Green Rider (Green Rider, #1)

by Kristen Britain

[Kate (Blogging with Dragons)]

Every now and then I come across a book that I wholeheartedly wish I had written—The Green Rider, with its sprawling fantasy world, magic broaches, intelligent horses, strong heroine, and chilling evil villains—is one of these.

When we first meet main character Karrigan G’ladheon, she has just been kicked out of school for winning a fight against a spoiled noble classmate. Unable to face her father, she runs away with only the clothes on her back and a few precious items. But when a king’s messenger bursts onto the scene, she learns that getting kicked out of school is the very least of her problems. With two black arrows in his back, the dying messenger implores her to take up his mantle as a Green Rider and deliver the message to the king. Despite his chilling warning to “beware the shadow man,” Karrigan reluctantly swears an oath to deliver the message and sets off on his horse, which seems to know more about the mission than she does. Hunted by humans and the reemergence of an old evil, Karrigan learns that the world itself and everything she holds dear is dependent on the delivery of this mysterious letter.

I could not put this book down. Like Karrigan, I was on a mission—the only difference was that my race against time was to finish this book. To me, author Kristen Britain created a fantasy world as rich as Lord of the Rings with a more relatable Katniss Everdeen at its helm. Not bogged down by a frustrating love triangle a la The Hunger Games, the reader was able to watch Karrigan navigate impossible odds and come into her own. I could easily picture myself in her shoes and I can’t wait to see how much more she grows in the future installments.