Readers are loving this fantasy adventure story…

“You had me on the edge of my pillow! Enthralling, spellbinding and fabulous!”
“I can see it being made into a movie!”
More reviews below….

About Lily and the Unicorn King

Gallop into an exciting new world of warrior unicorns, feuding witches and brave friends!

Lily wants nothing more than to qualify for the Pony Club championship, but her training is in jeopardy from the moment she hears a curious sound under the stars. It reveals an impossible sight: battle-ready unicorns appearing out of thin air.

When the unicorn king asks her to hide his herd from an evil sorceress, she can’t turn her back on the animals in need… Somehow she’ll make time alongside training her pony, school and native herb lessons with her Maori grandmother.

Lily calls on her friends to share the terrifying responsibility. If they fail, their mythical new friends will be forced to fight a deadly war…

Can Lily use her wits and the power of her Maori heritage to preserve the unicorns’ freedom?

Lily and the Unicorn King is the first book in an edge-of-your-saddle middle grade fantasy series. Ride into the adventure today!

 

Buy your copy now!

Click the button on the right to find your preferred book retailer, such as Amazon, Book Depository, Booktopia, Kobo and Apple Books.

New Zealand book buyers – head to The Kiwi Kids’ Bookstore for a signed paperback edition.
New Zealand libraries and book retailers can purchase from Wheelers or direct from the author.

ISBN 978-0-473-45123-3 (Kindle)
ISBN 978-0-473-45122-6 (Epub)
ISBN 978-0-473-45121-9 (Paperback)

What people are saying about Lily and the Unicorn King

Readers have been kind enough to send me their reviews directly. You can also see more reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Very enjoyable
Lily and the Unicorn King is an exciting, captivating novel, that I thoroughly enjoyed. It has multiple hooks throughout the story, keeping you reading and preventing you from putting the book down.

Twelve year old Lily has her work cut out for her. The Pony Club Championships are coming up, but Lily and her ex-wild, native New Zealand pony are having troubles. Alongside her pony, Lily has other duties taking up her time. Her Māori grandmother has always wanted someone in the family to take on her enthusiasm for using wild herbs and plants as healing remedies. In the house, she is also expected to pull her weight with chores.

Then the unicorns arrive, coming from a far away place, fleeing to New Zealand in the hope of escaping an evil sorceress. But unfamiliar with their new surroundings, they need help and Lily just happens to stumble; across them one late evening after dark. Unable to keep such an exciting secret, Lily quickly spills her news to her two best friends, Sasha and Chloe, and soon all three of them are wound tightly together in an unforgettable adventure.

This story talks about things that could be happening in your day to day life – except the unicorns of course!!! Lily is finding it stressful working with her pony, Rainbow, but doesn’t want to rely on her Mum to work out her problems for her. My favourite part about this story was the way that Lily and her friends all trusted each other so much, and confided in each other about their troubles going on at home.

This story is really well written and very enjoyable. I am sure that many young readers are going to love hearing and reading about Lily, Sasha and Chloe’s adventures in this book and in further books to come.

~ Kristin Shepherd, age 12

Full of secrecy
Lily and the Unicorn King is a truly splendid and gripping book. I myself have to say I’m not a fan of unicorns. But this book put a twist on the usual unicorn book. Here is an example: Lily had eyes only for the ivory spike rising from the unicorn’s forehead. So sharp, so lethal. Anyone that has read the book will be able to see Kate Gordon really tried hard with all the description. While reading the book I have felt really connected with all the characters, making Lily’s friends [Chloe and Sasha] feel almost like my friends. Lily [ the main character ] is a truly wonderful character who I’m sure anyone would be happy to be friends with. The fact that she and her friends have to keep their massive secret just makes the story so interesting and full of secrecy. There is simply nothing bad about this book that I could think of.

~ Merryn Foster, age 9

Magical middle grade adventure
Lily and the Unicorn King is a magical middle grade adventure story that sucks you in from the very first page. Eleven-year-old Lily’s hopes of qualifying for the Pony Club Championships on her pony Rainbow take a back seat when a herd of warrior unicorns show up on her doorstep. Lily is amazed to discover a close connection with the unicorns’ king, the fearless Ambrosius, and when he asks her to help hide the herd, she doesn’t hesitate in accepting the challenge.

With her two best friends, Chloe and Sasha, Lily leads the unicorns to safety. But when their rescue plan goes awry, Lily must draw on her Maori heritage to save the unicorns from the evil witch Abellona.

Kate Gordon has created an enchanting world bursting with believable characters, mythical creatures and valiant unicorns. Lily and the Unicorn King is sure to be a hit with anyone who loves pony stories, magic and adventure.

~ Amanda Wills, author of the Riverdale Pony Stories

A picture perfect adventure story for horse (and unicorn!) lovers everywhere!
I just loved Kate Gordon’s first book.   The story of Lily, her best friends, their ponies and the adventure that unfolds after meeting the unicorn king and his herd really is super story-telling and I couldn’t put it down. Totally immersed in the story, I really could close my eyes, remember my first pony and imagine me and my pony club friends having a magical adventure just like this – what school holiday dreams are made of! Congratulations Kate on a super read!

~ Tracy Smytheman

Fantastic read, loved it!
I’m an animal lover, but have not had much experience with horses, or unicorns!