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A review by rwalker101
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The first time I read this book, I was 15. I borrowed the audiobook version from my library, it was one of those little mp3 players that you can wear on a string around your neck. I finished it in one night, sitting on the foot of my bed into the wee hours of the morning, nearly comatose with exhaustion. I listened to it again the next day at school between my classes and on my walk home.
I am now 25, and I just moved to a new city. I finished building my bookcases and putting my many books away yesterday. With that last step of my move done, without the checklist to distract me, I started feeling lonely. That's when I pulled out my poor, battered physical copy of The Scorpio Races. It's an ex-library copy I bought for pennies on Amazon ages ago. It has tape residue on the cover and stamps on the first pages. I also carted it to a signing years ago, so Stiefvater's recognizable handwriting adorns the cover page. You can still see the notes an overzealous teenage me scribbled in pencil in the margins. Despite the many times I have read this book, I can never tire of it. Reading this book is, to me, like talking for hours with a good friend.
It's not just nostalgia that keeps me revisiting this book. It's a beautiful and brutal tapestry about love in all its forms, a deeply personal narrative that explores how we love our homes and cultures, even when they try to kill us. Each character is realistic and sympathetic, each a different thesis on the concept of home, and each presents a unique argument whether to stay or go. If you grew up in a small town, if your heart sometimes loves too much for words, if you want something you cannot have, this is a book that will speak to you on every level.
I am now 25, and I just moved to a new city. I finished building my bookcases and putting my many books away yesterday. With that last step of my move done, without the checklist to distract me, I started feeling lonely. That's when I pulled out my poor, battered physical copy of The Scorpio Races. It's an ex-library copy I bought for pennies on Amazon ages ago. It has tape residue on the cover and stamps on the first pages. I also carted it to a signing years ago, so Stiefvater's recognizable handwriting adorns the cover page. You can still see the notes an overzealous teenage me scribbled in pencil in the margins. Despite the many times I have read this book, I can never tire of it. Reading this book is, to me, like talking for hours with a good friend.
It's not just nostalgia that keeps me revisiting this book. It's a beautiful and brutal tapestry about love in all its forms, a deeply personal narrative that explores how we love our homes and cultures, even when they try to kill us. Each character is realistic and sympathetic, each a different thesis on the concept of home, and each presents a unique argument whether to stay or go. If you grew up in a small town, if your heart sometimes loves too much for words, if you want something you cannot have, this is a book that will speak to you on every level.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent