The Midnight Unicorn, by Alice Hemming

Here's one that will please the younger end of middle grade fantasy who are capable of reading, skill-wise, just about anything, but whose imaginations are still best served by simpler, more fairy-tale stories than one finds moving up through middle grade towards young adult--The Midnight Unicorn, by Alice Hemming (Kane Miller, 2022).   (If you read between the lines of the above, you will pick up that this does not describe me, and indeed it was not a book for me....which doesn't mean it isn't one that will make other readers happy!).

The story starts with two twin sisters being sent away in desperate haste by their mother, the Queen, when her wicked younger brother attacks to claim the crown for himself.  One girl, Alette, is sent off with the Queen's sorcerer, and the other, Audrey, goes with their nurse.   They have very different childhoods, with one raised in the wilds and learning magic, and the other raised in a peaceful village, learning baking.  But each feels the lack of their twin...even though they don't know of each other's existence.

Then Alette learns the truth, and sets out, with her father figure, the sorcerer, to find her missing half...and fate indeed brings them together.  Through the magic inherited from their mother, they can take the form of beautiful unicorns, which stands them in good steed on the fraught journey back to the city.  There they find unexpected treachery, but are able to reclaim the throne, though only one can be queen....

Transforming into a unicorn is something sure to delight many young readers (and indeed I liked it too).  And those readers will, I think, be more ready than I was to accept the unexpected magical encounters along the way (for adult me, one significant encounter presented me with much more magic than the world building thus far has led me to expect!).  Young readers also won't be surprised by how easy it is in the end for the girls to take control of the court, which has a noticeable lack of power-hungry nobles, flunkies, and indeed, any semblance of people actually running the place!

I enjoyed seeing the sisters figuring out their relationship after being raised so differently.  Fierce, wild, and magical Alette has trouble accepting Audrey, who has lots less flash and flamboyance, but strengths of her own. I always like a good sister story, and this did not disappoint in this regard.

Short answer--not necessarily one to read yourself if you are an adult fan of fantasy, but one that should delight the target audience.  It is also the first book in a series, which is a plus if you have a unicorn loving bibliophile to find books for!

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher