The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races

by Maggie Stiefvater

 


A breathtaking novel set in the wilds of Ireland, from
the bestselling author of Shiver, Linger and
Forever.
Stay alive, stay astride, stay out of the water...



Every November, the Scorpio Races are run beneath the chalk cliffs
of Skarmouth.


Thousands gather to watch the horses and the sea that washes the
blood from the sand.


The mounts are capaill uisce: savage
water horses.


There are no horses more beautiful, more fearless, more
deadly. To race them can be suicide but the danger is
irresistible.


Sean Kendrick knows the dangers of the capaill uisce.
With one foot in the ocean and one on land, he is the only man on
the island capable of taming the beasts. He races
to prove something both to himself and to the horses.



Puck Connolly enters the races to save her family. But the horse
she rides is an ordinary little mare, just as Puck is an ordinary
girl.


When Sean sees Puck on the beach he doesn't think she belongs.
He doesn't realize his fate will become entwined in hers.


They both enter the Races hoping to change their lives. But
first they'll have to survive.





Romantic and steeped in legend

Maggie Stiefvater is a master at writing both romance and heart-pounding
action

Her books have consistently debuted at #1 on the NYT bestseller
list




PRAISE FOR SCORPIO RACES


"If The Scorpio Races sounds like nothing you’ve
ever read, that’s because it is. The capaill
uisce are exhilarating, frightening creations... Stiefvater has
successfully plumbed lesser-known myths and written a complex literary
thriller" - New York Times


The bestselling author of Shiver (2009)
and Linger (2010) turns the
legend of the water horse into a taut, chilling, romantic adventure. The
water horses are breathtakingly well-imagined, glorious
and untamably violent. The final race, with Sean and Puck each
protecting each other but both determined to win, comes to a pitch-perfect
conclusion. Masterful. Like nothing else out there now.
- Kirkus Review

Reviewed by Kelsenator on

5 of 5 stars

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Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf

(4.5)

I loved Maggie’s Shiver series, so reading this was definitely a must.

Every November, men capture and try to train water Horses that come out of the ocean water, to compete in a race for fame and money among other things. These horses are bigger and faster, are always drawn to the ocean, and oh yeah they kill people.

The story centers around Puck, a girl who loves to her brothers and her riding horse Dove, and Sean, who has a special relationship with his red horse, Corr, a capall uisce. The story changes to their individual perspective through the book, with Sean being the champion, and Puck having entered for the first time, for personal reasons. Only problem is, women don’t race, only the men do, and they only do it on the water horses, not the normal land ones like Puck decides to.

The writing for this was really good, getting to know about the troubles of both Puck and Sean’s life, what drives them to race, and how they meet each other. I liked the idea of it as well with the water horses, it felt new, and the characters were so full of energy I just loved reading about them. The build up to the end was worth every second, I wasn’t sure who was going to win the race.

I definitely suggest you try this book out, even if you haven’t read any of the author’s other books.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 January, 2012: Finished reading
  • 20 January, 2012: Reviewed