Reviews - All the Horses of Iceland

All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie

408 reviews for:

I expected a bit more from this one. I found myself wanting more of a fantasy, mythical element, and instead of being from the point of view of Evyind (the trader), it would have been more magical to have be through the point of view of the horses, which is how the book was marketed.

bbsea's review against another edition

3.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

lorikan64's review against another edition

3.75

mysterious reflective slow-paced

duskvstweak's review against another edition

3.0

A small, semi-historical fantasy novel that reminded me of The Alchemist. I didn't actually find the writing style to be as poetic or magical as maybe the intent was, but it's a gentle book that you can cozy up with.

clairediblasi's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

tiboutoo's review against another edition

5.0

A beautiful tale of travelers, outcasts, horses and magic. I wish I could get up close to the white made with no name.

michaela_g's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Strong character development: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

feyfoxreading's review against another edition

2.0

Set in early ninth century, this historical fantasy novella details the journey of Eyvind as he journeys on the Silk Road. Along the way he comes into possession of a small herd of horses that he intends to bring home to Iceland. One of these horses is a white mare with magic and has no name. I was really interested in this story, but found myself slightly disappointed in the final result. The prose, while gorgeous, still fell flat for me as there was not a lot of character development or additional settings or worldbuilding. The historical origin of horses on Iceland did intrigue me and we did we learn a lot about history. If you’re a reader with pre-existing knowledge of Norse or Slavic history or are familiar with the locations mentioned in the story, you may enjoy it much more. Overall, I think the story was a good one, but the more simple, straightforward text just wasn't for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with this Digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.