The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Goodreads Summary:
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 Review:
I am a big fan of Maggie Stiefvater's "The Wolves of Mercy Falls" Series. I also really liked this book. But I would recommend that one not read this book in comparison to the other. Rather than reading this book as a Maggie Stiefvater fan, I would say to read this book as a fan of horse racing stories? Think Seabiscuit or The Black Stallion. This story does have a mythological twist to it, but it is not an overly present part of the story. This book takes place in our world, rather than a mythological one. The setting is an Island named Thisby which is off of of Ireland I am guessing, since the capaill uisce (water horse) is an Irish myth. This is the only place in the world where the deadly water horses come to shore each Fall. They are fierce creatures that can easily kill man and human alike. But at times are lured and captured by Humans to be raced every November at the Scorpio Races.


The story is a little slow to begin, I wasn't sure how much I liked it for a while as I was reading it. As I got further in and by the end I decided that I liked it a lot. The story is really good, I was probably just expecting something different when I had started reading the book, based on what I had previously read from the author. This story has a feel which is to me, much more classic than contemporary.


This story is told in alternating points of view. Puck (Kate) Connolly and Sean Kendrick who are both participants in the race. Puck is a first time racer, and the first female to ever enter into the races. Sean is a four time champion of the races. In the story the two characters come to know and help each other both before and after the outcome of the winner. Because the races are on true monsters which are very unpredictable, I had no idea how this story would end and who might win the races. I was happy with the way things turned out. 

I heard that this story is going to be made into a movie. I can see that it would be a good movie. There are some good characters and I can see how a movie like this would appeal to a large audience of all ages.