The Scorpio Races Review

          Okay so I just finished this book. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (http://maggiestiefvater.com/) was a new book she put out and has been intriguing readers about for a while. I was so excited to get it when it first came out because as you can tell from my love of her other books I knew this book would have all the things I love about her books in it. I’m ashamed to say it took me so long to read this book but every time I started to read something came up, and alas some things just can’t be put off to read a good book. I did get it when it first came out but had to finish reading a couple others books in a series I was already reading (and will be reviewing shortly).

          So the premise of this book is a horse race. Not just any horse race, The Scorpio Races which are deadly because they aren’t just any old horses but water horses. Water horses in Maggie’s tale are capall uisce, deadly creatures who are wild and come from the sea, they can be captured but at great risk as they also desire blood and will just as soon eat you. Amazing idea already right? I thought so.

          As in her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, Maggie does something I absolutely love. She changes POV throughout the story, stating who (between the 2 main characters) will be our focus, who’s head we’ll be inside. Our main characters are Kate ‘Puck’ Connolly and Sean Kendrick. Both or orphans and have never had any contact with one another. Sean lives for the races for his capall uisce in all but name, Corr. Sean has a way with all horses land or water and is somewhat of a legend having won the last 4 races. Puck on the other hand is the first female to enter ever, and once more she doesn’t do it for the obvious reasons, she doesn’t even want to race. You are drawn in by the characters and their desires and needs and what they are willing to do for them.

          The story was captivating and magical. I had such a hard time putting it down and when I was dragged away I made sure that I had it with me so I could sneak in a few pages here and there whenever I could. The funny thing about this book for me is that my mom and brother have had horses for years now and I would feed them when they needed me to or give them a treat but had never had the desire to ride. Reading about this book before it even came out made me want to learn to ride and I’ve started. So far I’ve been on one of the horses, Beauty, twice now. It was so much fun riding a horse while reading about people ridding and all the things that make it so real. I couldn’t help but notice all the things Maggie put in about the horses behavior. I will continue my riding lessons slowly, depending on my soreness, and learning more about them. So this is something the book has given to me, a new appreciation for the horses.

          I hope that anyone reading this review will check out this book. It offers so much. Wonderful characters you feel for, including the horses, a wonderful and enchanting tale but in a way that is completely grounded in reality. I give this book 5 stars. The only disappointment I found was when I reached the end and found there was no more of this terrific story.