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wai's review
dark
emotional
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Alcohol, Gore, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Blood, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Incest, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Pedophilia
Minor: Medical content and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
savvyrosereads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Out now! [Thank you to Book Sparks for providing me with a gifted copy as part of their November Book Sparks Book Club!]
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Kari James has a difficult past, and when her cousin Debby brings her an old bracelet belonging to Kari’s long-vanished mother, that past might just come back to haunt her…in more ways than one.
White Horse is a captivating blend of literary fiction and horror, with a sometimes frustrating, but ultimately charming, protagonist, and a fascinating mythology centered on Native American lore and history. The chapters are short, and the book was a quick read overall, though I sometimes wished the plot had a bit more action.
The reviews and blurbs made me think this one would be gritty and gory, and while it definitely had its creepy moments, I wasn’t particularly scared. But I loved the mystery elements, all of the characters were well-developed and interesting, and in the end I am always a sucker for a good ghost story.
If you love horror, and particularly diverse voices and perspectives in horror, you’ll enjoy this book!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: literary horror; ghosts; Native American mythology
CW: Murder/blood; mentions of pedophilia; alcoholism/drug abuse/overdose; suicide attempt.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Kari James has a difficult past, and when her cousin Debby brings her an old bracelet belonging to Kari’s long-vanished mother, that past might just come back to haunt her…in more ways than one.
White Horse is a captivating blend of literary fiction and horror, with a sometimes frustrating, but ultimately charming, protagonist, and a fascinating mythology centered on Native American lore and history. The chapters are short, and the book was a quick read overall, though I sometimes wished the plot had a bit more action.
The reviews and blurbs made me think this one would be gritty and gory, and while it definitely had its creepy moments, I wasn’t particularly scared. But I loved the mystery elements, all of the characters were well-developed and interesting, and in the end I am always a sucker for a good ghost story.
If you love horror, and particularly diverse voices and perspectives in horror, you’ll enjoy this book!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: literary horror; ghosts; Native American mythology
CW: Murder/blood; mentions of pedophilia; alcoholism/drug abuse/overdose; suicide attempt.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Abandonment, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, and Murder
Minor: Car accident
haylzno's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.0
This was EERIE AF. Hurst does a damn good job of giving you the absolute chills when describing these disturbing ass scenes. There were a few times I had to look around to make sure the ghost of Kari's mother wasn't waiting in a corner for me somewhere.
I will say the beginning felt choppy for me. It felt like we were bouncing from thing to thing and it was giving me whiplash, however that subsided after the first 20% when the plot really started to get going. All of the Stephen King tid bits were interesting but sometimes it took me out of the story. I also absolutely could not stand Debbie and her bitch ass husband but overall I get why all of that was important for Debbie's character development (didn't stop me from wanting to punch the guy in the face, ya know?) Other than that this was a fantastic story about grief, indigenous culture and heritage, and getting back on your feet after you've been stumbling for so long.
ADDITIONAL CW INFO IN SPOILERS
The alcohol and drug abuse take place very much in page and in great detail in some parts so be aware when going into this book. The assault/SA is NOT on page and is only referenced to.
I will say the beginning felt choppy for me. It felt like we were bouncing from thing to thing and it was giving me whiplash, however that subsided after the first 20% when the plot really started to get going. All of the Stephen King tid bits were interesting but sometimes it took me out of the story. I also absolutely could not stand Debbie and her bitch ass husband but overall I get why all of that was important for Debbie's character development (didn't stop me from wanting to punch the guy in the face, ya know?) Other than that this was a fantastic story about grief, indigenous culture and heritage, and getting back on your feet after you've been stumbling for so long.
ADDITIONAL CW INFO IN SPOILERS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Physical abuse and Sexual assault
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