Book Review | Dark Horses by Cecily von Ziegesar

When I heard that the author of Gossip Girl was releasing a new novel, I was so excited! Gossip Girl is such a fun and cool series, so I knew that Cecily von Ziegesar would bring another awesome book to the public: Dark Horses.

Summary:
Ever since her grandmother died, Merritt has not been the same. She feels like she doesn't really want to live anymore. Her parents decide to put her in Good Fences, a rehabilitation facility for girls, in hopes that Merritt will get better. At Good Fences, girls are assigned horses, and they must bond with their horses as part of therapy.
Merritt is assigned Red, a menace and terror in the barn. Surprisingly, Red takes well to Merritt and the two become an unstoppable force in hunter/jumper circuit. However, Merritt begins to feel attracted to Beatrice, Red's groom, and Carvin, her competition. Despite Merritt's unsure attraction, Red won't let anyone or anything come between Merritt and him.

What I didn't know was that this book is told in dual perspectives: Merritt's and Red's. Right from the start, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about reading from the perspective of a horse. At first, it was definitely weird and slightly uncomfortable. Yet, it grew on me (although I'm still unsure how I feel about it).

As far as characters go, I felt that the characters were inconsistent. I didn't really have a problem with Merritt's character. I understood her sort of pain and sadness; however, as the book progressed, the middle part felt like she was a slightly different character. She felt slightly distant as a character, and I felt that I didn't really know her well. The side characters such as Carvin and Beatrice felt very flat and somewhat unreal, like every time they were mentioned they were slightly different from the last time they appeared in the story. The only character that I felt was the same was Red.

I pretty much hated the parents. I felt like they were "fake" parents. They were basically never there for Merritt, and they practically abandoned her at Good Fences without any discussion or anything.

I did like Merritt and Red's relationship, but I was slightly weirded out. I suppose it was Red's possessiveness and the fact that I had to keep reminding myself that he was an animal. Yet, their bond was quite heartwarming.

I was not the biggest fan of Merritt's love life. I found it somewhat rushed. I also did not understand the unexpected and unlikely relationship aspect. In the end, the love aspect was okay, but I still thought it was rushed.

The ending, I think, was a really great one. I thought the ending brought everything together very nicely. It was bittersweet, but partially hopeful.

I rate this book a 3.25/5 stars. Overall, I found Dark Horses okay and somewhat enjoyable. I didn't really hate it, nor did I really like it.


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☞Dark Horses by Cecily von Ziegesar
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