Yumna and the Golden Horse

Silverbrook #1

by Yassmin Abdel-Magied

In this quiet town, a magic awakens . . .

Thirteen-year-old Yumna lives in a sleepy town where nothing ever happens. So when her friends start sneaking into the woods at night, curiosity gets the better of her and she follows. There, she discovers something unbelievable. Kareem can turn into a golden horse. Sami can touch fire without burning. Even her cousin Nafisa has a strange new power. Everyone's changing . . . except Yumna.

But when Kareem vanishes and a mysterious new family, the Maidstones, seem to be hiding something, Yumna is the only one asking the right questions. As secrets unravel and danger creeps closer, it's up to Yumna to rally her friends and uncover the truth.

In a town full of secrets and powers, can one ordinary girl become the hero they all need?

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy

236 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2026

Reviews

[Ceyrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silverbrook: Yumna and the Golden Horse is a thoroughly captivating and refreshing addition to middle-grade fantasy that hooks readers instantly with its vibrant blend of magic, mystery, and heart. Yassmin Abdel-Magied crafts a beautifully paced narrative where the extraordinary collides with the ordinary, keeping readers turning pages as a sleepy English village suddenly awakens with supernatural chaos. Beyond the thrilling plot and the imaginative twist of a friend turning into a golden horse, the book’s most important takeaway is its powerful message about individual worth. You do not need superpowers to be a hero. Through Yumna’s journey as the only ordinary kid in her magical friend group, young readers receive a profound reminder that true strength lies in loyalty, courage, community solidarity, and the quiet bravery it takes to stand up against injustice.

[Hana (myjourneywithbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing ever happens in the sleepy town of Silverbrook, much to the annoyance of thirteen-year-old Yumna who plans on one day becoming a detective. Where does one get the experience from when there's nothing worthwhile investigating? But when the seemingly charming Maidstone family moves into the village and Yumna discovers that her friends have been hiding strange new powers, the level of danger and intrigue suddenly jumps to an all-time high. Then her friend's brother, Kareem, goes missing and it falls on Yumna to figure out what happened to him.

Though this starts off like the middle-grade book it is marketed as, due to certain topics that were covered and some mild swearing, it seems more suitable to a slightly older reader (12+ maybe?).

The writing was often humourous and witty, making the book fun and easy to read but it ultimately felt like it needed a little more polishing before it was ready to be released into the world. Some parts of it were well executed, like the two-faced nature of the Maidstones and the way they tried to play into the emotions of the villagers to turn them against a minority community. Yumna's portrayal as a practising Muslim teenager was also nicely done, with things like praying and asking God for help seamlessly woven into the story.

Yumna's feelings of betrayal at being left out by her friends and the effects of not having a mother around were also nicely captured but when it came to the descriptions of the relationship dynamics between the friends, I find it quite lacking in detail and depth. Other than the villainous adults, most of the elders, especially those in Yumna's circle, were portrayed as useless characters bumbling around, and even her friends seemed completely incapable of doing anything, leaving it up to Yumna to suggest a (very obvious) solution.

Though this book ends conclusively for the most part, it lays the groundwork for the series to continue and I'm hoping the issues in this book will be rectified in the future installments of the series.

[Rebecca Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise to this story, and was looking forward to an action-packed story with magic, adventure and peril. For me, the story started a little slow, which did help to set the scene, but didn’t hook me immediately. At about two thirds of the way in, the story did pick up and then, suddenly, BAM! Action and peril. Earlier in the story it felt like it was for a younger audience, but then this feeling changed as the story went on and some themes were introduced that suited a slightly older children’s audience.
I also struggled to get invested with the characters as for me, some of their motivations were questionable, or in some cases, lack of motivation. I’m not sure why when one of the characters went missing, most people who knew him were not seeming to do very much to try and find him. And Yumna is more concerned about the fact that she doesn’t have powers before starting to try and persuade people to search for the missing youth.
However, there were lots of positives in the story for me too. For example, I really enjoyed the story from Yumna’s viewpoint as a young teenaged Muslim girl trying to navigate growing up without a mum as well as the magic that seems to be blooming in everyone else apart from her. The magic system was interesting and I like that it linked to their religious history at times.

Thank you to Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Hachette and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Farah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yumna is a young teenager who lives in a small town when nothing ever happens. Or does it...?

Because within the space of a very short time, she discovers that some of her friends have secret powers. And when one of them goes missing, it is Yumna who may just hold the key to unravelling the mystery that surrounds them.

This is an enjoyable story and an easy read featuring diverse characters. It gets 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Close-knit community, magic and secrets - It has all the foundations of a fantastic middle grade story - and with diversity too.

It was a fun read with great characters to follow and a good mystery to get stuck into. A book I think many young readers will love!

Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.