Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - White Horse

Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

13 reviews

scifi_rat's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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kitaandarchie's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This one would be a great choice for a book club read. The main character, although I am not indigenous, Kari has a relatable personality for anyone who has experienced deep trauma... and honestly that hooked me. Through the book her experiences unfold one by one-like the peeling of an onion. I wanted to keep reading and couldn't put it down. It's not a 5 star because I felt a few holes in the plot, but this is so worth reading.

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chasingpages1's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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czoltak's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“The harsh, cruel sounds of metal that satisfied the pain, the parts of us that would never completely recover.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this one. However, I can easily see why this book won’t be for everyone. Firstly, the book is marketed as horror, and while it certainly has some horror elements, the overall story is much more of a mystery than anything else. Also, Kari, our main character is someone I’m sure many will find unlikeable. She’s outspoken, coarse, and doesn’t put up with anything that she doesn’t want to. Personally, I loved Kari as a main character; I thought her tenacity and boldness made her incredibly interesting to read from. We follow Kari as she reluctantly goes on a journey to figure out what really happened to her mother after she mysteriously disappeared only 2 days after Kari was born. The sections of trying to figure out what happened were my favorites as we got to learn more about Kari’s past and why she is so guarded and hard now, those who knew her mother best, and some previously unspoken family secrets. However, once we got the final resolution, I was a bit disappointed; the story took a direction I wasn’t expecting and didn’t necessarily love. Also, the final act felt incredibly rushed for some reason. On the other hand, another aspect I did not see coming, but absolutely loved were all the homages to ‘The Shining’. I enjoyed Kari’s love of metal music and horror books, and I loved it even more that she continuously read and referenced ‘The Shining’. My absolute favorite part of the book is when she actually goes to the Stanley Hotel. The mood and tone of this book already reminded me a bit of King’s works, but the direct references made the story that much better. Overall, I know this won’t be for everyone, but I do hope it makes it to the niche audience who will truly love it for what it is. 🎠🍻🏜️🚬🪬💀👀👊🪓⏳

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laura_keoski's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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carriepond's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth opens with our protagonist, Kari James, in the bar after which the novel is named. Kari is an urban Native who loves heavy metal music, Stephen King novels, and hanging out with her cousin, Debby, whenever Debby's controlling husband okays it. Debby has found a bracelet that used to belong to Kari's mother, who disappeared when Kari was a baby. Kari has always assumed that her mother left her and her father and her father, who is incapacitated by a traumatic brain injury after a car wreck when Kari was young, is unable to offer insight. Soon, Kari begins to have visions of her mother's ghost, prompting her to open all manner of old wounds in search of the truth.

Although there were a lot of things I really liked about this book, in the end, it didn't quite come together for me. Pros: I loved how Wurth used Indigenous spirituality and culture to add depth to the typical ghost story. I also loved Wurth's description of Denver and all the places Kari went-- I felt like I was there and it made me want to visit Denver immediately. I also loved how the world Kari inhabits is imbued with native culture without Wurth overexplaining or hand-holding readers who might not be familiar-- it is what it is, and it feels authentic and complete as a result. I also love the way Wurth explores trauma, both individual and collective, and how those traumas ripple down and reverberate through generations. Cons: I found the plot to be pretty predictable and a little all over the place at times, and Wurth spent a lot of time on subplots that I found uninteresting and a little annoying (Debby and her husband, for example), which distracted me from the elements of the novel that were really interesting and compelling.

Although this didn't quite live up to my expectations, I would still recommend it to fans of horror that subverts norms and explores big ideas while still being spooky. There were a lot of great elements here, and I would check out a future novel from Wurth.

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