This was the final book I read for my MFA's essay on craft that focused on horses in literature. I.... Well, it's Peter S. Beagle. He's a biggie, ain't he? And for a good reason: his wordcraft is fantastic. Brilliant. There are no words. Every sentence is a spell. This whole book is a spell. It's magic, pure and and gray, and I felt more than a little bewitched by the end.

The only thing marring my experience was I didn't really like the unicorn. *winces* A very unpopular opinion I know. It just seemed that yes, while she is all magical and beautiful, she's the most self-centered creature in the book. While Molly, Shmendrick, and (eventually) Lir are busting their butts trying to help her, all she can do is mope, be dainty, and obsess over her magic. By page 100, I was ready to launch out of her POV and never come back to it again.

I know I'm capable of forgiving mopey characters, so I think what really frustrated me was that the unicorn didn't learn, grow, or change by the end. She went on an entire hero's journey and by the end, the unicorn winds up back in her forest. The only change is she has the ability to regret, which is...cool, I guess, but implies she regrets her journey. *long, annoyed sigh*

So. My review stars belong to everyone but the unicorn. One for Beagle's wordcraft. One for Shmendrick. One for Molly Grue. As much as disliked the unicorn, I loved Shmendrick and Molly. Bless their under-appreciated souls. They deserve much.