A GATHERING OF WINGS

The last human must re-enter the wild in order to save her best friends in this meandering sequel in an unremarkable series (Daughter of the Centaurs, 2012).

Malora Thora-Jayke (aka Ironbound, Victorious and Resurrected) has traded the bush for a comfortable life in Mount Kheiron, home of the centaurs. Despite her apprenticeship as a blacksmith, her own paddock and the Apex’s favor, Malora yearns to find her black stallion, Sky, and the mysterious man of her dreams, Lume. Following a trail of rumors, Malora visits the dangerous city of Kahiro, with her centaur friends—shallow Zephele, stern Neal and curious Orion—and the scholarly faun, Honus, providing both hindrance and help. Going solo, she encounters death, Lume and a band of wild centaurs, but she emerges triumphant, with Sky and a new herd in tow. When Malora’s actions bring unexpected consequences, she finds that she must defend her friends from foes, family and mythical monsters. Though Malora boasts impressive survival skills, her contrasting social inexperience allows readers to learn about the world of the hibes (or hybrids), the legacy of the revered Scienticians and the near-extinction of the human race alongside Malora. Klimo tends toward heavy-handed exposition, slow pacing and flat secondary characters; that she excels at describing the physical world and chronicling Malora’s emotional growth does not sufficiently compensate for the weaknesses in the story.

Another horse book with a trite dystopian twist.