White Horse Black Nights by Evie Marceau

Summary of White Horse Black Nights:

We still worship the sleeping fae, though their magic only remains within a few of us.

Locked away for twelve years, Sabine Darrow’s only friends are animals she communicates with using magic. Now, sold as a bride to a villainous high lord, her greatest fear is trading one prison for another. But a potential escape lies in the form of her gruff yet achingly handsome guard, whose loyalty she is determined to break.

A huntsman with heightened senses, Basten “Wolf” Bowborn has more important things to do than transport his master’s new bride. With ancient creatures reawakening along the kingdom’s border wall, he is torn between his duty and his desire to investigate—until a forbidden attraction becomes an unyielding obsession.

Welcome to Astagnon—a kingdom of cruel games and corrupted courts, where the only thing more dangerous than the secrets slumbering underground is falling for the one person you can’t have.

Drawing inspiration from Snow White and the Lady Godiva legend, WHITE HORSE BLACK NIGHTS is a dark enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance that will take you on a journey you’ll never forget. This captivating story of a girl with a special gift is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer Armentrout!

Length:

414 Pages

Reading Speed:

8 hours and 50 minutes

My Opinion of White Horse Black Nights

I will accept one criticism of this book, and I’ll mention what below.

We must have read different books if you read it and did not rate it a 5 out of 5.

Female Main Character:

The world said we want more complex female characters and Mrs. Evie Marceau delivered.

Within the first few lines that Sabine spoke, you get a pretty clear picture of her personality. This is usually a hard thing to achieve, especially with a character this complex.

The one thing that truly stood out to me, is the crossing in her personality. She suffered abuse for years and has the rough edges that come with it. However, you can still see a sheltered personality behind the tough façade.

I love animals, which makes me a bit biased. If I could choose a superpower, it would definitely be to communicate with animals. I loved how much she cared about the animals. She didn’t just talk to them. She had a connection with them.

I loved the development the most. I’m not going to say much to avoid any spoilers, but I can say this.

She grows. She does not change.

I don’t know if you understand the significant difference between the two. Far too much do I see characters being changed for the sake of the plot. A well-written story is a combination of moving along the plot and enhancing it through the complications that are the character’s traits.

Main Male Character:

At first, I was deceived.

I’ll admit. I thought Wolf was just another typical fantasy book boyfriend. If you’ve noticed, they all have the same traits, it’s just the gradients that are different. Let me explain

Number one can be incredibly intelligent.

Number two can be incredibly bossy.

Number three can be incredibly protective/possessive.

Number four can be incredibly respectful.

So while number one is incredibly intelligent. He is also bossy, protective, possessive, and respectful, but mostly intelligent. Same for numbers two, three, four. Get the picture?

You can apply this to pretty much every Fantasy male lead, even Wolf. The reason he stands out, is because of his loyalty. He went inside a burning building to save a friend, even though Sabine was his top priority.

His internal fight about Sabine was all about his loyalty to his oldest and best friend.

This isn’t a spoiler, it’s in the summary.

Plot:

Here comes my criticism:

She’s naked the entire trip.

Now it was the plot point for several chapters. However, I am concerned about the fact that she is riding a horse naked… Wouldn’t the horse hair make the entire process incredibly uncomfortable? Itchy? Even painful?

Other than that, the plot was plotting. There was the main plot and hints at the sub plot which I assume will be what book two is about. It moved along our characters and made certain relationships more intimate or even more interesting.

Writing Style:

Each author puts a bit of their personality in their books. Whether it’s who they are now, who they will be, or who they want to be.

Because of that, some characters tend to show the same traits, some phrases. It’s very subtle, I don’t even think authors notice it. But seeing as this is my job, I do. 😉

The reason I mention that, is because I cannot find that here.

The main characters, even the side characters. They all have their own story and their own personality. Even though both of our characters suffered trauma, their reaction to it is similar in the way they are lonely, yet different in how they perceive the world.

I read every page, word, and letter with interest. There was not one bit that had me wishing that the chapter was shorter or left me irritated at how short it was. The pace was perfect.

Did I mention it has dual POVs? DUAL POVS.

Recommendation for White Horse Black Nights:

You like fantasy? Read this.

You like plots that use powers subtly and not in a flashy way? Read this.

You like strong women who still enjoy being soft-hearted? Read this.

You like men that will put you first? Read this.

Just read this. Now.