Helpful Score: 2
This book is everything that people have said it is and more. There is not a single part of this book thats weak; everything is crushingly beautiful and rarely matched.
Maggie Stiefvater was never a shabby writer, but in THE SCORPIO RACES, her way with language combined with a lingering emotional resonance that I hadnt quite fully experienced in her books until now. THE SCORPIO RACES is deliberately set neither here nor there, now nor then, with the result that it carries a timeless and universal feel. Broken into multiple small parts, it would be hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this book work so wellso I wont. All I know is that somehow, Pucks near-desperate spirit; Seans otherworldly skills with the capaill uisce and his unenviable conflicts; and the magical, addicting, dangerous, and mysterious island of Thisby all combine together for a book thats to be loved and indulged in like a bar of the highest quality chocolate: slowly, lovingly, and satisfactorily with each bite.
THE SCORPIO RACES proves to us all that great books dont have to come in series or trilogies. Oh, how I cant wait to read this one again.
Maggie Stiefvater was never a shabby writer, but in THE SCORPIO RACES, her way with language combined with a lingering emotional resonance that I hadnt quite fully experienced in her books until now. THE SCORPIO RACES is deliberately set neither here nor there, now nor then, with the result that it carries a timeless and universal feel. Broken into multiple small parts, it would be hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this book work so wellso I wont. All I know is that somehow, Pucks near-desperate spirit; Seans otherworldly skills with the capaill uisce and his unenviable conflicts; and the magical, addicting, dangerous, and mysterious island of Thisby all combine together for a book thats to be loved and indulged in like a bar of the highest quality chocolate: slowly, lovingly, and satisfactorily with each bite.
THE SCORPIO RACES proves to us all that great books dont have to come in series or trilogies. Oh, how I cant wait to read this one again.
I got an advanced reading copy of this book at Book Expo America and was very excited to read it. I enjoyed Steifvater's Shiver series (although I didn't love it) and was eager to see what she would come up with next. This ended up being a wonderful book; it builds slowly (as did her Shiver series) but the world-building and characters are much more well done.
The Scorpio Races happen every November when the water horses come out of the sea to terrorize the island. This story is told from two points of view. The first is Sean, he has been the Scorpio Race champion for 4 years running. Sean has some issues though, he wants a horse and home of his own but is stuck scrapping by while working at a racing stable on the island. Puck is a girl whose family is struggling; her brothers and her have lost both of their parents and are just making a living with random jobs. The Puck decides to enter the Scorpio Races with her pony in an effort to win money to save her house.
I loved the world-building in this book, it was so much better than Steifvater's previous books. The island that Sean and Puck live on has a whole culture and society built around the threat of the water horses and their history.
Puck and Sean are both excellent characters; I could talk about them forever. Puck is fiery and stubborn, but also loyal and steadfast...she has a love for this island that penetrates deep into her bones. She is trying to do the best she can for her family, even if that means bucking the ages old tradition of only using water horses and only men racing in the Scorpio Races. Sean is a mysterious and wonderful character as well. He comes off as so certain and steadfast, but he is different from everyone else. As said in the book Sean has one foot in the island and one foot in the sea. Sean has a rapport with the horses (both normal and water) that is wonderful to read about. He understands them in a way no one else can and is drawn to their fierceness. Beneath all of Sean's calmness is turmoil; he wants to own his own horses and have his own live...not be beholden to someone else's horse stable.
There are a number of wonderful side characters as well; all of them are well-filled out and interesting to read about. The description in the book was magfinificant; you can almost taste the salty air and smell the island while you are reading this book. There is tension and danger throughout the story; you never know when one of the water horses is going to kill someone or wander into the village from the sea.
The only thing that bothered me a bit was the pacing. Steifvater always paces her books the same way; they start very slow and then the action is packed into the last couple pages of the book. So, as in the Shiver series, a lot of time is spent following Sean and Puck around in their day-to-day activities. We watch Sean train horses and watch Puck train with her pony on the beach. While there is some good in this very slow and deliberate building of tension, I also found it a bit frustrating. The race doesn't happen until the very end of the book and then all of the action is packed into the last few pages. I am kind of learning to just expect this from Steifvater since it just seems to be part of her style.
Despite the inconsistent pacing, the book remains engaging. Issues such as whether or not Puck will get to race, whether or no Sean will get to own his own horse, and (of course) who will win the Scorpio Races propel the story forward. The water horses are explained fairly well, but there is always a bit of mystery to them. The book ends well, but is wrapped quickly and a bit abruptly.
Overall I really enjoyed this story, even better than Steifvater's Shiver series. This story has more world building, more of a fantasy/mythology undertone to it, and complex characters that have very real issues and concerns. I loved the way the whole island's existence is focused around the deadly water horses. As with Steifvater's other books the story unravels slowly and in the beginning a lot of time is spent just detailing the characters day to day lives; things do get more exciting during the last few pages. Steifvater does an excellent job with describing the island and the scenes; it was easy to imagine standing on the shore and seeing what these characters were seeing. Highly recommended for middle grade readers and older who love fantasy and/or mythology; just be prepared to be patient and savor the story as it unfolds.
The Scorpio Races happen every November when the water horses come out of the sea to terrorize the island. This story is told from two points of view. The first is Sean, he has been the Scorpio Race champion for 4 years running. Sean has some issues though, he wants a horse and home of his own but is stuck scrapping by while working at a racing stable on the island. Puck is a girl whose family is struggling; her brothers and her have lost both of their parents and are just making a living with random jobs. The Puck decides to enter the Scorpio Races with her pony in an effort to win money to save her house.
I loved the world-building in this book, it was so much better than Steifvater's previous books. The island that Sean and Puck live on has a whole culture and society built around the threat of the water horses and their history.
Puck and Sean are both excellent characters; I could talk about them forever. Puck is fiery and stubborn, but also loyal and steadfast...she has a love for this island that penetrates deep into her bones. She is trying to do the best she can for her family, even if that means bucking the ages old tradition of only using water horses and only men racing in the Scorpio Races. Sean is a mysterious and wonderful character as well. He comes off as so certain and steadfast, but he is different from everyone else. As said in the book Sean has one foot in the island and one foot in the sea. Sean has a rapport with the horses (both normal and water) that is wonderful to read about. He understands them in a way no one else can and is drawn to their fierceness. Beneath all of Sean's calmness is turmoil; he wants to own his own horses and have his own live...not be beholden to someone else's horse stable.
There are a number of wonderful side characters as well; all of them are well-filled out and interesting to read about. The description in the book was magfinificant; you can almost taste the salty air and smell the island while you are reading this book. There is tension and danger throughout the story; you never know when one of the water horses is going to kill someone or wander into the village from the sea.
The only thing that bothered me a bit was the pacing. Steifvater always paces her books the same way; they start very slow and then the action is packed into the last couple pages of the book. So, as in the Shiver series, a lot of time is spent following Sean and Puck around in their day-to-day activities. We watch Sean train horses and watch Puck train with her pony on the beach. While there is some good in this very slow and deliberate building of tension, I also found it a bit frustrating. The race doesn't happen until the very end of the book and then all of the action is packed into the last few pages. I am kind of learning to just expect this from Steifvater since it just seems to be part of her style.
Despite the inconsistent pacing, the book remains engaging. Issues such as whether or not Puck will get to race, whether or no Sean will get to own his own horse, and (of course) who will win the Scorpio Races propel the story forward. The water horses are explained fairly well, but there is always a bit of mystery to them. The book ends well, but is wrapped quickly and a bit abruptly.
Overall I really enjoyed this story, even better than Steifvater's Shiver series. This story has more world building, more of a fantasy/mythology undertone to it, and complex characters that have very real issues and concerns. I loved the way the whole island's existence is focused around the deadly water horses. As with Steifvater's other books the story unravels slowly and in the beginning a lot of time is spent just detailing the characters day to day lives; things do get more exciting during the last few pages. Steifvater does an excellent job with describing the island and the scenes; it was easy to imagine standing on the shore and seeing what these characters were seeing. Highly recommended for middle grade readers and older who love fantasy and/or mythology; just be prepared to be patient and savor the story as it unfolds.
THE SCORPIO RACES was the May 2013 pick in my online book club, The Reading Cove. I was intrigued by the end of the prologue, but after the first 100 pages, I had to give up and just skim through to the end for our discussion. It just wasn't my cuppa story.
The premise is that the two main characters, Puck and Sean, lose parents and are forced to make their own way....by racing on flesh-eating mad horses that emerge from the sea on a rampage...
I was bored with the meandering build up toward the actual race, which ended up being pretty anticlimactic. Maybe this book goes over better with the target audience. But I give it a C-.
The premise is that the two main characters, Puck and Sean, lose parents and are forced to make their own way....by racing on flesh-eating mad horses that emerge from the sea on a rampage...
I was bored with the meandering build up toward the actual race, which ended up being pretty anticlimactic. Maybe this book goes over better with the target audience. But I give it a C-.
This was a really neat story about Sean that after loosing his father in a special horse race and him mating a name for himself but also for the water horse (capall uisce)that he has loved for a long time. Puck (Kate) has got to grow up fast since loosing her parents, now her oldest brought wants off the island and go to the main land with out taking his siblings with him so Puck has to find a way to make money with little odd jobs. Until one of the wealthiest man on the island comes by and tells her that her and her brother needs to pack up and get out when her growing up becomes a fully fledged adulthood where she has to make lots of money to keep her home. so She decides to race in the Scorpio Races with her island pony/horse against man killing water horses. She goes from trying to save her parents home, keeping her older brother on the island to having feelings for the quiet Sean and his water horse keeping her home and her younger brother with a roof and on top of that finding a way for Sean to own Corr his water horse from the stable owner that torments Sean where the horse is concerned. I hope there will be another book into this story, I would like to see how the characters become later on and see where things go from this book.
Different setting and idea which is refreshing in the YA space. I did want to learn more about the sea horses as I though they were characters all to themselves. Puck and Sean are interesting and not whiny teenagers. Pace is a bit slow. Overall a good read.
Alice
Alice
Love this book!!! Amazing story of courage!! Wish there was a second one!!! I LOVE THE WRITING!! It's beautiful!
I wasn't to interested in reading this book at first, even though I loved stiefvater's other books. But I am so glad I decided to. I LOVED it!!! The story line was super interesting, the characters were great, and the emotion was heartfelt. It was slow going at first but the end tugged at the heart strings a little and I absolutely loved it!!!!!!
