Skandar and the Skeleton Curse (Skandar 4) by A.F. Steadman

What worked:

Skandar is the main character and he’s the only spirit-wielding student. This makes many students uneasy since his mother was also a spirit elemental and the antagonist in the series’ first three books. She dies in the last book but family matters still complicate Skandar’s life. His sister Kenna replaces their mother as an antagonist and she has powers no one thought possible. She appears in the middle of the Earth Festival and changes unicorns bonded with earth-wielding riders back into wild, vicious, unpredictable unicorns. This problem becomes a mystery as Skandar tries to discover a way to restore the bonds between riders and their unicorns. No one besides Kenna truly understands how the curse works and feelings of desperation and dread grow as other elemental bonds are strategically targeted.

The Eyrie, a school for unicorn riders, undergoes serious changes in this book. The new Commodore, Rex Manning, implements unpopular changes despite unspoken resistance from the instructors. The biggest change is the dismantling of all quartets comprised of riders from the four main elements. This means Skandar no longer lives with his three best friends, Flo, Mitchell, and Bobby. Rex implements additional restrictions as the plot moves forward creating a tense, divisive school environment. Skandar and his quartet eventually take drastic actions and readers will slowly realize Rex Manning is the biggest villain in the book. His big scheme will affect the series in ways readers will never expect.

Most of the story is told from Skandar’s point of view but the author focuses on Kenna’s thoughts in many other chapters. Skandar’s chapters obviously describe his complicated emotions for the sister he’s always loved and counted on. He can’t believe the killing and evil she’s done but he can’t ignore her plans for the Skeleton Curse. Kenna’s chapters are compelling since she’s having internal struggles despite her malevolent deeds. She still has positive memories of Skandar and their parents but they get overwhelmed by feelings of loneliness and anger. Her negative emotions are often amplified by her bond with a wild unicorn and they sometimes explode uncontrollably. The author’s skillful descriptions allow readers to experience the mental turmoil befalling Skandar and Kenna.

What didn’t work as well:

It will be hard for new readers to join the series by starting with this book. The author shares events from book three but they don’t provide a complete backstory for new readers to understand and appreciate everything going on. Also, there are A LOT of names to remember, actually twice as many. Almost all of the characters are paired with unicorns and both of their names are used throughout the story.

The final verdict:

This is a fantastic book. The plot evokes strong emotions and creates plenty of drama and the author constantly inserts new twists. Readers will have a hard time deciding which villain is worse and a shocking climax may provide an answer. I highly recommend you give this book a shot.