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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
I feel like I had the same issue with this book as many other readers did. It was good overall, as a horse person and someone who is fascinated by kelpies the story immediately piqued my interest, but it was just soooo slooowww. The actual plot seemed to wander around and not really gain any footing until the race itself, which happened at the very end of the book.
Neat idea, but didn't quite deliver.
Neat idea, but didn't quite deliver.
Non sò se riuscirò a scrivere qualcosa di sensato o no. Dico solo che il fatto che il libro sia autoconclusivo, è stato in buona misura il motivo per cui ho deciso di leggerlo. Ed eccomi qua, a pochi minuti dall'aver finito, che desidero ci sia un seguito!! ^_^
La corsa delle onde mi ha stregato, mi ha ricordato perchè amo così tanto i libri sulle leggende irlandesi, presentandomi una creatura che non ha mai avuto spazio negli altri libri sul genere. I cavalli d'acqua. Creature possenti, predatrici che una volta uscite dall'acqua per l'infrangersi delle onde, diventano cavalcature forti e pericolose.
E' un libro che parla di lealtà, fiducia, dolore, felicità, raccontato con una maestria che mi ha lasciato senza fiato. Ho amato Sean, ho amato Puck, ho amato l'isola di Thisby. E giuro che sento ancora in bocca il gusto del pan di Novembre.
Leggetelo.
La corsa delle onde mi ha stregato, mi ha ricordato perchè amo così tanto i libri sulle leggende irlandesi, presentandomi una creatura che non ha mai avuto spazio negli altri libri sul genere. I cavalli d'acqua. Creature possenti, predatrici che una volta uscite dall'acqua per l'infrangersi delle onde, diventano cavalcature forti e pericolose.
E' un libro che parla di lealtà, fiducia, dolore, felicità, raccontato con una maestria che mi ha lasciato senza fiato. Ho amato Sean, ho amato Puck, ho amato l'isola di Thisby. E giuro che sento ancora in bocca il gusto del pan di Novembre.
Leggetelo.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
You only need the first 100 pages and then jump to page 380. There is too much prose without any action.
Why do people ride these horses? Are we in Ireland? Why is Puck’s perspective necessary? Couldn’t the entire story be told through Sean’s perspective and possibly make it stronger? Why do these horses come to land? Or are they only birthed on land but have a genetic code of being attached to the sea?
Who started the races? Why were the racers so against a woman instead of a non-water horse? Why do we breed these horses/have a culture/relationship with them? Are there only unusual qualities that they eat flesh and are faster (typically) than other horses?
Why is there romance in this text?
Why do people ride these horses? Are we in Ireland? Why is Puck’s perspective necessary? Couldn’t the entire story be told through Sean’s perspective and possibly make it stronger? Why do these horses come to land? Or are they only birthed on land but have a genetic code of being attached to the sea?
Who started the races? Why were the racers so against a woman instead of a non-water horse? Why do we breed these horses/have a culture/relationship with them? Are there only unusual qualities that they eat flesh and are faster (typically) than other horses?
Why is there romance in this text?
This is the first Maggie Stiefvater book that I have ever read and I stumbled upon it by complete accident. The best accident of my life! I absolutely loved this book.
The Scorpio Races is a tale of the legendary Capaill Uisce water horses and the brave men who attempt to tame and ride them in the great race on Thisby Island. Some live to tell the tale, others perish and at the end there can only be one winner.
Puck Connolly has been dealt a rough hand in life- her parents were killed by the Capaill Uisce . This left her and her two brothers to fend for themselves. When her older brother tells them he is leaving Thisby for the main land she panics and in an attempt to make him stay enters the Scorpio Races. She is the first girl to ever enter and she does so in her own unique way.
Sean Kendrick is the complete opposite. Riding is in his blood. The son of a master rider of the races before his untimely death and the head trainer of Malvern Stables, he has win the last four races on the back of Corr. He longs for a simple life, to return to his family home and to buy Corr from Benjamin Malvern. All he needs to do is win this years race.
This book is filled with the beautiful and subtle romance that is missing in this word and it is one of my favourite books of all time.
'I say, "I will not be your weakness, Sean Kendrick." Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, "it's late for that, Puck"'. <3
The Scorpio Races is a tale of the legendary Capaill Uisce water horses and the brave men who attempt to tame and ride them in the great race on Thisby Island. Some live to tell the tale, others perish and at the end there can only be one winner.
Puck Connolly has been dealt a rough hand in life- her parents were killed by the Capaill Uisce . This left her and her two brothers to fend for themselves. When her older brother tells them he is leaving Thisby for the main land she panics and in an attempt to make him stay enters the Scorpio Races. She is the first girl to ever enter and she does so in her own unique way.
Sean Kendrick is the complete opposite. Riding is in his blood. The son of a master rider of the races before his untimely death and the head trainer of Malvern Stables, he has win the last four races on the back of Corr. He longs for a simple life, to return to his family home and to buy Corr from Benjamin Malvern. All he needs to do is win this years race.
This book is filled with the beautiful and subtle romance that is missing in this word and it is one of my favourite books of all time.
'I say, "I will not be your weakness, Sean Kendrick." Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, "it's late for that, Puck"'. <3
I really enjoyed this book. Both the main characters and purpose and ambition apart from each other, characterized quite well by the two vocal artists. The romance that developed between Puck and Sean felt true and without the dreaded angst of longing and questioning, etc... and the mythology of the water horses was told with such a true voice that it actually felt genuine.
Once again, not terribly disappointed that my iPod isn't working. :)
Once again, not terribly disappointed that my iPod isn't working. :)
This is one of those books where I can’t even figure out how to articulate why I loved it. The vibes? The wholesomeness? The sneaky and never explained Catholicism-lite that the island of Thisby follows? Idk but i adore it. Strong contender for favorite book i read this year. wow!!!
Dit boek werd me aangeraden door één van mijn leerlingen, en ik wist niet helemaal waar het over zou gaan. Blijkt nu dat het toch wel een combinatie is van enkele van mijn favoriete dingen: young adult, fantasy, magische elementen in een voor de rest "normaal" verhaal, Keltische/Ierse sprookjeselementen herwerkt in een contemporaine setting. De achtergrond waartegen het verhaal zich afspeelt is bijzonder goed uitgewerkt, met aandacht naar hoe het zou zijn om op een eiland te wonen. Het verhaal zelf maakt gebruik van enkele veelvoorkomende narratieve "tropes", maar het is niet op een storende manier. Het is voor mij 3,5/5, nét niet genoeg om naar de vier sterren om te laten slaan, maar wel zo dat ik van deze schrijfster (met een fantastische naam ook, Maggie Stiefvater) zeker nog andere boeken ga lezen.