I recently downloaded a copy of the Horses of Winter for free on Kindle. I have read and enjoyed Defining Gravity by Genevieve Mckay so was keen to check out another of her novels. This novella is a delightful read with a small amount of fantasy, horse information thrown in and a lot on family dynamics.
Sarah and her eight year old sister Amy are working their way through the foster system. They are finally in a place where Sarah is keen to stay. But she’s on eggshells trying to not upset the unusual routine or habits of their artistic carer, Cecily. This is hard to do with an energetic, imaginative younger sister. Sarah finds things quickly spiral out of control when Amy is insistent that her older sister check out the unicorn in the greenhouse of their carer.
Sarah finally relents, finding she can’t focus on a poem her father wrote before he and her mother passed away. She doesn’t find the unicorn Amy spoke of but is intrigued by hoof prints in the snow and a trail of blood. Soon Amy and Sarah are racing daylight to find the injured horse. They finally find him and Sarah is amused in amongst their need to act fast that Amy is convinced the horse named Sam is a unicorn.
The day gets colder and the trek in the snow seems to take forever. Sarah is convinced she has hypothermia and it is this that is making it seem like the horse can talk in her mind. Saving the gelding from death out in the snow has made Sarah a hero with their neighbours. They are thankful she was able to find Sam and bandage his wound before bringing him back to Cecily’s. Saving the neighbours’ horse opens an opportunity for Sarah and Amy to develop friends in the eight children that live next door. A Christmas surprise by the Plekowski family means Sarah and Amy get to ride. Sarah’s riding knowledge is shown as she picks up walking, trotting and cantering again after years out of the saddle.
As the teen struggles to work out how to keep herself with her younger sister in the foster system, she feels sick as she recognises Cecily’s frustration with Amy’s exuberant nature. In a place where she’s starting to develop friends and even getting to be around horses, Sarah questions if it’s too good to be true. The Horses of Winter is an enjoyable story with a great ending. It’s bound to entertain horse fans.
Author – Genevieve Mckay
Fiction – young adult
In my library – as an eBook it is!
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