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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Linz the Bookworm: 2021 Reading Challenge 35/60
Read a book that starts with the letter D
(Audiobook)
TW: Rape, Incest, Pedophilia, Domestic Abuse, Animal Death
I wanted to like this book, just because I have a friend who is an eventer, but the interesting equestrian parts were absolutely and completely overshadowed by gratuitous, graphic sex scenes between a father and daughter. I kept listening to think if anything would get better...but it didn't. I can't even say if I like the writing or not, because I'm so repulsed by the content.
Read a book that starts with the letter D
(Audiobook)
TW: Rape, Incest, Pedophilia, Domestic Abuse, Animal Death
I wanted to like this book, just because I have a friend who is an eventer, but the interesting equestrian parts were absolutely and completely overshadowed by gratuitous, graphic sex scenes between a father and daughter. I kept listening to think if anything would get better...but it didn't. I can't even say if I like the writing or not, because I'm so repulsed by the content.
One of my favorites of 2021...Mihalic crafts a great story about a girl living a seemingly perfect life but who struggles with abuse from her father. It's emotional, of course, but also inspiring and very eye-opening. Being a teenager is already SO hard, and this book takes it up 10 levels. Yet it's important to read and digest, despite the uncomfortable parts. Truly an eye-opener and a tear-jerker, one I am happy to have read.
I first heard about this book from a fellow Bookstagrammer. Books like this are right up my alley, the darker the better IMO, so I didn’t know how I hadn’t heard of it before but I knew I needed to throw the rest of my tbr out of the window and read it right away. And I’m so glad I did. It was so worth the read.
While the subject may be extremely difficult and triggering for some, I found the writing incredible and the story well done. I binged this and finished the audio in two days because I couldn’t put it down. While my heart ached for Roan and all that she suffered, I had hope that her situation would improve.
As horrible as the subject matter is, I loved this book. Certain parts made me cringe, but in others I smiled and shared in Roan’s happiness. 4.5 stars
While the subject may be extremely difficult and triggering for some, I found the writing incredible and the story well done. I binged this and finished the audio in two days because I couldn’t put it down. While my heart ached for Roan and all that she suffered, I had hope that her situation would improve.
As horrible as the subject matter is, I loved this book. Certain parts made me cringe, but in others I smiled and shared in Roan’s happiness. 4.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book in a giveaway, in exchange for a review. The book is well written. It brought back fond memories of horses and stables. I wish the book had come with a content warning. It contains graphic physical, psychological, and sexual abuse which I wasn’t in the right headspace to encounter. Definitely NOT a light read about an elite equestrian and her horses.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
It would have been 5 stars if it wasn’t for the ending.
She shouldn’t have forgiven her father and I wanted confirmation about her relationship status with Will
She shouldn’t have forgiven her father and I wanted confirmation about her relationship status with Will
This was a very difficult book to read. I kept reassuring myself that it was fiction. Although you just know on some level that it is (or has been) someone’s actual life. The story was very compelling, despite my squeamishness about certain elements. I almost quit a couple of times due to the nature of the material, but I was glad to have stayed around for what I consider a pretty satisfying finish. Definitely heed trigger warnings on this one.
On a personal note, I hope this book helps to discourage grown women and older girls from calling their fathers “daddy”. Something that has never sat well with me.
On a personal note, I hope this book helps to discourage grown women and older girls from calling their fathers “daddy”. Something that has never sat well with me.
This book was absolutely harrowing. It takes a lot to twist my stomach into knots, but Mihalic managed to render that exact reaction in me. I don’t often feel as much hatred for fictional characters as I felt for Monty Montgomery. In a way, it’s antithetical to a recurring idea in the book: the idea that Monty is a complex figure who’s done a lot of good and a lot more bad. I hated him more than I hate other characters who are wholly evil.
Roan’s perspective is eerie in how matter-of-fact it is. There is little melodrama to be seen, and while melodrama would be perfectly justified from a child’s perspective, the more sober, down to earth tone better serves to highlight just how heartbreaking Roan’s life is. It also has the advantage of displaying how inured she is to the abuse and dysfunction that she endures.
I must echo what some other reviewers have said: this is not for the faint of heart. It’s stark and graphic in its depictions of sexual and emotional abuse. I’m an avid reader and writer of dark fiction and this was still a very rough read for me. There were times where I would set the book down before bedtime and just quietly sit with the despair that leaked from the pages. But it’s a powerful read where sparks of hope crackle at the story’s conclusion.
