Shadow Horse
Author: Alison Hart
Series: Whirlwind (#1)
Publisher: Random House
How Received: review copy
After assaulting the owner of the horse farm where she works, 13-year-old Jasmine Schuler must face the inside of a courtroom and then juvenile hall. No one believes Jas's charge that the man she attacked had killed her horse. Put into foster care at the Second Chance Farm for abused animals, she remains determined to prove her charge against the wealthy horse owner. The key becomes a horse she rescues.
Buy | Borrow | Brush Off
I've been wanting to read Shadow Horse for a while now - I've been craving a good horse book, and this one managed to deliver me something that brought back my love of horses.
Shadow Horse starts off slowly. I couldn't get into it for the first forty pages, and considering the length of the book, that's a substantial amount. Once we passed that mark - most of which was set up - it picked up rather quickly.
I like Jas a lot. Her honest love of the horses was conveyed easily, and I love how most of her worry was focused on her grandfather and the horses and not on her budding relationship with Chase (which, though adorable, I didn't feel the connection much). Hugh was the man everybody loved to hate, and I loved the side characters - both two legged and four legged.
My favorite part? The animals. All of them had distinct personalities, which I've found some authors have a hard time accomplishing. It was refreshing to see that - being an animal owner and lover, it's good to see all the personalities in play.
Final Comments: All in all, it's a cute book - not difficult to figure out if you've read any horse mysteries before, but easy to read and a great introduction to those just dabbling in horse novels.
Whirlwind or the Thoroughbred series?: Even though the Thoroughbred series is aimed for a younger audience, it's one of my favorite series ever. If you have a younger sister or brother who loves horses, get the first few in the Thoroughbred series for them while you read Whirlwind.