Learning to Fall~Christine Meunier | Review

Title: Learning To Fall (Free Rein #4)
Author: Christine Meunier
Genre: Juvenile Horse
Length: 84 Pages (Kindle)
Publication: December 2014
My Rating: 4/5 Stars


I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis

Jacqui outgrew her leased pony Matty and is trying to deal with life without a pony of her own. When her parents decide to buy her a pony for her birthday they arrange for her to go ride the pony (without knowing he will soon be hers). 

Jaq is just the pony Jacqui dreams of riding, but after a few falls she becomes shaken in her ability and nervous to ride. Now she has to face her new fear and defeat it before she gives up riding altogether. 

Review

I think this is a great story for the age group it's intended for. I read a lot of Saddle Club novels when I was younger and this reminded me of those in a lot of ways. I think young girls a boys who love horses would enjoy reading this and experiencing life with Jacqui and her friends. I have not yet read the first three novels in the series, but this one was great on its own.

This novel is very focused on Christianity and Jacqui's relationship with God. I really liked this aspect of the story and thought that it was great to see how Jacqui and her friends Hannah and Geordie responded differently to religion. The girls were still able to remain close despite some differences in opinion and belief, which was a nice touch. 

The horse references were very nice. Being a rider myself I was eager to see how things would be described. There weren't great details into the riding or care of the horses, but the ones that were there were excellent. And a few were working in nicely here and there as thoughts rather than real pieces of the story. The author obviously knows a lot about horses.

The author of this novel is Australian and I found it really interesting to see the differences in writing from US authors and Australian authors. It made the read that much more interesting for me. I don't think I've ever really read the works of Australian authors, so it was interesting to note those mostly subtle differences. I really enjoyed it.

The main drawback for me with this story was that the characters sometimes seemed too young. Jacqui was supposed to be twelve (I think), but at times acted much younger. And I know that's not completely unrealistic, we all have a tendency to not act our ages, I just don't think it was portrayed that well at times.

Overall I think this was a very enjoyable read and would recommend it to children (around 8-12 years old) and their parents, of course. Also anyone who wants a read a story that will take them back to their younger days. It's an enjoyable, quick read. 

Go and ride a horse! It's fun!

Courtney