, and there's a handsome young man for her get interested in too! A nice, quick easy read and a great intro to the genre for younger readers.
August 16, 2009
This book is the best fantasy book I have ever read. It is about a girl(shelia) who falls into a portal that takes her to the magical world of Arren. Now Shelia is on a quest to find a way home. On that quest she gets side-tracked and joins a group of warriors who are trying to save the unicorn race. I read this book so many times. Swept Away is a quick easy read that is funny and has many adventures. I would recomend this book to all fantasy lovers.
October 24, 2013
Oh my... I read this series when was a kid, and I actually tried to find it for my daughters years ago and couldn't remember the name or the author. I just happened to trip upon it here! This was a magical ride and made me wish for unicorns and magic portals that could sweep me away. I wanted a unicorn to find me and bond with me! Oh, the daydreams... I'm going to buy the whole series again for me and my girls. =D
June 11, 2008
I think they're out of print--but these were fun books full of childhood adventure/Unicorns/ and my favorite, romance. I have the first two and read the rest on a website I found that had them in their entirety. It's a fun series--6 books in all. I highly recomend for anyone fascinated with young adult fiction.
June 24, 2009
By far my favorite series as a young girl/tween. Never could fine the middle books, though. I'm tracking them down now as an adult to add to my collection! Just the right amount of romance and adventure in a fantasy setting for the pre-teen crowd in the late 80's and early 90's! Who wouldn't like to be swept away into a world with unicorns and women warriors, not to mention a cute guy?
May 3, 2008
This is part of a series that I read when I was a kid. Yes, I am entering in my unicorn box sets that I read when I was young because they are still dear to me. I even read them again sometimes for nostalgic reasons.
August 4, 2012
I fell in loved with this book when I was 14 years old and searched a very long time trying to get a hold of a copy of this book without spending too much. I was thrilled when they re-released a few years ago. Definitely worth to be a part of my collection.
May 31, 2012
Another series. This one I first read when I was little but 20 years later, I still have them and read them sometimes. It's full of magic and fighting and young love. These are the books that made me decide that I wanted to be a writer.
July 22, 2014
I read books 1-4 of this series when I was a child but never could find book 6 I have now found book six and am starting from the beginning and they are just as good as I remember them can't wait to get to book 6
November 9, 2012
These is a LOT of nostalgia talking here, but this book held up better than it probably had any right to. I'm surprised how many details I remember from when I was little. Sheila is still pretty kickass, too.
Now excuse me, but I have to go find copies of the other five books.
Now excuse me, but I have to go find copies of the other five books.
September 30, 2014
The series that, as a young teenager, started my journey into fantasy fiction....thank you so much Josepha Sherman, I really enjoyed this series (and think I may have cried upon reading the last book...)
April 1, 2015
This is the first book I read in the fantasy genre. In it's own unique way it was the gateway to my love of fantasy writing. I love this story of time travel, magic, budding love and of course unicorns!!! Even after all these years I still have my art of books.
November 5, 2007
This was one of my favorite series as a pre-teen/teen and I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun, fantasy, female-heroined book to escape with.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews