Dark Horses

A Novel

De: Susan Mihalic

Narrado por: Alex Allwine

A “sweeping and raw story of courage, resilience, and clear-eyed grace” (Sara Gruen, number one New York Times best-selling author) about a teenage girl’s fierce struggle to reclaim her life from her abusive father in the vein of My Absolute Darling and Room.

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.

“[A] heart-pounding, can’t-take-your-eyes-off-it debut novel” (O, The Oprah Magazine), Dark Horses explores the themes of abuse and resilience in a way that will leave you transfixed. This is “a provoking and needed book” (Booklist, starred review).

©2020 Susan Mihalic. All rights reserved. (P)2020 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Good story

Power, abuse, and a good horse story. Great character build. Nicest narrated. A dark story, but well crafted.

Gut wrenching but couldn’t stop listening..

Loved the narration, wasn’t over done when switching genders. The story was brutal and beautiful. The author accurately captured horsemanship.

This one will stick with me!

wow! I don't have the words. This story is going to take me a while to process. It's very deep! And painful! Yet, well written. This is not a story for the masses, but I believe it will be impactful for anyone who has suffered and had to learn how to live their own life, not for others, but for themselves. For those who have spent the first 2 decades of their life living to please, and then having to figure out how to live your own life and take control, I believe these readers will relate to this story very much!

Good but...

I gave this four stars yesterday, and something was nagging at me about this book. So I have a few things to say. First. this does not sound like it written in the voice of a. 15/16 year old. Her vocabulary was too mature and it wasn't that believable for me. Second, without giving anything away, there was justice but it left me annoyed and dissatisfied. The main character brushes off the possibility that her father had abused anyone else. Third, I found the main character a little too manipulative and strategic for a 16 year old. And Lastly, I wanted to see her get mental health help, and her lingering issues were just kind of brushed under the rug.

It was still well-written, and kept me listening. But those details bothered me a little too much to give It 5 stars.

Horses

I really like the book despite it not really be about horses...part of the message horses heal people and help theu the hard times

very powerful

This is sometimes a hard book to listen to. The sexual abuse is ... insidious. But that's the point. Listening to the narration of scenes of sexual abuse is intentionally somewhat confusing, particularly in the beginning on purpose. Sexual abuse is always a violation, but frequently feels very confusing to the victim. This book does a wonderful, if some times difficult to hear, job of conveying that to the reader.
Additionally, the equine portion of the narrative is pretty accurate, so equestrians will enjoy it, too. (if you know you know how many books with horses in the plot are sooo off the mark)

Interesting story….

I chose this book for the “horse” content as I am a rider….this book takes you down another whole road…a sad road that unfortunately exists in all levels of society.

Story Stays with You

This is a dark story that sheds light on how American Women man as God their way through the Dust Bowl and the Depression. Still Relevant today with Climate Change and Immigration. Great Narration. Love the Characters and the Mother Daughter Connection.

Bold & Brutal

Brutal content, but engaging characters. The story is expertly written. Hard to keep going, but impossible to put down. A bold, brilliant author penned this.

Best Debut of 2021

Dark Horses is the incredibly dark story of fifteen-year-old equestrian prodigy Roan Montgomery. She’s the daughter of an Olympian & a model, with a bright future ahead of her. Ever since she was four, her father has been sexually abusing her, and he controls every aspect of her life. Her mom is a drunk & aware of the abuse but never does anything to stop it. She’s able to endure it all until she meets Will Howard, a classmate from school, and falls in love for the first time. She soon finds herself at a crossroads...does she eliminate the distraction (Will) & follow the path that has been set for her? Or does she speak out and put an end to the abuse, even if it means losing everything she’s worked so hard for?

My heart broke into a million pieces reading this novel. There are many incredibly tough scenes of rape & emotional abuse, but I rooted for Roan & was extremely satisfied with how it all wraps up in the end. There are obviously quite a few trigger warnings that you may want to be aware of; the ones I can think of are incestuous rape, physical & emotional abuse, death of animals. If you can get past those, run out and grab yourself a copy because I guarantee this is going to nominated for awards this year, with Best Debut among them.