Maggie Stiefvater – The Scorpio Races

paperback
publisher: Scholastic US
published 2011
pages: 482

Book on Amazon

Blurb:

Every year, the Scorpio Races are run on the beaches if Skarmouth. Every year, the sea washes blood from the sand. To race the savage water horses can mean death, but the danger is irresistible.

When Puck enters the races to save her family, she is drawn to the mysterious Sean, the only person on the island capable of taming the beasts.

Even if they stay together, can they stay alive?

A breathtaking ride that will make you heart race.

In (Very) Short:

+ beautiful and gloomy

+ half fantasy, half coming of age centering around the myth of water horses

+ told consecutively from the perspectives of the two protagonists Puck and Sean

+ slow moving at the same time fast paced story

– I can’t pronounce the name of the water horses for the life of me

My Opinion:

Kate (Puck) Connolly and Sean Kendrick have lived on Thisby there entire life. A small little island whose biggest secret is revealed every October when the beautiful yet deadly water horses come to the shore.

Tradition dictates that each year the men on the island catch and race those horses in the Scorpio Races. Yet, the races demand a price – a bloody and deadly one.

For the first time in the history of Thisby a young woman takes part in the races and only slowly realizes how dangerous and deadly this game is. But with the help of Sean Kendrick she might just be able to survive.

I am in love with this book. The general mood of the book is rather dark and gloomy, so don’t read this when you are in a similar mood. However, this book and the mood has captured me from the very first pages. It is beautiful.

The story is wonderfully written. The mythological horses and the legend surrounding them were foreign and strange to me, but are never forced or unnatural to the story.

The narrative as well as the relationship between Sean and Puck is slow moving yet at the same time fast paced. That doesn’t mean there is not enough action. There sure is a lot.

The story itself is told from the perspectives of Puck and Sean, not repeating the narrative but subsequently telling the story. This drives the narrative forward and adds to the pace.

I still have to utter a little warning. If you are not a fan of horses and dislike the animal, this might not be the right book for you. If you don’t relate to the animals than maybe don’t pick up this novel.

Bottom Line:

I am in love with this book and the beautiful story. Although I cannot pronounce the mythological name of the water horses for the life of me, I will read this book again. Sadly it was planned as an individual book and not as part of a series. But please do pick it up and read, because it is worth it.

Rating: