Amelia Fang and the Unicorn Lords is the second instalment in the Amelia Fang series following on from Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball. Amelia’s second adventure is full of more surprises and a lot more glitter. In this story, Amelia, Florence, Grimaldi and Tangine, ALL in disguise, go on an exciting and nerve-racking quest to the Kingdom of the Light to try to find Tangine’s missing mother, Fairyweather.

This book was particularly fun to write since it’s set in a completely new environment; a whole kingdom Amelia and her friends were once terrified at the mere thought of, let alone stepped foot into before. I very much enjoyed writing the character’s reactions to the new sights and smells in the Kingdom of the Light, and their interactions with creatures they meet along the way.

One of my favourite characters introduced in this book is McSparkle (Full name: McDonald Moonshine Misty Mountain Dew on a Summer's Morning Sparkle). McSparkle is a jolly jig-loving leprechaun who helps Amelia and her friends on their way to the dazzling and rather mysterious city of Glitteropolis.

I wanted to delve deeper into the personalities of my main characters in this book. I think it’s so important to give characters’ depth and to portray their strengths and weaknesses. Tangine’s character grows a lot throughout books 1 and 2.  He fast became one of my favourites to write, along with Florence of course. 

I always get quite excited when I’m writing Florence’s lines. I often know exactly how she’ll react to another character, or situation. Most of the time, she’s carefree, brave and ready for anything, but in book 2 we do experience a moment of doubt from Florence who feels some remorse for something she did in book 1.

Whilst Grimaldi is still the sweet and sensitive little reaper we all know and love, he does try very hard to be brave in book 2, and learns to face his fears. After all, is there anything to be fearful for really?! There a few elements that were left open in book 1 that are resolved in book 2… But I’ll let you figure those out for yourself!

And then we have the lovely Amelia Fang, our protagonist. She may not be as outrageous or flamboyant as her fellow rare breed of yeti or vampire-fairy friends, but she is often the voice of reason. She’s the one who keeps the story grounded. Quite often, the main character is the one the reader can and should be able to relate to the most. 

Amelia is kind and caring, and always tries to see the good in everyone. Her faith in Tangine in book 1 continues in book 2, and it’s Amelia’s determination and bravery that see the friends to the end and, without giving away too much, helps the characters to see each other for who they really are.

This story is one of friendship, acceptance, tolerance and SUGAR. For every gross and repugnant recipe in book 1, there’s an equally sweet and sugary ravishing recipe in book 2! 

Thank you to Laura Ellen Anderson for giving us an insight into Amelia Fang and for sharing some of her gorgeous illustrations. You can read more about Laura Ellen Anderson and her other books over on her Toppsta author page.