Friday, February 10, 2012

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races are not like any other horse race. The riders race not horses but water horses. The races are dangerous. The water horses are cannibalistic and more than one person has died over the years. Sean Kendrick, now 19, saw his father die in the races. He has a strange affinity for the water horses and has won the Scorpio Races four years in a row. He rides to win the race and his water horse.

Puck Connolly enters the races out of desperation. Her oldest brother is leaving the island and their house is almost in foreclosure. Winning the races will be the saving of the Connollys. However, Puck opts to ride a normal horse and that could be very dangerous.

As the races draw near, Sean and Puck's paths cross and intertwine. Who will live, who will die, and who will win are the questions everyone wants to know the answers to.

What I thought: I liked everything about The Scorpio Races--the characters, the setting, the water horses mythology. Maggie continues her multiple points-of-view with exceptional results. Too often, readers don't get to know both main characters so intimately. This was a very different story from Shiver. The romance between Sean and Puck doesn't come out until the end. Both were compelling characters who held my interest. I wonder if this well be a stand alone novel or the start of a new series?

(Scholastic, 2011)

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