The Scorpio Races review

Description: 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 thoughts: I have to stop saying I’ve found my favorite book of 2011 before I actually finish my last book of the year, because it keeps changing. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was amazing. Then I read Divergent. And now it’s Scorpio Races. So I’m just keeping the poker face until the last week of December.

I have to admit something. I don’t remember what I said in my reviews of Lament or Shiver, but those books were just ok. They weren’t horrible but I felt indifferent about both of them, like I could take them or leave them. But there was just something about Maggie Stiefvater (other than our birthdays being on the same day) that makes me want to read what she writes. She’s such a talent in general and her writing is so lyrical that she’s one of those authors I just want to read no matter what. For me, Ballad was great, and it gave me the encouragement to read any upcoming books from her. Which is funny because I needed no encouragement to read Scorpio Races. It just sounded like my kind of book from the very beginning. It sounded like an adventure, and it was, though it was like nothing I’d ever imagined. It was better.

There’s the setting, which you can feel, as if you were there among the racers, on the beach avoiding the capaill uisce’s teeth. And regardless of all the things that should have made me leery of this place, every new description just made me want to be there in person.

Then there’s the story. Two actually, emerging throughout the book until they become one. That’s also the way Id like to think of Sean and Puck personally. Something was pulling them towards each other, but there was no supernatural aspects making them want to be together after 48 hours of being near each other (or whatever). Their feelings grew, and it was fantastic. Just having their personal stories in the mist of the bigger story made everything better. Because Puck needs to win this race, but Sean also needs to win this race (I can feel the fangirl in me coming out already). And that’s obviously going to cause a little bit of difficulty.

And last but not least, there’s Cor, who you don’t need to physically see to know how beautiful and majestic he really is. Or see him in person to know how fast he could run.  But I still just wanted to sit on the beach as the Scorpio Races took place, and capture one of the most basic aspects of Thisby (the island).

Additional note: No book is for everyone, but just go read it. PLEASE. Because I want this to be the book that everyone likes (I know I just contradicted myself. Whatever.).