Moonlight Riders: Sea Foal: Book 4

by Linda Chapman

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 2, 2023

About the author

Linda Chapman was born in Liverpool in 1969. She had many different jobs before becoming a full-time writer in 1999 including working as a theatre stage manager, a dog trainer, a bookseller, a nanny, a teacher and a research assistant. She has written over 300 books for children, some under her own name, others under different names and she often collaborates with other authors. She is currently writing books with Julie Sykes and they are co-authors on the NYT bestselling Unicorn Academy series as well as Mermaid Academy, Forever Homes and Pocket Unicorns. Linda lives in Leicestershire with her husband, three children, two horses and three dogs. She has written many different series including: My Secret Unicorn, Star Friends, Best Friends Bakery, Stardust, Skating School and, most recently, Magic Keepers and Moonlight Riders.

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ily, one of my granddaughters, adores this series of books, so that’s as long as she’s looking forward to the next one (Snow Mare, already ordered), my critical analysis hardly matters.

Amara and her fellow riders and their respective elemental horses (horses that magically control one of the four elements) travel to Seaview Stables for riding camp where they meet Sue the owner/trainer and her daughter Willow. Unfortunately for Amara, Daniella and Zara from Storm Stables also show up at the camp. When mysteries things start happening along the shoreline, all the right will be challenged.

Although, Amara’s POV frames most of the action, author Linda Chapman lets other characters have their moments: Imogen and Tide final get their big moment in Sea Foal, and Willow promises to be a character who will visit the long plot.

Which brings me to my quibble: the Jill-Ivy-Shula subplot. Although Ivy appears briefly in this book, she is no Voldemort. Perhaps I’ll eat my words by the end of the series, but the characters share the plots more than the characters encounter higher stakes. The books are sweet, and for all the magic Chapman still makes the stable work the honest cost of riding. I keep watching for a shade from The Dumbledore Gray Area. No doubt that’s probably a book I’ve been neglecting to write.