Book Review: How to Save a Unicorn
Title: How to Save a Unicorn (#2 A Giada the Healer Novel)
Author: Meg Cannistra
What’s it about?
Giada has traveled from her home in Italy to New York City to follow her dreams! She’s accepted an internship with the Calamoneri family in her pursuit to become a magical veterinarian.
When she gets a call from her best friend, also interning in the states, about a unicorn not far from where Giada is now living, she excitedly asks her host family, the Calamoneris, if they can meet up with Alessia and her host family and, Mr. Calamoneris, Mrs. Calamoneris, Moss (their son and Giada’s friend)and Giada set out on an adventure they have yet to anticipate.And the real adventure starts when they find that the unicorn they’ve come to rescue has disappeared and in her place is the calling sign for Giada’s biggest enemies, the Streghe Del Malocchio who kidnapped her family not so long ago. Now it’s up to Giada, Alessia and Moss to save the missing unicorn.
My Favorites:
Favorite Character: I like Giada, sure, but my favorite is Moss. I could take the easy way out and say it’s his quiet nerdy side that draws me in, but I’m not sure that’s really the reason. It hink it’s more about a lot of little pieces that come together to make him. Sure, the nerdy quite side is part of it but I also related to his insecurities and his habit of standing in his own way. I appreciated that he was struggling to find his normal after being diagnosed with Chron’s disease. While I don’t have Crohn’s I do know what it’s like to carry around invisible medical struggles and mental struggles and the fight to find a normal and a sense of comfort with the new reality.
I also really liked the Gargoyles and the New Jersey Devils. Neither are huge characters or around a ton but I found them cute and amusing.
Least Favorite Character: Joe wins hands down. I know that’s the easy answer but there wasn’t a ton of competition. Plus, I can’t condone his actions.
Favorite Part: My absolute favorite part was when the three went to the school library. I’m obsessed with the library and so want one! There are bookshelves on the ceilings and a magical card catalogue of sorts that I would have done almost anything for as a child! It would sure make life so much easier. Plus…it’s a library…
Least Favorite Part: The very end. I might be nit picking a little, but it was the first time I really felt like there was a clear difference between Giada and Moss. I know that Mr. and Mrs. Calamoneri are Moss’s parents, but it almost felt like they forgot about Giada when they were fussing over the kids. I know that he’s sick and all but I just felt like she should have gotten a little more fussing over.
Other Thoughts:
This book wasn’t a book I planned for. It just kind of fell into my lap after I happened upon it. Of course I didn’t realize until I was already reading it that it’s the second in the series. Because of course! Don’t make the same mistake I made. While I could read the story and understand it fine without reading the first one, I feel like I missed a lot of world building and understanding of the world by not reading the first book. Because of that, I’m planning on getting my hands on the first book to read as well.
As far as the story, I enjoyed it. I wish that I had a better understanding of the universe and how Giada got to where she is now, but I’m not sure how much of that is becuase I didn’t read the first book first, or because it’s just written unclear.
I do wish that we got a duel point of view, though. There’s a point when the party (Giada, Moss and Alessia)seperate to conquer different aspects of their tightly timed quest. I wish that we got to see both parts be accomplished, not just one side. I know that we eventually hear how Alessia achieved her task and it sounds pretty tame, but I can’t help but wish that we got to follow Alessia, too. It would have been interesting to see the environment she was in more then we get to. And, if the length was the issue, there were parts that easily could have been taken out and replaced with parts of Alessia’s point of view.
With all of that said, I appreciated that Moss had an invisible disease that greatly affected his quality of life and how he lived it. I liked that representation and the empathy that the others around him showed. I liked that he was struggling with finding his new normal and to find how he can still do all the things he wants to do but still take care of himself as needed because, let’s face it, even as adults we have those struggles.
I was intrigued by the idea of magical vets with magical creatures and do wish that we got to see a little more of that as well, but I’m glad it wasn’t forced in there in ways that felt unnatural and I don’t think it really was, though the book did have some, what I call, video game vibes of “We have to hurry!” and then, “Oh! side quest that doesn’t really have much to do with the overall quest and isn’t necessary but hey! Let’s do it!”
Ratings:
I give this book a
6
out of
10 magical library maps
But that’s just what I thought. Have you read the book? Did you love it? Hate it? Were you a little creeped out by the Jersey Devils or did you love them, too? Let us know in the comments.
