Dark Horses by Cecily von Ziegesar
Summary from Goodreads: Merritt Wenner has been self-destructing ever since the tragic deaths of her grandmother and her horse, and after an epic all-night bender she walks out of the SAT and disappears.
Her parents, looking for a quick fix, ship her off to a residential equine therapy program. At Good Fences, Merritt meets Red—a failed racehorse and a terror in the barn.
Red has never bonded with anyone, but Merritt is not afraid of him, which makes all the difference. Soon they’re sneaking rides after curfew, which catches the attention of Red’s owner. Recognizing their potential, he funds their launch into the competitive hunter/jumper circuit.
Against the cutthroat backdrop of competitive riding, Merritt and their groom, Beatrice, develop an attraction. Merritt also finds herself drawn to Carvin, a rival rider. But in Red’s mind, Merritt belongs to him alone. Anyone else poses a threat. And Merritt can’t foresee what he’ll do to keep her to himself.
Review of Dark Horses by Cecily von Ziegesar
For me, Dark Horses was a bit of a mix.
Now if that isn't campy, Gossip Girl worthy stuff, I don't know what is. All of that I liked a lot. I even didn't mind the fact that some of the story was narrated by a horse. Yes, a horse.
The relationship between Red and Merritt was definitely a little out-there. Freud had some theory about young girls and horses, but in this story Red was like a troubled stalker-y YA hero in horse form. There was basically a love rectangle featuring three humans and a horse. The scene where Red (highlight for spoilers)murders Beatrice was classic Gossip Girl -- so over-the-top that it kind of worked. I was sort of amused and horrified all at once. And can horses really die from drinking wine?(end spoiler)
I can't fully explain without spoilers, but I thought that Dark Horses fell apart a bit at the end. The story starts off as sort of a wildly experimental retelling of Black Beauty -- a book in which a horse also narrates. But toward the end, the book began to fall back on too many YA tropes for my liking. Still, if you're a fan of horse books and/or unconventional narrative techniques, I'd advise you to check this one out.
"He knows who Blue Oyster Cult is but doesn't understand a cigarette?"
ReplyDelete*dies laughing*
Karen @For What It's Worth
See, I find a horse who appreciates heavy metal to be kind of awesome. You should actually read this!!
DeleteI'm not really one for animal lover books so I was curious about this, but not too eager to pick it up myself. It sounds like you have some mixed feelings, and that some things were a little strange, but it was still a good enough read?
ReplyDeleteMy recent post: https://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2016/09/forget-me-not-review-giveaway.html
Yes, exactly. If you're not a big animal fan, this might not be for you!
DeleteWow, there's really a horse POV? I've wanted to read more stories involving equine therapy since I read The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon. This story is waaay different but I'm curious now. Especially with this horse. Not sure how I feel about the 2 love interests either. Still, even I can admit that this seems like quite a tale.
ReplyDeleteYes, throughout the story there's a horse POV. Try this!! It's not a book for a reader who needs a romance, but it's interesting!
DeleteThis sounds very interesting! I loved the GG books too so I like the first part of the story. I am definitely intrigued
ReplyDeleteIf you're a GG fan, definitely check this out.
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