The Scorpio Races in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jul 19, 2012 D.G. rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, audiobook, fantasy

This book's rating kept going up as I kept reading.

The Scorpio Races was unlike most fantasy books I've read. It was character driven instead of being action driven, and except for the cappeil ishka, very light on the fantasy. When I realized this story was about people trying to dominate nature, that's when I started to enjoy it. In the struggle that ensued, sometimes humans win but in other times, they lose. When I realized the cappeil ishka were sea made flesh, I understood these people's awe ...more

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Jun 14, 2015 Nancy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: still-owned, fantasy

What's not to love? Maggie Stiefvater's fabulous writing skills, a subtle but lovely coming of age/love story and best of all, horses, horses and more horses. I'll admit, there were moments I wondered whether this might have ended up being a 4 star rather than a 5 star, as I thought Puck Connelly tended to 'glare' at people a bit too much, but the race itself was so exciting and the ending was so good that I just couldn't give it anything but the highest score. ...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: bittersweet, favorites, 2011, happy-i-read, ya

4.5-stars- Atmospheric, moody and beautiful in ways that I wasn't expecting from this author. Stiefvater' s other series about werewolves was always decent, but never stellar. This story…well, this story is something else altogether. I think my love for it may have something to do with identifying so well with the main characters. Growing up in a small town not far from the ocean, with its share of those wanting to escape and myself wanting to stay so very badly, I could identify with that singl ...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Nairabell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: signed-books, 5-star, teen-ya-paranormal, read-in-2011, favorites, cutthroat-books

Every year the sand on the beaches of Skarmouth turns red from blood during the Scorpio Races. Every year riders capture the savage water horses and race them, and every year only a handful of the entrants survive. When Puck enters the Scorpio Races to try to save her family she doesn't expect to find herself drawn to Sean, the only person able to tame the beasts. But their newfound connection is overshadowed by the danger of the Races.

I have loved Maggie Stiefvater's books ever since I read Shi Every year the sand on the beaches of Skarmouth turns red from blood during the Scorpio Races. Every year riders capture the savage water horses and race them, and every year only a handful of the entrants survive. When Puck enters the Scorpio Races to try to save her family she doesn't expect to find herself drawn to Sean, the only person able to tame the beasts. But their newfound connection is overshadowed by the danger of the Races.

I have loved Maggie Stiefvater's books ever since I read Shiver. She has an incredible way of creating a world that you can fall into and characters you care about. When I heard this was to be about savage water horses I was thrilled. I grew up with stories of viscious horses from the sea (though mine were kelpies not cappaill uisce) so I couldn't wait to read this, and I loved every page. The storyline has a great steady pace that draws you in, and plenty of twists and turns to make you desperate to see what happens next.

The story focuses on Puck, aka Kate Connolly, who enters the races because her family needs the money. Her parents were killed by the cappaill uisce so Puck and her brothers struggle to look after themselves. By entering the races Puck challenges some long-held views of the locals, not least of all because she's the first girl ever to enter. I really liked Puck. She manages to find a balance between confident and cocky, and I really rooted for her.

Like the author's other books, this switches narrator between Puck and Sean which is great as you get two very different perspectives on both the horses and the races. Sean has an incredible bond with his capall uisce Corr and he has already won the Scorpio Races four times. I liked Sean from the start, but grew fonder of him as you see him work with the horses. There is a big cast of characters here and I would have liked to get to know some of them better, although that may have detracted from Sean and Puck's story.

The ending is outstanding - it takes the tension and drama built throughout the book and brings it to culmination with the race. It is cleverly done and not entirely what I expected, but ends the book really well.

All in all this was an outstanding read and I thoroughly recommend it.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 10/10

Overall: 49/50 ...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Marla rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure, demons, fantasy, zz-2013, award-winner, boys, horror, romance, young-adult, paranormal

3.5 stars. Starts slowly, but it was a unique story. Very different premise: violent carnivorous water horses, capaill uisce, are raced once a year on the island of Thisby. Sean Kendrick is the four-time reigning champion with a way with the water horses. Kate "Puck" Connolly is a poor orphan girl, orphaned thanks to water horses, scraping by with her 2 brothers.

This wasn't really the kind of book that I am currently enthralled with...it's a fantasy with winding cliffs and scraping by in a villa ...more

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