Thursday, November 17, 2011

Review: The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater. The 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.
I don’t know where to start, you guys. I really don’t. Because this book was . . . perfect. Or, at least, it was a perfect Karen book. It was so, so amazing, and I’m having trouble finding the right words to describe it.

I think the thing that got me right from the start was the writing. It’s GORGEOUS. I read “Shiver” by this same author, and I honestly didn’t notice the writing. I heard everyone talking about how much they loved Stiefvater’s writing style, but I just didn’t get what they were talking about. But with this book, I so get it. It’s pitch-perfect for the story and practically had me tasting the salty air of the island.

Puck was the best protagonist I’ve seen in a while. Prickly on the outside, but a truly good person on the inside; a bit unsure of herself at times but brave when it matters. She was a heroine worthy of Robin McKinley, and I don’t say that lightly.

And Sean. Holy smokes--SEAN. Jonah Griggs will forever be my number one YA love, but Sean comes SO close. He’s quiet and still and strong. He doesn’t need to prove himself to anyone, because he knows who he is and what he wants. I have a thing for the strong, silent type in fiction, and Sean was everything I could’ve asked for.

I also have a thing for horse books, which is yet another way this book was perfect for me. Not only are there normal horses in this book, but there are capaill uisce--carnivorous water horses that are ferocious and dangerous and yet so beautiful. And with the deft way Stiefvater writes about them, I honestly wouldn’t be half surprised if they turned out to be real.

Read this book. Seriously though--read it. Because I didn’t even begin cover all the things I loved about this book. It’s not a fast-paced book by any means, but it had plenty of parts that had me forgetting to breathe and unable to tear my eyes from the page. I honestly didn’t want this book to end, and that’s not something I say very often.

9 comments:

  1. I haven't actually read any off this authors previous works. There are just too many books on my TBR. But I've heard this one being compared to The Hunger Games so I'm interested. That you compared the love interest to Jonah Griggs...well I'm sold!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for this review! I actually just got The Scorpio Races, but wasn't sure if I was going to read it (I didn't like the Shiver series). I had heard good things about this- thanks for the great review, I think I will try it out!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I didn't notice anything particular about the writing in Shiver also. I thought I was the only one! Haha. I def. want to check this one out though. I've read a lot of mixed opinions but it sounds like one I would enjoy. Awesome review!

    Giselle
    Xpresso Reads

    ReplyDelete
  4. YAYAYAYAYAYAY!! I'm so glad you loved this one! I just bought my own copy last week and I'm dying to read it because I've only heard the most amazing things about it -- like your review! Shiver was just AMAZING, so I knew I had to pick up Maggie's book about water horses! And I'm really happy that it didn't disappoint! :)

    Awesome review, Karen!

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG OMG OMG!!! *squeals* I'm soooooo glad you enjoyed this one! I adore Maggie Stiefvater's writing style and her Wolves of Mercy Falls books so I can't wait to read this one because it sounds so unique. I'm so glad you liked the characters and the storyline!

    LOL I haven't read a horse book recently!Thanks for the awesome review :)

    Jaskirat~SeeitORreadit

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, Karen! Did you say the heroine was worthy of Robin McKinley? That does it; I 'm reading this book for sure now!

    New follower~

    Stephanie ~Misfit Salon~

    ReplyDelete
  7. I won a copy of this and I can NOT wait to read it! It's moving quickly to the top of my TBR list, haha

    ReplyDelete
  8. I never liked the Shiver series...but this looked really intriguing. But my library picked this up, and I was first to get it! I've got to get round to this...And these horses are carnivorous? Awesome! Thanks for the review

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love Maggie's writing. It is fantastic. The Scorpio Races was so original and I loved it. The strong, silent type is also my favorite kind of guy, so I loved Sean! Glad you enjoyed the book!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...