Dark Horses by Susan Mihalic
Pub day 2/16
My thanks to @gallerybooks & @scoutpressbooks for the gifted
copy
Summary
Fifteen-year-old equestrian
prodigy Roan Montgomery has only ever known two worlds: inside the riding
arena, and outside of it. Both, for as long as she can remember, have been
ruled by her father, who demands strict obedience in all areas of her life. The
warped power dynamic of coach and rider extends far beyond the stables, and
Roan's relationship with her father has long been inappropriate. She has been
able to compartmentalize that dark aspect of her life, ruthlessly focusing on
her ambitions as a rider heading for the Olympics, just as her father had done.
However, her developing relationship with Will Howard, a boy her own age,
broadens the scope of her vision.
My Review
Dark Horses is one of the most soul-crushing books I’ve read
and also a book that had me feeling so uncomfortable and disgusted, helpless
and I admit, vindictive and vengeful. It’s unapologetically raw and emotional
and I’m having a hard time reviewing it because how do you put into words the
horrific physical, sexual and emotional abuse of a child?
Dark Horses is a dark and painful look at what happens
behind closed doors in a dysfunctional home riddled with abuse and control. The
manipulation and fear tactics used by the abuser and the effect on the victim.
It is a vivid and graphic portrayal and at first, I wasn’t sure if this was
necessary until I thought about it; every emotion, every feeling, every
injurious occurrence that Roan has, both during the abuse and after, speaks
volumes on the power the abuser has over the victim. I won’t go into details
but I felt that this is the authors intent; to make the reader uncomfortable
and repulsed because, after all, this is a taboo subject that is often swept
under the carpet and shames the victim more than the abuser. And in true abuser
style, this is a tactic used to control.
There are a lot of TW including incest, abuse, animal
cruelty and death, sexual assault, substance abuse.
#QOTD: Do you read books with difficult topics?
Be safe and be well, my friends
#DarkHorses #ScoutPressBooks #GalleryBooks #ScoutPress
#SusanMihalic
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