Book Review: Silent Harmony by Michele Scott

Title: Silent Harmony

Author: Michele Scott

Publisher: Amazon Children’s Publishing

Source: Netgalley

Publication Date: 5/28/2013

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Rating: 4/5

Vivienne Taylor has always been a good horse rider, with her special power that lets her “talk” to horses. But she is still surprised when the Fairmont Academy, an exclusive equestrian academy, accepts her on a scholarship basis. Now, traveling to a new school, a new life and new friends Vivienne has to adjust, because the other rich students weren’t accepted on scholarship. And where there are the rich, there is always drama.

Attending her new boarding school, Vivienne is hard at work. But when her new horse at Fairmont, Harmony, doesn’t respond the way other horses do, things are definitely off. Little does Vivienne know that Harmony belonged to the school vet who has passed away just recently. Yet, there is something strange about this school. Vivienne must figure out the mystery of her horse, before it is too late.

My favorite character in this book is Vivienne. After living in a small town in Oregon and growing up with the same kids for the first 17 years of her life, moving somewhere else is something Vivienne has never thought she would have to do. But moving to a private, rich school is far worse. After being tormented by the popular girls, and teased because of her relatively impoverished life at home, Vivienne is definitely the odd one out. But, throughout the story, Vivienne stays strong and doesn’t let herself become the laughingstock of the school. As Vivienne continues her training and investigates the matter that is troubling Harmony, it is hard to tell right from wrong. But will Vivienne figure it out in time?

There were some very enjoyable aspects to this book. One such aspect is that throughout the whole story there is always something important occurring. Whether it be details on how somebody lied to another, or the proof of someone’s misdoings is revealed, there are lots of twists and turns that keep this book lively and entertaining. The best part of this book to me would be that there are multiple story lines going on at the same time. In the beginning the main character is fitting in. Around the middle, the first problem is observed and solved, and in the end a second problem is created and solved. This keeps the book fresh and helps the reader not feel as if they are reading about one long, continuous problem.

One main point that I did not like at all was how the story kept changing perspective. In lots of books there are different point of views, and everything flows. But in this book, I felt that when the point of view changed from the first person to the third person point of view, there was a very rocky transition. Adding to that, throughout the third person point of view, the wording was awkward, and hard to understand.

Read the book Silent Harmony by Michele Scott, and join Vivienne on an enjoyable adventure. I recommend this book to teens based upon the language being too young for pre-teens and other children. Other books about horses include ‘Catch Rider’ coming out June 4, 2013.