Will little girls (and boys possibly) love this story about a new girl to town who makes a friend and then finds out the woods behind her a magical and full of mystical animals? Probably.
Did I personally enjoy it? Not really.
There is no reason why introductory readers like this, a simple book good for readers at a level 3 or 4, shouldn't also be well-written books. That said I know two little girls who read this series around the age of 6 and 7 years old and they thought it was amazing. So what do I know right? For this sole reason I am giving this book a four star review (instead of 3) because I can't argue with the target market's love of it.

But on the note of what is a bit meh about Oona the Unicorn. It starts with a poorly set-up premise. I'd like to know a bit more about why our lead gal has been moved and a bit more about how she feels about it. She seemed to be taking the move to a new area where she had no friends very well. It seems a bit optimistic by us adults to think that a child would be so easily adaptive to a new home. That said it's not the deal breaker that causes me to drop the rating to four stars.

What I cannot tolerate is silly lines referring to an (albeit mystical) animal that has "an allergy to gravity". Say what?
Why on earth would anyone think it's cute or smart to make up a fake allergy? Children have enough misinformation thrown at them on a daily basis; let's not make it worse by trying to be cute with a new species and making it allergic to something that: it has to encounter on Earth everyday no matter what, is completely false and can't cause an allergy in any living thing I know of on Earth. This is just silly for no real reason. There must be another reason why this animal lays it's nests upside down! I think Melody Lockhart needed to be a little more creative here and a little less ridiculous.

Between magical unicorns and boobears that are super cute (yes I'll admit it their spots are adorable) to magical flying carpets and doctors (vets) for magical animals you as the parent/adult/guardian may not love this book. But I know a lot of little girls (and some boys) will! Just throw in some less silly content while you're supplying your children with reading content please. I'm always a fan of Babysitters Club (no idea if new ones are good; but the old ones are!) to keep most of their thoughts on practical, reasonable things. Fantasy and imagination are some of my favourite things in the world; but I do recognize they can be taken too far at times. Just imagine a child telling their teacher they are "allergic to gravity" and need to go home; feels like that would be one of those embarrassing moments we all want to avoid!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This is a Fantasy Middle Grade, and this is the first book in the Magical Rescue Vets series. This book is great for a child that is just learning to read chapter books. The chapters as pictures and they are short. This whole book is less then 100 pages. I feel that this book will be great for kids in 2nd though 4th grade depending on the kids reading level. I found this to be a cute and fun book to read, and it also as cute messages put into them. I loved the characters in this book, and the magical animals are so much fun. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Arcturus Publishing) or author (Melody Lockhart) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Oona the Unicorn is the first book in a new children's fantasy series called Magical Rescue Vets.
This series is about a young girl called Rosie who moves from the city to a very small village and quirky cottage. She isn't pleased with this move but slowly begins to adapt especially when she discovers magic and a new friend (Kat)!
The Friends team up to look for an injured unicorn called Oona and meet a whole host of magical animals and creatures surrounding their homes.
This book is beautifully written with just the right amount of mystery to keep a young reader interested.
I can't wait to start book two and find out what the girls encounter next.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I read this in one day I really love the veterinarian part of it as well as the unicorn. It was great for kids and adults.

The story begins with Rosie who is upset because she had moved houses to Starfall Forest. However, her life is changed positively as she has an adventure filled with magic and friendship.

The text has descriptions and dialogues. There are black and white illustrations to aid.

I think this book will be an ideal read for a 6/ 7+ year old who loves to read about friendship and magic.

My children absolutely loved this book & it has found a place on our forever shelf. Can't wait to follow along with this series!!

Review to come May 14th on my blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

After the delight that was Jade the Gem Dragon I was even more eager to start this one, especially since I found out that this one is the first book in the series. Yep. Haha. So I was eager to get a lot of answers to the questions that I had after reading the first book.

In this one Rosie takes the spotlight and we learn that she has just moved to this small town. We see her quickly discover something magical in the garden and I just LOVED her enthusiasm about everything. While I wouldn't have run to my parents to tell them as I know that adults just don't believe kids. Then again, if I had a kid I would definitely believe. Thank you to books. Bring me magical worlds! We see how she is adjusting to her new house, her new town, and makes a new friend, Kat. 

I loved it when the magical adventures started and when Rosie discovered all sorts of fun things and then took Kat along! We meet unicorns, dandylions, fluffy bears, cute bunnies, and also some mischievous animals. I had so much fun seeing the girls help out the vets and also go along a trip to find Oona the unicorn and help her out. There is just so much happening and I flew through the book. I just couldn't stop! 

