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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've realized that it takes me a little while to get into Stiefvater's writing flow, but once I'm in, I'm all in. Great story. Great characters.
This review was originally posted on my blog Hey, Tara.
This book really and honestly wasn’t what I thought it would be – it was actually a lot better. What I was expecting was basically a book that centered around horses, maybe even written for equestrian-inclined people, with a slight paranormal element being that these horses happen to be water horses.
What the book is actually about can almost be summed up in three words: Man Eating Horses.
The Scorpio Races are an annual event in Skarmouth, a town perched on the island of Thisby. Every year in November, the water horses make their way out of the sea onto the island, and that’s the only place in the world where that happens. Local people have made a tradition out of catching these horses, and training them to ride – however, the horses are dangerous, and the ocean always calls to them.
Traditionally, only men ride in the races – until circumstance leads Kate ‘Puck’ Connelly to enter.
In all honesty, I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. The further I got into the story, the more I realized it was less about the Capaill Uisce (water horses) and more about Puck and Sean (the main characters) finding themselves, and their place on the island. It read for me almost like a coming of age story – full of discoveries for both parties about themselves, each other, and life in general.
This book was incredibly well written – there’s not anything negative I can say about that. The descriptions of the people and places of Thisby reminded me somewhat of rural Cornwall, or perhaps moreso of a Scottish island or something. The descriptions used are tangible – you can more or less see and hear everything the characters do, and that somehow makes it all the more enjoyable.
In all honesty, the way the book was written was enough to suck me in at the beginning. The world building is really very good – the closed community on the island was well-portrayed, as was the sense of community. The deadliness of the race is impossible to miss, and the descriptions of the accidents and damage caused by the capaill uisce were really quite brilliant – horrific and brutal, but beautiful at the same time.
Also, the characters were brilliant. Sean and Puck were everything main characters needed to be, and the supporting cast were good – each distinguishable and by the end, I very much felt like I belonged on Thisby.
It was really nice to read a standalone for a change, though if this ever did become part of a series, I’d definitely read more.
Recommended for older teens plus due to violence, and also recommended to people who (like me) don’t think they like books about horses. This book will change your mind.
This book really and honestly wasn’t what I thought it would be – it was actually a lot better. What I was expecting was basically a book that centered around horses, maybe even written for equestrian-inclined people, with a slight paranormal element being that these horses happen to be water horses.
What the book is actually about can almost be summed up in three words: Man Eating Horses.
The Scorpio Races are an annual event in Skarmouth, a town perched on the island of Thisby. Every year in November, the water horses make their way out of the sea onto the island, and that’s the only place in the world where that happens. Local people have made a tradition out of catching these horses, and training them to ride – however, the horses are dangerous, and the ocean always calls to them.
Traditionally, only men ride in the races – until circumstance leads Kate ‘Puck’ Connelly to enter.
In all honesty, I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. The further I got into the story, the more I realized it was less about the Capaill Uisce (water horses) and more about Puck and Sean (the main characters) finding themselves, and their place on the island. It read for me almost like a coming of age story – full of discoveries for both parties about themselves, each other, and life in general.
This book was incredibly well written – there’s not anything negative I can say about that. The descriptions of the people and places of Thisby reminded me somewhat of rural Cornwall, or perhaps moreso of a Scottish island or something. The descriptions used are tangible – you can more or less see and hear everything the characters do, and that somehow makes it all the more enjoyable.
In all honesty, the way the book was written was enough to suck me in at the beginning. The world building is really very good – the closed community on the island was well-portrayed, as was the sense of community. The deadliness of the race is impossible to miss, and the descriptions of the accidents and damage caused by the capaill uisce were really quite brilliant – horrific and brutal, but beautiful at the same time.
Also, the characters were brilliant. Sean and Puck were everything main characters needed to be, and the supporting cast were good – each distinguishable and by the end, I very much felt like I belonged on Thisby.
It was really nice to read a standalone for a change, though if this ever did become part of a series, I’d definitely read more.
Recommended for older teens plus due to violence, and also recommended to people who (like me) don’t think they like books about horses. This book will change your mind.
Rounded up from 3.5. This YA read stands out from the pack for its prose, atmosphere and slow-burning romance. It struck a nostalgiac nerve for me in it's unabashed horsiness, bringing back fond memories of the Black Stallion Books and Misty of Chincoteague, but with an almost Wicker Man kind of twist. Scorpio Races is the rare paranormal book for teens where the paranormal isn't the point. In fact, the fantasy element--carnivorous horses from the sea--struck me as unnecessary and a bit pointless, though obviously it's the primary selling point. I personally find horse racing and horses in general to be inherently dangerous, and adding the whole people-eating aspect to an already dangerous horse race that exists because... Tradition (even though half the young men on this remote British island seem to die every year in this race, for no good reason, and with little emotional impact on the reader). Actually, just a tad more Wicker Man would have made the premise work for me, if the yearly race appeased these hungry water horses and kept them away...but they seem to be eating livestock and people, race or no. How is this island still inhabited?
Minor gripes aside, I quite liked the tentative interaction of the two main characters, and I'm glad some of the usual horse-race tropes were reversed. I loved that Puck had the chance to aquire one of the fleet-footed waterhorsesbut instead of training an impossibly wild mount herself, she sticks to her old "pony" instead. Though if she did as well as all that, maybe waterhorses aren't quite the amazing mounts of myth after all. As both our main characters are vying for the same prize, there's an uncertainty about who will win, with bittersweet results. The writing is lovely and the race, when it finally arrives, left me breathless. This was a nice vacation read.
Minor gripes aside, I quite liked the tentative interaction of the two main characters, and I'm glad some of the usual horse-race tropes were reversed. I loved that Puck had the chance to aquire one of the fleet-footed waterhorses
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well, shit. Maggie Stiefvater just keeps on surprising me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Lovely book! I recommend reading this during autumn to get the right feeling. I love Maggie, she’s a very good writer and has several nice books published :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Damn! This book had some intense moments!
Where is the rest???!!!!!!!!!!! I need more...
Where is the rest???!!!!!!!!!!! I need more...
Interesting twist on Celtic folklore. I'm not usually a fan of horse books, but was recommended this book by a colleague. Reading about Thisby and the races from two perspectives helped keep my attention and made the story flow quickly. I liked the character development and seeing them mature as people. It is definitely a book I'd recommend for my middle school students.