Review: The Scorpio Races (2013)

This book reminds me of why I read in the first place. I'd say that's a pretty high compliment.

The Scorpio Races
Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio races is a horse race on the remote island of Thisby, but this isn't a race between normal horses, but instead capaill uisce, dangerous horses from the sea who constantly try to drag their rider into the sea or eat them.

Puck Connolly doesn't want to enter the Scorpio Races, but it's the only way she can come up with to stop her brother from leaving her, her younger brother, and the island, if only for a few more weeks... if she survives.

Meanwhile, Sean Kendrick is 4-time champion of the races who appears taciturn on the outside, and yet he also is an orphan with hidden pains and desires, especially a desire for freedom from under the thumb of his boss who owns the capaill uisce that Sean has always ridden.

Okay, so the world at large isn't under imminent peril, but personal worlds are, which is something most of us are more familiar with anyway. Although there is a slight element of fantasy, you easily forget it because of how much is real and applicable to your own life. The characters of Puck and Sean are compelling and you grow to care for them quickly. The alternating narrators may slow it down for some, but not for me, not really. The characters and their dilemmas pull the story along just fine. This isn't your action book or quick romance, but a thoughtful book on what drives people. It makes me reflect on what it means to be courageous and considerate. It makes me reflect on my relationships with people and things around me. It makes me reflect on questions such as "How do I keep on in the face of opposition?" and "How do I overcome fear?"

This is the second time I've read this book and it isn't leaving my bookshelf any time soon. I highly recommend this book to everyone looking for a good thoughtful read.

To see my original review, click here.

P.S. There are a couple things in this book that could be slightly offensive, nothing that would stop me from reading it, but just in case you wish to avoid even the tiniest thing, I thought I'd add this note.