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hdbblog's review against another edition
5.0
Once upon a time, I fell in love with Maggie Stiefvater and her writing. I was given a copy of Shiver when I first started blogging, and completely fell in love with it. Then, for some reason, I never picked up another of her books. Time went by, books came and went, until finally Audible said "You might like The Scorpio Races!" and I obliged. Thank goodness I did. This story is absolutely gorgeous. It not only reminded me of why I missed Steifvater's writing, but also made me fall in love with it all over again.
The isle of Thisby is a curious place. One where the sea runs through the blood of its inhabitants, and the terrible beauty that is the capaill uisce makes that same blood race through their veins. I instantly fell in love with Sean Kendrick and Kate Connolly, our two main characters. Their fire, their loyalty, the simple fact that they weren't afraid to face their fears head on, all added up to characters that I had a fierce love for. I didn't even mind that there was a romance brewing. These two were perfect for one another, and I was all for it.
Now, if the setting and the characters weren't perfect enough, it was truly the writing that brought this story to life. Each page swirled with emotion and atmosphere. I felt myself pulled into Thisby, and straight into the scorpio races. I smelled the brine of the sea, mixed with blood spilled on the sand. I felt the enchantment of Thisby, and the sway that held Sean and Kate. This whole story wrapped me up in its pages, and I didn't want it to end. I listened to this on audio, which I highly recommend! It's the perfect way to experience this.
Suffice it to say, this book gets a solid 5 stars from me. I'm hooked, and I'm not the least bit upset about it.
The isle of Thisby is a curious place. One where the sea runs through the blood of its inhabitants, and the terrible beauty that is the capaill uisce makes that same blood race through their veins. I instantly fell in love with Sean Kendrick and Kate Connolly, our two main characters. Their fire, their loyalty, the simple fact that they weren't afraid to face their fears head on, all added up to characters that I had a fierce love for. I didn't even mind that there was a romance brewing. These two were perfect for one another, and I was all for it.
Now, if the setting and the characters weren't perfect enough, it was truly the writing that brought this story to life. Each page swirled with emotion and atmosphere. I felt myself pulled into Thisby, and straight into the scorpio races. I smelled the brine of the sea, mixed with blood spilled on the sand. I felt the enchantment of Thisby, and the sway that held Sean and Kate. This whole story wrapped me up in its pages, and I didn't want it to end. I listened to this on audio, which I highly recommend! It's the perfect way to experience this.
Suffice it to say, this book gets a solid 5 stars from me. I'm hooked, and I'm not the least bit upset about it.
magsisreading's review against another edition
4.0
i don’t care much for horses or like know anything about them, but that did not hinder my enjoyment of this book at all. i loved it. i wish there was more to it
sherasliberry's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing, agonizing last few pages... who wins the race!
nikkitadcomeau's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cmarrow's review against another edition
4.0
Very entertaining, based on the legend of irish water horses, characters were real and compelling.
elletivo's review against another edition
4.0
Imaginative, well-paced, and a collection of lovely, complex characters. It was a pretty quick read, too - but that might have just been because I refused to put it down until everyone was okay and boy, was everyone NOT okay for most of this book.
genmnty133's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
And I’m supposed to just keep going with my life after this? I don’t think so.
There’s nothing I love more than ORIGINAL stories. This book is literally it. How does someone come up with a story like this? Seriously. I admire Maggie Stiefvater.
This book was SO good. And if i’m being honest, this is book is so good because of how original it is. I absolutely loved it. The characters? 10/10. The plot? 10/10? The settings? 10/10. Everything? 10/10.
The loyalty of Corr and Sean? Loved. It.
I loved this book. And i’m so grateful to one of the ladies that are in my school’s library because she was the one who told me this book was her favorite out of all Maggie’s book. If she hadn’t told me that I wouldn’t have read it. So i’m truly grateful.
And I’m supposed to just keep going with my life after this? I don’t think so.
There’s nothing I love more than ORIGINAL stories. This book is literally it. How does someone come up with a story like this? Seriously. I admire Maggie Stiefvater.
This book was SO good. And if i’m being honest, this is book is so good because of how original it is. I absolutely loved it. The characters? 10/10. The plot? 10/10? The settings? 10/10. Everything? 10/10.
The loyalty of Corr and Sean? Loved. It.
I loved this book. And i’m so grateful to one of the ladies that are in my school’s library because she was the one who told me this book was her favorite out of all Maggie’s book. If she hadn’t told me that I wouldn’t have read it. So i’m truly grateful.
erine's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this one, but thought it was lovely. I liked the more restrained romance here, the build up of the characters and the setting. Yes, I kept waiting for the races... and waiting... but the book wasn't really about the races anyway.
I don't think of myself as a horse person, and I thought that the mythology surrounding the water horses was more appealing to the fantasy and myth lover in me than to any overbearing interest in horses.
There was a good portion of gore, a decent balance between the male and female voices, and a dark and gloomy-ish atmosphere that struck me as broadly appealing. This is a relatively realistic and practical fantasy (as opposed to, say, the Discworld books).
I don't think of myself as a horse person, and I thought that the mythology surrounding the water horses was more appealing to the fantasy and myth lover in me than to any overbearing interest in horses.
There was a good portion of gore, a decent balance between the male and female voices, and a dark and gloomy-ish atmosphere that struck me as broadly appealing. This is a relatively realistic and practical fantasy (as opposed to, say, the Discworld books).