I'd loved Wonder and read all the books associated with that series. I grabbed this because it was the same author. This is set historically, 1860 or so. 1st person, past tense. I generally think books are aimed at an audience aged the same as the main characters (here, Silas - 12 years old), but the writing here felt a little more sophisticated than that; the tone and wording, some of the happenings (twists).

This was pretty slow ... I mean, there is some action right off (referring to how he/Silas had been struck by lightening, his father being taken, introducing Mittenwool to the reader as a ghost ... and yet, it was dragging some. Maybe it was after that initial action as Silas makes his way to try and find his father that it felt slow. I wasn't tempted to give up on it, but I was thinking "I don't know that I'd rate this very highly" ...

Then some things started to happen. There were some "oh I should highlight that" moments. There were some twists, some connections that suddenly made the book come together more, made it memorable and something special. Still not quite up to a full 5*, but one that I'll think back on fondly. 

What also upped the appreciation was the Author's Notes (and I was so happy that in audio, instead of the male narrator who had voiced the story, the author voiced the notes. That makes it so much more personal!). There were also a discussion guide in the print/kindle copy, and I was really glad for those thought provoking questions. 

I didn't love the simple title, I guess the Pony is integral and yet ... my physical copy had a blue cover with a silhouette of a boy/horse, which I think I liked a little more than the one with just the pony's unique head. 

I had the book in three formats - physical, kindle and audio. I went primarily with the audio. There were eleven "parts" with five new numerical chapters in each ... I don't know that I really saw distinct separation in the parts. No headers or anything. Looking at the print, there was a picture and a quote, and I guess there were some shifts to the different parts. It was confusing to me in audio though, to have it be "one" again ... and again and again. I guess I prefer continuous chapter numbering as it helps me know where I am, and able to switch more easily between formats. 

Words I note: deign, hectoring