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Dark Horses
Merritt steckt in einer tiefen Krise und landet im Erziehungsheim »Good Fences«, einem Heim für »schwierige« Mädchen und »schwierige« Pferde. Dort trifft das verschlossene Mädchen auf den unberechenbaren Hengst »Red«. Dieser wehrt jeden Menschen ab, außer Merritt. Aus den beiden Außenseitern wird auf Turnieren ein unschlagbares Team. Bis sich Merritt in den hübschen Jockey Carvin verliebt und Reds finsterer Instinkt durchbricht. Niemand ahnt, wozu das Pferd fähig ist.
Bestseller-Autorin Cecily von Ziegesar erzählt sowohl aus der Sicht von Merritt als auch aus der ungewöhnlichen Perspektive des Pferdes. Ein mysteriöser, süchtig-machender und böser Roman, der nicht nur Pferde-Fans in seinen Bann zieht!
Bestseller-Autorin Cecily von Ziegesar erzählt sowohl aus der Sicht von Merritt als auch aus der ungewöhnlichen Perspektive des Pferdes. Ein mysteriöser, süchtig-machender und böser Roman, der nicht nur Pferde-Fans in seinen Bann zieht!
418 pages, Hardcover
First published September 13, 2016
31 people are currently reading
935 people want to read
About the author
Cecily von Ziegesar
105 books2,967 followersCecily von Ziegesar is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Gossip Girl novels, upon which the hit television show is based.
Cecily von Ziegesar was born in New York City. Her childhood dream was to grow up to be a ballerina; she began lessons at age 3 and auditioned for the School of American Ballet at age 8, but was rejected.
As a teenager, von Ziegesar commuted to Manhattan at 6 a.m. to attend the Nightingale-Bamford School. After graduating from Nightingale, von Ziegesar attended Colby College before spending a year in Budapest working for a local radio station.
Von Ziegesar returned to the United States to study creative writing at the University of Arizona, but dropped out shortly thereafter.
Back in New York, while working at book-packaging firm Alloy Entertainment, von Ziegesar became inspired to create the Gossip Girl series, which follows the lives of privileged teenagers in New York. The series climbed to the top of The New York Times best-sellers list in 2002. A spin-off series, The It Girl, made the list in 2005.
The Constance Billard School for Girls in Gossip Girl is based upon an exaggerated version of von Ziegesar's alma mater, Nightingale. She also culled events from the book from the lives of her extremely wealthy friends, as well as her own life as a perpetual gossip.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.
Cecily von Ziegesar was born in New York City. Her childhood dream was to grow up to be a ballerina; she began lessons at age 3 and auditioned for the School of American Ballet at age 8, but was rejected.
As a teenager, von Ziegesar commuted to Manhattan at 6 a.m. to attend the Nightingale-Bamford School. After graduating from Nightingale, von Ziegesar attended Colby College before spending a year in Budapest working for a local radio station.
Von Ziegesar returned to the United States to study creative writing at the University of Arizona, but dropped out shortly thereafter.
Back in New York, while working at book-packaging firm Alloy Entertainment, von Ziegesar became inspired to create the Gossip Girl series, which follows the lives of privileged teenagers in New York. The series climbed to the top of The New York Times best-sellers list in 2002. A spin-off series, The It Girl, made the list in 2005.
The Constance Billard School for Girls in Gossip Girl is based upon an exaggerated version of von Ziegesar's alma mater, Nightingale. She also culled events from the book from the lives of her extremely wealthy friends, as well as her own life as a perpetual gossip.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
October 3, 2016
Introducing a brand new game show! Who Said It: Teenage Girl or Horse?
If you guessed teenage girl for every single one, then you're dead wrong. All of them were pulled from a horse's POV. Thanks for playing!
Seriously though, what horse knows about texting? What horse can't identity people by smell and instead focuses on their blonde hair like a pre-feminist awakening tween? Red's (the horse) thoughts are no different than a human's. What's the point of the dual POV then? He calls a bridle and reins by its official names rather than identifying it as something cold and hard and tugged consistently at his mouth—descriptions I would expect animals to give.
Other things bugged me too, like Merritt mentally insisting Carvin is gay as a reason not to ask him out. That is so offensive on so many levels. It's like a boy eyeing up a hot girl in a bar , then tells his buddies that she "probably swings for the other team anyway" when they urge him to talk to her because he knows he doesn't have a shot.
The ending is neater than a Christmas bow and made me wonder if my copy had five chapters cut out. All loose threads are tied up, all problems are resolved. Which is great except the majority of the plot is focused on Red and Merritt's relationship instead of steadily advancing towards solving those problems.
I liked the premise. I still do, just not the execution.
ARC provided by Edelweiss. Quotes taken from an uncorrected galley proof and may be subject to change.
"I thought this girl wanted to make friends, but she'd already changed her mind and started talking trash about me. She was no different than Beatrice. At least I knew her name now: Merritt, like the highway."
"No sleep in Brooklyn!
The boom-boom-clash beat of the classic Beastie Boys' song reverberated through my head."
"I imagined there was gossip about me. I could picture the discussion on a radio call-in show."
"What a freak."
"Couldn't she just text her?"
"It was one of the blondes. Amora or Nadia. I couldn't keep them straight."
If you guessed teenage girl for every single one, then you're dead wrong. All of them were pulled from a horse's POV. Thanks for playing!
Seriously though, what horse knows about texting? What horse can't identity people by smell and instead focuses on their blonde hair like a pre-feminist awakening tween? Red's (the horse) thoughts are no different than a human's. What's the point of the dual POV then? He calls a bridle and reins by its official names rather than identifying it as something cold and hard and tugged consistently at his mouth—descriptions I would expect animals to give.
Other things bugged me too, like Merritt mentally insisting Carvin is gay as a reason not to ask him out. That is so offensive on so many levels. It's like a boy eyeing up a hot girl in a bar , then tells his buddies that she "probably swings for the other team anyway" when they urge him to talk to her because he knows he doesn't have a shot.
The ending is neater than a Christmas bow and made me wonder if my copy had five chapters cut out. All loose threads are tied up, all problems are resolved. Which is great except the majority of the plot is focused on Red and Merritt's relationship instead of steadily advancing towards solving those problems.
I liked the premise. I still do, just not the execution.
ARC provided by Edelweiss. Quotes taken from an uncorrected galley proof and may be subject to change.
Read
September 13, 2016On the one hand, this had all the campy, sly observant feel that made me love her Gossip Girl books and characters. On the other, I felt like the book sort of lost its way and jumped the shark at the end, veering into tired YA tropes and bizarreness.
If the idea of a crazy retelling of Black Beauty appeals to you -- a book co-narrated by a horse and featuring a love rectangle featuring two girls, one guy and a horse -- give this a try.
Read my longer review of Dark Horses and more at YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin
If the idea of a crazy retelling of Black Beauty appeals to you -- a book co-narrated by a horse and featuring a love rectangle featuring two girls, one guy and a horse -- give this a try.
Read my longer review of Dark Horses and more at YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin
dnf
August 27, 2016DNFed on paragraph 3
The prologue is in the horse's point of view, and he thinks, I shit you not, "The earth is a just-baked pie left out to cool." Then, in paragraph three, he thinks: "More like, Bye-bye my American pie."
WHY IS A HORSE SO OBSESSED WITH PIE AND OLDIES?????
The prologue is in the horse's point of view, and he thinks, I shit you not, "The earth is a just-baked pie left out to cool." Then, in paragraph three, he thinks: "More like, Bye-bye my American pie."
WHY IS A HORSE SO OBSESSED WITH PIE AND OLDIES?????
July 21, 2025
Wow.
I was asked to read this book by a patron and we both expected a goofy horse-girl book with a horse that talks like a teenage girl.
What I got was a confusing, unevenly paced, poorly written, and frankly mean-spirited book.
There are multiple horse deaths on-page, including a graphic one in the prologue! There is also on-page and off-page human death.
There's a lot of dark themes and I don't think any of them were handled well at all. The human MC is mourning her beloved grandmother who basically raised her as her absent parents jet set around the world doing rich people bullshit. The MC is sent to a rehab program that involves horses. She ends up going back there later in the book when she relapses. Neither time does it feel like her issues are actually being addressed and ultimately nothing feels resolved with her trauma or growth.
There's too much wrong with this weird little book that would probably appeal to those teens who both love horses and who "nobody understands! I'm so dark and sad! It's not a phase, mom!"
I won't even START with the issues to do with Red the horse character here.
Stay tuned on my youtube channel for a full review!
I was asked to read this book by a patron and we both expected a goofy horse-girl book with a horse that talks like a teenage girl.
What I got was a confusing, unevenly paced, poorly written, and frankly mean-spirited book.
There are multiple horse deaths on-page, including a graphic one in the prologue! There is also on-page and off-page human death.
There's a lot of dark themes and I don't think any of them were handled well at all. The human MC is mourning her beloved grandmother who basically raised her as her absent parents jet set around the world doing rich people bullshit. The MC is sent to a rehab program that involves horses. She ends up going back there later in the book when she relapses. Neither time does it feel like her issues are actually being addressed and ultimately nothing feels resolved with her trauma or growth.
There's too much wrong with this weird little book that would probably appeal to those teens who both love horses and who "nobody understands! I'm so dark and sad! It's not a phase, mom!"
I won't even START with the issues to do with Red the horse character here.
Stay tuned on my youtube channel for a full review!
October 10, 2016
Let me be clear: not only did I want to love this book, I EXPECTED to love it. But I think it's my most-loathed book of the year.
And let me count the ways.
- Red is so horribly-written. He's written with a human voice. I expected a peek into the mind of the great beast. Instead he's written like a teenage boy who's also probably a rapist. He quotes song lyrics nonstop (and references myriad other things no horse would have knowledge of), he knows what the Merritt Parkway is offhand for some reason, and worst of all, his thought processes and voice are human (he mentions texting and says things like "What a freak.") An unbalanced human, but he's just written as a person. The idea of alternating human and equine POVs was pure genius - but what good is that if the horse is written like a bitchy, spoiled emo teen in a horse's body?
- Merritt's story is the ultimate Mary Sue horse story. Not only do we get the typical "such an amazing rider she immediately starts showing A-rateds" crap, AND the "only one teen girl can gain the love of one angsty horse" plot, both painful cliches in the subgenre, we ALSO GET THE POV OF THE HORSE GOING ON AND ON ABOUT HOW SHE'S THE ONLY ONE HE LOVES AND SHE UNDERSTANDS HIM AND SHE'S PERFECT. It seriously reads like it was written by a preteen who wanted to one-up Joanna Campbell.
- The "attraction" between Merritt is nothing but queer-baiting. As soon as it's vaguely acknowledged, Beatrice is killed off so that Merritt can begin a real proper heterosexual romance that's an actual plotline with (attempted) emotional value.
It's just badly-written and it sucks because it's an amazing concept that in the hands of a competent writer could have been brilliant. What a waste - and man am I pissed that while I usually stick with library books, I purchased this one. If only you could return books for being terrible. I usually give books away when I'm done, but I'm just going to throw this one out. Because it's garbage.
And let me count the ways.
- Red is so horribly-written. He's written with a human voice. I expected a peek into the mind of the great beast. Instead he's written like a teenage boy who's also probably a rapist. He quotes song lyrics nonstop (and references myriad other things no horse would have knowledge of), he knows what the Merritt Parkway is offhand for some reason, and worst of all, his thought processes and voice are human (he mentions texting and says things like "What a freak.") An unbalanced human, but he's just written as a person. The idea of alternating human and equine POVs was pure genius - but what good is that if the horse is written like a bitchy, spoiled emo teen in a horse's body?
- Merritt's story is the ultimate Mary Sue horse story. Not only do we get the typical "such an amazing rider she immediately starts showing A-rateds" crap, AND the "only one teen girl can gain the love of one angsty horse" plot, both painful cliches in the subgenre, we ALSO GET THE POV OF THE HORSE GOING ON AND ON ABOUT HOW SHE'S THE ONLY ONE HE LOVES AND SHE UNDERSTANDS HIM AND SHE'S PERFECT. It seriously reads like it was written by a preteen who wanted to one-up Joanna Campbell.
- The "attraction" between Merritt is nothing but queer-baiting. As soon as it's vaguely acknowledged, Beatrice is killed off so that Merritt can begin a real proper heterosexual romance that's an actual plotline with (attempted) emotional value.
It's just badly-written and it sucks because it's an amazing concept that in the hands of a competent writer could have been brilliant. What a waste - and man am I pissed that while I usually stick with library books, I purchased this one. If only you could return books for being terrible. I usually give books away when I'm done, but I'm just going to throw this one out. Because it's garbage.
September 12, 2016
I just died a little inside!
The story was told from two POV’s, Merritt (a teenage girl with a bad habit) and Red (an ex racehorse with a bad attitude).
I loved seeing things from Red’s POV; he is such a jerk of a horse, it reminded me of a horse I used to own.
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Merritt and Red are both damaged in their own ways and end up at an equine-assisted therapy program. Of course they end up being the perfect match for each other. As the story progresses, Merritt’s and Red’s bond grows and things start to go wrong.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was a quick and easy read. Whilst parts of the story seemed rather unbelievable, it was well written with likeable characters. Although I am still not sure what to think about Carvin, he was very hot and cold throughout the book.
I was happy that Cecily really seemed to know what she was talking about in regards to horses and the show circuit, which made this even more of an enjoyable read.
I received a copy of the book from Edelweiss and Soho Teen (Soho Press) in exchange for an honest review.
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September 6, 2018
Want to see me talk about books? Check out my Youtube Channel: Bexnbookx
Dark Horses is a strange story about toxic infatuation, however overall an underwhelming reading experience.
Dark Horses surrounds Merritt Wenner who has been self-destructing ever since the death of her grandmother and grandmothers horse. After an all-night bender, she walks out of the SAT's and disappears. Her parents, send her off to a residential equine therapy program Good Fences, and Merritt meets Red.
Red is a failed racehorse and a terror within Good Fences, he has never bonded with any human, but Merritt is not afraid. Soon their sneaking rides, and after catching the attention of Red's owner, he sees the opportunity to make money from their bond and launches their competitive hunter/jump circuit. However, Merritt finds some of her problems following her, and one of them might be her favourite horse.
I went in hopeful for Dark Horses, I had heard some great things but unfortunately this book was a let down. Dark Horses as a title is pretty accurate, however I didn't really grasp how accurate it was before going into it. I also want to start out by saying readers with a background with horses may have a different experience as I did, the novel definitely detailed horse care and maintenance well. However, as someone who has never been around horses, I didn't care for it or connect to it.
The writing style was straight forward and told from two points of view: Merritt and Red. It was easy to read however it felt like it was written very young and both the characters (especially Red) were written in a juvenile manner.
The plot within Dark Horses was easy to read and fast paced, however that's where my enjoyment stopped. The plot seemed to be at unrealistic on many occasions, and you had to suspend your disbelief throughout sections of the story. Then once we came to the conclusion everything was left unresolved and left me feeling frustrated at wasting my time for the sub-par outcome.
I was excited to read about the characters within this story, who doesn't want a story based on damaged and broken characters coming together to work through their issues, but it wasn't this at all. The characters had no development throughout the story and their plot lines finished almost exactly the way they started. Then there was the little matter of the horses perspective... I think Red as a character is an unnecessary edition to the story, his perspective was completely unbelievable and both main characters were honestly unlikable.
