Chris D'Lacey - The Unicorne Files: Alexander's Army - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books)

I really enjoyed reading the first installment of The Unicorne Files back in August 2014. Since then I've been eager to read the next book in the series (Alexander's Army) and finally, here it is. 

The book starts off with Michael's recent success from his first assignment. With the arrival of the crows in his back garden, fourteen-year old Michael Malone sets out on another unexplained mystery for the secretive organisation UNICORNE. Due to the brilliant start, I was fully immersed in the dark world from the very first page of the book; it was truly engaging. I was really excited by the cauldron of darkness and magic that got my imagination buzzing.   

Michael sets out on a deadly mission to the local comic store. You may think that comic stores are tame, but on this occasion you would be wrong. Secret agents have detected unusual activity, which will test Michael's innate superhuman ability to the max. The comic store scenario was fantastically delicious; it exhumed malice and the supernatural. I felt like a little kid walking and exploring the racks of comics, with spooky action figures watching my every move.

The other part of the story that I really enjoyed reading about was Alexander's invisible army. When they came to life, the plot and action increased a notch. Chris D'Lacey used some mind bending imagination in this story; these are some of the best scenes that he has written to date, in my opinion. This book is even better than the first book in the series and that is a rare thing for me to say. 

Every nine year old boy will love this book; it's a whirlpool of events colliding with non-stop action and dark forces. This story is a fantastic and eclectic mix of characters that you will want to know more about. Crow Girl is one of my favourites and would make a good comic action hero; dark, feisty, mysterious and totally unpredictable - always expect the unexpected.  

The narrative is full of non-stop action; a full on fantasy adventure with a good mix of twist and turns. It's not predictable. It's full of mayhem and thrilling danger and actually reads like a comic - compact, neat and very well written.  

This is a really engaging read. The book doesn't answer all of the mysteries that surround UNICORNE and Michael's missing father. However, it does explore Michael's extraordinary power a little bit further and brings about more unanswered questions. Once the book comes to a climatic end, you will need to steady yourself for the next book. The final book in the series, 'A CROWN OF DRAGONS' will be out early 2016. I'm really looking forward to that....