Teodora’s Book Reviews: “Apley Towers – Books 1-3” by Myra King (Sweet Cherry Publishing, Leicester, 2015)

I’m going to start off by saying that Apley Towers is a brilliantly satisfying collection of books about the importance of life and friendship. Some people might think that these books are only about horses or riding lessons. It’s true that the action takes place at Apley Towers, a riding school in South Africa, but in my opinion, the setting doesn’t matter that much. Each story brings out a different situation that can happen to anyone, anywhere.

Apley Towers is born when Wendy Oberon, an ordinary English woman, moves from England to South Africa to accomplish her dream of setting up her own riding school: “She could see it as though it already existed: a paddock for grazing, three riding rings, a tack room and, in the distance, her own little house nestled amongst the giant oak trees. It would be her own little paradise, concealed from the world. She could imagine life and laughter in this place. She could imagine a second chance at happiness.” (page 6, fragment from the prologue in The Lost Kodas)

You’re going to find out what happens next in the three books of the collection.

The first book in the series, The Lost Kodas, is focused on the lives of two best friends and also some of the finest intermediate riders at Apley Towers, Kaela Willoughby and Beatrix King. When Wendy goes to Cape Town to solve some problems, Kaela and Trixie have to take over the beginners’ class. Unfortunately, in time, the girls take on too much responsibilities and it’s getting difficult to handle them all.

Kaela signs up for a writing course and volunteers to become the sub-editor for the school newspaper. It’s quite a shock for Kaela when the J. M. Barrie Writing School rejects her first application. Although the girl has got talent, the writing school accepts only students with high grades who also take on many extracurricular activities. Kaela is worried that she may have to give up riding in order to do something else. Meanwhile Trixie struggles to convince her parents and teachers that she is able to take up seven subjects instead of the required six. The extra work though may force Trixie to cut down on riding. Besides all these touch choices that need to be made, the two friends also have to host a show jumping competition for the beginners and, of course, teach them how to jump.

There are a lot of fights and tense moments between Kaela and Trixie. But one day Kaela and a Canadian girl, Phoenix White Feather, find each other on LetsChat (a social media platform very similar to Facebook), on a page called The Writer’s Den. Phoenix helps Kaela and Trixie, and reminds them of what’s actually important in their lives. The two riders learn that, when you’re young, you need to carry on doing the things you enjoy most. They both know that riding is what makes them truly happy.

At the end of the story, Kaela, Trixie and Phoenix create their own club, The Lost Kodas (kodas means friends), and create a new and strong friendship: “ ‘Your duties will be to support the other members, to always be a friend, and to trust that The Lost Kodas will always be there for you and look out for your best interests. You may only enter this circle with perfect love and perfect trust, and above all, perfect hope for a better life for us all,’ ” (page 182)

In the second book, Made Powerful, a new girl, Angela May, arrives at Apley Towers. Most of the riders, including Kaela and Trixie, see her as an unusual person with a lot of intriguing secrets. She has her own horses, Dawn and Fergie, a personal trainer, and she always wears expensive sunglasses while she rides. She is also dangerously talented.

At first Kaela can’t stand Angela’s bossy attitude and Trixie is jealous of her because she is very good at jumping, dressage, literally everything. However, throughout the story, the two girls get to spend more time with Angela and come to the conclusion that she is actually a very nice person. They realize they shouldn’t have judged Angela before properly meeting her. On a scavenger hunt Kaela and Angela end up in the same team and share brilliant moments together. Also, at a competition held by Equestrian International, Trixie falls in love with Angela’s dressage skills and eventually asks her for some advice.

The story ends on a happy note, as Angela becomes the new member of The Lost Kodas and finally finds her comfort zone and great people to spend time with:
“Angela went to sleep with the kodas on her mind. Her dreams were filled with real friends who wanted her advice and appreciated her knowledge and skill.
When she woke up, those friends were still there.” (page 198)

What I really liked about this story is that Trixie looks up to Kaela’s mother, Felicity Willoughby, a talented and unstoppable dressage rider. Trixie watches interviews and all sorts of videos with her from different dressage competitions. Her performances are magical and somehow she looks powerful riding on a side saddle and wearing an eye-catching outfit (a Victorian habit and high-heeled boots):

“Trixie stared in wonder at the laptop screen. A mix of apprehension, sadness and utter bewilderment filled her.
‘Isn’t she magnificent?’ the voice from the video clip said.
Yes she is, Trixie thought, yes she was.” (page 31)

The third book, Siren’s Song, is more about Trixie who faces a new problem. She has outgrown her stable horse, Slow-Moe. The girl is aware that she needs to put the past behind her and move to another horse, but it’s not that easy to find the ideal replacement. Trixie is actually in the search of the siren’s song, which will lure her straight to the perfect horse. She tries out many horses at Apley Towers, but none of them stands out. After some awful incidents, Trixie feels lonelier and more confused than ever.

One day her parents decide to let Trixie buy her own horse, so the girl goes horse shopping with Wendy. There are many options lying straight ahead, but there’s no stroke of luck around the corner. The girl looks upon this situation from a different perspective and tries to imagine what it would be like if she stopped searching. Perhaps the horse that it’s meant to be will come to her on its own. Predictably, just when Trixie stops putting a lot of effort into her search, she comes across a horse from Equestrian International called Siren’s Song, which also happens to be suitable for dressage. The irony… After many stressful days and confusing situations, Trixie learns a valuable lesson: if something is meant to be part of your life, it will eventually come in your way.

The ending of the book resembles the ending of a fairytale. Kaela, Trixie and Angela plan to ride at the same time with Phoenix, who participates in a riding competition. The three girls think about the things that make them happy and send the positive vibes to their Canadian friend:

“Kaela (…) closed her eyes, breathed in the power and energy of the land, became the history of mankind and imagined that lightness flowing straight into Phoenix.
‘Good luck my friend,’ she whispered.”

“Angela (…) closed her eyes and imagined herself as Lady Sabian (in some ways she already was), having the power to save this land from anything that threatened it.
She imagined that power as a bridge and sent it to Phoenix.
‘Good luck, Lady White Feather!’ ”

“Trixie (…) spread her arms out like wings and felt as though she were flying. The wind through her hair and her closed eyes felt more freeing than anything she had ever done before.
She held that freedom close to her heart and sent it to Phoenix.
‘Good luck,’ she whispered.” (pages 193-195)

That’s what Apley Towers is about, after all. It’s not just riding horses and winning medals at competitions. It’s about bonding friendships, having a good laugh, learning from your mistakes and enjoying every single moment of your life. Despite the long distance between Canada and South Africa, the four kodas get closer to each other by turning Apley Towers into Neverland and creating their own gang of Lost Boys. It’s that childishly Peter Pan vibe, which I'm absolutely in love with!