Daughter of the Centaurs by K.K. Ross

 
The blurb:
Sometime in the future, the earth will be populated with half-animal, half-human creatures, and one girl, who may be the last human. . .

In this first book of an epic trilogy, K.K. Ross has forged a breathtaking world where myth and magic merge with science and history, peopled with characters readers will wish were real.  With aspects of The Clan of the Cave Bear, The Blue Sword, Island of the Blue Dolphins, classical mythology, and current dystopic fiction, this story reaches beyondn the bounds of fantasy and will grab readers of all genres.

Review:
In Daughter of the Centaurs K.K.Ross created a world where human civilization has declined and the remaining humans seem to have lost access to technology and machines.  Malora and her family live in what seems to be a tribe - they must hunt or grow their own food. Their group survived some sort of war and have no other communities to trade with. Their entire survival depends on their ability to set aside food for the upcoming seasons.   While humans coexist with hostile mythical creatures, the humans have a precarious existence.

During the latest attack on the leatherwings, Malora's mother instructs her to escape and not to return.  Malora leaves for the wild with a few horses and it's her training that keeps them all alive. 

When Malora and her horses are captured by centaurs, her life turns upside down. She's brought to the centaurs' city and she learns about the devastating war between humans and centaurs.  Many centaurs still regard Malora with skepticism and hostility and Malora works hard to find her place in this new world while keeping the important parts of herself. 

Daughter of the Centaurs is a coming of age story in an unusual world full of dangerous and mythical characters.  While the book is a fun, interesting read, I found the first quarter of the book slow.
ISBN-10: 0375869751 - Hardcover $17.99 
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (January 24, 2012), 384 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine Program and the publisher.

About the Author:
KATE KLIMO has two horses of her own and is an avid rider (as well as writer). She is the author of the Dragon Keepers series.