The Golden Horse by Amanda Wills (Young Adult, 10/10E)

August 2018, Createspace, 198 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Summary from Amanda's website

A golden horse. An unsettled score. And a treasure hunt that will push Poppy to her limits.  

Poppy McKeever knew there’d be fireworks when her old friend Hannah came to stay. 

She and Scarlett don’t get on, and Poppy soon finds herself playing piggy in the middle. 

But the two girls promise to put their differences aside when the flamboyant owner of an Arabian stud announces a competition with a difference – a treasure hunt on horseback. 

The quest leads the three girls on an unforgettable adventure as they race to find the first prize – a priceless golden horse cast in the image of the beautiful stallion Fearless Flight. 

Can Poppy and her friends solve the clues in time? What secrets are hidden behind the gates of the Arabian stud? And who is the enigmatic Irish boy who has travelled so far to settle an old score? 

The Hunt for the Golden Horse is the seventh book in the popular Riverdale Pony Stories, which follow the adventures of pony-mad Poppy McKeever and her beloved Connemara Cloud.

Nayu's thoughts 

This is one of unfortunately a few reviews which is way overdue, but it's lateness doesn't reflect how fun a read it is. I've already read a few of Amanda's books in the past (see suggested read at the end of this review) so fully expected to enjoy this horse read. I'm wary around horses in real life, but I absolutely adore them in fiction, and devour any horse book that comes my way. Poppy's tale was no exception. 

I hadn't read the previous books in the series, but that didn't affect my enjoyment at all. Previous story info was conveyed in a way that meant I didn't feel left out of any insider knowledge. It's one of those books that I immediately felt at home in, and as though I'd known Poppy forever, not just a few chapters. 

I love a good treasure hunt, regardless of the prize (honest!) although in Poppy's case the grand prize was pretty amazing. Poppy experiences the highs and lows of a treasure hunt: it's only through team work that she and her friends solve the clues which lead them to the prize. Do they win? I'm not saying! I will say that Poppy's kind hearted nature is tested, that she is involved in a red herring (not an actual fish, it means a misleading clue/misdirection) which I had mixed feelings about. 

I honestly didn't care much for the mystery guy, whose identity I did sort of guess early on, hence the book not quite getting top marks, but he did add to the sense of adventure. All is defintely not as it seems, and I didn't guess the truth behind the treasure hunt. There are plenty of oh no moments, as well as ones that warmed my heart and had me on the edge of my seat. Being a winner means making the right decisions at the right times, something that Poppy definitely does. 

Be sure to check out more about Poppy on Amanda's website!

Suggested read 

The other book by Amanda which I've read is Flick Henderson and the Deadly Game by Amanda Wills (Young Adult, 10E/10E)