Fight to the Finish

Free Rein #2

by Catherine Hapka

15-year-old Zoe's life changes forever when she meets a wild and dangerous horse called Raven. Having swapped her life in L.A. for the craggy cliffs, wild beaches, and mysterious moors of an island off the coast of England, it's not long before Zoe is drawn into the wonderful world of Bright Field stables.

This novel features an original story about Zoe and her friends, including an 8-page full-color insert packed with photos from the television show.

Genres: Horses

160 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2018

About the author

Catherine (Cathy) Hapka has written more than one hundred books for children and adults, as a ghostwriter for series as well as original titles, including the Romantic Comedies Something Borrowed, The Twelve Date of Christmas, and Love on Cue. She lives in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book for any horse/ free rein fans. Sad that we only have one book left now!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Reader,

This was a nice story involving Zoe,Jade,Mia and the other girls in Bright Fields stables.

I found the bickering between Zoe and Jade a little difficult to witness and the competitiveness that arose due to the try out,while understandable ,was also a little cringe inducing.

The child I read this book with loved it and was an enthusiastic reader of this story.

[Pasta Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t even know quite where to start with this book. Compared to the tv show, it’s very accurate. Which is one of its downfalls. There were so many moments in it that just made me cringe. The plot and the dialogue really sound like they were written by a 5 year old, when the story is centered around teenagers. Dialogue that sounds like it’s written by a 5 year old is ok when the book is about little kids, but these aren’t little kids. That being said, this is how the show is too, so I can’t really blame Catherine Hapka for it. She made a very accurate representation of the characters and plots.
There was one plot line that really, really annoyed me. The turn on the forehand plot line. There are a few issues with it. Turn on the forehand IS something that dressage riders use, but they use it as a training device for both the horse and the rider, not as something to use competitively. They don’t even use it after the rider understands the aids and the horse understands how to respond to them. It puts the horse in an incorrect frame for dressage work. When pivoting around the forehand, the horse is GOING to shift onto the forehand. A dressage horse can only achieve self carriage, what dressage riders strive for, when they sink back onto their haunches and lift their forehand up. This movement is never used in real dressage competitions for this reason, since it showcases the wrong kind of movement.
I also wasn’t a fan of the ending. I kind of thought “Oh, of COURSE the Pony Squad all ended up happy”. I was probably just soured by comparing it to my last book though, which had a very very realistic ending.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in trilogy of TV-show licensed tie-ins. Different author and this pony-some adventure is an even stronger match to watching the show, Free Rein. Lots more emphasis on competitiveness and its impact on girls and their friendships with each other. A huge helping of Bob and Becky - easily the most popular pony-girl pair - repairs friendships and provides laughter and antics. If you liked the series, these tie-in books lovingly extend its run.

[Hanna Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read. That was an ok read.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun story in an awesome series. Super quick fun read

[Harley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read. Free Rein is one of my comfort horse shows so it was nice to read about the characters again.

[Selena]

I love this book