SUNBEAM'S SHINE

A unicorn-loving girl goes to a magical world to help a unicorn princess.

When wizard-lizard Ernest botches a spell, he accidentally causes one of the unicorn royals, Princess Sunbeam, to lose her magic yellow sapphire, which is the source of her powers. The only way to reverse the spell is for a human girl to venture to the Rainbow Realm, find the gemstone, and return it—with a catch: only those who believe in unicorns can see them. All this information comes in the first chapter through not-so-graceful exposition. Luckily for the Rainbow Realm, unicorn-obsessed Cressida Jenkins (who has straight, dark hair but is otherwise racially ambiguous) finds the magical key dropped by Sunbeam while Sunbeam was searching for a girl to help, bringing them together and Cressida to the Rainbow Realm. After more exposition about the unicorn princesses and their magical roles (Sunbeam’s is to provide sunlight), and a not-so-nice joke about malodorous human boys, Cressida and Sunbeam head to the desert Glitter Canyon, where they converse with talking sand dunes and cacti (who are in a feud). Between the clunky exposition, precious prose, and flimsy characterization, this comes across as just so much cotton candy. Sequel Flash’s Dash publishes simultaneously.

Standard-issue girlie wish fulfillment.