Dark Horses Review

Title: Dark Horses
Author: Susan Mihalic
Style: Contemporary, Literary
Rating: 4/5


***TRIGGER WARNING-Sexual abuse of a child, incest, animal cruelty and death of animals**

"Then open the door. You know it doesn’t lock. Open it and put your arms around me."

Roan Montgomery is an equestrian.  She competes on her horses in competitions across the country she hopes to compete in the Olympics one day like her father. Her coach and trainer is her father.  He is strict and demanding. His relationship with her also inappropriate. Roan tries to hide that dark part of her life, instead focusing on being the best horse rider and achieving all her hopes and dreams when it comes to riding.  When she develops an interest for Will Howard, a boy her own age, she begins to view and see things differently than before.  

This story is pretty heartbreaking, dark and haunting.  I found it to be well written and researched.  I can tell the author knows a lot about riding and horses.  The relationship Roan has with her father is pretty vivid and disturbing.  All that said, these types of relationships do happen, unfortunately, and the author did a great job in the portrayal of how easily someone can be manipulated, groomed and controlled by someone they are suppose to trust and love.  I also think it showed how PSTD can manifest in a child of abuse and how someone who suffers from abuse that young has a hard time coming to terms what is happening to them.  This story is not for everyone, I advise you use extreme caution should you choose to read it. This is one I will be thinking about for a long time.