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A review by seshat59
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
4.0
The Scorpio Races is a complex, beautifully written story on so many levels. Every detail has been carefully crafted and engagingly written. It is the story of Thisby, an island off the coast of Ireland that is unique because it attracts the presence of water horses: vicious predators who emerge from the sea hungry for meat: human or otherwise. The island itself and the ocean play major roles within the novel -- not only as a harsh, barren setting (the former) or a fickle, dangerous, alluring mystery (the latter), but the two main characters, Puck (aka Kate) Connolly and Sean Kendrick epitomize both of these entities respectively. I liked that, but I did not appreciate how obvious this connection was laid out. Puck is often compared to the wild, fierce island, and I'd have preferred a little more subtlety. Either way though, the setting itself is a powerful character unto itself. The island, its inhabitants, and its small, close-knit community are essential parts of the novel and create an alluring and yet magical setting: a place either passionately loved or hated enough to drive people away.
The story itself is a build up to the annual races, where men race (and often fall victim to) the water horses, or capall uisce, in a bloody spectacle on the beach every year. Naturally, this blood-infused sport is a major tourist attraction: pulling in hundreds of visitors each November.
Both of the main characters are wonderfully portrayed and are absolutely unique protagonists: Puck *is* wild; she has a bite, and she makes no apologies for it. She shakes things up by being the first female to enter in an unspecified but clearly earlier period of history and in a race that's been "Men Only" for as long as the island's long, mythical memory extends. She enters -- despite major personal objections -- to have a chance to save her home and keep her orphaned family together. On the other hand, Sean is a quiet powerhouse with an intense connection with these ferocious water horses. He's a master at catching and handling these man-eating monsters; he's the undisputed favorite going into the races, having won four times previously on his capall uisce stallion, Corr, to whom he has a powerful connection -- despite the beast's innately bloody and aggressive nature. Sean's goal is to win Corr for himself rather than to race for a controlling patron.
My primary complaint was that the story was rather slow to start. I thought it dragged in places before it finally found its pace, but once it did, I fell in love with the writing, the characters, the setting, and of course Corr. Stiefvater took a legend and created a very engaging, heart-tugging story from it with quite the ending. I loved that I couldn't predict the ending itself, much less the outcome of the Scorpio Races.
4.5 stars.
The story itself is a build up to the annual races, where men race (and often fall victim to) the water horses, or capall uisce, in a bloody spectacle on the beach every year. Naturally, this blood-infused sport is a major tourist attraction: pulling in hundreds of visitors each November.
Both of the main characters are wonderfully portrayed and are absolutely unique protagonists: Puck *is* wild; she has a bite, and she makes no apologies for it. She shakes things up by being the first female to enter in an unspecified but clearly earlier period of history and in a race that's been "Men Only" for as long as the island's long, mythical memory extends. She enters -- despite major personal objections -- to have a chance to save her home and keep her orphaned family together. On the other hand, Sean is a quiet powerhouse with an intense connection with these ferocious water horses. He's a master at catching and handling these man-eating monsters; he's the undisputed favorite going into the races, having won four times previously on his capall uisce stallion, Corr, to whom he has a powerful connection -- despite the beast's innately bloody and aggressive nature. Sean's goal is to win Corr for himself rather than to race for a controlling patron.
My primary complaint was that the story was rather slow to start. I thought it dragged in places before it finally found its pace, but once it did, I fell in love with the writing, the characters, the setting, and of course Corr. Stiefvater took a legend and created a very engaging, heart-tugging story from it with quite the ending. I loved that I couldn't predict the ending itself, much less the outcome of the Scorpio Races.
4.5 stars.