The Secret Horses of Briar Hill

Written by Megan Shepherd

Narrated by Fiona Hardingham

"Deserves a spot on the shelf next to the most beloved children's classics—yes, even The Secret Garden."  —Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

Described as "reminiscent of the Chronicles of Narnia" in a starred review, The Secret Horses of Briar Hill shows readers everywhere that there is color in our world—they just need to know where to look.

There are winged horses that live in the mirrors of Briar Hill hospital—the mirrors that reflect the elegant rooms once home to a princess, now filled with sick children. Only Emmaline can see the creatures. It is her secret.

One morning, Emmaline climbs over the wall of the hospital’s abandoned gardens and discovers something incredible: a white horse with a broken wing has left the mirror-world and entered her own. 

The horse, named Foxfire, is hiding from a dark and sinister force—a Black Horse who hunts by colorless moonlight. If Emmaline is to keep him from finding her new friend, she must surround Foxfire with treasures of brilliant shades. But where can Emmaline find color in a world of gray?

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016

"Endearing characters, metaphors for life and death, and a slow revelation of the horrors of war give this slim novel a surprising amount of heft."—Booklist, Starred Review

"In clear, gripping, flawless prose . . . this exquisite, beautifully illustrated middle-grade novel explodes with raw anguish, magic and hope, and readers will clutch it to their chests and not want to let go."—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

"Reminiscent of the Chronicles of Narnia, Elizabeth Goudge, or a child's version of Life of Pi. . . . Readers will love this to pieces." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Magical, terrifying, and full of heart. Open these pages, and ride true."—Newbery Honor-winning author Kathi Appelt

"A remarkable book. Astonishing!"—Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9780735207752

Megan Shepherd

Megan Shepherd is the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy, The Cage trilogy and the middle grade novel, The Secret Horses of Briar Hill. She lives and writes on a 125-year-old farm outside Asheville, NC. Visit Megan at meganshepherd.com, on Twitter at @megan_shepherd, and on Instagram at @meganshepherdauthor.

Reviews for The Secret Horses of Briar Hill

[clarerhoden · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is astonishing, magical, and totally unexpected. A book to keep and to savour forever. Congratulations to all for the brilliant combination of story and illustrations.
The story follows an orphaned, ill girl who is sent to a country hospital (a former manor house) during WWII to be treated for tuberculosis, but although that is the story line, that is not really what this book is about.
Life, death, imagination, magic, the veil between the worlds, the realms of possibility, the lasting impressions of love. If this book was a poem, I would call it a meditation, reflective but not mournful, though it deals with the hard, inescapable facts of our mortality. Viewed through the eyes of children, this novel is an absolute treat. Memorable and somehow inevitable: reading about the secret winged horses of Briar Hill immediately makes me believe in them - as if I had always known that they existed. Read it; I hope you will be just as pleased to add these divine creatures to your inner landscape.

[ashleytylerjohn · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like it that much, but let's be clear, this isn't a pedestrian book, it's thoughtfully written by a talented author. I just found it overwhelmingly sad, frustrating, and ultimately unsatisfying. It may or may not have an unreliable narrator, or it may or may not also have unreliable other characters. The author admits there is no definitive way to intrepret her ending (I HATE those kinds of ending).

So it was with reluctance I continued to read, rather than pleasurable excitement.

(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)

[wrightja2000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not exactly the kind of book I like best but it was well written and a compelling story.

[stewartry · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn't make a single note on this book, didn't save a single highlight. That's unusual for me; I usually take full advantage of my Kindle's abilities to augment my memory.

Then again, I don't really need notes in order to remember this book. I'll remember it for a long time. It's a sweet, sad book set in the middle of WWII about a girl sent to a mansion deep in the English countryside that has been converted to a hospital. They're quarantined there, with an alarming disease – which is why Emmaline's family can't come to visit her. (Right?) She passes as much time as possible with her best friend, an older girl named Anna, drawing and talking about everything – including the beautiful winged horses they both can apparently see behind the many mirrors in the mansion.

Emmaline's life is soon taken over by interlocking crises. One of the horses from that mirror world has crossed over to ours fleeing from the terrible Black Horse, and, badly injured, and only Emmaline can help her. Meanwhile, Anna's health falters, and the only person Emmaline can turn to for help with the quest involved in rescuing the injured horse is the one she fears most, the local boogeyman. All the while, Emmaline must also fight the doctor and the nurses who for some reason keep trying to curtail her nighttime trips into the hospital's grounds in the snow…

That, of course, is the surface story. Beneath it is so much more. The Black Horse is genuinely frightening – I can only imagine the scars it would have left on my horse-obsessed child self – but despite that I wish I had been able to read it then, because just as real as the fearsome enemy is the magical world through the mirrors. I can guarantee I would have been looking at anything but my own reflection for months, hoping for a glimpse of a feathered wing or a whisking tail. (Which would be a far more enjoyable side effect than the outright covering of mirrors after that Doctor Who episode … )

But then again – no. I don't think I would really want to inflict the pain and grief in this book on my younger self. The war, the epidemic – are the horses a metaphor? Or could they, might they be real, a grace note of hope in a dark world?

