‘Rampant’ a teen novel minus the vampires

  Unicorns are man-eating monsters. They don’t have wings, they aren’t lavender or sparkly, and you could never catch one to ride without its goring you through the sternum. And even if it somehow managed to miss your major arteries — and it never misses — you’d still die from the deadly poison in its horn.
  With “Rampant,” Diana Peterfreund casts a much beloved mythical creature as a blood-thirsty beast. And at the center of this tale, a teenage girl reminiscent of Buffy Summers, but without the stake — yes there are no vampires in this young adult novel. Only killer unicorns. And the virginal girls born to slay them.
  Astrid has grown up with her mother’s stories of the deadly creatures. She always dismissed them, thinking her mother was simply eccentric. But after she and her boyfriend are attacked by a small species of unicorn — yes there are different kinds — Astrid becomes a believer. Soon she finds herself with bags in hand, headed to Rome to train as a hunter with other girls.
  Though Astrid enjoys her recently discovered abilities, she’s uncomfortable with the commitment of being a unicorn hunter. She doesn’t particularly want to kill anything. She’s also not thrilled that the horned and fanged beasts are drawn to hunters, making her a target of their revenge; after all, it was her ancestors who tried to make them extinct.
  Astrid realizes that she was born to be a hunter, but she’s not so sure she’s ready to give up all the things normal teen girls enjoy — especially boys. She knows there’s one surefire way to escape her obligations, since all hunters must be virgins. As danger mounts, Astrid struggles with a decision that could forever change her destiny.
  Some of “Rampant’s” themes may be a little heavy for young teens and the book is a bit violent, but for older teens the story should be relevant and the message empowering.
  And hey, there’s no vampires.