MollyReynolds8

When you think of horse stories, they almost always have happy or even impossible endings. The racehorse that broke a leg comes back to win the race; A city girl with no riding experience becomes a pro barrel racer overnight and saves the farm; a sick horse with no hope of recovery somehow survives thanks to the magic healing powers of love. The list is endless. While these stories are often fun read and watch, they are a poor reflection of the often heartbreaking reality that is working with horses, and sometimes a frustrating reminder that real life is not fair, no matter how hard you work or how badly you want something.Naomi Oxley, aka Nox, is no stranger to heartbreak. At the age of 18 she left her hometown in the hopes of chasing her passion of making horses a career. Her five year journey takes her takes her through some of the worst the horse world has to offer, with abuse, betrayal, and neglect at every turn. Just as Nox is about to give up on everything she's worked for, she gives it one last shot on Specter Island. It seems that Olson Performance Horses is finally the place Nox has been looking for. The owner, Keith, treats both humans and horses fairly and runs his facility with a dedication that is seldom seen anywhere else. Even the head trainer Ellis, who is aloof at best and seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, handles each horse as if he speaks their language. She even is reunited with an old friend that she never thought she would see again. For the first time in half a decade, Naomi feels at home.However, Specter Island is as wild as it is welcoming, and things can change in an instant. When a mysterious white horse appears on the beach as if washed up by the tide, it seems to bring a wave of death and despair in its wake. Over the years Nox learned all too well that, with horses, you can do everything right and still have things go wrong, but something about this feels different, somehow.…