Review: The Girl Who Remembered Horses — by Linda Benson

Cover image and summary from goodreads.com

Title: The Girl Who Remembered Horses

Author: Linda Benson 

Rating:  ★★★★★ (4.5 of 5)

Genre/Pages: Dystopian / 214

Summary: “In a world that has forgotten the ancient bond between horses and humans, can one girl’s dreams make people remember?

Sahara travels with her clan in a future, barren environment where recyclables are bartered for sustenance, and few remember horses or their connection to humans. But Sahara has recurring dreams of riding astride on magnificent animals that run like the wind. At the Gardener’s Camp, she discovers a valuable book and learns that her visions are real. But how can she persuade others of the ancient bond between horses and humans, when she is labeled just a foolish girl?

When Sahara discovers a helpless young horse, she must use both her courage and inborn knowledge to keep the animal safe, convince others of the true worth of horses, and learn the secret of her real identity.”

Cover Review: It’s pretty, but I wish it was artwork. It’s a very nice picture, though. I dislike the fact that it’s so completely unrelated to the book. The horse doesn’t look like the horse in the book (if I’m remembering right) and overall, the cover gives a contemporary feel to the novel. I really think this book could benefit from having a cover that actually portrayed the dystopian nature of this book.

My Review: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If memory serves, I actually requested this book from the author, because the premise fascinated me so much. I’ve read plenty of equestrian fiction over the years, but equestrian dystopian? That’s completely new to me. It was a really fun book!

Characters: The characters were possibly my favorite thing about this story. The main cast of characters was good-sized, but they were all very well-developed and fascinating. They were flawed and independent and believable. I especially loved the character’s dynamics and interactions with each other — that, I think, is really where Linda Benson’s skill in writing shines the brightest. I loved each and every one of these characters, even the not-so-lovable ones, and that can be a very difficult thing for a lot of books to achieve. But The Girl Who Remembered Horses had a cast of characters that makes me desperately wish to return to the world in a sequel to learn more about them. I especially loved Sahara, who was worthy of an entire set of American Girl Doll books and merch.

Plot: The plot was really moving and emotional. It kinda felt like a Dystopian Little House on the Prairie, if that makes any sense. Thinking back on what I said about Sahara being like an AG doll, my feelings towards this book make a lot more sense. That’s exactly what this book felt like! It was a story of heart, of love, and of determination. Sahara is the American Girl Doll of the dystopian future, and her action-packed and heartwarming story illustrates that beautifully.

Content Advisory: Talk of death and butchering animals. An elderly person dies in sleep.

To Sum It Up: This is the perfect book to read with your pre-teen and teenage daughters. Who am I kidding? It’s perfect for all ages — middle grade to adult! This was a really fun and worthwhile book. It’s one of those books that I want to read to my own children one day. I highly recommend this book for readers ages 7 and up.

Review: Ambition — By Natalie Keller Reinert

Cover image and summary from goodreads.com.

Title: Ambition (The Eventing Series, #1)

Author: Natalie Keller Reinert

Rating:  ★★★★★ (5 of 5)

Genre/Pages: Equestrian Fiction / 368

Summary: “Jules Thornton didn’t come to Ocala to make friends. She came to make a name for herself. Young, determined, and tough as nails, she’s been swapping stable-work for saddle-time since she was a little kid – and it hasn’t always been a fun ride. Forever the struggling rider in a sport for the wealthy, all Jules has on her side is talent and ambition. She’s certain all she needs to succeed are good horses, but will the eventing world agree?

On her own at last, Jules is positive she’s poised to become eventing’s newest star, but soon finds she’s making more enemies than friends in the close-knit equestrian community. Little mistakes cost big — her students are losing faith in her; her owners are starting to pull their horses. And then there’s the small matter of Peter Morrison, the handsome, on-the-rise event rider who keeps showing up when she least expects him.

Jules is convinced that all she needs is good horses — not friends, not romance, not anyone’s nose in her business. But it’s just the beginning of the long, hot, Ocala summer, and as Jules tumbles through the highs and lows of a life with horses, she might find she’ll need help after all to weather the coming storm.“

Cover Review: It’s pretty, and it does a good enough job of portraying the book accurately. I think it could greatly benefit from some real artwork, not just an image with text over it, but it’s not the worst I’ve ever seen.

My Review: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a difficult book for me to review. As you can clearly tell from my five star rating, I really really loved this book. But the protagonist was infuriating, and the love interest was almost unrealistically obsessed with someone who had made it crystal clear that she despised him… But I still loved it. And I even loved the protagonist and the love interest (he wasn’t quite fleshed out enough to be anything more than that right off, unfortunately). They were just infuriating and dumb enough to be realistic, tbh. 

Characters: So I guess I already started into this. Jules had a ridiculously huge victim complex, and was convinced that the ENTIRE world hated her (And if the person in question was rich, then they were basically personally responsible for every single one of her life problems), and as much as that part of her character made me want to talk (scream?) some sense into her, it was still very realistic. I mean, what’s the point of reading a book if you want the characters to be fairytale perfect without any unfair prejudices?  Unless, of course, you’re reading a legit fairytale, and even then, those are darker than we give them credit for.

Aaannd… I’m off topic again. Anyway, I really loved Jules. She was fiercely independent, she was very knowledgeable about horses, and had worked insanely hard to get where she was. She was a beautifully complex and flawed character, and I cannot WAIT to read the second book and get to know her better. Mostly I loved her because of the huge amount of character development she underwent throughout the book. The other characters in the book were all wonderful, as well, adding great depth to the story as a whole. 

Romance: I know I don’t usually have this section in my reviews, but I felt that if I didn’t have it, I would just rant about the strange relationship everywhere else. This is my attempt at some semblance of organization and self-discipline. So, I said above that Pete wasn’t fleshed out enough to constitute a co-starring character in the book, and unfortunately, that was true. He really was just an unusually complex love interest. I really hope he actually becomes a character in his own right in the second book. I really did love his character, though! I thought he was a pretty fabulous person, with amazing potential, and he was pretty fantastic with dealing with crazy-pants Jules. I definitely liked him more than I liked her, hahaha. He was really good at keeping a cool head all the time. I did wonder why he kept pursuing her when she kept telling him she hated him because he was rich / competition / both… But I suppose that’s just how romance novels are written. Once they finally got their act together, I thought the romance was beautiful and fun.

Plot: This was my favorite part of the book. I love love loved it. From the day-to-day drudgery and dangers of horse training and stabling, to the high stress competitive eventing environment, to the devastating natural disasters of Florida — this book had it all, and handled it all in such a way that made me always anxious to flip the next page and figure out what happens next. The plot and story of this book were absolutely PERFECT. The plot is definitely what made this a 5 star book.

Content Advisory: Some minor swearing, some huge and terrifying disasters, but nothing graphic. 

To Sum It Up: Not too long ago, I had sworn off of equestrian fiction entirely. But then something changed — I read Appaloosa Summer, and my hope in equestrian novels was restored. So I was only slightly hesitant about accepting this book, and I loved every single action packed second of it! I highly recommend this book to all horse-crazy readers 16 and up!

Review: Join Up — By Tudor Robins

Cover image and summary from goodreads.com.

Title: Join Up (Island Series, #3)

Author: Tudor Robins

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 of 5)

Genre / Pages: Fiction / 224

Summary: A summer at one of the poshest riding camps in the province. A hundred horses. Rolling hills ribboned with hacking trails and cross-country jumps.

It could be perfect. Unless you’re Lacey Strickland, and you’re leaving Salem, Meg, and Jared behind on the island.

The only thing that isn’t hard to leave is Lacey’s memory of her first kiss, delivered in a spring-scented hayfield, which sizzled, then fizzled into nothing at all.

The other thing making camp less-than-perfect for Lacey? She’s not a cosseted camper, but a staff member – teaching riding lessons from sun-up to sun-down.

In Meg’s first letter to Lacey, she writes: “I bet anything there’s at least one amazing horse waiting for you there. And maybe a new great – if not best – friend.”

Is Meg right? Could Lacey meet a horse she’ll love just as much as Salem? And are there new friends in her future? Maybe even somebody who could give her more than just one kiss in a hayfield?

Cover Review: It’s not the artwork that I really love on covers, but it’s still a beautiful cover. I would love to have this gorgeous book on my shelf.

My Review: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adore this series. Check out my review of the first book, Appaloosa Summer, and my review of the second book, Wednesday Riders!  I LOVED the first two books, and the third one did not disappoint!

