Diamond Spirit starts with the two teens having just finished competing for a season. While putting their ponies out to spell, a freak accident interrupts Jess and Shara's friendship, creating more questions than answers.
Focusing on the equine disciplines of mounted games and camp drafting, Wood educates readers on the life that can be horses and only horses for teenage girls. When Jess’s horse Diamond is in a horrifying accident and it seems that the cause is her best friend, her world falls apart.
The accident leads to Jess meeting two new friends as she distances herself from Shara. Jess is introduced to their Uncle Harry, a stock horse breeder, and finds herself being drawn back into the world of horses and horse crazy teens. Getting to meet the foals for that season, Jess is drawn to a filly that has appaloosa markings. Recognising this as unusual for stock horses, Jess can't keep her eyes off the filly as she is reminded of Diamond's appaloosa markings.
An Insightful Story
Wood writes descriptively of Jess’s discovery of herself and how ‘there’s no such thing as a stupid horse, mate’. The language of teens and the important things in their lives is well depicted.
The first in a series of the same name, Diamond Spirit is an informative and entertaining novel of 367 pages. Those following in the series by Wood are Moonstone Promise and Opal Dreaming. Diamond Spirit would be well suited to horse crazy teens from around 13 years of age.
About the Author
Having been involved with horses in excess of twenty years, Karen Wood has owned many. Her horse knowledge is evident throughout the novel, with factual equine information being consistently showcased. She also aptly describes the Australian countryside in which the girls live and travel to.
A Sneak Preview
First published in 2011, readers that enjoyed Diamond Spirit will be pleased to discover a little taste of the second book in the series. A chapter of Moonstone Promise is provided at the end of this book.
Diamond Spirit is an enjoyable novel that will have readers captivated, eager to consume the rest of the book. The language is easy to digest and obviously written by someone who knows horses. Authentic and interesting, this horse novel would make a great gift for any horse crazy teen that enjoys reading and learning about horses.
Source
- Diamond Spirit by Karen Wood, Allen and Unwin, Australia. ISBN 9781742373157.
Chris Thomas - C. Thomas has studied and worked with horses since 2001. She teaches horse studies part time and is undertaking an Equine Science ...
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