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Broken Ponies
Following the gripping – and deadly – events of their night under siege in Nemesister, the sequel, Broken Ponies, provides more details of Red's mysterious past as well as Rita's childhood, and brings light to the events that will eventually bring them together. But meanwhile Red’s hunters have not given up the chase and Rita becomes bait in a trap set for Red in a terrifying storm damaged fairground…. The second in the Crooked Little Sisters series, Broken Ponies will thrill fans of dark gothic thrillers and readers of John Connolly and Joe Hill.
360 pages, Paperback
Published September 27, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 25, 2018
I’m always the advocate for reading series in order, because I believe it will maximise your enjoyment going into the next book if you know what came before. This book, as any, can be read as a standalone but so many of the references to things that occurred in the previous novel will be lost on you. It may come as a surprise as to why Rita, our main protagonist, has another personality known as ‘Margarita’, and how this acts as her coping and survival mechanism. This dual personality aspect is easier to understand and accept, and more enjoyable, if you’ve read book one.
If you caught my review of book one, Nemesister, you’ll know I had some misgivings with the first half of the book, but loved the second half; well, I loved Broken Ponies all the way through. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Rita and Red, it’s unconventional, but it works. It reminds me a lot of the relationship between Lori and JT in the Lori Anderson series by Steph Broadribb, in that Rita is strong-minded, a lil’ badass but very likeable, and Red is more laid back with that mysterious aura to his character. The reason the reader is able to warm so much to these characters is because, as the blurb states, this instalment really does give you a chance to get to know the earlier history of both characters, and how it has shaped them, in turn, making you more invested in what happens to them.
There were some great ‘one-liners’ in this novel, one of which made it into my favourite quotes list, because I love that it’s so simple, yet conveys so much truth.
‘‘Anger’s like the sun, darlin’. Burns like hell if you stay in it for too long.”
What was great about this book was it continued some elements from book one, the isolated setting, the limited characters, without repeating the storyline. This thriller doesn’t have the fastest pace but the isolated setting really does help you to immerse yourself in the story. This novel kept all that was good in Nemesister, and added new elements of surprise. Also, there was some well-placed humour, which is always appreciated. I do love continuity in a series, and these books aren’t too long either, so they’re perfect for an easy, one-sitting read. And based on this ending of this one, I’m excited for the next book, the future of Rita and Red!
*My thanks to Urbane Publications for providing me with a digital copy of this book*
If you caught my review of book one, Nemesister, you’ll know I had some misgivings with the first half of the book, but loved the second half; well, I loved Broken Ponies all the way through. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Rita and Red, it’s unconventional, but it works. It reminds me a lot of the relationship between Lori and JT in the Lori Anderson series by Steph Broadribb, in that Rita is strong-minded, a lil’ badass but very likeable, and Red is more laid back with that mysterious aura to his character. The reason the reader is able to warm so much to these characters is because, as the blurb states, this instalment really does give you a chance to get to know the earlier history of both characters, and how it has shaped them, in turn, making you more invested in what happens to them.
There were some great ‘one-liners’ in this novel, one of which made it into my favourite quotes list, because I love that it’s so simple, yet conveys so much truth.
‘‘Anger’s like the sun, darlin’. Burns like hell if you stay in it for too long.”
What was great about this book was it continued some elements from book one, the isolated setting, the limited characters, without repeating the storyline. This thriller doesn’t have the fastest pace but the isolated setting really does help you to immerse yourself in the story. This novel kept all that was good in Nemesister, and added new elements of surprise. Also, there was some well-placed humour, which is always appreciated. I do love continuity in a series, and these books aren’t too long either, so they’re perfect for an easy, one-sitting read. And based on this ending of this one, I’m excited for the next book, the future of Rita and Red!
*My thanks to Urbane Publications for providing me with a digital copy of this book*
September 27, 2018
This is the story of Rita, Margarita and Red; they have met in the previous book of the author, Nemesister, but in this book everything will get more personal and the truth will be revealed, ready?
Rita has a very interesting secret that not everyone knows, she has a double personality, Margarita, that takes care of the situation when she is not able to cope with the problems of her life, she is brave, bold and intelligent, and tries to keep both of them safe, even in the worst situations!
The main question would be, why Rita has a double personality? This is mainly explained in the previous book, thus while I was reading Broken Ponies I felt that there was a lot of the characters' background that was missing, I suppose it was explained in the previous book. But let me say that Rita had a lot of problems when she was young, family problems, which keep complicating her life even in the present. Because Rita's sister, a woman that I didn't like much, had a horrible childhood, but I think she is manipulative and egocentric and tries to play with everyone. Sadly, Rita loves her and tries to help her making his husband to sign the divorce papers, and this is when Red enters the story...
Red and Rita have a past, but this is one of the things I missed of the story, is told in the previous book and we don't know much about it, simply that they had an explosive meeting... but some sparks seem to flow between them... So when they meet again, instead of starting a fire, Rita will be kidnapped! Who? Why? You'll have to read the book to know more about it!
This was a interesting book, with twists and a curious story, but you should really read the previous book of the author, Nemesister, to really follow the story.
Rita has a very interesting secret that not everyone knows, she has a double personality, Margarita, that takes care of the situation when she is not able to cope with the problems of her life, she is brave, bold and intelligent, and tries to keep both of them safe, even in the worst situations!
The main question would be, why Rita has a double personality? This is mainly explained in the previous book, thus while I was reading Broken Ponies I felt that there was a lot of the characters' background that was missing, I suppose it was explained in the previous book. But let me say that Rita had a lot of problems when she was young, family problems, which keep complicating her life even in the present. Because Rita's sister, a woman that I didn't like much, had a horrible childhood, but I think she is manipulative and egocentric and tries to play with everyone. Sadly, Rita loves her and tries to help her making his husband to sign the divorce papers, and this is when Red enters the story...
Red and Rita have a past, but this is one of the things I missed of the story, is told in the previous book and we don't know much about it, simply that they had an explosive meeting... but some sparks seem to flow between them... So when they meet again, instead of starting a fire, Rita will be kidnapped! Who? Why? You'll have to read the book to know more about it!
This was a interesting book, with twists and a curious story, but you should really read the previous book of the author, Nemesister, to really follow the story.
September 24, 2018
Our main protagonist in this book, although only one person, actually has two very big personalities: Rita and Margarita. I must admit, I haven’t previously read the first book in this series and ‘Broken Ponies’ kind of throws this dual personality scenario at the reader right away with not much background information on the hows or whys. I can only assume that this is building on information already given about this rather complex character in the first book.
Rita/Margarita is asked by her sister to track down Red and persuade him to sign divorce papers so that she can marry her new beau. This is where things get interesting as Rita/Margarita has some quite complicated history with Red. Again, I really felt I would have benefited from reading the first book in this series because whilst there are snippets of information about the complicated past between these two characters I never really fully understood what had gone on between them.
Although I found the book slightly slow to take off the second half of the book more than made up for it. It was this second half where all the action happened, the secrets are revealed and Rita/Margarita and Red’s characters are developed further as we see flash backs into their pasts.
Overall this is a nice easy read in the thriller genre which I enjoyed because of the authors straightforward writing style. I would recommend reading the first book in this series ‘Nemesister’ though as I think you would appreciate this book much more having the background on these characters.
Rita/Margarita is asked by her sister to track down Red and persuade him to sign divorce papers so that she can marry her new beau. This is where things get interesting as Rita/Margarita has some quite complicated history with Red. Again, I really felt I would have benefited from reading the first book in this series because whilst there are snippets of information about the complicated past between these two characters I never really fully understood what had gone on between them.
Although I found the book slightly slow to take off the second half of the book more than made up for it. It was this second half where all the action happened, the secrets are revealed and Rita/Margarita and Red’s characters are developed further as we see flash backs into their pasts.
Overall this is a nice easy read in the thriller genre which I enjoyed because of the authors straightforward writing style. I would recommend reading the first book in this series ‘Nemesister’ though as I think you would appreciate this book much more having the background on these characters.
October 19, 2018
“An engaging thriller with a feisty heroine”
After taking some time off work as a casino security guard in Vegas, Rita seeks out her ex brother-in-law, Red, so that he can sign divorce papers. Whilst she is attracted to him, she is equally afraid of him because of deadly events in their pasts. But Rita is not the only person looking for Red. In her search, she unknowingly becomes the bait in a trap set for Red in a dilapidated, storm-damaged fairground. What do these people want with Red? And can Rita trust him? She may have no choice but to do so, as her life depends on it…
Whilst this novel was initially tricky to get into, given that it is a sequel, the plot soon became engaging; there were several games of cat and mouse in play, and determining who was a hunter and who was prey was very enjoyable when reading. Despite being a sequel, Sophie Jonas-Hill does a very good job of filling in the blanks for readers who are new to her Crooked Little Sisters series. Summaries of past events connecting Rita and Red to one another were very helpful when building a timeline. When Rita becomes bait to lure Red to the fairground, the tension and suspense quickly increases and I was asking myself whether Rita would survive this ordeal unscathed. There are a few unexpected twists and turns throughout this book which only intrigued me and made me want to read on even more.
My favourite character was Rita because she is fiercely independent and capable. Yet, beneath that tough exterior is a very damaged woman who is still traumatised by past events. In trying to come to terms with and move on from incidents in her childhood, she has created an alternative personality named Margarita. Whilst Margarita was very witty and rather humorous, I think this highlights the serious issue of how circumstances in your infancy shape and make you the person you are today. Sometimes the impact of experiences in your youth is overlooked and its significance downplayed. However, the character of Rita really incited me to think about the importance of a stable, loving and secure childhood home. I additionally felt very sympathetic towards her because she has gone through disturbing events and the only way she can deal with them is to detach herself from them through the personality of Margarita. Equally, I admired Rita’s strength and ability to fight back and try and live a normal life.
There were frequent flashbacks in this book which were very effective in building the characters of Rita and Red. Although Red is initially a mysterious character, his enigmatic nature is because he has experienced harrowing events from the Iraq war which the flashbacks help you to understand. It is impossible to imagine what he witnessed and just like Rita, he is damaged. When certain truths come to light, it is easy to comprehend his pain and feel empathetic towards him.
Overall, Broken Ponies is an engaging thriller with a feisty heroine. Sophie Jonas-Hill does a fine job in making you think about how experiences (both childhood and adult) shape people and impact their lives.
After taking some time off work as a casino security guard in Vegas, Rita seeks out her ex brother-in-law, Red, so that he can sign divorce papers. Whilst she is attracted to him, she is equally afraid of him because of deadly events in their pasts. But Rita is not the only person looking for Red. In her search, she unknowingly becomes the bait in a trap set for Red in a dilapidated, storm-damaged fairground. What do these people want with Red? And can Rita trust him? She may have no choice but to do so, as her life depends on it…
Whilst this novel was initially tricky to get into, given that it is a sequel, the plot soon became engaging; there were several games of cat and mouse in play, and determining who was a hunter and who was prey was very enjoyable when reading. Despite being a sequel, Sophie Jonas-Hill does a very good job of filling in the blanks for readers who are new to her Crooked Little Sisters series. Summaries of past events connecting Rita and Red to one another were very helpful when building a timeline. When Rita becomes bait to lure Red to the fairground, the tension and suspense quickly increases and I was asking myself whether Rita would survive this ordeal unscathed. There are a few unexpected twists and turns throughout this book which only intrigued me and made me want to read on even more.
My favourite character was Rita because she is fiercely independent and capable. Yet, beneath that tough exterior is a very damaged woman who is still traumatised by past events. In trying to come to terms with and move on from incidents in her childhood, she has created an alternative personality named Margarita. Whilst Margarita was very witty and rather humorous, I think this highlights the serious issue of how circumstances in your infancy shape and make you the person you are today. Sometimes the impact of experiences in your youth is overlooked and its significance downplayed. However, the character of Rita really incited me to think about the importance of a stable, loving and secure childhood home. I additionally felt very sympathetic towards her because she has gone through disturbing events and the only way she can deal with them is to detach herself from them through the personality of Margarita. Equally, I admired Rita’s strength and ability to fight back and try and live a normal life.
There were frequent flashbacks in this book which were very effective in building the characters of Rita and Red. Although Red is initially a mysterious character, his enigmatic nature is because he has experienced harrowing events from the Iraq war which the flashbacks help you to understand. It is impossible to imagine what he witnessed and just like Rita, he is damaged. When certain truths come to light, it is easy to comprehend his pain and feel empathetic towards him.
Overall, Broken Ponies is an engaging thriller with a feisty heroine. Sophie Jonas-Hill does a fine job in making you think about how experiences (both childhood and adult) shape people and impact their lives.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews