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North Oak #5
Far Turn
A silent killer has come to North Oak.
EHV is taking the lives of the farm's best and brightest. Alex, Brooke, and Dejado must team together to save Promenade and Morning Glory, or be devastated by the virus.
Already rocked by Carol's absence over the summer, Alex's time with Dejado kindles first romance. But when Carol returns at summer's end, she's grown up and Alex is forced to question her own feelings for her.
Furthermore, Brad Hopkins is still up to no good, and after a close friend of the girls' commits suicide from his bullying, it's up to Alex to bring him down once and for all.
Or will Brad uncover her own secret and send Alex into a dark, downward spiral where Carol and Dejado cannot follow?
Find out in Far Turn
EHV is taking the lives of the farm's best and brightest. Alex, Brooke, and Dejado must team together to save Promenade and Morning Glory, or be devastated by the virus.
Already rocked by Carol's absence over the summer, Alex's time with Dejado kindles first romance. But when Carol returns at summer's end, she's grown up and Alex is forced to question her own feelings for her.
Furthermore, Brad Hopkins is still up to no good, and after a close friend of the girls' commits suicide from his bullying, it's up to Alex to bring him down once and for all.
Or will Brad uncover her own secret and send Alex into a dark, downward spiral where Carol and Dejado cannot follow?
Find out in Far Turn
198 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 4, 2017
24 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Ann Hunter
32 books164 followersMulti-award winning author, Ann Hunter, is the creator of the young adult fantasy series Crowns of the Twelve (including the novels The Subtle Beauty, Moonlight, Fallen, with A Piece of Sky, Ashes, and The Rose In The Briar to follow). She likes cherry soda with chocolate ice cream, is a mom first and a writer second, has a secret identity, and thinks the Twilight movies are cheesier than cheez whiz (which is why they are her guilty pleasure!)
She lives in a cozy Utah home with her two awesome kids and epic husband.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HER HOMEPAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/authorannhunter
AND MAILING LIST:
http://eepurl.com/VZsFn
She lives in a cozy Utah home with her two awesome kids and epic husband.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HER HOMEPAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/authorannhunter
AND MAILING LIST:
http://eepurl.com/VZsFn
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 28, 2018
The covers of these books are great. As YA books, they pile on the trauma and chaos. This one more than most. Infectious killer virus in the training stables; bullying at school; a gay girl outed unpleasantly; peer pressure; death; sexual assault. Probably more. Mature teens will have a lot to consider.
I think fewer depressing traumatic incidents would still have made a good story, and the central character Alex seemed to have more to handle than most. A family would have parents, but Alex has people who sneer or shout at her or else say they are there for her anytime, which isn't the same as knowing how they'll react and if they'll welcome a chat. Brooke, from the earlier books, is the older girl who turned eighteen and left with her horse. So even on her brief appearances she hardly gives Alex a second thought. Alex would not have gone alone to meet the school bully. She just would not. Girls know when they are being set up, and she never liked that guy.
How come the only food this trainee jockey eats is soda, chips, burgers, pizza? Why is rubbish like soda and chips even in the kitchen? Why isn't it healthy food? She gets a chance to eat sushi, which is great, but most jockeys don't eat rubbish.
A three year old colt siring a foal does not mean that he will be retired from racing. The character has this the wrong way around. The colt is expected to keep all his energies and interests on racing. But plenty of showjumpers are both sires and competitors. A racing colt is retired because he has won something and is now worth more as a sire than if he gets beaten or injured. An unintended covering just means that his first foal may be on the way a year early. No difference to his racing career. Even if a young rider gets this mixed up, the adult breeders should put her straight.
This book contains some excitement and some really tragic scenes. Parental guidance is advised.
The author kindly sent me an e-ARC. This is an unbiased review.
I think fewer depressing traumatic incidents would still have made a good story, and the central character Alex seemed to have more to handle than most. A family would have parents, but Alex has people who sneer or shout at her or else say they are there for her anytime, which isn't the same as knowing how they'll react and if they'll welcome a chat. Brooke, from the earlier books, is the older girl who turned eighteen and left with her horse. So even on her brief appearances she hardly gives Alex a second thought. Alex would not have gone alone to meet the school bully. She just would not. Girls know when they are being set up, and she never liked that guy.
How come the only food this trainee jockey eats is soda, chips, burgers, pizza? Why is rubbish like soda and chips even in the kitchen? Why isn't it healthy food? She gets a chance to eat sushi, which is great, but most jockeys don't eat rubbish.
A three year old colt siring a foal does not mean that he will be retired from racing. The character has this the wrong way around. The colt is expected to keep all his energies and interests on racing. But plenty of showjumpers are both sires and competitors. A racing colt is retired because he has won something and is now worth more as a sire than if he gets beaten or injured. An unintended covering just means that his first foal may be on the way a year early. No difference to his racing career. Even if a young rider gets this mixed up, the adult breeders should put her straight.
This book contains some excitement and some really tragic scenes. Parental guidance is advised.
The author kindly sent me an e-ARC. This is an unbiased review.
July 4, 2023
When a deadly virus comes to North Oak the girls and Dejado must team up to save their favorite horses. And on top of it all, Alex is already in a sensitive state of mind after Carol was away all summer. Now with romance on the horizon with Dejado, Alex is also forced to confront her feelings for Carol. Meanwhile Brad is stirring up trouble at school and after his bullying pushes a close friend to suicide, Alex takes it upon herself to take him down.
This was… a rough book. It might be my least favorite of the series, but mainly because it covers SO MANY tough subjects and after Alex has already been through so much in her short life. I do like the realistic look at horses and deadly viruses, unfortunately not all horses can survive when something like EHV sweeps the stable and as hard as it was to see horses young and old(er) die, it was unfortunately realistic. I like how Alex’s sexuality isn’t being figured out quickly, it can be a hard thing to sort out, not everyone knows right away where they stand. I feel like some of the topics in this book could have been separated out a little more, especially the graphic scene at the end, it did set up the next book really well. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart.
This was… a rough book. It might be my least favorite of the series, but mainly because it covers SO MANY tough subjects and after Alex has already been through so much in her short life. I do like the realistic look at horses and deadly viruses, unfortunately not all horses can survive when something like EHV sweeps the stable and as hard as it was to see horses young and old(er) die, it was unfortunately realistic. I like how Alex’s sexuality isn’t being figured out quickly, it can be a hard thing to sort out, not everyone knows right away where they stand. I feel like some of the topics in this book could have been separated out a little more, especially the graphic scene at the end, it did set up the next book really well. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart.
May 25, 2017
Far Turn is one of those books that left me going “Wow” at the end of it. I was warned, by Ann, that this book was a bit darker than her other ones but I wasn’t expecting what I read. When I finished the book, last night, I turned to BK and went “This book just blew my mind“. I actually couldn’t get this book out of my head for the rest of the night, it affected me that much.
Alex had kind of a rough start to the book. Promenade was brought home from his last race and almost immediately fell ill with a deadly virus called EHV (click for definition). EHV spreads through North Oak like wildfire, taking horses out left and right. Alex lived at the stables, leaning on Hilary and Dejado for support when he was struck with a different strain of the virus that was brought back by Morning Glory (aka Mags). Horses are dying from this virus and both Alex and Brooke are willing to do anything to help their horses survive. I was so upset when Chauncey was put down and when Venus Galaxies foal died.
Alex’s friendships with Katie, Carol, Brooke, Laura, and Dejado were put to the test also. Her friendship with Katie because of Katie’s confession that she liked Alex in a romantic way and there was another confession that honestly made me very mad…considering the events later in the book. Alex’s friendship with Carol because of Carol visiting her grandmother over the summer and again, another confession that actually took me by surprise because I didn’t see it coming. Her friendship with Brooke because of Prom getting better and Mags was doing bad but that righted itself. Her friendship with Laura because well, Laura was being emotional and there was other stuff going on that I can’t get into without revealing stuff (read the book). And lastly, her relationship with Dejado because of his feelings for her.
The whole bullying situation with Brad, which goes back to book 2, gets worse in Far Turn. I do admire that Alex was secure enough with herself to not let Brad’s bullying affect her. I also thought that school’s handling of Brad was very realistic. I have 2 kids, one which was relentlessly bullied from 1st grade to 3rd grade and I can tell you, the school did jack and actually made excuses for my daughter’s bullies (it was a group thing)….like the principal did for Brad. Her bullying ended when we moved but in Alex’s (and Carol and Katie’s) case, moving wasn’t an option. And unfortunately, his bullying and harassment of Katie took a very tragic turn. I will include a link to an antibullying site at the end of the blog (if you are reading this on Amazon….sorry it won’t show and just google).
I also liked how Alex’s sexuality was handled. For the last couple of books, I did have questions if she was a lesbian or if she liked guys. Her summertime romance with Dejado and her feelings for Carol now point at maybe her being bisexual. And like I said with the other books, her sexuality is not the focus of the book. The focus is on the horses, Alex, and her friendships. That she has strong feelings for Carol and Dejado is just another aspect of the story that actually flushes Alex out as a character.
