Review: The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I want to review this book on its own, mainly because I feel like reading it again right now. I won't read it now because I've got other books I need to read, but next year I won't hold back. I try to limit myself to only reading the same book once in a year, though sometimes I break that rule.

I would consider this a low-fantasy book meaning that it takes place in the real world with a few key fantastical elements, or in the case of this book, one: water horses. I believe this comes from celtic or scottish mythology, the capaill uisce (as it is in the book (CAPple ISHka)) or cabyll-ushtey. In this story, on this one island the capaill uisce hang around the island and, though generally sticking to the ocean, occasionally come on land. They are stronger and more powerful than normal horses, but also carnivorous and dangerous. That being said, for sport people decided to have races involving the capaill uisce, breeded for running, and riders trained specifically to ride them. These races are called the Scorpio Races

This book is memorable because of the strong characters of Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to participate in the races and participating because of family circumstances, and Sean Kendrick, the taciturn returning champion who loves the horses and keeps to himself. Both of these characters have their own stories, desires, and drives. Their interactions with the various people on the small island are complex and complicated. And they both change a lot over the course of the story. This book is told with chapters alternating between his and her perspectives to give a wider view of the history and tradition surrounding the Scorpio Races and the culture of the island in general. Every bit of it is fascinating.

Many important themes are explored in this book such as family, non-human relationships (specifically between humans and horses), gender-discrimination, poverty, courage, sacrifice and more.

If you're reading the book for romance, you'll find it slow perhaps, but there are many things going on in this book that are also important if not more important. I loved this book a lot. I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind a slight element of mythology thrown into the real world. In the end, they are important and yet not important; it is the island that revolves around them and these races that really matter.

Dang, now I want to read it again...