Riders by Veronica Rossi

Riders
Riders: Book One
Written by Veronica Rossi
Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Published February 16th 2016 by Tor Teen
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★★★★
Nothing but death can keep eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

While recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen—Conquest, Famine, and Death—are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail. Now—bound, bloodied, and drugged—Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he’s fallen for—not to mention all of humankind—he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?
Gideon Blake is your average eighteen year old set on becoming a Army Ranger, much like his father. The day after he graduates high school he leaves for training. Everything is swell, he's exceeding in his tasks and finding where he belongs. That is until a month or so later, Gideon is in a fatal accident and just so happens to die — but comes back to life with a peculiar red cuff around his wrist. It's in the following days that Gideon realizes he's not the same kid who died that day. He can now heal faster than any human alive, and appears to be able to quite literally enrage people.

When Gideon goes to a college party, it's there he discovers a girl by the name of Daryn. It's then that Gideon is told that he is War, the second of the four horsemen. Daryn is essentially the guide to the four horsemen—a Seeker. Together, she and Gideon must traverse across the world to round up the other three horsemen in order to protect a key that could open up a hellish realm that could bring humanity to its knees if it were to land into the wrong hands.

Kynndra's Thoughts

AHHH. This was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of 2016. The cover, and the synopsis had me from the start. Initially I had my doubts due to a few meh reviews I read that were coming out, but alas I rode on and picked this pretty up. I'm so happy I did. While I didn't loooove it, I did thoroughly enjoy it. For one, I have always been obsessed with mythology - so the four horsemen of the apocalypse really had me going. The concept of this novel is so fresh and new that I couldn't help but appreciate how different the story was from other books I've read.

When it came down to the way Riders was written I found that I was always hooked. I think that's in part due to how the story was written in such a manner that it's a story within a story. You know how when you tell your friends a story and usually it's only the very best parts, not extremely descriptive but just enough to get a colorful picture? That's really how Rossi went about writing Riders which I was initially skeptical about but it really ended up working for me! It made for a quick and fast read for sure. I just really enjoyed the new and unique style. Also, it's awesome to see more male POV's make their way into YA, I think it's something any guy could read and love.

I was so engrossed with the plot, and seeing how Veronica would mold the four horsemen mythology to make it her own. I was not disappointed whatsoever. The plot was exciting especially because there's a lot of action. That's not to say it's all action, there are some amazingly written soft and tender moments between our characters which I WAS ALL FOR. But for the most part, the plot was interesting as it was told in two parts: the actual story, and Gideon being interrogated.

“Texas tips his chin, already smiling at what he’s going to say. “There’s gonna be horses soon, right? I can’t wait. My family trains cuttin’ horses. Best in North Texas. I’m guessin’ they wouldn’t stack up to War’s horse.”

“Probably not.”

I think my only complaint about Riders is that I felt disconnected from the characters. Admittedly, I wasn't a huge fan of Gideon. I found him overly aggressive (duh he's War, no shit he's aggressive) but regardless, I've never been a fan of angry people so it's really just a personal conflict. I can't wait to see his character growth in book two, I already saw a hint of it near the end! Oh my, but I did love Sebastian! (aka Famine) He was adorable and sweet and basically the groups mom. He's a special one for sure. As for the other two horsemen, we don't get to see much of them really so I feel unable to comment on them yet - I have faith we'll grow a bond in book two. Daryn is also really mysterious - I am so excited to learn more about her! I'm definitely a Dareon shipper :p

Last but not least: THE HORSES WERE BAD ASS. I loved them all so much. I won't spoil the details of them, but I will applaud Veronica Rossi on making them so rich and imaginative. I'll be 100% honest - I'd probably be more devastated to see one of these horses die than I would one of the human characters. The horses truly are characters themselves, AHHHH I want one so bad.

In Conclusion

Riders was a thrilling and heart pounding ride. I enjoyed the world and mythology that Veronica Rossi was so capable of building upon. She really made the story both fun, scary and new. I also want to add that I just adored the fact that the characters in Riders were on the older spectrum of their teenage years which is rare from what I've come across. If you want something original and distinct from any other work I highly recommend Riders. The ending gave me a similar sensation as this:

Kynndra is just crawiling out of her blogging/reading slump so bare with her if this review is rather rusty.


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27 comments

  1. Oh I'm glad you loved this one. It sure hasn't been getting the best reviews. The synopsis attracted me as well and I like when an author takes liberty with the mythology and make it all work for her readers.

    Lovely review, Kynndra!

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    1. Ah! I'm so happy to hear it's been getting sound reviews. I've only seen a few good ones mixed in with a lot of meh. Veronica definitely molds the mythology so that it's not only interesting but creativily her own. I really enjoyed it! Thanks Joy c:

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  2. Wow, that cover! I'm off to goodreads to check this one out :-) Great review.

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    1. Yaaas go check it out, Sarah! It's so good. The cover is an eyegasm and a half :D

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  3. I THOUGHT NO ONE ELSE LIKED THIS BOOK. I've seen horrible reviews for this book and I honestly liked it. The cover is just everything I live for. Wonderful review, and welcome back Kynndra, glad you got out of the slump!

    ~Noor

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    1. HAH SAME, BUT I'M HAPPY TO SEE YOU DID TOO. I know, there's been so many shitty reviews - it actually almost made me not read it but I said to hell with it and I'm super happy I did. The cover is amazing, I can't wait for the sequel's cover. Thanks so much Noor! <3

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  4. Omgosh I didn't even know that Veronica had a new book out. Love the fact that the characters are on the older end of the spectrum too! I'm a huge fan of mythology, so it's cool to see an author doing something new and very rarely written about. Glad you liked this book Kynndra!

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    1. Yep she does! I still have to read her other books. Same! Especially since I'm nearly 19, it's awesome to read characters who are my own age. You'll love the mythology aspects - I thought it was so creative c: thanks Joy!

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  5. Ooh, I'm glad you liked this!! I haven't read anything by Veronica Rossi before, but I've always wanted to. And the storyline of this sounds completely kickass. (and THAT COVER. 😍) Lovely review!

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    1. Ahhh! You should definitely make this a priority then c: the story and the cover are so kickass! Thank you ^^

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  6. Haha! That last gif for the ending is so accurate.
    But anyways YESSSSSSS!! I'm so happy you liked Riders, Kynn! I was sad seeing all the meh reviews because I had so much fun reading the book myself. It took some time to get used to, but I ended up really liking the writing style. It made me want to finish the book in one sitting! I agree with what you said about the characters too. I didn't feel like I got to know them enough but they have a ton of potential. And OMGGG yess!! The horses were my favorite!
    I'm so happy you liked this one overall, Kynn! Let's hold hands waiting for that sequel!
    Lovely review! :)

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    1. Lmao, isn't it? The ending killed me. Such a huge cliffhanger. I am so upset seeing all the bad reviews - I don't understand why, but alas people like different things! The writing style definitely took some adjusting to get used to - at first I thought I was going to hate it but I actually ended up loving it. I can't wait to see how the characters differ in book two, since we didn't get to see a whole lot in Riders. I agree, horses were definitely my favorite too c: I will gladly hold hands with you until the sequel, Nick. Thank you!

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  7. I haven't read anything by Rossi, but I AM curious about this one. I'm glad you enjoyed it overall and thought the ending was done well. Sebastian DOES sound adorable.

    -Lauren

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    1. Yes, I'm glad I could peak your curiosity Lauren! This was my first Rossi book but I'll more than likely check out other stuff from her. Sebastian is my flower son and must be protected at all costs xP

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  8. Aw, I am so glad you enjoyed this! I liked it, didn't love it, but liked it enough to definitely want to read the sequel. SUCH a good point about the characters being on the older end of YA- I really liked that! I also looooved Sebastian. I think he has to be everyone's favorite haha. I agree that this would be a great book for a guy to enjoy too, which is refreshing. My big complaint was that like you, I didn't really connect too well to Gideon, and I would have liked to have known more about the other two horsemen! (And then I had a few plausibility issues, but they're spoilery haha.) Fabulous review!

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    1. I was the same way, Shannon. It wasn't mind-blowingly amazing; however, it was so unique that I felt it deserved some props. I did truly enjoy the story though! I loooved that the characters were older - I just feel uncomfortable reading super young teens for some reason. Gideon came off so overbearing to me. I just couldn't like him all that much as a character. I can't wait to get to know more about the horsemen, Sebastian included. Thank you! c:

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  9. Okay well now I completely want to pick this book up? I was a bit hesitant to after some reviews but most of them are really positive but this pretty much sealed the deal, it sounds so, so unique and that's exactly what YA needs rn imo because there are so many stories I've been reading that are a variation of other stories and I'm so excited to pick this up (I literally just added it to my cart)

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    1. AHH yes, do it Sheema! It's a but of a hit or miss for some. Some hate it, others like it. I ended up liking itistly because it's a different set up than what's been seen in YA before. It was refreshing - and like you said, what YA needs right now. Can't wait to see your thoughts c:

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  10. I’ve heard a lot of split reviews for this, so I’m glad to hear you liked it so much Kynndra. Definitely going to have to give it a try – the characters sound absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! ♥

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    1. There really are a ton of split opinions on this one (rightfully so). I'm just relieved I ended up liking it as I was looking forward to it. The characters are okay, I'm anticipating growth in book two! Thanks so much, Zoe :D

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  11. This was one of my most anticipated too. I still need to read it though. I'm ignoring the meh reviews, so I'm glad to see you enjoyed it!

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    1. I'm excited to see your thoughts on it, Christy!

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  12. Yay! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this :) I'm hoping to read this one erm...at some point this year perhaps lol it sounds like a new twist on an awesome tale (I like the mythology of the four horsemen as well!)

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    1. It is a new and exciting twist when it comes to the four horsemen mythology. I can't wait to see how you like it, Wattle :D

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  13. Riders and I didn't start off on the right foot. I didn't care for the writing style, and I was so damn lost that I decided to give up at 8%. It was mostly due to the fact that I was slipping into a reading slump, so I'm going to pick it back up to give it another go. You know I trust your opinion, so if you enjoyed it, maybe I will too!

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  14. I found it really meh. The lack of connection to the characters was a turn off for me, and towards the end, it didn't enchant me as much anymore. I might pick up the sequel, though.

    But oh my goodness, do I love your description for Sebastian because it is perfect. *thumbs up*

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  15. Ooooh, I've seen this one around and the premise REALLY intrigues me. (Also, THAT COVER.) But if you say you couldn't really connect with the characters ... I dunno. I just read Red Rising where I basically liked everything but didn't have a handle on the characters and it kinda fell flat because of that. So this sounds like a great book, but probably not for me right now.

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