Whirlwind
Author: Alison Hart
Series: Whirlwind (#2)
Publisher: Random House
How Received: review copy
Read my review of Shadow Horse here.
When thirteen-year-old Jas Schuler found her beloved mare Whirlwind dead in her padlock, she thought her heart would break. But now Jas knows the truth: Whirlwind is alive! Wealthy horse breeder Hugh Robicheaux faked the mare's death, collected insurance money, then sold her to an unsuspecting buyer. And he's going to get away with his crime, too—unless someone can find Whirlwind. And that's exactly what Jas plans to do.
But hunting for Whirlwind is dangerous. Hugh has threatened to destroy everything Jas holds dear unless she stops her search. As she struggles with her desire to find Whirlwind without endangering the people she loves, Jas must ask herself: Should she risk so much for a horse she may never find?
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Whirlwind gave me the happy end I knew was coming - she'd find the horse, they'd be reunited, and nobody would really get hurt. Since I knew it was coming, I was hoping something interesting would be done to keep me on my toes.
But nothing was. It was a book - neither a bad book, or a good book - that just kind of puttered along until we got to the expected ending. Chase and Jas became awkward in their relationship (like all 13 and 14 year olds do); the relationship between the adults putters along; the rescue animals learn to love them.
The worst character development goes to Hugh. Hugh becomes a super!villain. Honestly, a man who just killed two horses for money isn't going to skulk around corners and scare the crap out of 13 year old girls. He would have people to do that if he wanted to, and the most logical thing would be to stay away from her entirely. Instead he just became unrealistic. I kept waiting for him to grow a twirly mustache.
The best characters were Grandfather and the private investigator Marietta. Grandfather's just heartfelt and sincere - the fact that he speaks with the lisp after the stroke in the book just makes me love him even more. He's the most realistic character. Marietta, the PI, is just fun to read about.
However, the book is quotable, for one thing and one thing only: the vampire shout out.
Jas flipped the page in her novel. It was a girl's infatuation with a vampire, only the girl acted so stupid and in luv, Jas couldn't concentrate on the story.
Overall Rating & Final Comments: 5/10. Not bad, but not good. If you've read the first one, read it - I hate stopping mid series, and you'll get the ending you're looking for. But if you can live without it, I'd apply your time to another book.