Dark Horse

When I close my eyes I still see Cleo cowered in the corner of her smoke filled stall. And I see the barn in flames. I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of that image. I’ve also replayed everything I did in the days leading up to the fire.

Book: Dark Horse by Dandi Daley Mackall, Tyndale House Publishers, 2009

 

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Horse Story

Target Audience: Girls and Boys 13-19

Summary: The barn is gone. It’s burned to the ground. And with it went Hank’s confidence and his trust in God. He’s just not sure where to go from here. Cleo, the problem horse he was working with is even more scared of people than before. All Hank can think about is what needs done to fix this mess. He doesn’t even want to ride Starlight. Then Winnie and Catman come to help, but Winnie’s struggling with her own issues right now – God has given her talents and dreams, but it seems money is making all of that impossible to pursue. God is slowly drawing them back to Him, using Catman and the others to gently encourage them and point them in the right direction. Can Winnie and Hank actually turn in their hurt and pain and be the one to help each other?

Notes: Where is God when bad things happen? That’s the question this book lightly addresses. It’s more of a question of “Where is our faith when bad things happen” though. Winnie and Hank have both placed their faith in Christ for salvation, but when life throws it’s tragedies at them, both struggle to keep believing in God’s great love and plans for them. It’s a great conclusion to the Winnie The Horse Gentler series, written a few years ago as it brings back both Winnie and Catman and ties up loose ends from that series. It actually concludes it more than it does Starlight Animal Rescue.

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

James 4:8 - Come near to God and he will come near to you