Blood+Red+Horse+by+K.M.+Grant

Blood Red Horse by K.M. Grand was copyrighted in 2004 in the UK and 2005 in the US. Blood Red Horse is the story of a crusade to The Promised Land, and a fair maiden left behind. It is told from two points of view, the Muslims and the Christians, who eventually team up to help something very valuable in all their lives. The Christian point of view is from the Degranvilles'; Will, Gavin and Sir Thomas. They go on a crusade from England to the Promised Land, where they hope to see Jerusalem. Will's horse, Hosanna, is also very important in Blood Red Horse, as he is a perfect model of peace and patience. Will, Gavin and Sir Thomas begin the long, grueling journey to the Promised Land, and along the way, Sir Thomas dies. They arrive in the promised land, but fight with the Muslims very often. During one of the battles, a young Muslim man takes Hosanna. Meanwhile, in the Promised Land, a boy named Kamil, who grew up with the sultan, Saladin, makes plans to avenge his father's death. He watches many battles, and takes part in some. In one of the fights, Kamil acquires a horse the color of blood, but is dissatisfied with his name, Hosanna, so he calls the horse "Red Horse." Later, during a battle, Red Horse is injured, so Kamil and his original owner team up to save him. Something I did not know about the Middle Ages before I read Blood Res Horse was how rarely women took part in important everyday life, but how much they could impact a man's life. If a woman with a large dowry, or land in her name, married a poor man, he would become very rich, but chances are she would not have a say with what happened to "her" land. One of the most interesting things I learned from the book was how battles were fought. I was unsure how they were orchestrated, because it didn't seem like they would have rules, but unfair fighting would be considered improper. I would recommend this book for one of my classmates because while it is easy to read and understand, the plot has many twists and turns that kept me reading.