Overall, Dark Horses was a twisted take on a contemporary story that tried to be more than it actually was. With a psychopathic horse and characters that were one dimensional. It's unfortunately a no from me.
Rating: 2/5
Purchase Dark Horses by Cecily von Ziegesar from Book Depository and receive FREE SHIPPING: https://www.bookdepository.com/Dark-H...
Dark Horses is a strange story about toxic infatuation, however overall an underwhelming reading experience.
Dark Horses surrounds Merritt Wenner who has been self-destructing ever since the death of her grandmother and grandmothers horse. After an all-night bender, she walks out of the SAT's and disappears. Her parents, send her off to a residential equine therapy program Good Fences, and Merritt meets Red.
Red is a failed racehorse and a terror within Good Fences, he has never bonded with any human, but Merritt is not afraid. Soon their sneaking rides, and after catching the attention of Red's owner, he sees the opportunity to make money from their bond and launches their competitive hunter/jump circuit. However, Merritt finds some of her problems following her, and one of them might be her favourite horse.
I went in hopeful for Dark Horses, I had heard some great things but unfortunately this book was a let down. Dark Horses as a title is pretty accurate, however I didn't really grasp how accurate it was before going into it. I also want to start out by saying readers with a background with horses may have a different experience as I did, the novel definitely detailed horse care and maintenance well. However, as someone who has never been around horses, I didn't care for it or connect to it.
The writing style was straight forward and told from two points of view: Merritt and Red. It was easy to read however it felt like it was written very young and both the characters (especially Red) were written in a juvenile manner.
The plot within Dark Horses was easy to read and fast paced, however that's where my enjoyment stopped. The plot seemed to be at unrealistic on many occasions, and you had to suspend your disbelief throughout sections of the story. Then once we came to the conclusion everything was left unresolved and left me feeling frustrated at wasting my time for the sub-par outcome.
I was excited to read about the characters within this story, who doesn't want a story based on damaged and broken characters coming together to work through their issues, but it wasn't this at all. The characters had no development throughout the story and their plot lines finished almost exactly the way they started. Then there was the little matter of the horses perspective... I think Red as a character is an unnecessary edition to the story, his perspective was completely unbelievable and both main characters were honestly unlikable.
Overall, Dark Horses was a twisted take on a contemporary story that tried to be more than it actually was. With a psychopathic horse and characters that were one dimensional. It's unfortunately a no from me.
Rating: 2/5
Purchase Dark Horses by Cecily von Ziegesar from Book Depository and receive FREE SHIPPING: https://www.bookdepository.com/Dark-H...
June 7, 2018
SUMMARY
When Merritt walks out of her SATs and goes on a bender, her parents send her to an equine rehabilitation camp called Good Fences where she meets Big Red, a former racing Thoroughbred recovering from injury and with a Big Bad Attitude to match. Red takes a liking to Merritt and claims her as his own, and when the two impress their sponsor and join the professional show circuit, Red won’t let anyone or anything come between him and his human.
PLOT
I really liked the idea of reading alterative points of view from both Merritt, a damaged teen girl, and Big Red, and equally damaged and somewhat unhinged beautiful chestnut Thoroughbred. Merritt had no idea Red was so malicious though, although she loved him, she still only thought of him as a horse whose responsibility she could pass over to someone else. Red and Merritt don’t even start off liking each other and that’s the best kind of relationship I like reading about. Red very soon decided that if he ‘belongs’ to Merritt then he’s going to behave and do his best for her, and that’s when they get pulled into the professional show circuits because let’s face it, someone who walks out of their SAT isn’t exactly going to go to university. Merritt’s parents are largely absent and although she seems to bond with fellow competitor Carvin, he quickly cools off. Instead, the sponsor’s reckless, out of control daughter Beatrice, working as Red’s groom, revolves into Merritt’s life and VERY briefly makes the audience question if there’s going to be a bisexual romance before Big Red takes matters into his own… um… hooves.
It’s Red’s jealousy that I’m torn up over how I should feel. Because 1) I mean come on, he’s a loyal herd animal and he clearly has chosen Merritt as his ‘person’, much the way one of my three cats has chosen me as her ‘person’ and is practically my little shadow an that is seriously one of the best feelings you can get from an animal you love. 2) I know Red knows he does the wrong thing on occasion but he does try to be good for Merritt.
CHARACTERS
I loved Red’s narrative voice. Because playing a radio soothed him, he knew a lot of lyrical references and forever threw them into his own narrative. Even though he doesn’t speak, he sure gave off a lot of feeling and despite his nasty streak I really empathised with him. He was such a great character that even though he does bad things, I’m finding it hard to judge him harshly. He’s smart and loyal and loves Merritt.
Merritt Wenner (whose name I like to think of more like ‘Merit Winner’) doesn’t handle abandonment issues very well, so when people in her life leave her or she just can’t cope, she likes to drink and take random drugs to deal with it, which is what landed her at Good Fences. She’s abrasive and rebellious and the only thing good in her life is basically Red. I didn’t really feel like she had as much of a character arc as the horse did because at the end of the novel she’s in the same place she was at the beginning, and I was really disappointment when she half-heartedly entered a plot to steal Red only to quickly abandon him. Like she almost couldn’t decide whether she loved him or not.
WRITING
The writing was contemporary, not exactly graceful, but fun with Red’s lyrical inputs. I didn’t really have an issue with it, it wasn’t over the top purple or lyrical and it wasn’t gritty and urban it just kind of was the middle of the road. Definite the best thing about the writing was Red’s narrative voice. I really felt like I was looking out of the eyes of a slightly deranged horse. Although it was kind of weird how smart he was… like he knew how much he weighed, for example. I thought that was weird.
PACING
The pace of this book was like that of a Thoroughbred – almost to the point of reckless. It felt rushed, like how quickly Bea’s feelings for Merritt grew and then BAM that’s all over. We completely missed Merritt’s winter training in Florida and went straight to the professional circuit. It seemed like the author was just so keen on getting everything down and telling this somewhat thrilling story that the whole thing seemed rushed and could have done with some padding out. For example, the girls at the Good Fences all jumbled into one, even when one of them was plucked out and promoted to supporting character rather than bit player.
OVERALL
I really enjoyed Dark Horses. Because of the plural in the title I kept expecting another horse to be dark like Red but nope, it was just him. From the first moment I loved the idea of a horse over its rider and this book really delivered pretty much what I expected and what I wanted. I would really recommend it to YA readers who like a bit of a thrill or those readers who enjoy troubled teen stories.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
When Merritt walks out of her SATs and goes on a bender, her parents send her to an equine rehabilitation camp called Good Fences where she meets Big Red, a former racing Thoroughbred recovering from injury and with a Big Bad Attitude to match. Red takes a liking to Merritt and claims her as his own, and when the two impress their sponsor and join the professional show circuit, Red won’t let anyone or anything come between him and his human.
PLOT
I really liked the idea of reading alterative points of view from both Merritt, a damaged teen girl, and Big Red, and equally damaged and somewhat unhinged beautiful chestnut Thoroughbred. Merritt had no idea Red was so malicious though, although she loved him, she still only thought of him as a horse whose responsibility she could pass over to someone else. Red and Merritt don’t even start off liking each other and that’s the best kind of relationship I like reading about. Red very soon decided that if he ‘belongs’ to Merritt then he’s going to behave and do his best for her, and that’s when they get pulled into the professional show circuits because let’s face it, someone who walks out of their SAT isn’t exactly going to go to university. Merritt’s parents are largely absent and although she seems to bond with fellow competitor Carvin, he quickly cools off. Instead, the sponsor’s reckless, out of control daughter Beatrice, working as Red’s groom, revolves into Merritt’s life and VERY briefly makes the audience question if there’s going to be a bisexual romance before Big Red takes matters into his own… um… hooves.
It’s Red’s jealousy that I’m torn up over how I should feel. Because 1) I mean come on, he’s a loyal herd animal and he clearly has chosen Merritt as his ‘person’, much the way one of my three cats has chosen me as her ‘person’ and is practically my little shadow an that is seriously one of the best feelings you can get from an animal you love. 2) I know Red knows he does the wrong thing on occasion but he does try to be good for Merritt.
CHARACTERS
I loved Red’s narrative voice. Because playing a radio soothed him, he knew a lot of lyrical references and forever threw them into his own narrative. Even though he doesn’t speak, he sure gave off a lot of feeling and despite his nasty streak I really empathised with him. He was such a great character that even though he does bad things, I’m finding it hard to judge him harshly. He’s smart and loyal and loves Merritt.
Merritt Wenner (whose name I like to think of more like ‘Merit Winner’) doesn’t handle abandonment issues very well, so when people in her life leave her or she just can’t cope, she likes to drink and take random drugs to deal with it, which is what landed her at Good Fences. She’s abrasive and rebellious and the only thing good in her life is basically Red. I didn’t really feel like she had as much of a character arc as the horse did because at the end of the novel she’s in the same place she was at the beginning, and I was really disappointment when she half-heartedly entered a plot to steal Red only to quickly abandon him. Like she almost couldn’t decide whether she loved him or not.
WRITING
The writing was contemporary, not exactly graceful, but fun with Red’s lyrical inputs. I didn’t really have an issue with it, it wasn’t over the top purple or lyrical and it wasn’t gritty and urban it just kind of was the middle of the road. Definite the best thing about the writing was Red’s narrative voice. I really felt like I was looking out of the eyes of a slightly deranged horse. Although it was kind of weird how smart he was… like he knew how much he weighed, for example. I thought that was weird.
PACING
The pace of this book was like that of a Thoroughbred – almost to the point of reckless. It felt rushed, like how quickly Bea’s feelings for Merritt grew and then BAM that’s all over. We completely missed Merritt’s winter training in Florida and went straight to the professional circuit. It seemed like the author was just so keen on getting everything down and telling this somewhat thrilling story that the whole thing seemed rushed and could have done with some padding out. For example, the girls at the Good Fences all jumbled into one, even when one of them was plucked out and promoted to supporting character rather than bit player.
OVERALL
I really enjoyed Dark Horses. Because of the plural in the title I kept expecting another horse to be dark like Red but nope, it was just him. From the first moment I loved the idea of a horse over its rider and this book really delivered pretty much what I expected and what I wanted. I would really recommend it to YA readers who like a bit of a thrill or those readers who enjoy troubled teen stories.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
June 30, 2016
Oh I so enjoyed this one. It reminded me of a grown up BLACK BEAUTY (which I loved as a kid)--dual POV of Merritt, the sixteen year old girl, and her horse, Red. I didn't love the romance though there was barely ANY which was so refreshing!!!, nor that (missed opportunity!). I did love Red's point of view, and his mixing up of song lyrics which made me crack up.
September 24, 2016
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VIDEO REVIEW TO COME SEPT 30th:
Dark Horses is told from two perspectives, Merritt a self destructive teenaged girl and an ex race horse named Red. After the death of her grandmother and horse, Merritt walks out in the middle of her SAT test after a night of drinking. Her parents opt to send her to Good Fences, an equestrian based rehab facility, where she meets Red. Red belongs to the owner's daughter Beatrice who also attends Good Fences. Red has been unable to bond with anyone and hasn't allowed anyone to ride him for years, until he meets Merritt. Their bond quickly catches the attention of Beatrice's owner, a very wealthy business man who decides to fund Merritt and Red to compete in horse races around the United States. Merritt develops a friendship with Beatrice and also a possible love interest in her competition, a rider named Carvin. Red does not take lightly to Merritt's new found friendships, anyone who comes between himself and Merritt poses a threat and he will stop at nothing to keep the two of them together forever.
The book was extremely easy to read, fast paced and fun to read. I really enjoyed the changing POV between Merritt and Red. I loved Red's point of view, he was such a jerk and I was laughing at most of the things he thought about. I still don't know how I feel about Merritt... at times I found her very bland and boring but other times I really liked her as a character. The insta-love between Carvin and Merritt was a bit of a bummer to me, although it took awhile for their relationship to actually develop, the initial onset came way to quickly in my opinion. You could really tell that the author has an extensive knowledge about horses and equestrian lifestyle based off of the vocabulary she uses and her writing in general on the topic. The writing did occasionally go off on tangents that I didn't find relevant to the plot development, it was still an enjoyable read! I did feel like the plot was a bit too far-fetched and convenient at times though. I also found the ending to be unresolved, I really want to know what happens next with Merritt and Carvin! Overall, I enjoyed the story!
*I received this book as part of Booktube Tours in exchange for my honest review*
VIDEO REVIEW TO COME SEPT 30th:
Dark Horses is told from two perspectives, Merritt a self destructive teenaged girl and an ex race horse named Red. After the death of her grandmother and horse, Merritt walks out in the middle of her SAT test after a night of drinking. Her parents opt to send her to Good Fences, an equestrian based rehab facility, where she meets Red. Red belongs to the owner's daughter Beatrice who also attends Good Fences. Red has been unable to bond with anyone and hasn't allowed anyone to ride him for years, until he meets Merritt. Their bond quickly catches the attention of Beatrice's owner, a very wealthy business man who decides to fund Merritt and Red to compete in horse races around the United States. Merritt develops a friendship with Beatrice and also a possible love interest in her competition, a rider named Carvin. Red does not take lightly to Merritt's new found friendships, anyone who comes between himself and Merritt poses a threat and he will stop at nothing to keep the two of them together forever.
The book was extremely easy to read, fast paced and fun to read. I really enjoyed the changing POV between Merritt and Red. I loved Red's point of view, he was such a jerk and I was laughing at most of the things he thought about. I still don't know how I feel about Merritt... at times I found her very bland and boring but other times I really liked her as a character. The insta-love between Carvin and Merritt was a bit of a bummer to me, although it took awhile for their relationship to actually develop, the initial onset came way to quickly in my opinion. You could really tell that the author has an extensive knowledge about horses and equestrian lifestyle based off of the vocabulary she uses and her writing in general on the topic. The writing did occasionally go off on tangents that I didn't find relevant to the plot development, it was still an enjoyable read! I did feel like the plot was a bit too far-fetched and convenient at times though. I also found the ending to be unresolved, I really want to know what happens next with Merritt and Carvin! Overall, I enjoyed the story!
October 1, 2016
The horse girl in me absolutely adored this book. The bookworm in me cringed a bit. This was a love/hate story for me.
Going in to this book I am going to be honest, I had low expectations. This is mainly because as a person who has grown up in horse barns and has been riding since I was really young horse stories, while enjoyable, are so inaccurate. I can't tell you how many times I've read the "damaged girl meets the damaged horse and they bond and she is the only person who can magically ride him and they ride off into the sunset together" story. So hearing the synopsis of this story I was a bit apprehensive. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised by this.
First off, von Ziegesar is clearly an equestrian and it shows. This is the first horse book I've ever read that is true to what working with horses is actually like. As soon as SmartPak, Charles Owen and Hermes were mentioned I realized this was written by an actual horse person and I grinned like an idiot. To people who aren't actively in the horse community, I'm sorry but this may be a bit dull to you, but I relished in all the descriptions of the courses and the show circuit that I used to be a part of. Devon showgrounds is where I spent a good part of my childhood and could not be more pleased to see it mentioned in a YA book. Ok, moving on from the horse fingerling...
This book is aptly named. We all have dark horses in our personal stories and some deal better than others. While this may have the cliche trope of broken girl meets broken horse, this approaches it realistically and doesn't have the fairytale feel to it at all. As an owner of a somewhat broken off track Thoroughbred, reading from Red's perspective is pretty spot on for how baby green racehorses think about things. Although I can't quite relate to Merritt's alcoholism, I have worked in hippotherapy barns before and the healing power of horses is a very real thing. While Good Fences may be a fictional place in this story, places like that exist and are beneficial to not only the people but the horses as well. Everything in this story calls to me and I loved every second of it.
Time to go hug my horse now.
Going in to this book I am going to be honest, I had low expectations. This is mainly because as a person who has grown up in horse barns and has been riding since I was really young horse stories, while enjoyable, are so inaccurate. I can't tell you how many times I've read the "damaged girl meets the damaged horse and they bond and she is the only person who can magically ride him and they ride off into the sunset together" story. So hearing the synopsis of this story I was a bit apprehensive. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised by this.
First off, von Ziegesar is clearly an equestrian and it shows. This is the first horse book I've ever read that is true to what working with horses is actually like. As soon as SmartPak, Charles Owen and Hermes were mentioned I realized this was written by an actual horse person and I grinned like an idiot. To people who aren't actively in the horse community, I'm sorry but this may be a bit dull to you, but I relished in all the descriptions of the courses and the show circuit that I used to be a part of. Devon showgrounds is where I spent a good part of my childhood and could not be more pleased to see it mentioned in a YA book. Ok, moving on from the horse fingerling...
This book is aptly named. We all have dark horses in our personal stories and some deal better than others. While this may have the cliche trope of broken girl meets broken horse, this approaches it realistically and doesn't have the fairytale feel to it at all. As an owner of a somewhat broken off track Thoroughbred, reading from Red's perspective is pretty spot on for how baby green racehorses think about things. Although I can't quite relate to Merritt's alcoholism, I have worked in hippotherapy barns before and the healing power of horses is a very real thing. While Good Fences may be a fictional place in this story, places like that exist and are beneficial to not only the people but the horses as well. Everything in this story calls to me and I loved every second of it.
Time to go hug my horse now.
January 14, 2025
Good for a giggle with your friends, just an okay book in general. Perfect for edgy 14 year-old bisexual horse girls looking for a bit of romance and drama.
The writing is your average 2010s YA book. None of the characters are interesting and are SUPER flat, and the romance is awkward and forced; there felt like no connection between any of the characters. The themes of mental health are touched upon, but no real conversation is had- it is simply a plot driver.
Kudos for having a manly sounding horse in the audiobook. Ha!
#HorseGurlWinter w/ Madi and Erin
The writing is your average 2010s YA book. None of the characters are interesting and are SUPER flat, and the romance is awkward and forced; there felt like no connection between any of the characters. The themes of mental health are touched upon, but no real conversation is had- it is simply a plot driver.
Kudos for having a manly sounding horse in the audiobook. Ha!
#HorseGurlWinter w/ Madi and Erin
April 22, 2019
Wow, was this book bad!
I've never cringed so much in my life. I thought it was supposed to be a horse's point of view, pretty sure it was a jealous 12 year old. How the hell would a horse know about texting or even understand the concept of death and murdering someone. The characters were annoying, whiny and super unrealistic. I did not enjoy this and regret wasting my time reading this monstrosity.
I've never cringed so much in my life. I thought it was supposed to be a horse's point of view, pretty sure it was a jealous 12 year old. How the hell would a horse know about texting or even understand the concept of death and murdering someone. The characters were annoying, whiny and super unrealistic. I did not enjoy this and regret wasting my time reading this monstrosity.
September 11, 2016
▷WIN a copy of 'Dark Horses' by Cecily von Ziegesar HERE: http://bit.ly/DarkHorsesCVZ
☞Dark Horses by Cecily von Ziegesar
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3.25/5
In the beginning, I was not sure how I would feel about this book. Of course I was excited to read this book because I really enjoyed the Gossip Girl novels. However, I was a bit iffy on the horse topic. The subject ended up growing on me. At first, I was a bit uncomfortable reading from the point of view of a horse but I pretty much enjoyed Red, the horse's, point of view. I really loved the bond between Merritt and Red. Although, I was not the biggest fan of Merritt's character. I also didn't really like any of the characters in general. They were a bit flat and unreal for me. Overall, I enjoyed this story despite some problems.
☞Dark Horses by Cecily von Ziegesar
Goodreads - http://bit.ly/2c1egGJ
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2bCatBG
Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/2cfoNPp
Book Depository - http://bit.ly/2bK1cDM
☞Cecily von Ziegesar author links:
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2c9mY2T
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2bK2sGN
3.25/5
In the beginning, I was not sure how I would feel about this book. Of course I was excited to read this book because I really enjoyed the Gossip Girl novels. However, I was a bit iffy on the horse topic. The subject ended up growing on me. At first, I was a bit uncomfortable reading from the point of view of a horse but I pretty much enjoyed Red, the horse's, point of view. I really loved the bond between Merritt and Red. Although, I was not the biggest fan of Merritt's character. I also didn't really like any of the characters in general. They were a bit flat and unreal for me. Overall, I enjoyed this story despite some problems.
June 27, 2016
If it hadn't have been for the last 20%, this book would have been a 4-star read for me.
Told from the dual perspectives of Merritt and her horse Red, Dark Horses is a really beautiful story of friendship and growth. Until about 80% through the book when it brings in some apparently obligatory YA tropes that I thought I had escaped. Instalove? Check. Damaged girl who continues to relapse? Check. Absent parents? Check. Though this last one was present throughout the entire book.
Needless to say, I went from elated - I couldn't seriously imagine enjoying a book co-narrated by a horse - to angry and disappointed. After a certain incident , it seemed that the author decided to just continue on with the traditional YA story line. There was a lot of opportunity to do something different here. Rather than explore sexuality, the author gets rid of a character that might have made out main character unique and add some much needed diversity to the story. Similarly, characters suddenly became one-dimensional and suddenly we're back to guy meets girl, falls for girl, something tragic happens, exchange of "I love you's", etc.
I want to rate this at 2-stars just because of all of that, but I enjoyed the first 80% so much that I couldn't do it. Consider this a warning: read at your own risk - you may not hate the ending as much as I did and it's definitely worth it to be inside Red's head (that is, for the first 80% of the novel).
Told from the dual perspectives of Merritt and her horse Red, Dark Horses is a really beautiful story of friendship and growth. Until about 80% through the book when it brings in some apparently obligatory YA tropes that I thought I had escaped. Instalove? Check. Damaged girl who continues to relapse? Check. Absent parents? Check. Though this last one was present throughout the entire book.
Needless to say, I went from elated - I couldn't seriously imagine enjoying a book co-narrated by a horse - to angry and disappointed. After a certain incident , it seemed that the author decided to just continue on with the traditional YA story line. There was a lot of opportunity to do something different here. Rather than explore sexuality, the author gets rid of a character that might have made out main character unique and add some much needed diversity to the story. Similarly, characters suddenly became one-dimensional and suddenly we're back to guy meets girl, falls for girl, something tragic happens, exchange of "I love you's", etc.
I want to rate this at 2-stars just because of all of that, but I enjoyed the first 80% so much that I couldn't do it. Consider this a warning: read at your own risk - you may not hate the ending as much as I did and it's definitely worth it to be inside Red's head (that is, for the first 80% of the novel).
October 6, 2016
I adored this book though! It was beautiful, sad and thrilling. I loved the characters even when i didnt. I loved that the love that took over the book was conventional!
I read this as i was listening to a classical music playlist on spotify and oh i highly recommend you try!
*i received this book for free through booktube tours in exchange for an honest review!**
December 24, 2016
a Wild Ride
July 19, 2016
There has always been a tie to humans and horses, ever since humanity can remember. From a means of transport, to farm labour, we even rode them into battles during wars. According to history, therapeutic benefits of horses were recognized around the 1870’s in Europe. The goal of these residential equine therapy program is not about riding your horse, but taking care of it, forming an unbreakable bond between you and him, until maybe both of you get better. That was the motto of Good Fences, one that Merritt did not take too kindly too.
Merritt Wenner goes to an all-girls private school called Chace. Chace is somewhere she did not fit in well, as the girls were all about showing off their ponies, boys and parties. Merritt only escapes when she visited her grandmother and her horse named Nobel. When her grandmother died in a car accident, something inside Merritt snapped. It was when Merritt skipped her SATs exam and had an all-night bender, which made her parents say enough is enough. They shipped her off to Good Fences, an residential equine therapy program, so that she can “get better”, but also so that they can totally ignore her, as they prefect their marathon running. Good Fences make Merritt face some things she ran away from, take a path that was never open for her before, and discover who she truly is.
Red was a beast. A gorgeous, powerful, beast. He was bred the perfect race horse. What none of the breeders could have predicted was his attitude. Red would never let anyone ride him. If they do he would throw them off at the first jump, or his specialty: roll on top of the rider. When bored, he frees the other horses in the barn, and let them run amuck. Because of that he has to wear a muzzle at all times, except during feeding. Mr. deRothschild saw potential in Red, which when his previous owner wanted him killed on the spot, Mr. deRothschild bought Red for his daughter, who was attending his heavy funded theory program called Good Fences. His daughter, Beatrice, was horrid to anything and anyone around her. Nicknamed “The Bear” none of the other girls at Good Fence liked her or Red for that matter. Until Merritt showed up, being roommates with Beatrice, and given Red as her horse to take care off. ““So do you want to be friends now?” She asked quietly. And that was the thing. This has never happened to me before. I did want to be friends with this girl. I really did.” Soon Red and Merritt became a dynamic duo, as Merritt was the only one allowed to ride Red. Taking an interest, Mr. deRothschild shipped the two of them off to Florida, to get properly trained, as they were going to show as real riders. The only thing Merritt could not predict was the attachment of Red, who saw her as his and only his, and what he would do to keep it that way.
Cecily von Ziegesar is known for her one and true series: Gossip Girl. Thirteen books of the trials of Blair and Serena, it seemed as if Cecily could not write about anything else. But this book proves you all wrong. Cecily von Ziegesar took a normal story of a girl and her horse and twisted it into a dark horror story, but not really. See Merritt was a typical trouble girl: she had her issues and instead of facing them, she ran away and douse them in a bottle of alcohol. Her horrible friend (Beatrice) was no help to her cause, and the hansom boy gave her the on and off feelings (Carvin). You even got the Gossip Girl favorite line as in this book it states “You know Ann loves you. Xxoo” which is pretty close to the “You know you love me. Xoxo, Gossip Girl” line. Like really Cecily? You had to add that in there. The only reason why this story stand out is Red: beautiful but trouble Red. See the story had two points of views: Merritt and Red. How many books take you in the perspective of a horse, the answer not many. Red had some dark thought as his need for Merritt went from love, to obsession, as he hated anyone that took her away from him. His obsession with her was the driving point of the story as it was the sole factor that kept you reading, as Merritt herself was kind of dry, where Red made you want to keep reading. Love is the only thing keeping these two together, as Red will do anything to keep Merritt by his side, but Merritt has different plans, ones that do not include Red, something Red cannot face.
Merritt Wenner goes to an all-girls private school called Chace. Chace is somewhere she did not fit in well, as the girls were all about showing off their ponies, boys and parties. Merritt only escapes when she visited her grandmother and her horse named Nobel. When her grandmother died in a car accident, something inside Merritt snapped. It was when Merritt skipped her SATs exam and had an all-night bender, which made her parents say enough is enough. They shipped her off to Good Fences, an residential equine therapy program, so that she can “get better”, but also so that they can totally ignore her, as they prefect their marathon running. Good Fences make Merritt face some things she ran away from, take a path that was never open for her before, and discover who she truly is.
Red was a beast. A gorgeous, powerful, beast. He was bred the perfect race horse. What none of the breeders could have predicted was his attitude. Red would never let anyone ride him. If they do he would throw them off at the first jump, or his specialty: roll on top of the rider. When bored, he frees the other horses in the barn, and let them run amuck. Because of that he has to wear a muzzle at all times, except during feeding. Mr. deRothschild saw potential in Red, which when his previous owner wanted him killed on the spot, Mr. deRothschild bought Red for his daughter, who was attending his heavy funded theory program called Good Fences. His daughter, Beatrice, was horrid to anything and anyone around her. Nicknamed “The Bear” none of the other girls at Good Fence liked her or Red for that matter. Until Merritt showed up, being roommates with Beatrice, and given Red as her horse to take care off. ““So do you want to be friends now?” She asked quietly. And that was the thing. This has never happened to me before. I did want to be friends with this girl. I really did.” Soon Red and Merritt became a dynamic duo, as Merritt was the only one allowed to ride Red. Taking an interest, Mr. deRothschild shipped the two of them off to Florida, to get properly trained, as they were going to show as real riders. The only thing Merritt could not predict was the attachment of Red, who saw her as his and only his, and what he would do to keep it that way.
Cecily von Ziegesar is known for her one and true series: Gossip Girl. Thirteen books of the trials of Blair and Serena, it seemed as if Cecily could not write about anything else. But this book proves you all wrong. Cecily von Ziegesar took a normal story of a girl and her horse and twisted it into a dark horror story, but not really. See Merritt was a typical trouble girl: she had her issues and instead of facing them, she ran away and douse them in a bottle of alcohol. Her horrible friend (Beatrice) was no help to her cause, and the hansom boy gave her the on and off feelings (Carvin). You even got the Gossip Girl favorite line as in this book it states “You know Ann loves you. Xxoo” which is pretty close to the “You know you love me. Xoxo, Gossip Girl” line. Like really Cecily? You had to add that in there. The only reason why this story stand out is Red: beautiful but trouble Red. See the story had two points of views: Merritt and Red. How many books take you in the perspective of a horse, the answer not many. Red had some dark thought as his need for Merritt went from love, to obsession, as he hated anyone that took her away from him. His obsession with her was the driving point of the story as it was the sole factor that kept you reading, as Merritt herself was kind of dry, where Red made you want to keep reading. Love is the only thing keeping these two together, as Red will do anything to keep Merritt by his side, but Merritt has different plans, ones that do not include Red, something Red cannot face.
May 4, 2019
I absolutely devoured this book!! The premise of this story is what made me want to pick it up. A teenage girl named Merritt finds herself spiraling out of control after going through some traumatic times in her life. In order to get back on track, her parents send her to an equine-based therapy rehab center where each girl is paired with a horse to take care of. Merritt is paired with a crazy horse named Red who is surprised to find himself actually caring about Merritt and wanting her to love him as much as he loves her. The only downside is that Red wants all of Merritt's attention all of the time and will do almost anything to make that happen.
I was skeptical of how Cecily would pull off the creepy vibes I was getting from the synopsis but I feel that she did a wonderful job! I was such a fan of the Gossip Girl series growing up and I definitely was reminded of how much I enjoy Cecily's writing style.
I loved all of the story elements in this book. I wish the ending was more satisfying since it's a standalone but I understand what Cecily was doing when she left it up to the reader's imagination. The reason I took off a star was that I felt there were some unnecessary side characters in this plot who didn't really help move the plot along at all. They all had their own little side plots but some of them were really just irrelevant and I wish the page time they got could have been more devoted to the main plot and characters of the story.
I was skeptical of how Cecily would pull off the creepy vibes I was getting from the synopsis but I feel that she did a wonderful job! I was such a fan of the Gossip Girl series growing up and I definitely was reminded of how much I enjoy Cecily's writing style.
I loved all of the story elements in this book. I wish the ending was more satisfying since it's a standalone but I understand what Cecily was doing when she left it up to the reader's imagination. The reason I took off a star was that I felt there were some unnecessary side characters in this plot who didn't really help move the plot along at all. They all had their own little side plots but some of them were really just irrelevant and I wish the page time they got could have been more devoted to the main plot and characters of the story.
November 14, 2024
Love a good horse girl book and this one was a great blend of horse girl meets Gossip Girl and rehab. It was wall thought out and a good look on loss and how one copes. Then the horse gets wine drunk and dies?????? Totally took me out of it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2016
My favorite part of this book is the time and thought and energy that went into developing the relationship between Merritt and Red. Reading from Red's perspective felt so natural and believable. I loved Red as a character. If you love horses and have an interest in horse shows and riding technique, you may really enjoy this book as the parts in the book about the competitions are written from a background in horse shows. They are detailed and written in a way that I could understand, as I have no background in that area.
I did find the romance to be a bit contrived and written only for the purpose of making Red jealous. It seemed a bit unbelievable to me and I wasn't invested in it as much as I was invested in Red and Merritt's relationship.
All in all, pretty good book. Definitely out of my comfort zone, but it was a pageturner that only took me a couple of days to complete. The conclusion definitely leaves you thinking, which is the mark of a well written ending, I believe.
I did find the romance to be a bit contrived and written only for the purpose of making Red jealous. It seemed a bit unbelievable to me and I wasn't invested in it as much as I was invested in Red and Merritt's relationship.
All in all, pretty good book. Definitely out of my comfort zone, but it was a pageturner that only took me a couple of days to complete. The conclusion definitely leaves you thinking, which is the mark of a well written ending, I believe.
October 12, 2016
Here's my video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YJWP...
The Why: Like people, animals have an attachment, something that's untouchable to others. It was written in a way that you could clearly distinguish the bond between Merritt and Red.
Characters:
Merritt self destructed after her grandmother died and is sent to a equestrian therapy program. There she learns everyone is paired up with a rescue horse and she has the grand privilege of riding him. Merritt needed to heal and with the help of Red she did. Riding horses was something she avoided, because of her grandmother, but a great bond grew between her and Red.
Merritt didn't realize how strong of an attachment Red had to her. He wouldn't cooperate with no one else other than Merritt. This really showcases the deep bond that animals have with people. I just didn't realize Cecily would take the personality of this horse that way and On was pleasantly surprised.
Final Thoughts:
It was an enjoyable book that helped me learn about more the bond between riders and their horses. Overall, this was a beautiful book.
The Why: Like people, animals have an attachment, something that's untouchable to others. It was written in a way that you could clearly distinguish the bond between Merritt and Red.
Characters:
Merritt self destructed after her grandmother died and is sent to a equestrian therapy program. There she learns everyone is paired up with a rescue horse and she has the grand privilege of riding him. Merritt needed to heal and with the help of Red she did. Riding horses was something she avoided, because of her grandmother, but a great bond grew between her and Red.
Merritt didn't realize how strong of an attachment Red had to her. He wouldn't cooperate with no one else other than Merritt. This really showcases the deep bond that animals have with people. I just didn't realize Cecily would take the personality of this horse that way and On was pleasantly surprised.
Final Thoughts:
It was an enjoyable book that helped me learn about more the bond between riders and their horses. Overall, this was a beautiful book.
May 20, 2016
J'ai vraiment adoré cette lecture et le fait de me retrouver plongé dans l'univers hippique, c'est un gros plus pour moi. Des romans avec un univers équestre, c'est encore malheureusement assez rare à mon goût.
J'ai bien aimé que l'histoire se déroule avec deux points de vue différents qui sont Merritt et Red, son cheval. L'intrigue est bonne et nous tient jusqu'à la fin du roman. Par contre, certains personnages sont légèrement pénibles et par moment, j'ai eu du mal à comprendre les réactions de certains, même celles de Merritt ou de Red. Je suis juste un peu déçue par la fin. J'aurais aimé savoir comment l'histoire se termine pour certains personnages, ça m'a donné l'impression qu'elle était un peu bâclée.
J'ai bien aimé que l'histoire se déroule avec deux points de vue différents qui sont Merritt et Red, son cheval. L'intrigue est bonne et nous tient jusqu'à la fin du roman. Par contre, certains personnages sont légèrement pénibles et par moment, j'ai eu du mal à comprendre les réactions de certains, même celles de Merritt ou de Red. Je suis juste un peu déçue par la fin. J'aurais aimé savoir comment l'histoire se termine pour certains personnages, ça m'a donné l'impression qu'elle était un peu bâclée.
September 14, 2016
If you're into a Black Beauty/Gossip Girl sort of mix, this novel may well be your cup of tea. I found it compelling enough to keep turning pages, even though I wasn't overly fond of either Merritt or Red.
Want to read
December 7, 2016Black Beauty meets Gossip Girls meets I-don't-even-know-what.
This sounds too bizarre for words. So obviously I need it!
This sounds too bizarre for words. So obviously I need it!
December 17, 2016
DNF
I think if the whole book would have been from Red's PoV I could have managed it, but Merritt was just awful.
I think if the whole book would have been from Red's PoV I could have managed it, but Merritt was just awful.
January 2, 2017
I'm always super skeptical of horse books, and books like this are the reason why.
December 10, 2016
Sad ending, but necessary. Loved this book.
May 18, 2017
Merritt steckt nach dem Tod ihrer Großmutter in einer Kriese, nach einem weiteren Aussetzer ihrerseits entschließen ihre Eltern sich dazu, sie in ein Erziehungsheim zu stecken - Good Fences.
In Good Fences wird ihr ein Pferd zur Seite gestellt, ausgerechnet Red ein Pferd das seine ganz eigenen Probleme hat und bisher keinen Menschen an sich rangelassen hat.
Doch bei Merritt scheint etwas anders zu sein, denn er will ihr vertrauen und ihre Liebe, die beiden werden ein Spitzenteam und Merritt befindet sich auf dem Weg zur Besserung.
Und zu diesem Zeitpunkt scheint Red sein finsteres ich nicht mehr allzu gut kontrollieren zu können...
Gestaltung:
Ich mag die Idee des Covers ziemlich gerne und ich finde so Auge vom Pferd hat schon etwas unheimliches an sich. :D Von daher finde ich das Konzept sehr gut, auch wenn es dadurch für mich jetzt kein wirklich schönes Cover ist, aber das ist eigentlich auch ziemlich unwichtig. :)
Meinung:
Ich war nie ein Mädchen das sich für Pferde interessiert hat, von daher war ich vielleicht von Anfang an nicht die richtige Zielgruppe für dieses Buch, aber Cecily von Ziegesar hat mich vor einigen Jahren mit ihrer Gossip Girl Reihe total fasziniert und deswegen hab ich mich auch sehr auf dieses Buch gefreut und war gespannt was es genau mit Reds düsterer Seite auf sich hat.
Ich glaube ein Problem war schon, dass ich mir unter dieser düsteren Seite vorab etwas anderes vorgestellt hatte, etwas was wesentlich fantastischer daherkommt, nachdem ich relativ schnell gemerkt habe, dass das nicht der Fall ist, habe ich zwar versucht mich darauf einzulassen, mein Interesse sank dadurch aber schon ein bisschen.
Hinzu kam, dass ich schon den Anfang als ziemlich schleppend empfunden habe und auch wenn es durchaus seine Momente hatte wo ich interessiert war und dachte, jetzt kommt etwas wo mehr dahinter steckt als man denkt, so blieb es eigentlich das ganze Buch über eher zäh für mich.
Normalerweise helfen da kurze Kapitel, die hier definitiv vorhanden sind und auch die Erzählweise des Buches ist interessant, denn zu einem lesen wir die Geschichte aus der von Merritt, aber auch aus der Sicht von Red. Und ein Pferd als Erzähler zu haben, das ist schon eine ziemlich coole Idee, wenn es gut gemacht ist. Ich fand aber leider, dass das Pferd zu vermenschlicht wurde, was vielleicht wichtig ist um eine Beziehung zu dem Charakter als solches Emotionen aufzubauen, aber da die gesamte Geschichte sehr darauf ausgelegt ist, dass Red überaus emotional reagiert finde ich das ganze einfach schade.
Zudem fand ich Red häufig auch einfach ziemlich nervig, er ist sehr Musik Affin und ständig werden in seinen Textpassagen mit Songtiteln umsichgeworfen, sie passen immer ziemlich gut zu den einzelnen Situationen und für einige Passagen wirkte das ganze auch ganz witzig, aber meiner Meinung nach hat die Autorin es damit einfach ein bisschen übertrieben und ich fand es irgendwann nervig.
Auch Merritt selbst war keine Protagonistin, die mich für sich einnehmen konnte. Sie blieb mir generell sehr gleichgültig. Zudem ist sie generell sehr verschlossen und das leider auch mir als Leserin gegenüber. Dadurch fehlte mir einfach das Verständnis für ihre Probleme, die zwar zu Tage kamen, mich aber einfach nicht berühren konnte.
Was ich auch schade fand war, das ich die Verbindung zwischen ihr und Red einfach zu künstlich erzeugt fand, für mich war es einfach nicht wirklich verständlich warum Merritt die "große Auserwählte" ist, bei der Red auf einmal so zahm war. Von der Verbindung wurde meiner Meinung nach auch eher erzählt und weniger war sie spürbar vorhanden, das empfand ich persönlich als ein großes Manko.
Wie oben bereits erwähnt, plätscherte für mich die Story mehr so dahin, als dass sie mich wirklich fesseln konnte. Fürs "Finale" erwartet man dann schon ein bisschen was aufregendes, vielleicht auch einen überraschenden Moment, aber eigentlich ging das Buch für mich so unaufregend und still zu Ende und blieb damit seiner Linie zumindest das ganze Buch über treu.
Fazit:
Es gilt zu berücksichtigen, dass dieses Buch doch eher für jüngere Leser*innen geeignet ist und wenn man sich für alles rund ums Pferd begeistern kann, dann findet man vielleicht auch die alltäglichen Szenerien interessant. Ich hatte einfach falsche Erwartungen und die konnte ich nur schwer ablegen, für mich war es einfach ein unaufgeregtes Buch, das mich nicht mitreißen konnte und mir in vielerlei Hinsicht auch zu gestellt wirkte.
In Good Fences wird ihr ein Pferd zur Seite gestellt, ausgerechnet Red ein Pferd das seine ganz eigenen Probleme hat und bisher keinen Menschen an sich rangelassen hat.
Doch bei Merritt scheint etwas anders zu sein, denn er will ihr vertrauen und ihre Liebe, die beiden werden ein Spitzenteam und Merritt befindet sich auf dem Weg zur Besserung.
Und zu diesem Zeitpunkt scheint Red sein finsteres ich nicht mehr allzu gut kontrollieren zu können...
Gestaltung:
Ich mag die Idee des Covers ziemlich gerne und ich finde so Auge vom Pferd hat schon etwas unheimliches an sich. :D Von daher finde ich das Konzept sehr gut, auch wenn es dadurch für mich jetzt kein wirklich schönes Cover ist, aber das ist eigentlich auch ziemlich unwichtig. :)
Meinung:
Ich war nie ein Mädchen das sich für Pferde interessiert hat, von daher war ich vielleicht von Anfang an nicht die richtige Zielgruppe für dieses Buch, aber Cecily von Ziegesar hat mich vor einigen Jahren mit ihrer Gossip Girl Reihe total fasziniert und deswegen hab ich mich auch sehr auf dieses Buch gefreut und war gespannt was es genau mit Reds düsterer Seite auf sich hat.
Ich glaube ein Problem war schon, dass ich mir unter dieser düsteren Seite vorab etwas anderes vorgestellt hatte, etwas was wesentlich fantastischer daherkommt, nachdem ich relativ schnell gemerkt habe, dass das nicht der Fall ist, habe ich zwar versucht mich darauf einzulassen, mein Interesse sank dadurch aber schon ein bisschen.
Hinzu kam, dass ich schon den Anfang als ziemlich schleppend empfunden habe und auch wenn es durchaus seine Momente hatte wo ich interessiert war und dachte, jetzt kommt etwas wo mehr dahinter steckt als man denkt, so blieb es eigentlich das ganze Buch über eher zäh für mich.
Normalerweise helfen da kurze Kapitel, die hier definitiv vorhanden sind und auch die Erzählweise des Buches ist interessant, denn zu einem lesen wir die Geschichte aus der von Merritt, aber auch aus der Sicht von Red. Und ein Pferd als Erzähler zu haben, das ist schon eine ziemlich coole Idee, wenn es gut gemacht ist. Ich fand aber leider, dass das Pferd zu vermenschlicht wurde, was vielleicht wichtig ist um eine Beziehung zu dem Charakter als solches Emotionen aufzubauen, aber da die gesamte Geschichte sehr darauf ausgelegt ist, dass Red überaus emotional reagiert finde ich das ganze einfach schade.
Zudem fand ich Red häufig auch einfach ziemlich nervig, er ist sehr Musik Affin und ständig werden in seinen Textpassagen mit Songtiteln umsichgeworfen, sie passen immer ziemlich gut zu den einzelnen Situationen und für einige Passagen wirkte das ganze auch ganz witzig, aber meiner Meinung nach hat die Autorin es damit einfach ein bisschen übertrieben und ich fand es irgendwann nervig.
Auch Merritt selbst war keine Protagonistin, die mich für sich einnehmen konnte. Sie blieb mir generell sehr gleichgültig. Zudem ist sie generell sehr verschlossen und das leider auch mir als Leserin gegenüber. Dadurch fehlte mir einfach das Verständnis für ihre Probleme, die zwar zu Tage kamen, mich aber einfach nicht berühren konnte.
Was ich auch schade fand war, das ich die Verbindung zwischen ihr und Red einfach zu künstlich erzeugt fand, für mich war es einfach nicht wirklich verständlich warum Merritt die "große Auserwählte" ist, bei der Red auf einmal so zahm war. Von der Verbindung wurde meiner Meinung nach auch eher erzählt und weniger war sie spürbar vorhanden, das empfand ich persönlich als ein großes Manko.
Wie oben bereits erwähnt, plätscherte für mich die Story mehr so dahin, als dass sie mich wirklich fesseln konnte. Fürs "Finale" erwartet man dann schon ein bisschen was aufregendes, vielleicht auch einen überraschenden Moment, aber eigentlich ging das Buch für mich so unaufregend und still zu Ende und blieb damit seiner Linie zumindest das ganze Buch über treu.
Fazit:
Es gilt zu berücksichtigen, dass dieses Buch doch eher für jüngere Leser*innen geeignet ist und wenn man sich für alles rund ums Pferd begeistern kann, dann findet man vielleicht auch die alltäglichen Szenerien interessant. Ich hatte einfach falsche Erwartungen und die konnte ich nur schwer ablegen, für mich war es einfach ein unaufgeregtes Buch, das mich nicht mitreißen konnte und mir in vielerlei Hinsicht auch zu gestellt wirkte.
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