It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of 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.
There are some books that are okay, some good, some amazing, and some that are so powerful you know that you will never forget them. The Scorpio Races is one of the books that I will never forget. From the storyline to the characters to the description to the emotions, this book was breathtaking.
The Scorpio Races began with this sentence, “It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.” That one quote was so power, deep, and sad that it set the scene for the rest of the book. I do not think that Maggie Stiefvater could have picked a better way to start.
Kate, also known as Puck, lived with her two brothers on Thisby Island. While living on an island may not sound unusual, it actually was. You see, Thisby was a unique island, because it often had unwanted visitors from the sea called Capall Uisces. They were water horses that lived in the ocean, and were blood thirsty after they left the ocean. Common sense would dictate that the humans would try to stay away from the Capall Uisces but that was not the case. Instead, the inhabitants of Thisby started something called The Scorpio Races, which occured once a year. The Scorpio Races were an annual race where the occupants of Thisby raced on Capall Uisces to see who had the best control of the animal and who was the fastest.
One day, Kate’s older brother told her that he was going to leave the island in a couple of days, which made her feel as though her world was spinning upside down. She made a desperate deal with him- if she rides in the Scorpio Races, he will stay until the end. What she didn’t realize was that the deal she made would change her life forever.
As I mentioned previously, I loved every aspect of this book. I was amazed by the fact that every character had their own story to tell, and none of them were fluff characters. Even if a character was only mentioned once or twice, there was a reason for them existing, and it was easy to tell what the reason was. In addition, all of the characters were extremely easy to relate to, especially Puck and Sean. While I was reading, my emotions matched their emotions. If they were worried, I was worried. If they were happy, I was happy. It has been a long time since I have been able to connect to all of the characters on such a deep level.
Something that was extremely unique about this book was the romance. Nowadays, it is very difficult to find a young adult book where romance isn’t one of the major parts in the book. Yet, while it is difficult, Maggie Stiefvater pulled it off flawlessly. The romance in this book was extremely subtle, and if you blinked, you would probably miss it. And while that may be a figure of speech, it’s actually true! I almost missed it the first time.
Another thing that I loved were the messages hidden inside of the book. One of the messages was no matter what happens, no matter how many times you struggle, if you want something, then never give up. Never.
This book was absolutely phenomenal and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. I give this 5/5stars.
Oh dear!! I must read this one soon!! I love Maggie’s Raven Cycle and have heard such amazing reviews for this one!! And now yours, so I guess I must start it super soon already!
Great review!
Yes, you MUST read this book! *push* I actually liked this book much better than the Raven Cycle, so definitely read it when you have a chance. 🙂
Oh my goodness… This book sounds AMAZING!
Wow, that’s all I have to say! I’ve seen and heard so many good things about this book. But of course I just keep pushing it down the list. But your review just made me purchase it and I plan on reading it for the 105 reading challenge for books recommended 🙂 Amazing review xoxo
Awwww, thank you so much! *Hugs* It means the world to me that you would like my review enough to go and buy the book! I really hope that you love it as much as I did! <3
I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I read it awhile ago, but I still remember how much I love it and it remains to be my favorite Maggie Stiefvater book! I’m very distressed that I haven’t gotten a copy for my bookshelf yet (I like to own all the books I’ve read and given 3 stars or more to. It’s hard, though). I need to get a copy soon! I’m in the mood to reread this book 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Oh wow, you buy all books that you’ve read and have given 3+ stars to? If I did that…I would have thousands of books! Haha but hey, if I had the storage space and the money, it would definitely happen.
I completely agree that this is my favorite Maggie Stiefvater book. I thought that the Raven Boys series was good, but nothing special. This book was incredible!
I actually bought it to give someone else as a gift, so I need a copy for myself as well. 😛
My favorite book I read this year. This book was everything. So glad to find another person who loved it!!!
It was definitely one of my top 3 favorite reads! I definitely loved it. <3
You single handedly got me hyped for this book!
Oh my goodness really? *hugs* Yay I’m so happy to hear that!
I haven’t ever read a book by this author, but I have heard so many great things about her works! I really need to try this soon 🙂
You definitely should! The funny thing is, I always thought that her books were only okay, yet out of all the books that I’ve reviewed on my blog, I’ve reviewed the most of hers!
The Scorpio Races was definitely my favorite out of all her books.
I definitely want to read this pretty soon. Maybe it’ll be a February read. I’m so glad to hear that you loved it and that it was one of those books that stay with you forever.
You MUST let me know how you like it when you get around to reading it. I adored it. <3
[…] favorite reviews that I’ve written would be for The Scorpio Races and The Glass […]