Title: The Scorpio
Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Published:
October 18th, 2011 by Scholastic
Source:
Purchased
Format: Audio
book narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham
Group age:
Young adult
Genre:
Paranormal / Romance
Challenge: TBR
Pile
Grade rate: A
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
My Review
Once upon a time, back in 2011, I went to my first book signing.
I had just stared my blog and I was beyond excited to meet Maggie
Stiefvater. I love her Wolves of Mercy Falls series and the
signing was for Forever, the last
book in the series. Maggie talked about
her next book, The Scorpio Races, and
as any good fan would do, I purchased it right away. Sadly, it sat on my shelf unread for a couple
of years. A few months ago I decided to
purchase it in audio book, and the rest as they say, is history.
There are many reasons why I love Maggie’s writing and this couldn’t
be truer in The Scorpio Races. All the elements of an imaginative plot, world
building, outstanding writing and amazing characters are all here. It was magical to listen to these talented
actors read the book. It took me a bit
to get used to their accents, but it was so worth it.
This story is the
story of the unique and unforgiving island of Thisby where killer horses named capaill uisce (pronounced something like
‘capal ishka’) come out of the water every year around the month of October to
hunt. This is the time where the men
in the island try to catch the capaill
uisce and ‘train’ them to race in the Scorpio Races, for a chance to glory
and, of course, money. People come from
all over to see the races, to bet, and to buy horses.
Our protagonists are Sean Kendrick and Kate ‘Puck’
Connolly. Sean is an orphan that was
raised to love horses. He has a natural
understanding for both land and water horses and he works as a trainer for
Benjamin Malvern, the richest man in Thisby.
Sean is a man of few words, he has an imposing presence and he is
respected by all. Sean and his capill
Corr, have won the races four times before and are getting ready to do it again.
Kate is also an orphan, having lost both her parents a year prior. She has two brothers, Gabe and Finn, and they
are having a really tough time with surviving.
Kate is so funny! Her mind is an amusing
place to be indeed, luckily most of the time she thinks before she talks. Kate
is very loyal to her family and the few people she considers friends, but in
her mind it’s always the Connolly’s against the world. This
world comes crashing down when her brother Gabe announces he is leaving the
island, a desperate Kate enters the races to make a point and to keep him in
the island a little bit longer.
Sean and Kate are
different, but they have some things important in common, their love of horses
and their love for the island they call home. This is not a flashy, instant or passionate
love story, nonetheless, it is a sweet romance between two people that respect
and understand each other. Do I wish for
more time with Kate and Sean?
Absolutely, but I trust that their lives will be better now.
Our villain is Mutt Malvern, the son of Sean’s boss and an awful
human being that takes pleasure in tormenting Sean at all costs. The hatred between these two is mutual and
palpable. Other characters are minor,
but add a lot to the story, especially Mr. Holly who seems to act as Sean’s
conscience and mentor.
The world building is
exquisite. There is a lot of description of the cliffs, the beach, the
horses, and so on. This world comes
alive under Maggie’s pen and it’s one of the main characters. The crown jewel of the story is the
writing. It is lyrical, almost like
reading poetry, full of simile and metaphors.
The Scorpio Races is a truly beautifully written book, ideal
for the romantic at heart, but with a strong stomach (after all they are killer horses). The only thing left
is for me to back some November cakes (I will too!)
Here are some quotes for you:
“I think of Sean
folded low over the red stallion, riding bareback at the top of the cliffs. Of
the easy way they had with each other when I met him to look at the uisce mare.
I think, even, of the way Sean looked when he stood on the bloody festival rock
and said his name, and then Corr's, like it was just one fact after the other.
Of the way he said "the sky and the sand and the sea and Corr" to me.
And I feel a bite of unfairness, because in everything but name, it seems to me
that Sean Kendrick already owns Corr.”
“I say, 'I will not
be your weakness, Sean Kendrick.'
Now he looks at me.
He says, very softly, 'It's late for that, Puck.”
“In the middle of
all this, as Sean slips out of his jacket, he looks over his shoulder at me and
he smiles at me, just a glancing, faint thing before he turns back to Tommy.
I'm quite happy for
that smile, because Dad told me once you should be grateful for the gifts that
are the rarest.”
“Happiness isn't
something this island yields easily; the ground is too rocky and the sun too
sparse for it to flourish.”
About the cover:
I love the rusted red color- the color of blood. Puck is riding on Dove near the water; they
both seem so free and fast. The brass
color font of the title is a nice contrast.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this book! Then again, I love everything Maggie does. She's so talented!! Excellent review. I've been wanting to give the audiobook a shot... now I think I must! Thanks very much for your review. I'm glad you loved it too!
ReplyDeleteYou and me both! I love her writing. Thank you for stopping by Litza :)
DeleteYou're most welcome! Oh, and sorry about the double messages... I had no idea it did that! That's what I get for responding on my phone. :P
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