This series has restored my faith in equestrian fiction. There actually ARE fun, original, quality horse novels out there in the world! The self-publishing world, at least. I think the traditionally published horse books are a lost cause, at this point. Anyway, back to the story. I absolutely loved that Lacey took center stage in this book, and getting a chance to better know a beloved character from the previous books made me incredibly happy! This story is set at a summer camp, and there’s something inherently magical about summer camp stories, and I’m not exactly sure what it is. I suppose I’ve simply watched too many Disney Channel Original Movies.

The romance is adorable and adds some fun drama to this incredible story chock-full of adventure, laughter, and solid horse training advice. I really can’t say enough good things about this book! It was fun to get to see Meg from Lacey’s point of view, and I loved the setting. It was very odd to get off the island, but in a good way. I also liked the larger cast of characters this book had, and the very unique plot. Sure, we’ve all read a million summer camp romance novels, but, as always, Tudor Robins takes a tried and true concept and turns it into something spectacularly original and refreshing.

Content Advisory: There’s one awkward scene that almost goes to the explicit level, but the character’s decide to stop. It was weird, tho. Lots of kissing. 

To Sum It Up: I’m in love with this series. Tudor’s writing style is absolutely magical, and I immediately get drawn into her story of broken hearts, horse training, and new starts. I HIGHLY recommend that you read the other books in the series, but even if you haven’t, I think you would be able to enjoy this one as a stand-alone. I recommend this book for ages 14+.

Attention Horse-lovers! Review: Wednesday Riders — By Tudor Robins

Cover image from author, summary from goodreads.com. Image links to Goodreads book page.

Title: Wednesday Riders (Island Trilogy, #2)

Author:

Goodreads.  Amazon.

Summary: 

The island.
Meg can’t wait to get back. She’s excited to see her new mare kick up her heels in Salem’s old paddock. She’s impatient to run on country roads between breeze-blown hayfields.
Mostly, Meg longs to be back with Jared again.
It’s going to be the perfect summer.
But can real life live up to Meg’s huge expectations?

When Jared makes a heart-wrenching confession, Meg has to re-evaluate everything. If perfection’s not possible, can Meg find a way to build happiness for herself?
Fans of Appaloosa Summer will welcome the return to familiar places and characters, with the chance to be captivated by more of the beauty, romance, and dreaminess of Meg’s summer island life.

Pages/Genre: 181/Equestrian Fiction

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 of 5)

My Review: You may recall the not so distant past when I was gushing to you about Appaloosa Summer, the horse book that restored my faith in equestrian fiction. And not to long ago, I was claiming that I believed that Wednesday Riders would be just as much of my “Happy Book” as Appaloosa Summer had been. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Probably no more than two or three chapters in, I was sobbing and throwing things.

So, thank you to the incredible Tudor Robins for sending me a free copy of Wednesday Riders!

I could just cut this review short and say “OHMYGOSH I LOVE TUDOR ROBINS SO FREAKING MUCH SHE WRITES THE BEST BOOKS IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD I CAN”T EVEN ASDFGHJKL”, but that really wouldn’t be professional, so I’m going to write a “real” review.

Hero/ine: Meg: In my review of Appaloosa Summer I gave a pretty good overview of all the things I loved about Meg. Appaloosa Summer was a happy book. It had conflict, yes, but it was happy. In Wednesday Riders, Meg was faced with horrific circumstances that would change anybody. Meg became a little bit of a whiny teenage girl in this book, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It didn’t make me mad like it did when characters like Tris or Katniss did it. Because it was different. She was incredibly complex and deep – she was a real character, with real feelings, emotions, and reactions. She was utterly relatable and therefore utterly lovable. Remember Amy Fleming from CBC’s hit family drama Heartland? (if you haven’t — BEST. SHOW. EVER.) Though the characters are each very different and unique, and I’m not saying that Ms. Robins ripped off Heartland by ANY stretch of the imagination, but the two women are very alike in a few ways. I love it. I think they would be best friends.

Jared: Without giving anything away, I can say that Jared was colored with an unfavorable light from the very beginning. And it broke my heart. Because I adore Jared. But even though he was not as physically present in Wednesday Riders as he had been in Appaloosa Summer, I still absolutely adored him. He was still very real, complex, and engaging. That’s what I loved most, actually. He wasn’t forced into the Male Love Interest YA Fictional Novel stereotypes. He wasn’t perfect and he wasn’t terrible – he was a real person. Good things, bad things, perfectly romantic and adorable things, ALL of those things are what make me love Jared so freaking much.

