The Scorpio Races

I loved every second of it! Maggie’s worlds are always so interesting

I enjoyed the story line, however it was a bit long and slow.

On a small wind-torn island, Puck Connolly is just a few weeks away from losing her house and her horse. Her last chance to keep both: to win the annual race held that November. The only problem...the riders don't ride horses, they ride man eating sea-living creatures that resemble horses until they abruptly bite your arm off. But Puck is resolved, and so she begins training, up and down the shore in the biting cold.

I really fell in love with the characters. They each felt distinct, and although the chapters switch povs between Puck and her fellow racer Sean, I always knew immediately which viewpoint I was in. I'm not a horse person at all--I've always thought horses look a bit like swollen ticks, with their great big bodies and spindly legs--but by the end of the book I was totally invested in Puck and Sean's relationships with their horses. I was on pins and needles by the climactic race. I could hardly turn the pages fast enough, I was so scared something would happen to Puck or Sean or Dove or Corr, and so curious as to what would happen.

the first of many romance maggie stiefvater books that i read and have been on the look out for more ever since. she just has a way of writing relationships that makes my little aroace heart happy.

I love this book so much! I've read it countless times but this was my first time listening to it. Steve and Fiona did a PHENOMENAL job at bringing this book to life and I will most definitely be listening again. It goes without saying that Maggie is an extraordinary author <3

Both tense and heartfelt. Th fascinating and mysterious lore of the waterhorses will keep you invested .

Beautiful, poignant and so emotionally charged. This book was such a treat!

Enjoyable, true YA, listen. Great for teens or someone looking for a fairly light but well-written read.

Great writing. Great story. Great narration from audiobook. Have listened to this one many times.

I loved it I only listened to it because I liked the narrator "Steve West "'s narrating and thought to listen to all his audiobooks , and I was pleasantly surprised

This book is hovering between 3.5 and 4 stars for me actually. I read this as a buddy read, switching back and forth between ebook and audiobook.

Since I had tried in the past to read the author's Raven Boys series and couldn't get very far into the first book before I put it down, I decided to try this one instead. First off, I have to say that this book was not what I expected it to be. I thought that this book would be focused solely on the race itself, but it was more about the prep leading up to the race. It also left me with a lot of questions, even in the end.

One of the bigger questions I had throughout the book was, where are they referring to when they refer to the mainland? My reading buddy found that the capaill uisce or water horse is found in Scottish/Celtic folklore, though I didn't find that the narrators had particularly Scottish accents, which confused me a bit. Also confusing to me, and the reason that I started utilizing the audiobook, was the alternating POVs between Sean and Puck. Reading the ebook, I constantly had to flip back to see who was talking during the particular chapter. Having the audiobook really helped me to know who's POV we were in as the audio version has both a male and female narrator.

Once I realized that the book wasn't going to focus on the race but the prep leading up to it, I think I was able to enjoy it more. I can't say that I wasn't a little disappointed that the race itself was such a small part of this story. That being said, I found the race scene exciting. I was also happy with how the relationship between Sean and Puck developed and thought that the ending was fitting.

I have never read a fantasy book without some kind of magic system or magic in general, which is probably why it was easy for me to forget that Thisby wasn't a real island. If in the future we are given the opportunity to visit there again, I would be happy to race among the capaill uisce again.

Brilliant. I loved the story, but I feel like the audio voice used makes Kate sound a little less intelligent than she was. Other than that, no complaints.

This novel was far more than I was expecting based on the title and blurb. While the story does build up towards the race, it is by no means the focus of the story (the race itself only takes up 14 of the 410 pages). Instead, the novel is more of a snapshot, allowing the reader to experience what life is like on Thisby. Stiefvater's attention to detail is nothing sort of staggering, helping add to the panoramic experience and allowing me to feel as though I was actually there.The novel does a really good job of balancing the supernatural and mundane aspects of the story in a way that allows the story to feel believable. Although the capaill uisce are magical creatures, they don't feel tacked on and are a completely believable part of the world. The vicious and unpredictable nature of the horses help add a level of tension to the story, which in turn made it impossible for me to guess how the novel would end. In the final act of the novel, I just devoured the story. I had no idea who would win (or even survive) the race and therefore I just couldn't put the book down.Yet it's the characters that really make the story for me. Both Puck and Sean feel like real characters, flawed but ultimately very likable. They could act selfishly (Puck) or insensitively (Sean). Yet they still had noble thoughts at heart. Sean sought his freedom – the chance to live the life of his choice with the capaill uisce that he loves. Puck’s issues are more grounded in the physical, a strong desire to hold her family together and remain on the island that she calls home. Both of the characters are very strong and capable, able to hold their own against people who wish them ill and not afraid to speak their mind. Because of this, I found it difficult to choose who I wanted to win the race and for me, this made the story more effective. While I would be glad for either one to be the victor, it also meant that one of them would have to sacrifice their dreams.All in all, it's just a stunning novel - even better than Shiver. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Opening. “It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.”

My usual method for writing reviews is to come up with a list of bullet points about the book, which I then build into paragraphs. When I finished writing up my list for The Scorpio Races, I looked at it and went, “Hmm. I use the word love quite a lot.” And that is because I LOVE THIS BOOK.

So, in case you don’t know much about it, here’s a brief explanation. Puck Connolly and Sean Kendrick grew up on the island of Thisby, where every November first, the men and boys race the capall uisce–beautiful deadly water horses–to win the Scorpio Race. Sean has won the last four years. Puck, however, decides to ride in the races, on her own pony, to win the money to save her house.

I kind of loathe plot summaries, so I’ll just say that this doesn’t do the book justice at all.

It’s told in alternate narration, which I’ve come to expect from Maggie Stiefvater. I really loved Puck’s voice–she’s both fierce and tender and I found her entirely believable. She’s the kind of person I’d be proud to know. If she existed in real life, that is. Sean is fascinating, partly because his narration is full of words–he’s the one that really captures the boiling excitement of the races for me–while to Puck he’s silent.

In my opinion, some of the best books make you feel like you can do things you can’t. When I read The Blue Sword, for instance, I think I could ride in a laprun trial. (HAH!) In this case, the race was so real to me, and the capall uisce, that I felt not only that I was riding with Puck and Sean, but that I could ride in it myself. Since I’ve been on a horse about twice in my whole life, this is obviously not true, but for the space of those pages, I could.

One of my very favorite things about this book is the way the relationship between Sean and Puck unfolds. The sort of culmination of it, in my opinion, is Puck’s exchange with Benjamin Malvern at the end of the book. It made me laugh, but it was also exactly the right note to hit. I love the slow blossoming romances much more than the Insta-attraction (just add water!) ones that seem to be the norm at the moment. I trust that Sean and Puck will last, because they know each other. And besides, they make me feel all gooey.

Another thing that I really appreciated was the way the conflict was set up and resolved. I’m not talking about Mutt Malvern here, but rather that central question that haunts the race scene. Both Sean and Puck have to win this race, while at the same time, they want the other to win. I trusted the way this problem was solved.

Of course, this is also a book about family, and what you do when your family leaves, or when they betray you. I like it when YA deals with that, helpfully messing up that convenient mg/YA marker of family vs. romance. Besides, families are something we live with our whole life, and pretending otherwise is silly.

I’m not sure I’ve given a good sense of just how much I enjoyed this book–the story, the characters, the writing. But I will certainly agree with Maggie Stiefvater herself. This is her best book yet. It’s beautiful, and you should definitely read it.

Book source: public library (but going on my wishlist)
Book information: Scholastic, 2011; YA (though I think upper mg would like it too)

Can you fall in love with a book? I think I just did. Magical, beautiful, moving...couldn't love it more.

Narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham. The hardscrabble island life of Thisby and its waterhorse culture comes alive in this audio presentation. Steve West is particularly effective portraying Sean, a brooding, passionate horseman who just holds his emotions in check. Powerful horses, a unique culture and a touch of burgeoning romance make for a great getaway book.

Took the audio to really get this to work. More soon!

I like the concept of water horses. I appreciated that Steivfater did not say "there is only one way to love a homeland". I liked the descriptions on the November cakes. My only problem was that it seemed to drag on in the middle. I skipped ahead to read the final race after about 40%. I did go back and read the rest, but I didn't really feel like I missed anything the first time through the ending. Not sure what that says about the writing. Maybe it just says something about my impatience with young romance.

A twist on the mythology of Kelpies, The Scorpio Races pulled me under the waves, with colourful chatacters, high stakes, and fast, dangerous horses tied to the sea.

