A stunning new novel from the bestselling author of SHIVER, LINGER AND FOREVER. Stay alive, stay astride, stay out of the water... Every November, the Scorpio Races are run beneath the chalk cliffs of Skarmouth. Thousands gather to watch the horses and the sea that washes the blood from the sand. The mounts are capaill uisce: savage water horses. There are no horses more beautiful, more fearless, more deadly. To race them can be suicide but th danger is irresistible. Sean Kendrick knows the dangers of the capaill uisce. With one foot in the ocean and one on land, he is the only man on th island capable of taming the beasts. He races to prove somethin both to himself and to the horses. Puck Connolly enters the racs to save her family. But the horse she rides is an ordinary little mare, just as Puck is an ordinary girl. When Sean sees Puck on the beach he doesn't think she belongs. He doesn't realize hisate will become entwined in hers. ...
The Scorpio Races
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Doha
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
"Don't thank me." Peg's already walking away. "Show them who you are."
I swallow. Who I am is crouched down inside this girl named Puck Connolly, praying that I'll make it through the next few minutes."
- The Scorpio Races
Every November, the Scorpio Races are run. The beautiful capaill uisce are fast and dangerous, and a number will not survive. But for Puck Connolly and Sean Kendrick, the stakes are high: neither can afford to lose, but who will win? Four-time winner Sean rides the fastest capall uisce, and has a magic about him straight from the sea. How can Puck compete? Especially when she will be riding her flesh-and-blood land-horse, Dove. Puck faces opposition from the men riding - and they are all men - including Sean Kendrick.
You can't just call Sean Kendrick 'Sean'. He is Sean Kendrick. See how Maggie does that? Somehow, she makes the reader understand Sean Kendrick is not simply his name, or who he is, it's WHAT he is, what he's MADE of. And Puck - I think we never know her age for sure. We guess at 17 or 18. We are forced to recognise the different colours of bravery, because Puck doesn't lend herself to the hero archetype - she would really be uncomfortable with that.
What is it about Maggie's writing? It's so organic, as if it grew out of the magic story-world and blossomed into your brain. She tells you things without telling you - I don't think Ireland was ever once mentioned, and yet you somehow know the island without a name is off its west coast. With the exception of the use of the word 'pants', you wouldn't guess at an American author (do the Irish say pants for trousers? I'm not sure, but I didn't imagine they did). And I did enjoy the American character who was a veritable opposite of the loud obnoxious stereotype to which we are all accustomed (now you know it's an American writer...), garnering a little positive press for a - good! - change.
I was afraid I wouldn't love The Scorpio Races. It was 'about beaches and kissing', Maggie kept saying. What if I don't like beaches and kissing? What if beaches and kissing aren't my thing?
Going into a book with sky-high expectations is like going into a relationship - don't do it and you can't be (really badly) disappointed. My problem is that I admire Maggie-the-person, and adore her books (excepting Lament which had something missing) so much that I may have unrealistic expectations of every future book, and unnecessary anxiety that I might NOT love it (because wouldn't that be betraying our unrequited friendship?) -
I loved The Scorpio Races.
She said it was the most 'me' book she's written so far. She said it was about beaches and kissing, but in my opinion it is about horses and the sea and sea-horses (but not seahorses) and *not* kissing. Do you see? Not yet? You will.
I swallow. Who I am is crouched down inside this girl named Puck Connolly, praying that I'll make it through the next few minutes."
- The Scorpio Races
Every November, the Scorpio Races are run. The beautiful capaill uisce are fast and dangerous, and a number will not survive. But for Puck Connolly and Sean Kendrick, the stakes are high: neither can afford to lose, but who will win? Four-time winner Sean rides the fastest capall uisce, and has a magic about him straight from the sea. How can Puck compete? Especially when she will be riding her flesh-and-blood land-horse, Dove. Puck faces opposition from the men riding - and they are all men - including Sean Kendrick.
You can't just call Sean Kendrick 'Sean'. He is Sean Kendrick. See how Maggie does that? Somehow, she makes the reader understand Sean Kendrick is not simply his name, or who he is, it's WHAT he is, what he's MADE of. And Puck - I think we never know her age for sure. We guess at 17 or 18. We are forced to recognise the different colours of bravery, because Puck doesn't lend herself to the hero archetype - she would really be uncomfortable with that.
What is it about Maggie's writing? It's so organic, as if it grew out of the magic story-world and blossomed into your brain. She tells you things without telling you - I don't think Ireland was ever once mentioned, and yet you somehow know the island without a name is off its west coast. With the exception of the use of the word 'pants', you wouldn't guess at an American author (do the Irish say pants for trousers? I'm not sure, but I didn't imagine they did). And I did enjoy the American character who was a veritable opposite of the loud obnoxious stereotype to which we are all accustomed (now you know it's an American writer...), garnering a little positive press for a - good! - change.
I was afraid I wouldn't love The Scorpio Races. It was 'about beaches and kissing', Maggie kept saying. What if I don't like beaches and kissing? What if beaches and kissing aren't my thing?
Going into a book with sky-high expectations is like going into a relationship - don't do it and you can't be (really badly) disappointed. My problem is that I admire Maggie-the-person, and adore her books (excepting Lament which had something missing) so much that I may have unrealistic expectations of every future book, and unnecessary anxiety that I might NOT love it (because wouldn't that be betraying our unrequited friendship?) -
I loved The Scorpio Races.
She said it was the most 'me' book she's written so far. She said it was about beaches and kissing, but in my opinion it is about horses and the sea and sea-horses (but not seahorses) and *not* kissing. Do you see? Not yet? You will.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By B. Frear
Format:Paperback
This is the book I thought I would never find... horses and fantasy and set on a wild little island that could be a main character in itself... what more could you want?
The book may be aimed at a young adult audience but, as is often the case, I think it could appeal any age- so don't let the hearts on the cover put you off.
I won't go into details of the plot as the blurb gives a pretty good explanation of what the story is about. I'll just say that the book switches between the first person perspective of Puck Connolly and Sean Kendrick. Stiefvater's writing trips along nicely making it a pleasure to read but to me her words hold something more in 'The Scorpio Races' -her obvious passion for the subject matter oozes from the ink.
In the first chapter Puck says, "She is my mare and my best friend, and I keep waiting for something bad to happen to her, because I love her too much." I read this and something inside me relaxed, oh, I thought, she understands and from here on out Stiefvater seems to hit every point perfectly; the thrill of the gallop and the thunder of hooves, the permanent dirt ingrained into your hands and the smell of hay and horse sweat on your clothes. Her cappaill uisce (water horses) embody the raw power and beauty of the horse and the sea and in turn demand the same respect.
As a lover of both horses and the fantasy genre this book was an absolute pleasure to read. I just hope she decides to continue with this story someday...
The book may be aimed at a young adult audience but, as is often the case, I think it could appeal any age- so don't let the hearts on the cover put you off.
I won't go into details of the plot as the blurb gives a pretty good explanation of what the story is about. I'll just say that the book switches between the first person perspective of Puck Connolly and Sean Kendrick. Stiefvater's writing trips along nicely making it a pleasure to read but to me her words hold something more in 'The Scorpio Races' -her obvious passion for the subject matter oozes from the ink.
In the first chapter Puck says, "She is my mare and my best friend, and I keep waiting for something bad to happen to her, because I love her too much." I read this and something inside me relaxed, oh, I thought, she understands and from here on out Stiefvater seems to hit every point perfectly; the thrill of the gallop and the thunder of hooves, the permanent dirt ingrained into your hands and the smell of hay and horse sweat on your clothes. Her cappaill uisce (water horses) embody the raw power and beauty of the horse and the sea and in turn demand the same respect.
As a lover of both horses and the fantasy genre this book was an absolute pleasure to read. I just hope she decides to continue with this story someday...
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Pam Dhinsa
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I loved the Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater, I started Lament but couldn't be bothered to finish it. When I got this book, Scorpio Races I was kind of worried that I wouldn't be keen on this story either. I am not a horse lover and this book is all about horses, ones that live on land and man eating ones that live in the sea. A hundred pages in and I considered giving up but I am glad that I stuck with it because it is a good story once it gets going.
The story is set on an island which sounded very much like an island that you might find off the Scottish coast. Kind of remote with a small population and wild weather. We have two main characters who alternate as narrators. There is Kate, known to all as 'Puck', and Sean Kendrick. Puck is an orphan who lives with her brothers, she decides that this year she will be the first female to enter the Scorpio races that take place on the coast every November. Sean Kendrick is a loner who works with horses and for the past three years has won the Scorpio Races.
The Scorpio Race riders can choose whether to ride a normal horse or a Capall Uisce, a horse that lives in the sea and can be dangerous. It took me quite along time to get to grips with the sea horse part of the story. I was confused, there are so many different horses in the book that at some points I wasn't even sure which horse was a land horse and which was a Capall Uisce (and no, even after reading how to pronounce Capall Usice at the beginning of the book I still couldn't tell you how to say it.)