Plot: I felt the agony, I experienced the pain. This was a very pain filled book for me — and quite the shocker, since I’d expected it to be super happy and perfect. But, another PHENOMENAL thing about this book? It wasn’t all about the romance. Yeah, that factored into it, and yeah, it affected the characters, but they still had lives. I loved the plot about the Wednesday Riders, and about Bridget. Tudor isn’t afraid to address the hard issues. Nor is she afraid to resolve them. One thing is for certain, Wednesday Riders does NOT suffer from Second Book Syndrome. I wish I could say more about the specific things I loved, and the character decisions that I didn’t love, and the overall freaking amazingness that is this entire book, but, alas, SPOILERS. :(

Content Advisory: Eesh. This made me sad. I found it largely unnecessary, BUT… There was one scene of a sexual nature, went to second base. There was one scene of an implied sexual nature, but largely it took place off-screen. There were mentions of drinking, smoking, and of having sex. I can’t recall much swearing, so it was probably a relatively small amount of D’s, S’s, and B’s.

To Sum it Up: Though the sex scenes did disappoint me, aside from that I adored this book – almost as much as the first – even MORE in some ways. Appaloosa Summer put the bar ridiculously high, but Wednesday Riders did not disappoint. The complex and engaging characters (I loved the integration of the children!), the emotional and heart wrenching discoveries, and the horses (oh, the horses!) – this book was fabulous from beginning to end. I was crying, I was laughing, I was screaming, (and if I owned the physical copy, I would have been throwing it, as well). This is one of the best equestrian fiction novels you will ever read. I highly recommend it to 16+.

Book Release! Wednesday Riders (Island Trilogy, #2) – By Tudor Robins

You may recall back in August when I was gushing about Appaloosa Summer in my review. Tudor Robins truly restored my faith in equestrian fiction and contemporary romance in one fell swoop — and I fell madly in love with Appaloosa Summer, hardly able to wait for the sequel. Well, today, I am INSANELY EXCITED to announce that the sequel is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Do you love horses? Romance? A fun, light, novel? Appaloosa Summer became my “Happy book”. I just started Wednesday Riders, and I expect it to be the same. I am SO SO EXCITED. I’m sure this book is going to be just as (if not more) amazing than Appaloosa Summer! And if ALL of that isn’t enough… check out the GORGEOUS cover! It’s to die for!

Cover image from author, summary from goodreads.com. Image links to Goodreads book page.

Summary: The island.
Meg can’t wait to get back. She’s excited to see her new mare kick up her heels in Salem’s old paddock. She’s impatient to run on country roads between breeze-blown hayfields.
Mostly, Meg longs to be back with Jared again.
It’s going to be the perfect summer.
But can real life live up to Meg’s huge expectations?

When Jared makes a heart-wrenching confession, Meg has to re-evaluate everything. If perfection’s not possible, can Meg find a way to build happiness for herself?
Fans of Appaloosa Summer will welcome the return to familiar places and characters, with the chance to be captivated by more of the beauty, romance, and dreaminess of Meg’s summer island life.

In addition to that, Tudor has an announcement to make:

“To show how much I appreciate my readers’ feedback, any reviews of Wednesday Riders posted on Amazon or Goodreads until March 15, 2015 will make the review-writer eligible to win print copies of Appaloosa Summer and Wednesday Riders, as well as my first book, Objects in Mirror.”

Now that’s an offer too great to pass up!

Make sure to buy your copy here! You won’t regret it!

Hurry! Free e-book offer ends in 1 hour!

I received a free copy of this AMAZING book, Appaloosa Summer, from Netgalley. I’m almost finished, and I CANNOT get enough! I absolutely adore it! And now, you too, can pick up YOUR free copy from Amazon now! Today only, the author is offering it FREE. You won’t regret it! This is an amazing YA horsey sweet romance novel that is the PERFECT summer read!

 

Sixteen-year-old Meg Traherne has never known loss. Until the beautiful, talented horse she trained herself, drops dead underneath her in the show ring.

Jared Strickland has been living with loss ever since his father died in a tragic farming accident.

Meg escapes from her grief by changing everything about her life; moving away from home to spend her summer living on an island in the St. Lawrence River, scrubbing toilets and waiting on guests at a B&B.

Once there, she meets Jared; doing his best to keep anything else in his life from changing.

When Jared offers Meg a scruffy appaloosa mare out of a friend’s back field, it’s the beginning of a journey that will change both of them by summer’s end.