Ariel’s Journey: The Ice Horse Adventures, Book 1
by Doug Kane and Christy Wood
Published by Blue Ink Press
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Reviewed by C. L. Rossman
This is the story of a group of teenage girls and their horses—an ancient breed called Icelandic horses. The girls go on a trail ride, unsupervised for the first time, and their horses use their unusual powers to transport everyone to ancient Iceland. The lead mare, Princessa, has been summoned by the herd stallion there to help a village at war and save a kidnapped princess.
The girls take on the aura of warriors and work with the local village chieftain to rescue his daughter from the evil chief Siklingur. Linda and her horse, the title’s Ariel, come up with a separate plan and sneak out in the middle of the night to try to gain entry into the enemy’s fortres¬s–and the action goes on from there.
This book is well-written by devoted followers of the Icelandic horse breed. Nicknamed “ice horses,” these small but strong steeds are steadfast and versatile. They are described as “fluffy” in the book with magnificent long manes and tails. I found the horses’ characters more individualized than the girls’—Princessa, the dignified Alpha matron, Hela the littlest mare with a penchant for snatching grass bites while on a ride, and Ariel the upcoming mare, young and bold. All are loved by their riders.
It’s a good book and will appeal to girls, especially during their “horse-crazy” stage. It takes a while to get off the ground and there is perhaps too much information downloaded into the first chapter. We need only a fraction of that to get into the story. The later battle scenes and description of life in ancient Iceland ratchet up the interest level. “Ariel’s Journey” is the first of a series of books about the “ice horses” and their adventures in ancient Iceland and modern North America, so teenagers who begin with the first book can look forward to more.
Armchair Interviews says: Book is slow to get into the action and could have started faster without the first parts. It’s worth being patient, though.
Author’s Web site: http://www.IceHorseAdventures.com