White Horse

White Horse is a gritty horror novel about facing your ghosts and inner demons, both figuratively and real-life. However, where the story succeeds in atmosphere it is held back by lackluster characters and messy subplots. Overall, I'd describe this as more of a drama/thriller with some light horror elements. It has a weak start but a decently strong ending.



The story quickly introduces our main group of characters that includes Kari, our main character, her cousin (also best friend and surrogate mother/big sister figure) Debby and Debby's husband Jack. Debby and Jack's relationship is incredibly toxic with that introductory chapter showing just how childish our cast of characters are as they pressure Kari to find a boyfriend and buy a bar and just generally be a different person. Which I found so odd thinking back to this chapter by the end of the story. Kari doesn't share the same ideals and views as the stereotypical stepford woman but she is well put together, responsible. She has come a long way, leaps and bounds, once you know her past. She has put forth a lot of effort, has two jobs, and helps take care of her sick father. It's safe to say I really don't like these characters surrounding our MC.

The first 2/3 of this book feels very long winded, hard to focus on. I found myself rereading parts. It's swept up in Debby and Jack's relationship woes. It isn't until page 200 that I feel the story really grabbed my attention and held it. I then cared for Kari, her story and truth (her mental state) and wanted to see her take power over her grief. Once Debby is reintroduced, SHE feels like a different character. By the time we reach the climax, albeit it was predictable and cheezy, I'm having a great time and enjoying the characters and their interactions. I'm not sure what changed by this arc of the story, but I'm glad it did.