Alex’s jockeying journey was never its end. I can’t wait to see if/when she’ll get her license and I can’t wait to read about her riding. The training sounded very painful (this is coming from an overweight, middle-aged woman….lol) but it was worth it for her. She lived and breathed horses and jockeying was a natural next step.
The ending of the book was very unexpected and to be honest, I cried. Now, I was warned by the author that something was going to happen but I wasn’t expecting that. While it was very dark, it actually fit with this book and I can’t wait to see where the books go from then on. The only small complaint that I had was that the book ended on a cliffhanger. Like I said above, I closed my Kindle and said “Wow” because the ending just blew me away.
I never do this but the author’s note at the end of the book took my breath away. Again, to reiterate what she said, no one deserves to be bullied. Please, if you are being bullied, tell someone. A friend, a parent, a teacher or a trusted adult. You are not alone and you do not deserve to be treated that way. No one does. If you witness bullying, do not stay silent. Tell a trusted adult what is going on or report it. You can make a difference!!
StopBullying.gov
How many stars will I give Far Turn: 4
Why: Relatable characters and great plotlines.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Older Teen
Why: Violence. This is a dark book that has some triggers in it: Bullying and suicide are the two main ones.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
Alex had kind of a rough start to the book. Promenade was brought home from his last race and almost immediately fell ill with a deadly virus called EHV (click for definition). EHV spreads through North Oak like wildfire, taking horses out left and right. Alex lived at the stables, leaning on Hilary and Dejado for support when he was struck with a different strain of the virus that was brought back by Morning Glory (aka Mags). Horses are dying from this virus and both Alex and Brooke are willing to do anything to help their horses survive. I was so upset when Chauncey was put down and when Venus Galaxies foal died.
Alex’s friendships with Katie, Carol, Brooke, Laura, and Dejado were put to the test also. Her friendship with Katie because of Katie’s confession that she liked Alex in a romantic way and there was another confession that honestly made me very mad…considering the events later in the book. Alex’s friendship with Carol because of Carol visiting her grandmother over the summer and again, another confession that actually took me by surprise because I didn’t see it coming. Her friendship with Brooke because of Prom getting better and Mags was doing bad but that righted itself. Her friendship with Laura because well, Laura was being emotional and there was other stuff going on that I can’t get into without revealing stuff (read the book). And lastly, her relationship with Dejado because of his feelings for her.
The whole bullying situation with Brad, which goes back to book 2, gets worse in Far Turn. I do admire that Alex was secure enough with herself to not let Brad’s bullying affect her. I also thought that school’s handling of Brad was very realistic. I have 2 kids, one which was relentlessly bullied from 1st grade to 3rd grade and I can tell you, the school did jack and actually made excuses for my daughter’s bullies (it was a group thing)….like the principal did for Brad. Her bullying ended when we moved but in Alex’s (and Carol and Katie’s) case, moving wasn’t an option. And unfortunately, his bullying and harassment of Katie took a very tragic turn. I will include a link to an antibullying site at the end of the blog (if you are reading this on Amazon….sorry it won’t show and just google).
I also liked how Alex’s sexuality was handled. For the last couple of books, I did have questions if she was a lesbian or if she liked guys. Her summertime romance with Dejado and her feelings for Carol now point at maybe her being bisexual. And like I said with the other books, her sexuality is not the focus of the book. The focus is on the horses, Alex, and her friendships. That she has strong feelings for Carol and Dejado is just another aspect of the story that actually flushes Alex out as a character.
Alex’s jockeying journey was never its end. I can’t wait to see if/when she’ll get her license and I can’t wait to read about her riding. The training sounded very painful (this is coming from an overweight, middle-aged woman….lol) but it was worth it for her. She lived and breathed horses and jockeying was a natural next step.
The ending of the book was very unexpected and to be honest, I cried. Now, I was warned by the author that something was going to happen but I wasn’t expecting that. While it was very dark, it actually fit with this book and I can’t wait to see where the books go from then on. The only small complaint that I had was that the book ended on a cliffhanger. Like I said above, I closed my Kindle and said “Wow” because the ending just blew me away.
I never do this but the author’s note at the end of the book took my breath away. Again, to reiterate what she said, no one deserves to be bullied. Please, if you are being bullied, tell someone. A friend, a parent, a teacher or a trusted adult. You are not alone and you do not deserve to be treated that way. No one does. If you witness bullying, do not stay silent. Tell a trusted adult what is going on or report it. You can make a difference!!
StopBullying.gov
How many stars will I give Far Turn: 4
Why: Relatable characters and great plotlines.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Older Teen
Why: Violence. This is a dark book that has some triggers in it: Bullying and suicide are the two main ones.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
April 5, 2019
Far Turn by Ann Hunter is the fifth book in the North Oak series. This book can be read alone or as part of the series. The book begins where the main character Alex is working hard towards her dream of becoming a jockey. This book tackles many important issues that teenagers deal with every day. It follows Alex through her ninth grade year into her tenth and with it all the changes that are going on within herself and with her friends around her. I found this book both uplifting and horrible in its realism of what happens in todays society. Far Turn tackles many important topics that young adults need to deal with in real life. I personally believe this book should be required reading for all students middle grades to high school due to the importance of the subject matter. This book like To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those books that will make an impact on the reader far after they turn that last page. Ann Hunter should be praised for tackling realistic teenage issues.
March 31, 2019
Far Turn is book 5 in the North Oak series by Ann Hunter. This story keeps you on your toes worrying about the horses, Alex and her friendships. Can the horses survive the deadly EHV virus and can the friendships survive the struggles that Alex is going through?
Alex is dealing with the absence of Carol, her budding relationship with Dejado, a friend that commits suicide because of bullying and the heartbreak of trying to save and still loosing some of the horses.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Alex is dealing with the absence of Carol, her budding relationship with Dejado, a friend that commits suicide because of bullying and the heartbreak of trying to save and still loosing some of the horses.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 4, 2023
4 Stars!
Far Turn book 5 of North Oak was a very well done book. I will say the author is definitely improving in the writing department. Things are flowing more seamlessly, theres more character development and the plot is well done. I will say i’ve gotten to the stage where i’m just like when is Alex going to get a break she’s been through trauma after trauma and its still keeps coming back to get her again. It was a solid read and i really hope Alex gets something to look forward to.
Far Turn book 5 of North Oak was a very well done book. I will say the author is definitely improving in the writing department. Things are flowing more seamlessly, theres more character development and the plot is well done. I will say i’ve gotten to the stage where i’m just like when is Alex going to get a break she’s been through trauma after trauma and its still keeps coming back to get her again. It was a solid read and i really hope Alex gets something to look forward to.
February 25, 2019
With each book in the series I've thought it couldn't possibly grab my heart any tighter. I'm happy to report I've been wrong each time! This series is beautiful and ugly in all the best ways. This book in particular though has left me gutted. Shattered. I am so glad book 6 will be out soon because I don't think I will be able to breathe properly until I'm back at North Oaks.
January 28, 2025
Incredible!
Ann Hunter has really constructed a dynamite story in this installment of North Oak. Confusion over sexual identity, suicide, bullying, first love and just coping with being a teenager has hit Alex hard. It is so interesting to see the changes in the characters and especially how the parents handle the challenges. (or don’t!). An exceptional read!
Ann Hunter has really constructed a dynamite story in this installment of North Oak. Confusion over sexual identity, suicide, bullying, first love and just coping with being a teenager has hit Alex hard. It is so interesting to see the changes in the characters and especially how the parents handle the challenges. (or don’t!). An exceptional read!
April 10, 2019
A virus has come to the stables and they will have to work together to save the horses. They have had problems in the past. Can they get over their personal problems to save the horses? See if they can
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 20, 2019
It had me crying in parts as I’m such a softy and angry at other parts and understanding what the characters are going through
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2020
Characters are alive
Characters are alive and I like how our hero has both good things and bad. Although I am sorry at how bad some of it is, but like real life it happens. Fortunately most often not as much. Still I am enjoying the series. Just waiting for the next one.
Characters are alive and I like how our hero has both good things and bad. Although I am sorry at how bad some of it is, but like real life it happens. Fortunately most often not as much. Still I am enjoying the series. Just waiting for the next one.
August 29, 2020
Love, Romance, Heartbreak, and a deadly virus
All of Alex's friends are falling in love but some will end in heartbreak. The horses Alex loves are getting sick. Some will die. Is it true that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger? Alex sure hopes it is.
All of Alex's friends are falling in love but some will end in heartbreak. The horses Alex loves are getting sick. Some will die. Is it true that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger? Alex sure hopes it is.
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February 18, 2021I read this when I was younger and the ending scarred me. IF YOU ARE YOUNGER THAN 15- CAUTION! Now I pay more attention to reviews before I read books!
January 24, 2023
Speedy. Alex starts training to be a jockey as Promenade makes his bid to race in the Breeder’s Cup.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews