Rampant Essay
The book Rampant by Diana Peterfund is a hidden gem I found concealed within the shelves of my school library. When I noticed praise from Tamora Pierce, author of the renowned Song of the Lioness series on the book’s cover, I knew this novel would be a good read. And it indeed was. The story centers around Astrid Llewelyn, a teenage girl who grew up her whole life being told by myths of killer unicorns, only to one day find that the legends are not so fictitious after all. She travels to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter and meets an array of interesting characters. The book has intense action and a captivating plot. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, but one thing I didn’t quite like is that the book shifts its focus often, constantly switching who or
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what it directs its attention to. My favorite moments are those that concentrate on the other hunters, not simply our main protagonist Astrid. The other girls in the cloisters are, in my opinion, the most interesting characters in the novel, my personal favorite being Melissende, a girl with “black hair, gray eyes, and a permanently sullen expression on her face”. I do wish the book fixated more on each of the individual hunters, or even all of them as a whole, more than it did on Astrid, her love interest, and her cousin Philippa.
What you get out of the book depends on what you hope for going into it. I started the book hoping to read an adventure starring a compelling protagonist, and to some extent, that is what I got. There was quite a bit of romance in the book as a major plot point, but it was expected, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re thinking of reading Rampant, I highly suggest reading the summary of the book beforehand, so you know what you’re getting yourself into. That’s not to say I don’t recommend the novel, I certainly do. I did enjoy when the book focused on the other hunters, their relationships, and their struggles, rather than just Astrid, even if this didn’t get as much attention as the romantic plot. The summary of the book doesn’t mention the other girls at all, so one cannot expect it to be the main focus, but in my opinion the novel shined most when it concentrated on them. I definitely recommend Rampant to teenage girls who can handle a bit of intimacy and gore, and will appreciate the book whether it gives them what they expected or
not.
what it directs its attention to. My favorite moments are those that concentrate on the other hunters, not simply our main protagonist Astrid. The other girls in the cloisters are, in my opinion, the most interesting characters in the novel, my personal favorite being Melissende, a girl with “black hair, gray eyes, and a permanently sullen expression on her face”. I do wish the book fixated more on each of the individual hunters, or even all of them as a whole, more than it did on Astrid, her love interest, and her cousin Philippa.
What you get out of the book depends on what you hope for going into it. I started the book hoping to read an adventure starring a compelling protagonist, and to some extent, that is what I got. There was quite a bit of romance in the book as a major plot point, but it was expected, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re thinking of reading Rampant, I highly suggest reading the summary of the book beforehand, so you know what you’re getting yourself into. That’s not to say I don’t recommend the novel, I certainly do. I did enjoy when the book focused on the other hunters, their relationships, and their struggles, rather than just Astrid, even if this didn’t get as much attention as the romantic plot. The summary of the book doesn’t mention the other girls at all, so one cannot expect it to be the main focus, but in my opinion the novel shined most when it concentrated on them. I definitely recommend Rampant to teenage girls who can handle a bit of intimacy and gore, and will appreciate the book whether it gives them what they expected or
not.