Funnily, I had expected Kat and Rosie to be friends for WAY longer. Given how their relationship/friendship is in the book with Kat in the spotlight. But apparently they are just friends. That is so amazing and it made me smile. In this book they struggle a bit, aren't sure what to think of each other, argue a bit, but I was happy knowing that they would make up and become the bestest of friends. I just wanted to hop in the book and tell them that they would be friends!

And yes, I got so many answers from this book. How the girls discovered the forest and the magic that lies hidden. What kind of creatures live in the forest (we do get some in the next book, but we get A TON more in this one). How the girls got to be helpers. And many others. It was a delight. I just wish that I had known this was the first book. I have fixed it on GR now, so no one else has to be confused. 

Once again the illustrations were the cutest. I just wanted to reach out of the book and pet some of those cuties that the girls discover on their trip to the forest. 

I do hope that there are more books in the Magical Rescue Vets series because I would like to see more creatures and more of this world. We only see a bit of it!

Another really fun read! I love how these stories are part of a series but it's more about the theme and feeling they leave you with. My young reader loved this story. Unicorns are always a fan favourite, especially since they are something that many people believe actually exist. As my young readers likes to point out the world has narwhals so why not?

Rosie struggles with the move her family has taken, she thinks her life is ruined but soon begins to see that not everything is quite so terrible. As Rosie starts to explore she sees many fantastical things. The pictures help us to visualize what's happening (My favourite was the at the beginning seeing her with her toad wallpaper. When she meets Oona the Unicorn it's confirmation that this whole other world really does exist. My young reader loved this story and the adventure Rosie takes. They could even relate to having parents that are sometimes too busy to notice what's around them, or pay attention to what they're being told.


Thank you NetGalley Melody Lockhart and, Arcturus Publishing Limited for providing me with a free copy of this book. I am providing my voluntary honest review.

This was an absolutely delightful read for my 6 year old. She is obsessed with unicorns at the moment, and this story made her day. The world of Starfall Forest was enchanting and the creatures and characters found within the pages were lively. The friendship between Rosie and Kat was nice to see and it was very realistic, especially when it came to emotions the girls were feeling.
This was such a nice read and I would recommend it for any child who loves unicorns or any other magical creature.

This chapter book was very cute and I think kids will love it! I can’t wait until my niece is old enough for chapter books. She will definitely be reading this!

I thought I'd like this book a lot, but I realised that I don't enjoy fantasy middle grade as much as I like to. But I can see its charm for children between the ages 5 and 8 as the chapters are short and there are pictures. Any child interested in magic and animals may enjoy it a lot.

Thank you so much to Arcturus and Netgalley for the earc to read and review.

Rosie has just moved to the forest used to the bustling life in the city, then she sees a unicorn that is limping and has to find someone that believes her. She makes a friend in Kat a local girl and together they find a hidden magical forest.

This was so sweet, I loved that they were both so brave adventuring into the unknown parts of the forest to save the little unicorn. They met so many adorable and magical beings within the forest and meet the vets who look after all the magical beings.

I really loved this story, Rosie had a lot of adjusting to overcome but with the help of the magic forest it made her changes easier. I loved the illustrations that came with the story showing you the adorable magical beings, I loved getting to explore this new world with the girls, It’s such a precious book and I really loved it.

This was a cute story with wonderful illustrations. It definitely had a lot more to it in terms of build-up and backstory than the second book in the series.

I am always on the hunt for a great early chapter book series. Oftentimes, I find early chapter books to lack substance, but this new series is adorable! My daughter is in first grade, and she read through Oona the Unicorn and Jade the Gem Dragon in a day! She couldn't put them down. I asked if I could read them with her, and she said no!! She was too busy to read aloud to me. I ended up stealing a peak after she was done, and I agree with her. This series mixes in the magical with the animal world. I see lots of early chapter book readers, like my daughter, loving this fun, new series.

This title will, I think, engage early chapter book readers. There is an appealing protagonist in Rosie and readers will also enjoy meeting her new friend Kat.

Rosie’s family has moved to the middle of a forest. At first Rosie misses Opal City, her room, her friends, the park and more. She has made a list of negatives and positives about the move. The minuses are many more than the pluses as the story begins. Children will enjoy watching as this changes over the course of the book, starting when Rosie thinks that she sees a magic carpet in Starfall Forest. She goes on to explore and discovers many unusual things. There is a moving tree stump that is looking for a unicorn and more. All make for a fun story.

Children who like a bit of magic sprinkled in with their reading are sure to enjoy this whimsical story. It is part of a new series for young readers.

I love that this book opened with a map. It draws readers right in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.