The Unicorn Hunters

A Novel

By: Katherine Arden

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

In a desperate gamble to save her throne, a young monarch conceals a secret marriage in the shadows of an enchanted forest—and unknowingly alters the fate of her world—in this dazzling novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale.

“I loved every moment I spent in this magical, dangerous, and haunted realm in the company of its clever and captivating duchess.”—Naomi Novik, author of A Deadly Education

Anne of Brittany was a child when France invaded and drove her royal father to his death. Now she is a young woman, sovereign duchess of an occupied realm, and France means to crown their conquest by marrying her to their king. Such an alliance would put her title, her lands, and her body forever in the hands of her enemies.

But Anne refuses to be the last duchess of Brittany.

Her only hope of resisting conquest is another alliance sealed with marriage, so Anne arranges a daring last gambit: a secret betrothal to Charles of France’s greatest rival. But secrets are hard to keep in a world where rival courts spy on each other with diviners.

The forest of Brocéliande was once the haunt of Merlin the Enchanter and the long-lost faerie queen. But magic is long gone from Broceliande, except for the occasional sight of a unicorn and one critical quirk: This ancient forest is completely hostile to divination.

While pretending compliance with France, Anne plans a unicorn hunt in Brocéliande. A bit of pointless pageantry. A diversion so she can wed in secret.

Or so she thinks.

In this rich and epic novel, the author of the acclaimed Winternight trilogy turns the real history of a remarkable woman into an unforgettable tale of mystery, enchantment, and the price of power.

Critic reviews

Praise for Katherine Arden and The Unicorn Hunters

“Katherine Arden writes beautiful, irresistible books—the kind you want to immediately reread, the kind you want to both share and hoard, the kind you carry around in your heart. Her books are full of exquisite prose, wonderful characters, and fantastic stories!”—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling of The Spellshop

“I loved every moment I spent in this magical, dangerous, and haunted realm in the company of its clever and captivating duchess.”—Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education


Praise for The Bear and the Nightingale

“[The Bear and the Nightingale] has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical.”—The Washington Post

“Stunning . . . will enchant readers from the first page . . . with an irresistible heroine who wants only to be free of the bonds placed on her gender and claim her own fate.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Vasya [is] a clever, stalwart girl determined to forge her own path in a time when women had few choices.”—The Christian Science Monitor

“Utterly bewitching . . . a lush narrative . . . an immersive, earthy story of folk magic, faith, and hubris, peopled with vivid, dynamic characters.”—Booklist, starred review


“Arden’s supple, sumptuous first novel transports the reader to a version of medieval Russia where history and myth coexist.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)