Scan barcode
happiestwhenreading's review
I am not a sensitive reader and dark subject matter does not bother me. That's why it speaks volumes that this is a dnf for me, and honestly, I wish I wouldn't have ever picked it up at all!
I knew heading in that it dealt with incest (father/daughter relationship) and pedophilia. I felt like I could handle it. But the manner in which the author handles this inapporpriate relationship was a no-go for me. I felt like she was almost glorifying it. Making it seem like it's ok, even though it's not.
Instead of listening to my instincts, I kept going. When Roan begins to develop a sexual relationship with a peer, Mihalic implied that certain sexual acts were off-limits because then she wouldn't be 'daddy's girl' anymore. I think the point of this was to show how mentally difficult it is for a child to separate the acts with her father to the outside world, but it literally made me sick to my stomach. It didn't come across to me as a tragedy; it felt more like sympathy and that was when I realized this book is a total dealbreaker for me.
I'm disappointed in it's 3.99 Goodreads rating. I cannot understand the reviews that are saying it's a good book despite the content.
I would not recommend this for anyone.
I knew heading in that it dealt with incest (father/daughter relationship) and pedophilia. I felt like I could handle it. But the manner in which the author handles this inapporpriate relationship was a no-go for me. I felt like she was almost glorifying it. Making it seem like it's ok, even though it's not.
Instead of listening to my instincts, I kept going. When Roan begins to develop a sexual relationship with a peer, Mihalic implied that certain sexual acts were off-limits because then she wouldn't be 'daddy's girl' anymore. I think the point of this was to show how mentally difficult it is for a child to separate the acts with her father to the outside world, but it literally made me sick to my stomach. It didn't come across to me as a tragedy; it felt more like sympathy and that was when I realized this book is a total dealbreaker for me.
I'm disappointed in it's 3.99 Goodreads rating. I cannot understand the reviews that are saying it's a good book despite the content.
I would not recommend this for anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting
lauramorgan's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Car accident
heathero621's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Roan is a teenage girl that is a competitive horse rider. She is following in the footsteps of her famous olympian father, Monty. Her father is also her coach and the two of them have an inappropriate relationship with each other. It isn't until Roan and a classmate Will get close that Roan sees how inappropriate things are and tries to figure out a way she can get out from under her dad's control.
A book about a father raping his daughter is pretty disgusting and it was hard to get through some of the parts of the book. I just don't understand how anyone could do that, but I know that it is something that happens. I contemplated stopping the book, but the writing wasn't horrible and I was curious to see where the author was going to go with the book. It's not an easy book to read and the scenes do get graphic at points. I think my thoughts during most of this book were "ewww."
A book about a father raping his daughter is pretty disgusting and it was hard to get through some of the parts of the book. I just don't understand how anyone could do that, but I know that it is something that happens. I contemplated stopping the book, but the writing wasn't horrible and I was curious to see where the author was going to go with the book. It's not an easy book to read and the scenes do get graphic at points. I think my thoughts during most of this book were "ewww."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Rape
sarahasyouwish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was an incredibly compelling and emotional book which covers some very dark topics. If you don’t like to read about difficult subjects, especially when written in a graphic way, then this is not the book for you. I experienced the whole gamut of emotions at different points in this story, and I found the characters to be very well developed and believable if infuriating at times. I was very eager to get back to the book when I had to put it down and wanted to see how/if the protagonist would escape the horrible situation in which she found herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Incest, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
thespinystacks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First things first - huge trigger warnings in this book. Please check them out.
This was an incredibly challenging read. I’m not faint hearted but I was physically shuddering and felt ill at times during this book. That being said, it felt purposeful and never like you were being told the graphics just because. I appreciate that.
I felt the ending was very rushed. There was a huge tension build up for 90% of this book, there was a release and you’ll have a reaction for sure, but then - it was rushed through to conclude. That let it down just a little for me.
This was an incredibly challenging read. I’m not faint hearted but I was physically shuddering and felt ill at times during this book. That being said, it felt purposeful and never like you were being told the graphics just because. I appreciate that.
I felt the ending was very rushed. There was a huge tension build up for 90% of this book, there was a release and you’ll have a reaction for sure, but then - it was rushed through to conclude. That let it down just a little for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Car accident
serendipitysbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
4.25
Dark Horses is the story of Roan Montgomery, a 15 year old equestrian star and likely future Olympian. She comes from a long line of equestrian stars, and is trained and coached by her father, a charming and knowledgeable ex-Olympian.
This was a dark read, gripping and compelling. I think it gave a good insight into the lifestyle of any young elite athlete - the dedication, the hours of training, the sacrifice of much of a life outside sport, the rivalry between fellow competitors which makes friendships difficult.
It is also an excellent, gut-churning portrayal of an abusive relationship highlighting the control, the calculated cruelty, the isolation, the threats, the gaslighting and the abuse - physical, emotional and sexual. Compounding things was that in Roan’s case the abuse was incestuous, and her mother had addiction issues which meant she didn’t provide the protection Roan needed.
I really appreciated the nuanced way Roan’s interactions with her father were portrayed - she wanted to please him as an athlete, she valued his expertise, she didn’t want his abuse but didn’t know how to resist, rebuffed questions that got close to the truth, couldn’t resist without losing things that mattered to her and sometimes initiated sexual interactions since they seemed the lesser of two evils. Mihalic doesn’t shy away from the complicated nature of the relationship between Roan and her father. The ending while unexpected seemed fitting in the context of those complicated feelings.
Highly recommended, but proceed with caution due to the tough subject matter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, and Violence
schlinkles's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, and Medical trauma
jessicawarpup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
veganmamred's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
tashm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow. I thought this was better than MDV, more nuanced and explored the issues of grooming, manipulation and long-term sexual abuse in a very different way. I may have enjoyed it more because I like Roan, our main character, a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, and Sexual assault