Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

“Then there was only sound. Explosions of elemental magic; unicorns screeching. More screaming from the crowd, and the unmistakable thundering of feet as Islanders attempted to escape from their seats.”

In this passage, Steadman uses an almost cinematic approach to create a visceral impression of the spectators’ terror and the thrill of the Chaos Cup match. This description shifts perspective and weaves together different senses to convey a deep sense of excitement and terror, and how subjective the experience of those emotions can be.

“In their fear, people had purged their homes of unicorns—picture books, soft toys, key rings, party decorations—and piled them onto towering bonfires that raged in public parks.”

This passage articulates a radical shift in perspective, for the Mainlanders had an idealized image of unicorns, but this flawed viewpoint turned to embittered disillusionment when the Island revealed the truth about unicorns’ inherent brutality. In order to avoid facing the images of their broken illusions, the Mainlanders burned the images of what they once believed in and destroyed the evidence so they could avoid both the past and the present.

“The sky glowed pink as the sun rose over the Mirror Cliffs.”

All riders begin their journeys at sunrise, a time that is universally symbolic of new beginnings. Agatha tells Skander to blend in with the crowd and act like his journey begins the same way that everyone else’s does, but in reality, his journey began the night before, at midnight. This symbolically starts Skander’s journey on a dark and difficult note, setting him apart from his companions even before the adventure properly begins.

“Unicorns, even when bonded, are fundamentally bloodthirsty creatures with a preference for violence and destruction. They are ancient noble beasts, and you must earn their respect, even as their destined rider.”

Steadman uses strong word choice to reflect the strength and independence of unicorns. Even though the rider and unicorn are destined to be bonded, the word choice in this passage shows that unicorns are still living creatures who have a sense of agency and deserve respect, despite their potentially deadly nature.

“Its eyes locked with Skander’s, and he was surprised by what he saw there. Anger—yes—but so much sadness, too.”

Skander does what no Islander will do and looks into the wild unicorn’s eyes. This moment sets up a three-way comparison of Skander (who proves himself to be compassionate), the Islanders (who cannot overcome their prejudices), and wild unicorns (who experience far more emotion than they display on the surface).

“Since the deaths of those unicorns, the Weaver has hidden away in the Wilderness like a villain in a fairy story, hovering on the edge of myth and reality.”

One of the dynamics in this novel is the blurred line between what is myth and what is reality. The myths about unicorns hide the truth about their true nature from the Mainlanders. Likewise, the oversimplified myth vilifying spirit wielders and the spirit element becomes more acceptable to the Islanders than recognizing that the truth is far more nuanced.

“You are privileged to hold at the end of your ropes the most fearsome beasts the world has ever known, creatures that can bend the very elements to their will.”

Wielding power is both a privilege and a responsibility. In this passage, Aspen reminds the new unicorn riders of this truth by emphasizing that unicorns are independent and powerful, and that control must therefore be tempered with respect. Outside of the novel, this serves as a reminder to respect living beings and recognize the privilege that comes with a position of authority over others, or with the responsibility of caring for an animal.

“And then if it hadn’t been Bobby, he could’ve sworn he heard her say ‘thank you.’”

Thus far, Bobby is portrayed only as a tough character; the nuances of her deeper insecurities have been thus far hidden from view. As a general rule, she refuses to show appreciation or gratitude and hides behind sarcasm to protect herself from being vulnerable with friends. This moment of character development shows that Bobby has a growing attachment and comfort with Skandar, for she now feels safe enough to show vulnerability around him.

“You’re allowed to have different opinions. You’re allowed to believe I’m not like the Weaver.”

When Skandar openly acknowledges the underlying reasons for Mitch’s hostility, Mitch undergoes an acute internal conflict. The scene therefore illustrates the uncomfortable truth that Mitch finds himself stuck between the person he wants to be and the person his father wants him to be. Ultimately, he will shed his learned mistrust of all spirit wielders and choose instead to believe that Skandar, a spirit wielder, is both his friend and a good person.

“I’m not telling you to stop using the spirit element because it’s evil. I’m telling you to stop because the Silver Circle will kill you if they find out what you are.”

This passage makes it clear that Joby understands the difference between truly being evil and embodying an image of evil in the perceptions of others, and therefore, he tries to warn Skandar to be mindful of how his own actions can be misinterpreted, potentially causing his own downfall. Using a similar sentence structure with different word choices, he implies that Skandar should hide his abilities because doing so carries far more benefits than burdens.

“You can’t have it both ways, Mitch […] Either you want to help Skandar or you don’t. Choose.”

Mitchell remains trapped between chosen family and blood relatives. He wants to support Skandar while also supporting his father; the problem is that the two diametrically oppose each other, and Mitchell cannot exist in between without harming both.

“Perhaps belonging to an element didn’t show you were one kind of person at all—elements, like people, were made up of all sorts of visible and invisible pieces.”

This statement references the symbol of the Divide, in which the new riders start as a unified group and are arbitrarily divided into different factions via element. Although each element is also associated with different attributes and personality quirks, Skandar now recognizes that nobody can be reduced to a simple list of attributes that their affinity element says they should have, for people so much more complex.

“Skandar’s friends closed their arms around him in an enormous hug that he thought just might have enough love in it to save the world.”

In this scene, some members of Skandar’s chosen family surround him and demonstrate their own form of love. Though they are not bound by blood relations, the quartet acts like a family and would go to the ends of the world to help each other, a fact they prove when they unite against the Weaver in the Wilderness.

“But it’s not an excuse […] Just because he hates spirit wielders, it doesn’t mean that I have to hate them too.”

This quote reflects the crux of the theme of Overcoming Ingrained Biases. In a classic example of the moments of self-discovery that characterize a bildungsroman, Mitch realizes that his father’s views do not need to be his own, and that he can be his own person and make his own decisions.

“And the trouble is, when Dad has a good day now, all he really wants to talk about is you, and Scoundrel’s Luck. And some days I love talking about that, but some days, well, I don’t.”

Even though Kenna remains part of Skandar’s chosen family bonds, she displays one of the challenges that even the strongest family bonds can fall victim to—jealousy. She is happy for Skandar in his new life and role, but she also laments that she was not able to experience this new life herself. The passage also lightly touches on one of the more understated—yet deeply serious—issues of the novel: the fact that Skandar and Kendra’s father experiences bouts of depression. Even as the two siblings strive to create their own path in life, it is clear that the health and safety of their family holds a high priority in their minds, and they do what they can to help their father, even though they are teenagers with limited access to long-term solutions.

“It was as though a balloon was expanding inside his chest, as though the power of the element was growing from the center of the bond itself.”

In this moment, The Weight of Keeping Secrets catches up with Skandar at the worst possible time. Instead of being in control of when to reveal his secrets, his secrets choose to expose themselves, and as a result, he must deal with the reaction of those around him as he loses control of his own narrative.

“You can’t do this on your own, Skandar. You can barely get yourself dressed. Have you even combed your hair this morning? It’s sticking up everywhere—you look like a mad scientist.”

Though insensitive on the surface, Bobby displays a familial bond with Skandar by playfully teasing him about his appearance and his ability to get himself ready for the day. More importantly, she displays the bond of a chosen family member by refusing to let Skandar face danger on his own.

“Even Joby makes me feel like being a spirit wielder is something dirty, something to be ashamed of, like I shouldn’t be allowed in the Eyrie, even though I hatched a unicorn.”

This moment combines the theme of The Weight of Keeping Secrets with Skandar’s coming-of-age narrative. Skandar desperately wants to be his own person and to figure out what that means. However, he struggles to do so because everyone around him tries to assert their own ideas of who he should be, forcing him into keeping secrets and telling lies just to be able to have enough space to assess his feelings and situation independently.

“Visiting the spirit den was supposed to have been about finding out how to help. About proving to his friends that spirit wielders had once been just like those allied to other elements.”

In this scene, Skandar’s search for belonging and identity stalls as he learns the extent of the Weaver’s plan and must come to terms with the fact that this particular spirit wielder does act to harm others, setting a terrible example of what all spirit wielders are thought to be. He wants to believe that he can be a good person, but most of the evidence that he has thus far found supports the dominant, negative view of spirit wielders. He must therefore overcome the Weaver in order to prove that he is not like her.

“It’s okay to get things wrong sometimes.”

The push for perfectionism often dominates characters who take center stage in the typical hero’s journey. Within the context of stories such as these, heroes are often reprimanded for failing, as though failure after a first attempt is an inexcusable offense. With this statement, the author challenges the notion that mistakes equal failure. Instead, she emphasizes that a series of mistakes can spur someone to keep trying and eventually succeed.

“The idea is that the living watch over them in their final resting place.”

This passage reflects a new angle on the theme of Exploring and Expanding Family Bonds, for the author emphasizes that the death of a loved one does not necessarily end the connections that tied family members together in life. As seen here, people continue to honor and cherish the bonds they shared with deceased relatives and loved ones; thus, the actions that one takes in life have a way of living on after that person is gone.

“I know we don’t know each other very well yet, and I’m not exactly sure what’s wrong with you today, but it can wait. For the next thirty minutes of your life, whatever it is, it can wait—do you hear?”

If Skandar faces a Hero’s Journey, this would be his moment of self-doubt, when the hero feels that he cannot complete his quest. In order to get back on track and continue his journey, he often needs encouragement and support from an outside source. In this scene, Jamie—Skandar’s blacksmith—serves as the reminder that the young hero is strong enough to overcome whatever issues or concerns are stopping him from pursuing his goals.

“For his whole life, he’d been wishing he had a mum to tell him who he was. But now that she was here asking him to make this choice, he realized he didn’t need her to tell him at all.”

The crux of Skandar’s coming-of-age narrative happens in this moment, for when faced with the unacceptable demands of the Weaver—his mother—he realizes that he does not need to turn to her for guidance or submit his will to hers. He no longer seeks the insight of others to discern his own character; his journeys have taught him who he is, and now he can approach his challenges confidently as his own person rather than living in the shadows of others.