To that end, I have mixed feelings about the conclusion as someone who suffered from abuse—a different type, but abuse nonetheless. Through Roan, Mihalic puts it best:
“It would have been easier, tidier, if things were all good, all bad, all one way or another. But they weren’t. They never had been.”
And that’s Roan’s truth. That may not be the truth for all survivors, and that may not be the popular acceptable narrative surrounding abuse, but it is the truth for many, many people out there—people who straddle the middle in their ride toward freedom.
Roan’s perspective is eerie in how matter-of-fact it is. There is little melodrama to be seen, and while melodrama would be perfectly justified from a child’s perspective, the more sober, down to earth tone better serves to highlight just how heartbreaking Roan’s life is. It also has the advantage of displaying how inured she is to the abuse and dysfunction that she endures.
I must echo what some other reviewers have said: this is not for the faint of heart. It’s stark and graphic in its depictions of sexual and emotional abuse. I’m an avid reader and writer of dark fiction and this was still a very rough read for me. There were times where I would set the book down before bedtime and just quietly sit with the despair that leaked from the pages. But it’s a powerful read where sparks of hope crackle at the story’s conclusion.
To that end, I have mixed feelings about the conclusion as someone who suffered from abuse—a different type, but abuse nonetheless. Through Roan, Mihalic puts it best:
“It would have been easier, tidier, if things were all good, all bad, all one way or another. But they weren’t. They never had been.”
And that’s Roan’s truth. That may not be the truth for all survivors, and that may not be the popular acceptable narrative surrounding abuse, but it is the truth for many, many people out there—people who straddle the middle in their ride toward freedom.
This dark, dark read is about rape, incest, and what it means to be a survivor.
Roan is a competitive horseback rider and she's GOOD. She's the daughter of an Olympian and the expectation is she'll be one herself. Over the course of the story, though, readers are sucked into a family business that is disturbing and destructive. With a mother who is an alcoholic and in a relationship with the school headmaster and a father who is exacting, controlling of his daughters image, and who, Roan spends far more time figuring out how to reckon with who she really is against the image in which she's been portrayed.
Not for the faint of heart, this book is explicit. It's an adult novel with a teen protagonist, but I'll be honest in saying I've read equally or more explicit YA that felt far more like tragedy porn than this did.
I didn't think I'd care about a book featuring horses but Roan was a character I found myself rooting for from the beginning, even though it's clear she may not necessarily be likeable. She's broken, hurting, and hoping to find herself and her voice in a life full of impossible situations.
Roan is a competitive horseback rider and she's GOOD. She's the daughter of an Olympian and the expectation is she'll be one herself. Over the course of the story, though, readers are sucked into a family business that is disturbing and destructive. With a mother who is an alcoholic and in a relationship with the school headmaster and a father who is exacting, controlling of his daughters image, and who
Spoiler
rapes his daughter repeatedly and gruesomelyNot for the faint of heart, this book is explicit. It's an adult novel with a teen protagonist, but I'll be honest in saying I've read equally or more explicit YA that felt far more like tragedy porn than this did.
I didn't think I'd care about a book featuring horses but Roan was a character I found myself rooting for from the beginning, even though it's clear she may not necessarily be likeable. She's broken, hurting, and hoping to find herself and her voice in a life full of impossible situations.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dark Horses really was up there for darkest books I read so far.
The abuse Roan suffered from her family was all too real and it made her circumstances all the more tragic. Here only real hope was Jasper, Will, and horseback riding. There was very little for her to look forward to in the face of her father's abuse, however her growth was satisfying and cathartic to read. I cheered when she cut her hair and called her father out for what he is.
I will say that the romance aspect was a little meh. It kinda just felt like they were there and treted each other decently/normally and that was why Will and Roan fell for each other. The resolution between Roan and her father wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be since it kind of felt half-assed I guess. He doesn't get ruined in the way that I hoped.
Anyways, Roan's growth was impeccable and is really the bread-n-butter of this novel.
4.5 / 5 A-
The abuse Roan suffered from her family was all too real and it made her circumstances all the more tragic. Here only real hope was Jasper, Will, and horseback riding. There was very little for her to look forward to in the face of her father's abuse, however her growth was satisfying and cathartic to read. I cheered when she cut her hair and called her father out for what he is.
I will say that the romance aspect was a little meh. It kinda just felt like they were there and treted each other decently/normally and that was why Will and Roan fell for each other. The resolution between Roan and her father wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be since it kind of felt half-assed I guess. He doesn't get ruined in the way that I hoped.
Anyways, Roan's growth was impeccable and is really the bread-n-butter of this novel.
4.5 / 5 A-
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment