The Scorpio Races

Based loosely around the legend of the Celtic water horse, the entirety of this book takes place on a small, fictional island called Thisby--set somewhere in the Atlantic ocean off from the British isles. With a small population reliant on tourism, Thisby hosts an annual November race that pits mythical carnivorous horses against each other... and their ill-advised human riders.

Stiefvater is nothing if not a pro at crafting ambiance. Her pacing is meticulously languid, punctuated by brief, almost-sudden (but not jump-scare cheapened) violence and/or horror. Thisby itself is one of the most prominent characters in the whole book. You get the sense of wild beauty, stormy petulance, and melancholy danger from both our POV characters' perceptions of the place... and the common tendency for locals to flee it. November cakes aside, Thisby seems about as tempting a real estate location as Panam from Hunger Games. But our heroes are completely devoted to this, the only place in this established world where mythical predatory horses creep out of the sea and slaughter people semi on the regular. (And this is despite that fact that the MCs have lost 3/4ths of their parental units to these beasts between them.)

I fully appreciated that there is an undercurrent of forcing one to consider if the worst monsters the island attracts are, in fact, humans. Although, this is unfortunately done by making the two primary antagonists largely one-note evil villains.
As the over-privileged son of the most wealthy man on the island (who also happens to be Sean's boss), Mutt Malvern's only defining characteristics seem to be his jealous hatred toward Sean, his utter idiocy regarding the horses he's grown up around, and the psychotic (and EXPENSIVE) cruelty his daddy lets him get away with at every turn.
Mr. Malvern himself is a little more two-dimensional. He's a callous, greedy man--the sort who has no qualms about evicting the orphaned Puck and her siblings from their parents' house. He's also grimly indulgent in his desire for entertainment--to the point where he'd refrain from collecting on the house he's owed when the teenage girl occupant requests just enough time for her to try to win the money for him by riding her completely normal horse in the Scorpio Races (against dozens of the deadly and much faster water horses.)
He also, apparently, took in Sean at age 10--after his father was killed horribly in the Scorpio races. Though he didn't take him as a surrogate or foster son... but rather as an employee of his stables. (So yeah... totally cool with child labor.)

I'm guessing they are called the Scorpio Races because they fall in the month of November (as the Zodiac sign's transit is roughly October 23rd to November 22nd.) Fittingly our heroes, Puck and Sean, are of the single-minded focus typically ascribed to those born under said sign. (So that probably explains the book title?)
At any rate... unless I blanked it out, I can't recall any mention of the zodiac signs, or astrology in general, at any other point in this story.

Though there were a number of aspects this reader didn't particularly care for, I can't deny the prose is hauntingly engaging. Stiefvater does a vivid job with descriptions, and expertly conveys nuances (such as those that relate to horse care) that brilliantly immerse readers in the story. The romance is a very organic slow-burn, built on mutual respect and crucial commonalities--making it completely believable and cheer-worthy, while not actually the focal point. (Puck and Sean don't really begin talking to each other until nearly halfway through, allowing for a lot of individual build-up and character establishment.)

The ending was memorably satisfying. And it didn't quite go the way I'd guessed, which is nice.

Favorite Quote:

-“There are moments that you'll remember for the rest of your life and there are moments that you think you'll remember for the rest of your life, and it's not often they turn out to be the same moment.”

I have to say that The Scorpio Races was easily my favorite of Maggie Stiefvater’s novels so far. When I first picked this book up, I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. I wasn’t even sure I would like it. I was more than pleasantly surprised once I started reading.

I loved the setting of this story. The images were so vivid that I actually found myself closing my eyes and picturing the beach, the sea, and of course the magnificent and utterly terrifying water horses.

Puck and Sean are two amazing characters. They are both strong and courageous. Each has their personal battles to fight and while there is some romance, it is not center stage. I enjoyed the interactions between the two, and while I love a good romance, I didn’t feel like the story needed an overload of it. While training for the race, Puck’s inner strength and determination shines through as she meets obstacles along the way. Sean’s experience and respect for the horses makes him a tremendous competitor and a valuable friend to Puck.

This book is different and not typical of what seems to be trendy right now, which as a reader is refreshing. I’ve been recommending this one to everyone I can. This book is way more than a horse race, I think there is a little something for everyone in this one.

First of all, let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Maggie’s Books of Faerie series and The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, but I have to say I loved this book even more. This is my favorite book by Maggie Stiefvater. The Scorpio Races was more than I hoped for, and I am so excited I can finally share it with you all.

On the island of Thisby, water horses rise from the sea every winter hungry... for flesh. They prey on humans, sheep, dogs, even other horses. While the townsfolk are terrified of the water horses, they are courageous enough to try and train them to run in The Scorpio Races, held every year. The races bring people and racers to town from all over, and it’s the town’s only form of revenue. The men who are racing have to capture a water horse, tame it, then ride upon the shore in a bloody race that leaves many people dead or injured, or even dragged out to sea.

The water horses scared the living daylights out of me. I had nightmares about them. Maggie does such a wonderful job describing their unique beauty and an even better job of describing how terrifying they are. I have to admit I was confused as to what they were and how the races worked, but Maggie did a good job explaining it more throughout the book.

After watching his father die at one of the Scorpio Races when he was little, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion from last year’s race. He has actually won 4 races already! He is quiet, mysterious, and known as a horse whisperer to the locals. He is the guy people call upon to actually train the water horses to win the race. He hopes to one day buy his beloved water horse, Corr, from his boss and a win this year would probably give him the freedom he so desperately wants. Part of the book is told from Sean’s point of view and I was so glad. He is such an interesting character. He is mysterious, courageous, amazing with the horses, gets picked on by the local teenage boys, and yet had my highest respect throughout the entire book. Reading from his point of view made me love his character even more.

Kate (Puck) Connelly is an orphan, left with just her two brothers after the water horses killed their parents. Puck’s older brother Gabe is leaving her and her younger brother, Finn. Puck joins the races hoping she can win and earn enough money to save their parents house and delay her brother from leaving. She is the first woman to ever enter the races and the men are not very happy about it. Puck decides to ride her own horse, an island pony, instead of one of the water horses. While it was never written as a rule that you had to ride a water horse, no one has ever just ridden a regular horse. Needless to say, Puck gets picked on, treated like garbage, and the race is made even more hard for her throughout the book. Puck’s point of view makes up the other half of the book and I loved watching her grow from scared young girl to courageous racer. Puck asks Sean to help her train for the race. He reluctantly agrees and a unique bond forms between the two of them.

I honestly could not get enough of Puck and Sean’s story. While the book is not overly romantic (what Stiefvater book is?), this romance felt so real. The characters were so alive to me. They had regular quirks, regular problems, broken families, and that really came through in the book. I could feel Sean’s frustration and Puck’s courage. It’s a bit slow paced, but it works. I am not normally one who likes to read a lot of describing words, but the writing was so beautiful that it was simple for me to see the world Maggie painted. I think Maggie really hit the nail on the head with this book. Filled with terror, deadly animals, unique characters, romance and everything in between, this book is a must-read for fantasy lovers.