You have no idea how much it pains me to write this review. This is the book I was looking forward to. The one that made me squeal like an excited 6 year old when it arrived in the mail. People raved about it (it has a 4.13/5 rating on Goodreads).It just didn’t happen.I read the first chapter and immediately I didn’t connect with Puck. I didn’t really feel her speaking to me. I just saw the words on the page, but I didn’t actually care about her or get invested. I figured it was early on and surely I’d get attached to her later.My next annoyance is from a little later, but still the beginning of the book. It’s about the reason why Puck enters The Scorpio Races. First of all, I never got the impression that her entering was a big deal. I was waiting for some big monumental decision but it was basically just like:“I’m going to enter the race.” “Okay.”The author, Maggie, did describe the dangers of The Scorpio Races and how brutal the horses are, but I just never got the impression that it was a big deal to Puck. She didn’t seem scared or excited. I just had no idea what she was feeling and I didn’t even know why she was entering (it wasn’t made clear until later that the winner gets a lot of money). When she first said she was going to enter the race, she didn’t seem phased by it, and her family didn’t seem to mind at all.. which is my next frustration.The Scorpio Races are supposed to be this huge deal. They’re supposed to be terrifying and the sea horses are supposed to be ruthless. Well, her brother Gabe is an asshole. First he announces that he’s abandoning his brother and his sister Puck. Then Puck says “I’ll join The Scorpio Races!” Then Gabe is just like “Okay.” He has absolutely no problem with letting his little sister join the most dangerous event on the island?As the book progressed, I had to accept the fact that I was never going to care about Puck. I never connected with her. I never felt her emotions leaking off the page. I was never thinking to myself, “OMG SHE HAS TO WIN THE RACE!” I didn’t even care if she won or not because I never got attached to her as a character. Finally, I just came to terms with it.With each turn of the page, I developed a new frustration. Nothing was happening. There was no action; there were no events; nothing. The first ten pages was Puck deciding to enter the race and the last 20 pages were the race itself. So what the heck happened in between? We had like 380 pages of just “getting ready for the race.” But none of that was intense or exciting. Most of it was Puck training her horse, chatting with neighbours, getting to know Sean, and maybe once every 50 pages something exciting might happen.I just felt like I had no idea where the story was going. I never cared about any of the characters. I felt like most of the characters outside of the main ones had little importance. I also felt like there wasn't a clear distinction between the "voices" of the characters. They both read the same way to me. I couldn't even tell their personalities apart. There were times when I would start reading a chapter and then go “Wait, who’s point of view is this?” and I’d have to double-check the chapter heading. I didn’t feel a real difference between Puck and Sean. They were both quiet, reserved, and didn’t really care. Neither of them ever got excited or expressed true happiness. They just both felt so monotone.So this review isn’t completely negative, I will say that Maggie Stiefvater did have a beautiful writing style in this book. The descriptions and the wording of the novel were artfully done — really terrific. Unfortunately it just wasn’t enough to make up for my disappointments.I’m sorry, Maggie, I really am. I wanted to love this book because I absolutely love horses and I’ve loved similar race stories like Hidalgo.. but this one just didn’t resonate with me. Believe it or not (since most people feel the opposite), I actually enjoyed Shiver more.

3.5/5Un'isola del nord e i capaill uisce, i cavalli d'acqua: giganteschi, letali e protagonisti delle Scorpio Races.Sean, veterano delle corse e Puck, costretta a parteciparvi, sono i due protagonisti, assime a Dove e Corr, i loro cavalli.L'ambientazione del romanzo è ricca e sono delineati anche i personaggi minori; il romanzo soffre però di alcuni punti deboli; i punti di vista su cui si snoda il racconto sono due, ma troppo spesso risultano simili, inoltre alcune parti risultano dilungate e poco avvincenti, così come alcuni passaggi risultano poco convincenti (ad esempio il primo motivo per cui Puck gareggia).---An island in the North and the capaill uisce, the water horses, giants, killer and protagonists of the Scorpio Races.Sean, race veteran, and Puck, who needs to participate, are the two main characters, with Dove and Corr, their horses.The setting is rich and the minor characters are outlined; nevertheless the novel suffers some weak points; the POV following the narration are two, but some times very similar, moreover some parts are not engaging while others are not plausible (like Puck's first reason to enter the race).

I had forgotten that I could enjoy YA before The Scorpio Races. The image of monstrous horses coming out of the ocean, lusting for blood, bears a resemblance to orcas surging out of the water for seal flesh. It is terrible and fascinating at the same time. I applaud Stiefvater for taking the myth of the cappaill uisce and giving it so much life: the setting of Thisby is stark and flattened by the wind, yet lush because of Stiefvater's prose, the majority of the characters are distinct and relatable, and the pacing just right. The romance is inevitable, but I like how the author places the horse-and-rider relationships before that of the heroine and hero.The notion of a tourism-driven economy could have been explored further, and the character of Gabriel could have been more present. Despite the fact that tourism is the driver of the race, we see little of the crowd of foreigners wrecking havoc on the island (except for George Holly and us readers). Gabriel is the reason this story exists, yet the interaction between him and Puck is minimal and most of the time, he's just a dick. The author tells us that Gabe is full of guilt and yearning, and yet I could not sympathize with him, even when his story comes to light.I still don't know how to end reviews, so I conclude by saying that The Scorpio Races has a 4.5/5.

The island of Thisby has what no other place in the world does - capaill uisce, vicious sea-dwelling horses. Island tradition calls for men to trap and train the sea-horses. Every year, men and sea-horses die in a race to determine who is fastest. Sean Kendrick has won the race 4 times. This year, Kate Connelly is going to race on her pony, Dove. This is a serious break with tradition and many are not happy about it.

I loved how the characters in this book bravely faced the challenges in their lives. I also liked how the book took place in the past but the characters were contemporary.

Incredible. Just what I was in the mood for.

Oh why couldn’t this be a series! I loved this book so much, I want more of this world and these characters. This may be my favourite Maggie Stiefvater book yet.

Probably would have rated it better if I'd read before some of the other YA books-- just seemed somewhat predictable, didn't really care about the characters

I literally cried at the end. Sooo good! The beginning is a bit slow, but stick with it-you'll be glad you did.

Very emotional read for me although I definitely enjoyed the book, REALLY different read from what I am used to but definitely grateful to have had it recommended to me. The characters definitely tugged at my heart with their reasons to win the race, the chemistry between human or animal was there and perfectly written to engage the reader as it did for me.

I’ve read this book time and time again but the narration made it seem that much more magical.