The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
Author: Megan Shepherd
Publication: October 11th 2016
By: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
There are winged horses
that live in the mirrors of Briar Hill hospital. In the mirrors that
line its grand hallways, which once belonged to a princess. In those
that reflect the elegant rooms, now filled with sick children. It is her
secret.
One morning, when Emmaline climbs over the wall of the hospital’s abandoned gardens, she discovers something incredible: a white horse with broken wings has left the mirror-world and entered her own.
Tucked into the garden’s once-gleaming sundial, Emmaline finds a letter from the Horse Lord. He is hiding the wounded white horse, named Foxfire, from a dark and sinister force—a Black Horse who hunts by colorless moonlight. If Emmaline is to keep the Black Horse from finding her new friend, she must collect colorful objects with which to blind him. But where can Emmaline find color when her world is filled with gray?
One morning, when Emmaline climbs over the wall of the hospital’s abandoned gardens, she discovers something incredible: a white horse with broken wings has left the mirror-world and entered her own.
Tucked into the garden’s once-gleaming sundial, Emmaline finds a letter from the Horse Lord. He is hiding the wounded white horse, named Foxfire, from a dark and sinister force—a Black Horse who hunts by colorless moonlight. If Emmaline is to keep the Black Horse from finding her new friend, she must collect colorful objects with which to blind him. But where can Emmaline find color when her world is filled with gray?
“The magical realism is reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia, Elizabeth Goudge, or a child’s version of Life of Pi. The right readers will love this to pieces.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Destined to be a classic! The Secret Horses of Briar Hill makes you want to believe---it is simply a must-read!”—Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth
~ My Thoughts ~
I love when a story so fully captures my attention it becomes difficult to think about anything else, which is exactly the effect The Secret Horses of Briar Hill had on me.
It's fairy-tale quality had me side-eying the mirrors in my house, much the same way I still check every wardrobe for the way into Narnia. (None of the wardrobes on display at my local IKEA are magical and sadly, none of the mirrors held any winged horses either---just in case you were wondering.) And it's colorful blend of historical fiction and magical realism inspired me to make cupcakes with marshmallow fondant horses with shimmery wings.
It's fairy-tale quality had me side-eying the mirrors in my house, much the same way I still check every wardrobe for the way into Narnia. (None of the wardrobes on display at my local IKEA are magical and sadly, none of the mirrors held any winged horses either---just in case you were wondering.) And it's colorful blend of historical fiction and magical realism inspired me to make cupcakes with marshmallow fondant horses with shimmery wings.
Foxfire inspired the rainbow cupcakes.
I started with a vanilla cake recipe, separated the
batter into 6 bowls and dyed them the colors of the rainbow. I use
food gels you can buy from a cake supply or craft store. Traditional
food coloring doesn't produce as vibrant a color and will change the
consistency and taste of your batter and/or your frosting.
"There is a white winged horse in the sundial garden."
I made the horse faces and wings from homemade marshmallow fondant, then dusted them with iridescent shimmer.
"The Black Horse is strong and relentess, but he has one weakness, and it is this: [you have to read the book to find out]."
I made dark chocolate buttermilk cake with dark chocolate frosting for the Black Horse.
Finished product!
~ About The Author ~
MEGAN SHEPHERD
grew
up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
She is the author of several acclaimed young adult books. Shepherd lives
and writes on a 125-year-old
farm outside Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband. You can visit
her at meganshepherd.com
and follow her on Twitter at @megan_shepherd. The Secret Horses of Briar Hill Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, October 3rd: Twinning for Books, Review
Tuesday, October 4th: The Mod Podge Bookshelf, Interview
Wednesday, October 5th: Jenuine Cupcakes, Review (and cupcakes!)
Thursday, October 6th: Pandora’s Books, Movie Cast Post
Friday, October 7th: Owl Always Be Reading
Monday, October 10th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers, Review
Tuesday, October 11th: Such a Novel Idea, Playlist Post
Wednesday, October 12th: The Reading Nook Reviews, Review
Thursday, October 13th: Seeing Double In Neverland, Author Guest Post
Friday, October 14th: Mundie Moms, Review
Omg I Finally Got Helped !! I'm so excited right now, I just have to share my testimony on this Forum.. The feeling of being loved takes away so much burden from our shoulders. I had all this but I made a big mistake when I cheated on my wife with another woman and my wife left me for over 4 months after she found out.. I was lonely, sad and devastated. Luckily I was directed to a very powerful spell caster Dr Emu who helped me cast a spell of reconciliation on our Relationship and he brought back my wife and now she loves me far more than ever.. I'm so happy with life now. Thank you so much Dr Emu, kindly Contact Dr Emu Today and get any kind of help you want.. Via Email emutemple@gmail.com or Call/WhatsApp +2347012841542
ReplyDelete