Michael Scott
Series: Fairmont Riding Academy, #1
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: B (above average, but not amazing)
On Goodreads
HELLO FRIENDS! I know it has been a while since I have posted (boo, college apps), but I have finally gotten around to reviewing Silent Harmony, by Michael Scott.
When I first picked up this book, I expected a book about horses, envisioning the story where Felicity (an American girl doll) rides her first horse, Penny. (If you haven't read the American girl doll series, drop this book and go run to them, and rejoice in their amazingness).
Erm. Anyways. This book wound up being much more about the dynamics of snobby rich kids than about horses, but that was okay. The narrator, Vivienne, is insightful and poignant, and she was the reason I liked the book so much. Because she is a scholarship kid and has to leave her family, we get to see a sad, personal side of her that really reinforced how strong and determined she is. Also, angsty teens and rich kid drama - although it is not the most original plot ever, it definitely kept my interest.
However, there were a few things about the book that I wasn't a huge fan of. First of all, there is a random murder (lol wut) of the school vet within the first few chapters. This might have been alright if it hadn't been thrown in there casually, as though adding a small plot twist. Because of this and awkward tense changes between scenes, the writing lacked some flow in the beginning of the book. Otherwise, the writing was well put together, other than a few chapters narrated not by Vivienne, but the boys at the academy. These chapters are the most awkward, just because the boys sound nothing like what they do in Vivienne's chapters. This might have been to show a different side of them and their characters, but it wasn't written well enough to pull that off.
Another concern was that there was a lot of horse riding terminology used, and I had to look all of that stuff up: a YA book should be a little bit more accessible and easy to understand, in my opinion. The interesting part of the story was Vivienne's ehm *special talents* but that was confusing as well.
Overall, the book was decent, and it was an interesting read. Barring some plot holes and awkward writing, Michael Scott did a fabulous job with this Liz Harrison (from The Clique series) meets Ally Carter (Gallagher Girl series (only the prep school part)) meets Anna Sewell (Black Beauty).
- Amrutha
If you could talk to horses, what would you ask them?
Let us know in the comments!
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