The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater [Review]

Title: The Scorpio Races

Author: Maggie Stiefvater    

Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Scholastic

Publishing date: October 18th 2011

Pages: 435

Rating

★★★★☆

Hello, today I’m reviewing the Scorpio races by Maggie stiefvater, a very popular and beloved book by this author.

The story takes place in November, during the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of

Sean and Puck.

their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

I was a bit unsure of what to expect of this book, it’s the first book I’ve read by this author and I heard that her style isn’t for everyone. Also, the premise wasn’t that interesting to me.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The strongest part of the book it’s its concept of the water horses, mythical creatures that are wild and kill people and everything that moves, although I still don’t understand why someone would do races with those things if tons of people die. And the setting, the island itself feels like a fascinating character.

Sean and Puck racing.

About the characters, this book has two POV, my favorite was the one of Sean, he is serious, mysterious and an intriguing character in general. To me, Puck didn’t have an interesting story until later on, she was obstinate, strong, and a realistic teenager. The characters are well developed and it’s easy to understand their motivations and feel something for them.

The book was a bit slow most of the time, and had few intense scenes, but those were great. I liked the slow burning relationship that bloomed between the protagonists, it felt natural and realistic. The prose is beautiful and very descriptive, helping to set the atmosphere and transport the reader, but slows down the pace a bit.

If you are looking for a book with developed characters, an interesting setting and savage man eater horses, this book is the right one for you.