White Horse - Beautifully Haunting Ghost Story
“Don’t want to pressure you. I can tell you’re a loner. But even lone wolves got a pack.”
White Horse is the newly released novel by Erika T. Wurth and is a beautifully haunting ghost story that you’ll be thinking about for weeks after finishing it.
Kari, a self-proclaimed loner, is enjoying the steady routine of her life. But one day her best friend and cousin, Debby, gives her a bracelet that’s been in their family for generations. When Kari touches it, her entire world implodes. The ghost of a mother she’d never met, who she believed abandoned her when she was a few days old, starts appearing to Kari along with a terrifying monster lurking in the shadows. Karis is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her mother while also reckoning with her relationships and dreams for the future.
It's an incredibly well written story that brought me to tears in certain points, terrified me in others, and ultimately made me feel a little less alone in the world.
Book mood board (all images from weheartit.com)
“But though I tried to focus on everything but that bracelet, it began burning into my mind, glowing almost, roping me to thoughts of my mother, and my painful, locked-away past.”
Here’s what I loved:
Kari….I just fucking loved Kari SO MUCH. I saw myself so much in her and I felt a real kinship with her sense of independence and her resistance to “settling down”. The journey she takes throughout this story is magnificent and she’s such an incredible main character. I loved learning alongside her about her ancestors, her powers, and her community.
The scary stuff! Wurth has a great deal of talent when describing the scarier scenes. Her descriptions initially of the mother’s ghost and the Lofa monster really made the hairs on my arms rise up. The final battle scene was incredibly well written as well, and no spoilers of course, but it was quite gory and epic and I loved it!
The Shining references. It’s clear that Kari’s passionate about The Shining and I loved the careful tight rope Wurth walked of including references to the novel, and the hotel, without it feeling like it was taking over this story. It fit so well with Kari and her background, and I love where they ended up intertwining.
Overall, White Horse is a really solid horror novel with a strong emotional component that’s handled wonderfully. I already miss Kari and will absolutely be re-reading this at some point.
Thank you to Flatiron Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. White Horse is on sale now!
“The hair on the back of my neck pricked up, and I wondered if my mother might make an appearance. The electric quality to the air before the ghost of your mother showed up.”