The best part of the story for me was how the relationship between quiet Sean Kendrick and acid-tongued Puck develops. Yes, it is very slow and maybe not that exciting in terms of romance but it is very sweet. By the last few chapters of the book the reader is drawn in to the story by the upcoming race. The winning of this race is crucial to the happiness of both of these characters and so you begin to wonder what will happen if Puck/Sean loses?
If it were not for references to cars, plastic wrapping on chicken and people travelling over from California this book could be set anytime in the last two hundred years. There is that timeless quality to the descriptions of island life. There are interesting secondary characters, some good and fun like George Holly, the Californian or evil like Mutt Malvern.
I must warn fans of her Mercy Falls series that this is such a departure from those books, that it will be like reading a story written by an entirely different author.
The story is set on an island which sounded very much like an island that you might find off the Scottish coast. Kind of remote with a small population and wild weather. We have two main characters who alternate as narrators. There is Kate, known to all as 'Puck', and Sean Kendrick. Puck is an orphan who lives with her brothers, she decides that this year she will be the first female to enter the Scorpio races that take place on the coast every November. Sean Kendrick is a loner who works with horses and for the past three years has won the Scorpio Races.
The Scorpio Race riders can choose whether to ride a normal horse or a Capall Uisce, a horse that lives in the sea and can be dangerous. It took me quite along time to get to grips with the sea horse part of the story. I was confused, there are so many different horses in the book that at some points I wasn't even sure which horse was a land horse and which was a Capall Uisce (and no, even after reading how to pronounce Capall Usice at the beginning of the book I still couldn't tell you how to say it.)
The best part of the story for me was how the relationship between quiet Sean Kendrick and acid-tongued Puck develops. Yes, it is very slow and maybe not that exciting in terms of romance but it is very sweet. By the last few chapters of the book the reader is drawn in to the story by the upcoming race. The winning of this race is crucial to the happiness of both of these characters and so you begin to wonder what will happen if Puck/Sean loses?
If it were not for references to cars, plastic wrapping on chicken and people travelling over from California this book could be set anytime in the last two hundred years. There is that timeless quality to the descriptions of island life. There are interesting secondary characters, some good and fun like George Holly, the Californian or evil like Mutt Malvern.
I must warn fans of her Mercy Falls series that this is such a departure from those books, that it will be like reading a story written by an entirely different author.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book
I adore this book and new I had to read it when I read a review online. Maggie stiefvater is an amazing writer and I love everything she writes this book being one of my favourite. Read more
Published 5 days ago by zoe macpherson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Breath of fresh air YA novel
The Scorpio Races is an intriguing read that puts the phrase "battle of the fittest" to the test. Two people who enter the traditional deadly Scorpio Races for two separate... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dobsew
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely incredible!
I previously read the Shiver trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater and absolutely loved them, but having read this book, I love this one even more! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Megan2242
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
This is a story that drags you in and won't let go. I read it in one sitting and I was desperately sad when it ended. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Annabelle Law
5.0 out of 5 stars
I bought this by chance... And I am so glad I did.
This book will haunt me for a long, long time. In the best way possible.
I bought this when I was looking for The Raven Boys because I'd read the Shiver trilogy and... Read more
I bought this when I was looking for The Raven Boys because I'd read the Shiver trilogy and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ms. D. E. Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read, even if your not into horses - like me!
This is a great book. About a couragous girl, Puck Connelly, who tries to hold on to what's left of her family and to keep the house she grew up in on the Island. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mrs Fez
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Scorpio Races
When I first heard about 'The Scorpio Races' I really loved the idea behind the story. It's based on the myth of the capaill uisce or water horses who once captured from the sea,... Read more
Published 8 months ago by SJH @ A Dream of Books
4.0 out of 5 stars
the scorpio races
It is a great novel that will one day become a classic.It was a great idea that became a brilliant story.
Published 9 months ago by teddy
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but a little slow...
I had never even heard of this book before I saw it on offer in a local bookshop. And the only reason I picked it up was because I needed three books to get the deal, and the other... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Megan Gripton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Far more than a fantasy
Maggie Stiefvater takes elements from myth and legend and runs with them. Living in the Scottish Highlands, I was already familiar with the celtic legend of the 'each uisge'... Read more
Published 10 months ago by C. O'Brien
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