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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
I'm glad I pushed myself & kept reading. I liked it. That ending! Awwww... Lol, Sean and Corr FOREVER!! <3 Full review to come.
The characters were enjoyable, the plot was gripping and intense and it did legitimately keep me guessing. I didn't know what was going to happen in the end, and I like that feeling in a book.
This book might have earned five stars if not for the sexism angle. Because, even though the it was in the time period to think lesser of women, I've seen this done before. The girl who is the first ever to ride in the races and no one wants her to do so because she's a woman. I thought the prejudice was unneeded as an obstacle. Puck is riding a normal horse in the most dangerous horse race in the world. And she's young. That's plenty of reason for people to tell her not to do it. Commentary on sexism seemed overdone and extra to a story that was already very gripping.
Outside of that, I loved it. I love the slow build of the relationship, the culture of the island, the likability of the characters and the man eating horses themselves. An easy 4/5 stars
This book might have earned five stars if not for the sexism angle. Because, even though the it was in the time period to think lesser of women, I've seen this done before. The girl who is the first ever to ride in the races and no one wants her to do so because she's a woman. I thought the prejudice was unneeded as an obstacle. Puck is riding a normal horse in the most dangerous horse race in the world. And she's young. That's plenty of reason for people to tell her not to do it. Commentary on sexism seemed overdone and extra to a story that was already very gripping.
Outside of that, I loved it. I love the slow build of the relationship, the culture of the island, the likability of the characters and the man eating horses themselves. An easy 4/5 stars
3.5! For most of the book it was a 3 star read for me but the end picked up and was pretty entertaining so I bumped it up to a 3.5!
This was such a phenomenal book and I don't think I will ever stop thinking about it. I love this so much! Being a horse girl, this will be up there as a favorite like Black Beauty and The Black Stallion. Love love love love love
My go-to for a fast-paced, compelling comfort read: the story of two teens on a fictional Irish island, both desperately needing to win the same deadly competition. High stakes only lead to deeper bonds between the main characters, whose romance has a beautiful depth that belies its age group while perfectly encapsulating the real fears and emotions of teens together in perilous circumstances.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Perfect for fall
I read this as part the PopSugar 2019 challenge, the prompt to read a book with an astrological term in the title.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. It was in the YA section of the library, so I always wonder what kinds of tropes or bad writing to expect.
So, sure this had some tropes, but nothing cringeworthy. In fact, the writing was really nice, and the plot was good. It has to do with these scary magical water horses that are aggressive and predatory, but are somewhat tamed to run these races on an island. There’s a lot of good literary symbolism in the book, good characters and a decently told social lesson or two.
I read a lot of Walter Farley Black Stallion books as a kid, and if you’re into that kind of stuff I think you’ll like this book too.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. It was in the YA section of the library, so I always wonder what kinds of tropes or bad writing to expect.
So, sure this had some tropes, but nothing cringeworthy. In fact, the writing was really nice, and the plot was good. It has to do with these scary magical water horses that are aggressive and predatory, but are somewhat tamed to run these races on an island. There’s a lot of good literary symbolism in the book, good characters and a decently told social lesson or two.
I read a lot of Walter Farley Black Stallion books as a kid, and if you’re into that kind of stuff I think you’ll like this book too.
3.75 / 5. The first half is a little bit too draggy and boring for me, but George Holley (is that what his name?) and the racing scene made it up for it.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this book in high school and was excited to read it again! It was a little less thrilling the second time. I give it plenty of grace simply because I love horses… and the horse-centric parts certainly live up to my expectations. The fantasy and intrigue surrounding the water horses is definitely what kept me reading. I wish that the romance was a little more fleshed out, I liked Sean and Puck as a pair and thought they were compatible and sweet together, however the build up was very very slow and didn’t lead to much in the romance department. The side characters were also a little uninteresting to me, for whatever reason they just blended together. But I do always enjoy Maggie’s writing style, though I wonder if I’m getting a little too old for it. Regardless, it was an enjoyable read and makes me think of what it would be like to have the experience of taming a Thisby water horse.