Published: June 2, 2026
Publisher: Del Rey
Series: N/A
Genre: Fantasy, Historical
Pages: 336 (Kindle)
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
With her country’s future and her own life at stake, an orphaned duchess must journey into a world of myth and there discover a power that may be her salvation—or her demise—in this enchanting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Winternight Trilogy and The Warm Hands of Ghosts.
Anne of Brittany was a child when her realm was invaded, her home besieged, and her royal father driven to his death.
Now her treasury is empty, her land occupied by her enemies, and she is ordered, under threat of renewed war, to become queen of her conquerors and marry the King of France.
This marriage means her country’s annexation. But Anne promised her father that Brittany would never be conquered.
Defiantly, she betroths herself in secret to France’s greatest enemy. But in a world where courts may spy on each other by magic, there is only one way to solemnize this illicit union.
Anne takes her court deep into a legendary forest, where the court diviners’ skill cannot reach. The world thinks they are only a hunting party, coursing after unicorns. But that is a lie, a trick, a feint. No one in living memory has seen a unicorn. All Anne wants is this secret wedding, which is her only hope of salvation.
But when against all hope a unicorn appears and a stranger out of legend stumbles from the trees and falls at her feet, Anne is plunged into a world of enchantment where a doomed sovereign might find the power to change her own and her country’s destiny—or be lost in the shadows forever.
I previously enjoyed Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy years ago when it first came out and I was still new-ish to blogging. Now, coming back to her work, I’m reminded of the many reasons I enjoyed that series. Arden’s writing is beautiful and her characters are compelling, whether they be antagonist or protagonist.
The Unicorn Hunters is a historical fantasy set in the Brittany region of France near the turn of the 16th century. Anne is determined to keep Brittany out of the hands of the French (as Brittany was not yet part of France) and is doing some serious scheming. This brilliant young woman has written to Maximilian I, hoping that a secret marriage to him will secure the backing of the Holy Roman Empire and save her homeland. In order to delay the French representatives, she stages a unicorn hunt and, much to everyone’s surprise, a unicorn is sighted and Anne touches the beast and takes a lock of its mane. Broceliande forest features in many a fantasy story and in this one the veil is thin and the fae, or the korrigan as the Bretons know them, are rumored to dwell there.
This is a book that hooked me from the first pages, which I wasn’t expecting. Historical fiction or fantasy tends to lean a little bit toward the drier side of things, but this was filled with enough personality and political intrigue that I didn’t want to put it down. I loved Anne and her bravery and determination and, though this story certainly deviated from historical facts, it did encourage me to go down several Wikipedia rabbit holes learning more about the places and the people mentioned. The fantastical elements had that perfect feeling of old folklore that lends Arthurian tales the particular *vibe* they have.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this for anyone who has enjoyed Katherine Arden’s previous work or for any fans of historical fantasy in general. Despite assumptions about the time period, it’s full of strong, admirable female characters. I liked the fantasy elements, particularly the presence of the unicorn, which is seriously underutilized in fantasy today!
Powder & Page 
Leave a comment