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Horse Guardian #2
Desert Song
When Sophie unwittingly puts her foster parents most valuable mare, Aria, in danger, she is afraid she will be sent away. So she keeps her mistake secret, hiding Aria in a remote canyon. But little does Sofie know that a terrible evil is drawing near.
152 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Angela Dorsey
49 books79 followersANGELA DORSEY currently lives on Vancouver Island and is thoroughly enjoying the ocean breezes, awesome hiking, and lack of snow! In the past, she has lived in a number of small towns throughout B.C., and loved them all.
She loves hiking, traveling, and animals, and has a tendency to name her pets after things that remind her of her coastal home, such as Misty, Raven, and Cedar.
Angela writes novels, screenplays, and non-fiction, and has a number of literary publications (short stories, poems, and postcard stories) and articles published as well.
She loves hiking, traveling, and animals, and has a tendency to name her pets after things that remind her of her coastal home, such as Misty, Raven, and Cedar.
Angela writes novels, screenplays, and non-fiction, and has a number of literary publications (short stories, poems, and postcard stories) and articles published as well.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 28, 2026
Another really great book in this series! While not one of my all time faves like others in the series I still really enjoyed visiting this one again!
This time we’re in Nevada (I think? The descriptions make me think it’s set there, but it’s never specified) and following Sophie, a foster kid who struggles with trust and seeing herself as worthy of being loved. She’s quiet and uncertain a lot which as an extreme introvert I relate hardcore too and found her a compelling character. The horses, Aria, Sky, and Melody, were wonderful as was Angelica who is always my favorite character in this series. Sophie’s foster parents were well developed too and I really liked them.
The villain is unique in that he’s a mountain lion who has gotten the taste of killing sport instead of survival which makes him super dangerous (this really does happen in real life too) and so many authors could have written this all wrong or strangely, but she makes it work and feel believable as, like all the books in this series, we have the mountain lion’s perspective along with Angelica’s and Sophie’s.
So while not my favorite I still really enjoyed it and would highly recommend!
‼️Content‼️
Violence: a mountain lion kills for sport (not detailed); a girl was hit and injured by a car; mountain lion attacks a couple girls; mentions of the mountain lion’s past kills (not detailed or shown)
Other: a girl deceives and lies about a horse being stolen; magic; a character has supernatural powers; a flash flood
This time we’re in Nevada (I think? The descriptions make me think it’s set there, but it’s never specified) and following Sophie, a foster kid who struggles with trust and seeing herself as worthy of being loved. She’s quiet and uncertain a lot which as an extreme introvert I relate hardcore too and found her a compelling character. The horses, Aria, Sky, and Melody, were wonderful as was Angelica who is always my favorite character in this series. Sophie’s foster parents were well developed too and I really liked them.
The villain is unique in that he’s a mountain lion who has gotten the taste of killing sport instead of survival which makes him super dangerous (this really does happen in real life too) and so many authors could have written this all wrong or strangely, but she makes it work and feel believable as, like all the books in this series, we have the mountain lion’s perspective along with Angelica’s and Sophie’s.
So while not my favorite I still really enjoyed it and would highly recommend!
‼️Content‼️
Violence: a mountain lion kills for sport (not detailed); a girl was hit and injured by a car; mountain lion attacks a couple girls; mentions of the mountain lion’s past kills (not detailed or shown)
Other: a girl deceives and lies about a horse being stolen; magic; a character has supernatural powers; a flash flood
October 15, 2024
This is a wonderful story with a wonderful, happy ending 😊
October 28, 2013
Desert Song is a very sad story with a happy ending. Sophie a girl who has lived in more foster homes then she can count. She finds a home finally with people she can trust, who even let her ride their most valuable Arabian mare by the name of Aria. When Sophie makes the mistake of falling asleep in the desert and Aria becomes pregnant. Afraid she will be sent away by her foster parents, she puts Aria’s life in danger by hiding her in a hidden canyon, not knowing it is where a crazed mountain Lion lives, intent on killing everything in it’s path. Then disaster strikes when Sophie is hit by a run away car and she cannot tell her foster parents, but without her Aria and her foal Melody will certainly die. Then help appears from Angelica.
Can Sophia trust that Angelica will not tell on her?
Angelica is the heroine of the story, she helps horses who are in need of her and sometimes humans. Sophie is a character who feels bad about herself because nobody truly wanted her. Now that she has found Joel and Kalene she does not want to lose them even if it means deceiving them. The mountain lion in the story thirsts for blood. He does not eat his victims, he just kills for pleasure. Max is Sophie’s friend who comes to watch over her when her foster parents go out to a play after Sophie’s arm gets broken by the runaway driver.
Joel and Kalene are Sophie’s foster parents who care a lot about her. Twixie is the family dog who seems to really like Sophie. Sky is a roan mustang stallion and is the leader of his herd.
Aria is the valuable arabian mare who is hidden in the canyon. Melody is the daughter of Aria and Sky.
The time this story is set in is not known though it does appear to be present day. The story is set in the desert and if it wasn’t, the story would be completely different.
I would recommend this book to girls ages 10-15, since the main character of the story is a girl named Angelica.
Can Sophia trust that Angelica will not tell on her?
Angelica is the heroine of the story, she helps horses who are in need of her and sometimes humans. Sophie is a character who feels bad about herself because nobody truly wanted her. Now that she has found Joel and Kalene she does not want to lose them even if it means deceiving them. The mountain lion in the story thirsts for blood. He does not eat his victims, he just kills for pleasure. Max is Sophie’s friend who comes to watch over her when her foster parents go out to a play after Sophie’s arm gets broken by the runaway driver.
Joel and Kalene are Sophie’s foster parents who care a lot about her. Twixie is the family dog who seems to really like Sophie. Sky is a roan mustang stallion and is the leader of his herd.
Aria is the valuable arabian mare who is hidden in the canyon. Melody is the daughter of Aria and Sky.
The time this story is set in is not known though it does appear to be present day. The story is set in the desert and if it wasn’t, the story would be completely different.
I would recommend this book to girls ages 10-15, since the main character of the story is a girl named Angelica.
June 19, 2022
As a child I read the whole series of Horse Guardian (and a lot more books from Pony Club/ Stabenfeltd) and it makes me feel nostalgic whenever I think about it. I loved horses and dreamt that I would have my own one day, so I went through those stories with this dream on my mind and I think it was one of the sources for my passion for reading.
I admit that the stories are not very complicated and some parts, especially with Angelica, are very similar but I always felt joy and hope as I was reading. Recently I read again some of the books and it was quite relaxing. I appreciate the description of settings - different environments and landscapes through out the series. You can visualise surroundings and characters vividly.
I'm glad that I spent part of my childhood with these beautiful stories and I wish every child could experience something so fulfilling.
V dětství jsem přečetla celou sérii Anděl koní (a mnoho dalších knih z Pony clubu) a cítím příjemnou nostalgii, když na to vzpomínám. Knihy o koních ve mně podpořily lásku ke čtení a jsem ráda, že jsem část dětství strávila ponořená do všech těch příběhů.
Některé z nich jsou trochu jednodušší a předvídatelné, ale myslím si, že pro cílovou skupinu (holky, které milují koně), to není překážkou. Pokaždé jsem při čtení cítila radost a každou knihu jsem přečetla téměř okamžitě, jak jsem ji dostala.
Teď jsem ve volných chvílích znovu přečetla pár knížek, abych si je připomněla, a musím říct, že se čtou velmi lehce a je to fajn oddych. Oceňuji i hezké popisy krajiny a postav, také ilustrace jsou moc pěkné.
Přála bych každému dítěti zažít tenhle pocit těšení se na balíčky z Pony clubu, které přicházely každý měsíc, a ten pocit radosti a naděje při čtení.
I admit that the stories are not very complicated and some parts, especially with Angelica, are very similar but I always felt joy and hope as I was reading. Recently I read again some of the books and it was quite relaxing. I appreciate the description of settings - different environments and landscapes through out the series. You can visualise surroundings and characters vividly.
I'm glad that I spent part of my childhood with these beautiful stories and I wish every child could experience something so fulfilling.
V dětství jsem přečetla celou sérii Anděl koní (a mnoho dalších knih z Pony clubu) a cítím příjemnou nostalgii, když na to vzpomínám. Knihy o koních ve mně podpořily lásku ke čtení a jsem ráda, že jsem část dětství strávila ponořená do všech těch příběhů.
Některé z nich jsou trochu jednodušší a předvídatelné, ale myslím si, že pro cílovou skupinu (holky, které milují koně), to není překážkou. Pokaždé jsem při čtení cítila radost a každou knihu jsem přečetla téměř okamžitě, jak jsem ji dostala.
Teď jsem ve volných chvílích znovu přečetla pár knížek, abych si je připomněla, a musím říct, že se čtou velmi lehce a je to fajn oddych. Oceňuji i hezké popisy krajiny a postav, také ilustrace jsou moc pěkné.
Přála bych každému dítěti zažít tenhle pocit těšení se na balíčky z Pony clubu, které přicházely každý měsíc, a ten pocit radosti a naděje při čtení.
March 1, 2021
Wonderful!
Another wonderful story that takes us out to the desert and initiates us with Sofie , a young girl who loves horses and lives with foster parents. Sofie has a secret and knows that when she finally must tell it she will most likely be sent off again to another foster family. Sofie is so tired of moving from place to place but is convinced that she is not worthy of being adopted let alone remaining with the family she now lives with. Can't wait to read the next book!
Another wonderful story that takes us out to the desert and initiates us with Sofie , a young girl who loves horses and lives with foster parents. Sofie has a secret and knows that when she finally must tell it she will most likely be sent off again to another foster family. Sofie is so tired of moving from place to place but is convinced that she is not worthy of being adopted let alone remaining with the family she now lives with. Can't wait to read the next book!
November 7, 2022
nevím, nevím, co si o tom myslet, bylo to... zvláštní...
November 4, 2016
If you wanna know why I've been reading horse related middle grade books, read the beginning of this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I only found the second book in the series, I probably don't have the first one, but I looked it up and my friend, google said it could be read as a standalone. So I did that.
Compared to the book I've read yesterday (link above) I found this to be better written. However, that one appealed to me more, because it felt real, something that could actually happen. I mean this book was about a horse guardian angel type of girl, and how she saves the main character and her horse... But I don't say, this was bad. Not at all. I found it interesting, and even though this was not written for my age, it could still get to me, to the point that at the and I almost teared up. I swear, reading these books feels like watching a Disney movie, or something like that.
It contained some illustrations, and I really really liked the style of them. Again, it felt good after the books I've been reading recently, even though I love most of them.. You know, sometimes you need a break. And these books are perfect for that.
Again, at the age of 10-13 I would've probably liked it much more, but it was still an enjoyable, short read to switch my mind off.
I only found the second book in the series, I probably don't have the first one, but I looked it up and my friend, google said it could be read as a standalone. So I did that.
Compared to the book I've read yesterday (link above) I found this to be better written. However, that one appealed to me more, because it felt real, something that could actually happen. I mean this book was about a horse guardian angel type of girl, and how she saves the main character and her horse... But I don't say, this was bad. Not at all. I found it interesting, and even though this was not written for my age, it could still get to me, to the point that at the and I almost teared up. I swear, reading these books feels like watching a Disney movie, or something like that.
It contained some illustrations, and I really really liked the style of them. Again, it felt good after the books I've been reading recently, even though I love most of them.. You know, sometimes you need a break. And these books are perfect for that.
Again, at the age of 10-13 I would've probably liked it much more, but it was still an enjoyable, short read to switch my mind off.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews