Legend of the Yearling

Guardians of Horsa #1

by Roan Black

In the first installment of the action-packed Guardians of Horsa graphic novel series, four young horses from clashing herds must join forces to solve a mystery and save magic.

Welcome to the realm of Horsa, a world of magic, wild horses, and danger. The four elemental herds of Horsa live in uncertain peace, which is to stay out of each other’s way and all will be fine. But when signs of a mysterious prophecy about a yearling with untold magical powers appear, four young horses from each herd are called to action. Now these elemental enemies must work together to solve the prophecy, find the yearling, and restore balance to Horsa.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Comics, Animals, Magic

Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2023

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kidlit graphic novel is delightful. It spoke to my inner 80s child by centering on horses who are vaguely reminiscent of My Little Pony from that era. The art was vibrant and I loved it. I always love stories about prophecies and warring countries and quests. If I was small I would be obsessed and dying for the next one. I definitely recommended it to my friends with children.

(review based on an ARC received at New York Comic Con)

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome and I love the art! 🤩 It reminds me of The Wolves of Elementa books by Sophie Torro, which I also love! Can’t wait for book 2! 💧🔥🌱🌬️

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gave me very My Little Pony and Avatar the Last Airbender vibes. I love a good adventure story, so this kept me reading until the end. I was a little sad that the story didn’t have an actual conclusion, but now I just want to read the next book.

[Indrig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went onto Amazon and this book was recommended to me, and I suppose I was so desperate for something new that I bought it without looking more into it, but also because it looked promising.

This wasn’t the book for me.


The book, while short, felt very rushed, and the dialogue didn’t make sense at times. I admit, the concept is pretty cool, and the art style is nice, but I’d say it was a below-average graphic novel

[Christine Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an ARC copy so the story/art may change but from what I read I loved! It’s a combination of Wings of Fire and My Little Pony which are my favs so I may be a little bias 😂 If anyone wants to hook me up with the next book, I would happily oblige and review!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome graphic novel! Very fun to read!

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world of magical elemental horses, four clan have been at war. But the dawn of a pink sun sets in motion a prophesy where one young horse from each clan must work together to find the Yearling, a horse that will bring peace to all of Horsa. But little do our heroes know, their differences aren't the only thing they'll have to face.

It's like Avatar: the Last Airbender except it's horses and the nations are currently hunting for... basically the Avatar. Overall, not a bad start, the art is pretty, the characters play off each other well, the plot had a nice twist, and I love horses so it's right up my alley anyway.

[Aud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real first-book energy, but not in a bad way. Jumps right into the plot, without too much backstory. We do get some idea of the various protagonists' major characteristics from the way they're introduced, and they generally conform to type. The fire horse is a hot-head and immediately butts heads with the water one, who's also a warrior type. The earth one is kind of ditzy, which is different, given the typical "down to earth/stubborn" stereotype. The air one is the one we meet last the know the least about - Gale is aloof and rather stuck up, and it'll be interesting to see where that arc goes. It's nice that half of them (water and air) are girls.

The colors are bright and eye-catching in an appealing sort of way. I don't find the art to be very detailed. There's a lot to look at in the panels, but it leaves the fine print up to the imagination, as it were. For example, flowers are often blobs of color. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - movement is generally portrayed fairly well, for example, and is body language and facial expression are done well. I did get a little muddled during the final fight scene, but when I slowed down, was able to follow it better.

Horse and magical horse and quest enthusiasts in general will probably flock to this one, and I'm also interested in seeing what happens next. A solid addition to the collection.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little challenging for me to rate because I felt the target audience is younger than I usually read...and yet both my 12-year-old and my 9-year-old seemed to enjoy it. My 9-year-old REALLY enjoyed it and so I feel that is the perfect age for this (at least in my household). At first, I felt slightly annoyed by some of the characters but give it time. I am sure my review may sound a little critical, but I will say the characters definitely grow on you. The art is good...but I feel I would have liked to have had a little darker shading on the book (more shadows). The story is enjoyable, but I have a feeling above art and story, the journal and small life lessons will make this series a winner.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four young horses - one from each of the realms of Horsa are brought together to find the Yearling - the one who fulfills the prophecy! The realms are enemies, and the horses must learn to work together to complete the quest.

The first in a series, The Yearling was a fun adventure. The story was simple, and the dialogue was predictable - perfect for 7yo AJ to read on her own. She loved the illustrations, - not every character is a horse - and she was so excited to see I already had book 2.

Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The four warring herds must come together when the Guardians are chosen to fulfill the quest to find the magical yearling. The fire prince, water general's daughter, stuck up air herd girl, and oblivious earth boy do not get along. How are they ever going to work together to find the yearling?

It's a cute book aimed at elementary/middle school aged children. The name of the villain group is so cheesy! #Edelweiss+ #NetGalley

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this in the library shelf and decided I wanted to see if I’d have loved it when I was maybe 5. It was cute, bright and colorful. If you’ve got a horse obsessed little kid that likes animal characters it’d be a solid choice. It does read very very young so it’d be a decent choice for a precocious reader who needs something gentle. 4 stars for the right little kid.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because a lot of kids at my library have been reading it. I was only halfway through when I placed the next two books on hold! Its funny and fun, with easy-to-read text and colorful illustrations. I think it's going to be a great adventure tale, with lots of laughs and new friendships. I'm looking forward to reading the next book!

[Reese Tech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! 10 out of 10! Good for second and first grade kids. If you like my little pony, this is nothing like it. But if you like horses, this is nothing like it,either. It has its own type of setting in every way. It is nothing like I’ve ever read but I love it! I’m excited to read book two. Hope you are as well when you finish it. 🤩👍👍🫶🏻📖📚

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Little Pony meets Skylanders in this new graphic novel series of horses, elements, and a foretold prophecy that one chosen equine from each kingdom in Horsa-- water, fire, earth, and air. I'm already anticipating the second book!

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of horses, I loved it immediately. It very much feels like a mix of My Little Pony and Wings of Fire, which brings together two huge fanbases IMO. It's fun and I'm excited to see what happens next.

[Zoë]

An enjoyable fantasy ready for elementary readers. I loved the character design! The earth horse was so funny and I laughed out loud a lot. If your kid is a fan of horses, adventure, or fantasy this is a good one to try.

[₊✩‧₊˚Aria ʚ♡ɞ Nichole˚₊✩‧₊ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love fantasy novels, especially when they can come to life so vividly on a page. This story is so cute and sweet. I loved meeting Terra, Gamma Ray, Stillwater, and Gale. They are four really special horses in Horsa. I'm excited to keep reading!

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how I feel about this My Little Pony/Avatar the Last Airbender knockoff, but I guess it’s not terrible…?

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute start to a series about uniting different nations with a common quest.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute

[Heather Beukeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children's Graphic Novel

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adult reading. Fun tale. I was left wondering what next. Have to find the next in the series.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazinv!

[Brandie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexa:

I’d give this 10 stars if I could! I loved the adventure. What was it about? Too complicated to explain. You’ll just have to read it yourself ! -age 8

[Trace Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was great

If there was 6 stairs I wold do it. It left off on a cliff hanger and if u know about tui t then u should look at wings of fire too!

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kiddo enjoyed the book and it was pretty entertaining

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, have you ever thought, "Okay, Wings of Fire? Avatar: The Last Airbender? BUT WHAT IF HORSE"?? Well, you're in luck!

That said, it's... fine. Decent, even. Compared to Wings of Fire, I can actually tell the characters apart (imagine, a dragon that changes colour might be hard to recognise among similarly-shaped dragons!), and the elemental themes are universal, so it's easy to tell at a glance who does what.

I just like it... fine. It's not my favourite story, and no doubt I'll pick up the rest of the series for the little libraries in the area. It's just not as memorable to me as other youth-oriented graphic novels, even when compared to some more slice-of-life titles like Smile. I do think younger readers who love talking animals, magic, and adventure will definitely love this, though!

(re-read)
The main problem is I keep forgetting they weren't even FRIENDS at the beginning of their quest—Stillwater and Gamma Ray are even "enemies" because they get off on the wrong foot! So it's weird re-reading about the prophecy's quest to find the Yearling... then again, you can't blame me TOO much when I read as many books as I have, haha. Books really have to STAND OUT for me to remember them without coming back to my reviews! (and sometimes, even if I do!)

Still fun to (re-)read, though! Even if I'll forget it in a week... :/

[Abbey Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3.7/5 Stars, rounded up!

"My Little Pony" meets "Avatar the last Airbender". Super cute for my 6th grade classroom. Will be getting the others to read and then take to school at some point, but it's not one I HAVE to continue reading right now.