Dark Horses

July 4, 2016
Gossip Girl author Von Ziegesar turns her attention to the competitive horse show circuit. Seventeen-year-old loner Merritt Wenner, still mourning her grandmother’s unexpected death a year ago, resorts to destructive behavior that gets her self-absorbed parents to seek help for her at an equine therapy program in Connecticut. There Merritt meets Red, an unruly former racehorse. Riding together cements their bond and leads Merritt to train and compete with Red alongside an attractive Californian named Carvin, with Beatrice, an unstable teen, as Red’s groom. Alternating narratives switch between the viewpoints of Merritt and Red, the latter an unusual choice that doesn’t entirely pay off: while it foreshadows the dangerous extent of Red’s intense feelings for Merritt, his frequent invoking of misheard song lyrics (“We were an island in the stream. Sweet dreams were made of bliss”) and other anthropomorphized commentary tends to grate as the plot intensifies. Still, Von Ziegesar’s knowledge of equestrian competition and the compelling pairing of a troubled horse with an equally scarred teenager make this an engaging, if somewhat predictable read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Eric Brown, Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo.

Best known for her Gossip Girls series of teen mysteries, Von Ziegesar's stand-alone audiobook is driven by character and relationships. Merritt, a teen who is a heavy drinker, meets an uncontrollable thoroughbred named Red, and girl and horse change each other significantly. Narrators Sandy Rustin and Luis Moreno use well-chosen voices and pacing as they deliver the characters' alternating points of view. Their performance positively elevates the written text as Rustin's teenager and Moreno's horse--with his delightfully cognizant interior monologues and insights--unfold their singular and connected stories. Listeners who have outgrown BLACK BEAUTY, as well as those with an interest in quirky psychological realism, won't be disappointed. That Moreno doesn't sing the well-placed classic rock songs Red hears on his companion radio is a forgivable bow to copyright necessity. F.M.R.G. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine