Tanaquil has returned to the castle of her enchantress mother, Jaive, heartsick and dissatisfied with everything. To start with, the wizard Worabex has moved in with Jaive and brought so many changes to the familiar, magic-ridden fortress. All the servants and soldiers that had made life nearly bearable have gone, replaced by an army of enslaved demons that make Tanaquil uncomfortable. Then, the peeve has gone and found himself a mate, and he has less time to be with Tanaquil. Worst of all, all the romance in the air serves as a reminder of her own lost love.

For as you may recall, if you read Gold Unicorn, Tanaquil loves a dashing hero named Honj—who loves her in return; but Tanaquil’s half sister, the Empress Lizra, plans to marry Honj, and both Tanaquil and Honj care about Lizra (and fear her) too much to put a stop to it.

Then a bizarre, magical accident plunges Tanaquil into a strange world where there are doubles for many people she knows—including herself, Lizra, and Honj. Armed with strange magical abilities, such as invisibility, shape-changing, and the ability to fly and walk through walls, Tanaquil becomes a spectator in a romantic triangle very similar to her own. Only her alternate self—a tormented, jealous princess named Tanakil—is prepared to kill her half-sister in order to claim the throne and the man that she wants for herself.

Tanaquil’s adventure in this quirky new world is filled with beautiful imagery, passion, excitement, humor, and deadly danger; and, of course, on the mysterious fringes of everything stalks the Red Unicorn of the book’s title. The real question is, will Tanaquil make it back to her own world, and take control of her own story?

Be prepared for the unexpected. Be prepared for beauty. Be prepared, above all, for vivid colors, textures, and melodies, magically captured by the written word. There may not be any dramatic wizard duels in this book, but the characters, settings, and problems of this tale seem to charm themselves right off the page.

Robbie Fischer
USA

Recommended Age: 14+

9/2/05

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