Angharad Thompson Rees

Stargazer was a carousel pony. He loved having children enjoy their rides with him. But one day a little boy named Sebastian went on the ride and told Stargazer about real ponies and the adventures they had. Sebastian described ponies who roamed free and frolicked in the fields. This made Stargazer think his life was boring. He longed to be free. Sebastian explained how to become free of the carousel. From then on, the two friends had many adventures. It's a well-written story, but short. In my opinion, children and families would enjoy it even more if bright, colorful illustrations were included and the story was longer.
Review by children's author Deanie Humphrys-Dunne… (meer)

"I know running barefoot and barelegged knee deep in snow, wearing only a shift is madness. And surely, my awareness of that means I can't be completely insane. Though it is insane to keep going. But I keep going."

While I'm all for a fantasy retelling, especially when you add a darker and more sensual twist to things, I just didn't find much to enjoy here. The writing comes as across as intentionally disjointed - which is supposed to be a telling sign of Red's confusion and second-guessing herself, but makes for a chore to read.

Also, as a novella, I understand that there won't be much time given to the plot's groundwork or its characters, but for the reader to have any connection or investment in the story, there has to be *something*. I just didn't get that here. I don't tend to go into spoilers with my reviews, but I will say, if I can't trust the main character, her suitor, her rival or anyone else that graces the page, then there's little for me to care about if they're all simply written off. It couldn't even appeal to my lustier interests, because the only time our main character felt any kind of attraction towards her boyfriend was during the most inappropriate of times.

Others may enjoy this for the quick read that it is, but I simply didn't enjoy this one.

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.… (meer)