Disclaimer: I received a copy of the finished book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Flight

Author: Vanessa Harbour

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Roma character, Jewish characters

Recommended For...: middle grade, historical fiction, horse stories

Publication Date: August 1, 2018

Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 13+ (Violence, Gore, Animal violence and killing, Starvation, Racism, Nazi imagery, Scary moments)

Publisher: Firefly Press LTD

Pages: 256

Synopsis: Austria 1945. After losing his family, Jakob shelters with Herr Engel in a rural stable, where they hide the precious Lipizzanner stallions they know Hitler wants to steal. When a German officer comes looking for Jakob and finds the horses, Jakob and his guardian know they must get the stallions to safety, but the only way is straight through Nazi territory. Joined by Kizzy, an orphan Roma girl, the three must guide the horses across the perilous Austrian mountains. Will they reach safety? What will be waiting for them on the other side?

Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. It had some decent character development and the world building was marvelous. I also enjoyed the plot and it kept me hooked from beginning to end. The book is also equal parts horrifying and terrifying, and it blends together well to show and give off the feel of what the Jewish, Roma, LGBT+, etc. people felt those days.

However, the first 10 pages of the book nearly broke me as an animal lover and honestly there should be some trigger warnings in there. The first pages see the violent death of a horse and it gutted me to read that. I also felt the pacing was a bit too fast.

Verdict: It was good, but surprisingly gorey.