It's a heartbreaking book, gorgeously illustrated with deceptively simple black and white drawings. No, I think it's just as well I couldn't read this when I was smaller. It would have been crushing.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I got this book for Christmas. I have really enjoyed a lot of Megan Shepherd’s YA series so I was curious to read her debut middle grade novel. This was a beautifully written book that is full of magical realism and has a bittersweet story.

Emmaline has been moved to a hospital for children with tuberculosis during World War II. As she watches her best friend fade away taken by the “stillwaters” of tuberculosis she notices there are winged horses that live in the mirrors throughout the hospital.

When one of the horses shows up the garden wounded, Emmaline is given a quest to drive an evil Black Horse away until the wounded horse can heal and flee.

The book is overshadowed by World War II; the kids are on their own and many have relatives and parents that have died in the war. Food is short and illness is prevalent throughout; in general things are drab and grey.

The book is beautifully written with wonderful descriptions. There are beautiful black and white illustrations interspersed in the story. It’s a somewhat dark story with bursts of brightness and light throughout. The ending is somewhat ambiguous leaving the reader to make up their own mind about what happens with Emmaline (Shepherd addresses this issue in the Afterword).

I have mixed feelings about the book. I liked how it addressed some of the issues of World War II and I loved the magical horses in the mirrors. I thought overall it was a bit depressing and too much of a tear-jerker (I am not a huge fan of this type of bittersweet story). There is just too much sadness in the idea of these kids having to leave their families and of what everyone goes through as war time progresses.

Overall this was a well done story. It’s beautifully written and illustrated. It was a bit too sad and melancholy for me, but I did think it was a good magical look at some of the things that happened during WWII. I am giving it to my 9 year old son to read and will try to update this review with his thoughts once he reads it.

[bookwren · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I admit it. I picked this book for its cover and title. I love horses and fantasy and this book drew me like a moth to a flame. I wanted to love it. I wanted it to be for me as the jacket blurb said "cherished as a beloved classic" (such as The Secret Garden). I loved parts of it; I liked it overall. But now that I've finished it, I can't stop thinking about it, so it must have more meaning for me than I realized at first reading. This is one I will need to read again.

Do you believe in winged horses? Winged horses in the back garden of a hospital? Emmaline does. Emmaline of Briar Hill has a secret. A secret that slips out, heaping derision and pity on a girl who wishes only to find, once again, the colors of the rainbow. Join Emmaline and the Horse Lord as they combine forces to save one injured, winged horse from the dread Black Horse and “Ride true” through the horrors of war.

My favorite part was Emmaline's growth in her relationship with "monster" Thomas. Her following realization is a shining example:

"Maybe Thomas sees the winged horses because he didn't go off to war like the other young men in the village. Maybe missing the war means he hasn't entirely grown up. And yet, as he swings that hammer, there is something about him that is like the twisting old oaks on the front lawn - ancient and knowing." (p. 62)

It is the "ancient and knowing" that is so indicative and thoughtful. Thomas is "like the twisting old oaks" because of his missing arm and because of his earth wisdom. His knowledge is rooted in the land, his wisdom comes from empathy and compassion. In the end, that is what matters. Despite the horrors of the war and of the children suffering from tuberculosis, this story finds hope in the characters' compassion for others: Emmaline's for Anna, Thomas, and the the winged horse, "Foxfire"; Thomas's for Anna and Emmaline; the nuns' for the children; the "broken" doctor for his patients; even Benny's caring, despite his acerbity, for Emmaline and the other children. This, then, is why this novel sticks with me and begs to be read again, to be understood more deeply.

[readerscandyb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This tiny book packed a hard punch... While it was wrote for Middle Graders, I found it to be very inspiring. The theme was high fantasy with magic laced between each word, but overall, the concept was very dark and eerie with a lot of meaning.

It's a story about a young girl in a hospital for the sick. She sees winged horses in the mirrors and eventually finds one in the garden. There is a darkness that hovers over their safety though. In order to protect the horse, Emmaline must bring color to the gray atmosphere. It's a rich story about hope and dreams. A historical fiction that meets Narnia of the sorts.

You can't go into this one without an imagination though... The story has a strong foundation, but it's up to the reader on how they interpret the Author's words. For me, the black horse was death. I felt that darkness looming over Emma just threatening to take her life at anytime. I think for others though it could symbolize many things. It's all about perspective, age, maturity, and so on. I found myself truly touched after finishing this one... It really opened my eyes to the world around me. I found myself observing the color more and being appreciative for the simplest things.