My Five Word TL:DR Review: Politics and Fantasy Beautifully Combined

Katherine Arden is one of my favourite authors and an absolute must read for me. As soon as I know there’s a book in the pipeline I turn into a giddy fool. And, one thing that I find absolutely fascinating about her is you simply never know what to expect. I’ve read her fantastic, Russian Inspired Winternight Trilogy which I adored, also the wonderful The Warm Hands of Ghosts set in the trenches of World War 1 which is a ghost story about hope and redemption and finally The Unicorn Hunters which is a mediaeval story that beautifully combines period drama and court conflict with fantasy creatures and fairytales. I mean, come on, if you love fantasy and almost hypnotic writing it really is a no-brainer.

The Unicorn Hunters is a story inspired by a real life character, Anne of Brittany, who became Duchess at an early age and therefore a desirable woman to marry! In particular the King of France sought her hand in marriage as this would secure Brittany as part of his realm. Now, the author does a rather excellent job of detailing her inspiration for the story and also taking a look at the changes she has made to historic events. Lets just say she does a much better job than I could and leave it at that – please read her afterword if you’re interested in these aspects. In fact this is the type of story that always leaves me wanting more, to such an extent that I have to go and read about the actual characters involved when I’ve finished the novel.

What did I love about this.

Arden has written a truly lovely character in the shape of Anne of Brittany. I loved reading her story, she’s an absolute delight. I fell into her story with ease and loved the way she thinks. She made a promise to her father on his deathbed and is determined to maintain Brittany’s independence. She is so clever but at the same time kind and generous. It feels like everyone around her admires her, not least her sister or Orleans, (otherwise known as Louis, the Duke of Orléans).

The writing here is really beautiful. I could picture everything so easily. It’s descriptive but not overly so. The dialogue feels old in places but not in a way that is off putting. The one thing that really draws me out of a story faster than a New York minute is when mediaeval characters begin talking in a modern way, I find it incredibly irritating, and that’s not to say that I want the story to be so imbedded with mediaeval style speech that it’s difficult to parse. Thankfully this strikes a very happy medium and I’m here for it all day long.

I loved the fantastical elements. I’ve never heard of Korrigan before but I believe this is fae in terms of Breton folklore. There are also sea drakes, disappearing cities, walking (or travelling) through shadows and of course the unicorn.

Now, basically, I don’t want to give too much away in terms of the plot but I loved the combination of court intrigue and fae cunning. I really enjoyed the historical period and clearly the research that has taken place here. It really helps to conjure the time. And, there is a love story brewing. On top of this, the fae are meddling and we have one character in particular who has his own agenda.

This brings me to the only hiccup I had with The Unicorn Hunters, but, please believe me when I say this is only a slight issue. The final chapters felt a little rushed, they also became very absorbed in the world of the fae and to a certain extent I found Anne’s ability to parse all the changes a little bit too much, like the struggle should have felt a little more ‘real’ somehow. But, this was a tiny blip in a book that I loved, and it wasn’t as though it knocked me off course, more that it felt like the story swapped too suddenly, who knows, perhaps cuts were made to make the book a more palatable length but for me it gave the ending a sense of urgency – perhaps because Anne’s situation was also urgent? Who knows. It didn’t make my enjoyment any less, more that I felt these sections should have been slightly longer.

In conclusion, I loved this, to be honest I would read more from Anne and Orleans but I don’t know whether such books are planned – one can but hope. Once again, Arden excels at storytelling and her confidence shines through in the writing.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4.5 of 5 stars