Ashley Brown
Matt Thomas
Language Art 9
March 25, 2008
Blood Red Horse
The Blood Red Horse is a fantastically engaging book that starts out about a girl named Eleanor, two boys named William and Gavin, and their Father, Sir Thomas de Granville, about their life in Hartslove, England in 1185. But after getting a few chapters into the book you find out that it’s really about a smaller glowing red horse named Hosanna, and how it seems to affect everyone that knows him. After Hosanna is almost killed and sent to the abbey, then returned to William then prepared to be a war horse for the Holy Wars, which mainly in chapter seven, it switches for a chapter about a young boy named Kamil.
I think Kamil is one reason I really love this book. He is personality my favorite character by far, because his past is different and it effects every aspects of his character. He lives in the Holy Lands as the sultan’s, Saladin, successor since he was orphaned when he was nine years old, five years before. Kamil has sought revenge for his parents murderer, the with the tear drop birth mark on his face. But when it was time that he could Kamil for some reason was unable to take the knights blood. After a few chapters when William, Gavin, and Sir Thomas had sent out for the Holy Lands, Kamil becomes their enemy, and when William loses Hosanna to him he plays a major part in the book. I think at the very end of the book, at the end of the War when he becomes a friend the William is when you see the truest part of him.
I loved the way that Hosanna was the symbolism put behind most of the book. He represented the right thing to do when unjust was happened all around. Like when the soldiers where executing the Muslim prisoners at Acre and Hosanna wouldn’t move and let William join in the battle. I think Hosanna also represents that bloodshed is wrong because Kamil says to the sultan “Have you noticed how the color of blood clashes with the red horse’s coat?” But mainly I think Hosanna represents that no matter who takes care of him, that person is worthy and human no matter what they have done.
The one thing that I didn’t like about the book was the ending. After they return home to Hartslove, without their father, King Richard is captured in a Spanish prison. Constable Piers de Scabious who is supposed to look after the castle and Ellie in Sir Thomas’ absence is horribly ruining Ellie’s reputation so she will marry him and he can have her land, and Gavin is a knight with his sword arm.
Overall it was an amazing book with great details and storyline. That definitely leaves room for more of the story to be told in the second book “Green Jasper”. I love the fact that it is a very controversial book and talks about things that some others teenage books would touch with a ten foot pole. I love it and enjoy K. M. Grant’s writing skills.
