This review is solely based on my own interpretation, and I would love to hear yours as well. I've taken some time to read other people's essays and opinions about this story, just to understand it better from different perspectives, and now I've come to write my own. And terribly sorry for the bad english and repeated, EN is not my first language - I really really just want to put this thought of mine out there 😔

Anywaaay, to me The Last Unicorn is more than what it seems at first glance. It is not just about finding who you are or stepping out of your comfort zone. Some people say it is about losing and gaining innocence, as portrayed by the unicorn. But to me, this book genuinely feels like the writer's spiritual journey or a way of writing about that kind of topic. (or maybe i'm reaching idk hahaha anyway)

I can't help but see it that way, and I'm sorry if this sounds too religious. I'm not trying to lecture anyone! This is purely my own opinion and interpretation, especially after rereading some chapters and wondering why the author chose to write things this way.

The more I continue reading this story, the more I began to see the Unicorn as something closer to a higher being in my own interpretation. One thing that stood out to me is how not everyone is able to truly see her. It is often shown that only certain people can recognize what she really is.

In a way, it reminds me of how belief works. It is not always that something is not there, but sometimes people are simply unable to perceive it. If you are not open to it, you won't recognize it at all.

Because of that, I feel like the Unicorn represents something beyond normal human understanding. Not in a literal sense, but in the way she exists as something that is always there, yet not everyone is able to truly see. And thinking more about it (I KEEP THINKING AND THINKING BECAUSE THE BOOK IS THAT GOOD OK), I don't think she is actually speaking in riddles. It is more like we, as humans, are not able to fully understand her perspective yet. What she says is often clear in its own way, but it only makes sense once you are able to see it from where she stands.

With that in mind, it feels like the answers are already there, but they require a certain openness to be understood. You have to be willing to notice, to reflect, and to truly "read" what is in front of you and noot because it is hidden, but because you are still in the process of learning how to see it. So rather than something appearing only when you believe in it, it feels more like it has always been there. Belief, or perhaps openness, is what allows you to finally recognize it.

Now I want to talk about Schmendrick the magician first. Oh boy he is a magician, alright, albeit not a very good one at first. He has been trying to find this magic within himself, doing his best from the moment he met the Unicorn and trying to get her out of the cage. Maybe, in some way, he hoped that by doing so, she could grant him what he wanted, to become a true magician. But she tells him that she cannot give him something he is not.

I feel like what she meant is not truly the fact that he is NOT a true magician. Schmendrick already has magic inside him. The problem is not that he lacks it, but that he doesn't understand it yet. His magic is unstable, unpredictable, and sometimes even works against him, which makes him seem like he is not a real magician.

So maybe it's not just about working hard to become something. Maybe it's more about growing enough to recognize what is already there like something has already been given to you, but you are not ready to carry it yet.

Her answer does not directly give him what he wants, but instead points him toward something he has to realize on his own. It reminds me of the idea that sometimes answers are not given clearly. The truth might already be there, simple as it is, but it only makes sense when you have grown enough to see it.

She already knows what he is capable of, even before he fully understands it himself, heck I mean our unicorn is an immortal being they've witness them all and see the world differently than ours, and lets him walk the path to realize it on his own. You yourself are still in the process of becoming someone who can understand and accept it. And sometimes, you need a certain trigger to realize it. In Schmendrick's case, he is often placed in difficult situations where he has no choice but to act, even if it is clumsy or uncertain. It is in those moments that something within him finally shows itself.

For example, in the end, he manages to turn her back into a unicorn and not because he suddenly becomes perfect, but because he is pushed to a point where he has to do what he can. To me, it feels like those situations are necessary for him to realize what has always been there.

Sometimes, you have to be in that kind of situation before you can truly see it yourself. Just like how we, in this life, been through so much and slowly you realised that you are so much different than you are before all of these events.

And then there is Molly Grue.

Compared to Schmendrick, her reaction to the Unicorn feels very different, but also very human and her character development isn't as obvious compared to Schmendrick nor Prince Lir/Haggard. When she meets the Unicorn, she does not react with pure wonder, but instead with emotion. She cries and asks, "Where have you been?" questioning why something like this only comes into her life now, when she is already older.

This made me think of the time when you pray for them to answer you, why don't He answer back even if you are begging them to? Am I being abandoned by Him? That short of thought sometimes linger within you who, well, believes. That's why I feel like this is what I noticed when she said that. It is a very specific question to be honest, "Where have you been?", instead of being amazed about the unicorn for the first time.

The very same question made me think of like, maybe it is not that H has abandoned you. He might have always been there, but you only come to recognize it at a certain point in your life. At the same time, that does not always make it comforting. Because even if it comes, you might still question why it only happens now, after everything you have been through. Feel like it is not only about whether something comes into your life, but also about when you are able to see it and how that timing can feel both meaningful and painful at the same time.

I ... I want to talk more of Haggard and Prince Lir and the Red Bull and the ending of the book but I'm tired. My brain is fried, I have work and all so I will edit this review later ahaha ok bye, do let me know your opinions thank you!! That's all (for now) of this review of mine. A solid 5 stars read from me!