Kirkus Reviews

In this middle-grade fantasy, orphan Anthea is sent from Coronam to live with her uncle beyond the Wall, where she learns that not everything she was taught to believe is the truth.Coronam—a kingdom that fears horses as monsters—is all Anthea knows until she is sent to live at her uncle Andrew's in the Exiled Lands beyond the Wall. The Wall, Coronami children are taught, was built to protect them from the plague-bearing horses that nearly destroyed the kingdom centuries ago. Anthea, not remembering she was born at Last Farm, her uncle's estate, is horrified to discover that he raises horses. Then she re-meets Florian, a stallion she had a special bond with as a small child, and experiences the Way: the ability to communicate telepathically with the horses. George's plot is original and taut, and the tension ramps up when Anthea learns that the Coronami have not told the truth about the Wall or the horses. The relationship Anthea has with her cousin Jilly is both adversarial and affectionate, and sparklingly authentic, and Anthea and Florian's bond, emphasized by narrative segments from Florian's perspective, steers clear of maudlin. The book subscribes to the white default.A rich story with plenty of surprising plot twists and a strong undercurrent of female empowerment; kudos for the reminder to readers that what lives beyond a Wall may be a lot like them. (Fantasy.10-14)

School Library Journal (Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Gr 4-6 After the death of her parents, Anthea has spent her life shuffled from household to household, as family members pass her along among themselves, leaving her feeling unwanted and alone even as she holds tight to her dream of becoming a Rose Maiden to the queen like her mother once was. Like everyone else in Coronam, she has been taught that what lies beyond the Wall in the Exiled Lands is to be feared; so when her father's brother wants her to come live with him there on his farm, she is horrified. Her arrival is met with an even worse discovery: horses, the diseased creatures that should have been long dead after they brought a plague to Coronam. As Anthea learns more about her family, the political history of the country, and her emotional connection to the horses, the walls she has built around herself crumble and she begins to question everything she knows. While her new home is a perfect fit, she discovers that her dreams have been based on an impossible image of her mother, who is not only alive but an enemy to all Anthea now holds dear. This tale will speak to readers who feel like an outsider, as well as those who adore animals, as George's young protagonist and her friends overcome their fears in order to take on adult villains and protect each other along with the horses they love. VERDICT Readers who love Shannon Hale's fiction, Kristin Bailey's middle grade stories, and Megan Shepherd's The Secret Horses of Briar Hill will be captivated by this luminous start to a new series, which, after some frightful twists and turns, ends on a hopeful note. Kerry Sutherland, Akron-Summit County Public Library

ALA Booklist (Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

This tale will delight readers who love a classic-feeling fantasy, as well as those who absolutely love horses. Anthea has been passed along from relative to relative ever since the death of her father. She thought she'd always be unwanted and out of place, especially when she was sent away to her uncle's house beyond the wall, where people from her kingdom are exiled. But instead of a land of chaos and disease, she finds that everything she knows about the land north of the wall is wrong. She also discovers she possesses a gift, the Way, which allows her to communicate with horses. George sets this story in a familiar fantasy setting, which works well because she spends almost no time at all with exposition. Rather, the primary focus of the story, written mostly from Anthea's perspective, with occasional snippets of her beloved horse's point of view, is her journey and realization that history is, as they say, written by the winners. This thought-provoking fantasy with relatable characters is clever and heartfelt.