The Scorpio Races in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Aug 26, 2011 Valerie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, stand-alone-fantasy-sf, read-in-2012

INITIAL REACTION: Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

[idontknowwhatmyfeelingsaredoing.gif]

I hate writing ultra-positive reviews. I'm fine with critiquing a book or pointing out what I don't like, or even pointing out things that I mildly like, but when it comes to books that I really love -- like this -- I feel like I'm writing nonsense.

I might elaborate more later, but for now: this was fantastic and touched upon a ton of themes that will make me weak at the knees every time. Isolated settings and gender role ...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Kristina rated it really liked it

originally posted: http://newborrowedused.blogspot.com/2...

My Thoughts: This is my time reading a book by this author and I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. When I first heard flesh eating horses I thought eww. The author was able to give her story without turning me off. Even the parts where there were hungry uisce taking bites were done in a way that made sense to the story.
Both Puck and Sean were strong main characters. Puck was strong when she needed to be even when she was scared of ev ...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Lisarenee rated it it was amazing

"Fifty years ago, that was a man they killed up there, just like every year before. The man who will not ride."

"Why?" I demanded...

"Because...if you feed the island blood before the race, maybe she won't take as much during."

Every fall, beginning in October, as the time draws closer to November, the capaill uisce (pronounced CAPple ISHka) rise from their watery home. These beasts look like horses, but do not make that mistake or it might just be your last. For ordinary horses they are not a "Fifty years ago, that was a man they killed up there, just like every year before. The man who will not ride."

"Why?" I demanded...

"Because...if you feed the island blood before the race, maybe she won't take as much during."

Every fall, beginning in October, as the time draws closer to November, the capaill uisce (pronounced CAPple ISHka) rise from their watery home. These beasts look like horses, but do not make that mistake or it might just be your last. For ordinary horses they are not and they are as dangerous as they are beautiful. They emerge from the ocean hungry and ready to feed. Both equine and serpentine rolled into one. They'd sooner eat you than let you ride them. "They are every color of the pebbles of the beach: black, red, golden, white, ivory, gray, blue." With teeth razor sharp and eyes like a fish, they are predatory, graceful, fast, powerful, and fascinating all at once. Mid October, just weeks after their initial rise, marks the beginning of the Scorpio festival. It is the highlight of the island and it's main attraction is the Scorpio Races. A race of the waterhorses (aka capaill uisce). The ultimate race for the thrill seeker.

This year is unlike any other. Kate 'Puck' Connolly, wishes to keep her family together. She has just found out that her brother, Gabe, is leaving the island in two weeks. Perhaps to never return or be heard from again. In a moment of panic, trying to grasp at something that could keep him here if only for a few more days, she declares she will be riding in the Scorpio Races. She will be the first woman in the history of the races ever to do so.

Sean Kendrick watched his father die in a Scorpio race when he was just 10 years old. He was taken in and put to work by Benjamin Malvern, owner of the Malvern Yards. The business exports sport horses to the mainland. Every year just before the races a mysterious woman no one seems to know who is dressed as the mare goddess, Epona, drops a shell and the receiver is granted a wish. This year Sean, for the second time, is the recipient of the wish, but no shell is needed...
"The ocean knows your name, Sean Kendrick," She says. "Make another wish."
Sean, now 19, has won the last 4 of the 6 Scorpio races he's ridden in. He's the one to beat. The question is what does he truly want?

 One girl wishes to save her family. 

 One boy who wants to be free.

 One race that could kill you.

 One day that could be the answer to your prayers or the end of them.

 One declaration and it all begins...

 I will ride. By my blood.

I just adore Maggie Stiefvater's writing style. There's just something about it that endears me to her books. The little details she adds just make her characters and stories spring to life within the pages as I read. Sean doesn't easily make friends and tries to keep to himself. His mother had abandoned him and his father to the mainland when he was eight, looking for a better life. Once his father died, he was pretty much left to himself. He is quite yet insightful. He's strong yet vulnerable and though he might not realize it, lonely. He's also got a talent no other possesses. He's a waterhorse whisperer.

Puck, who has two brothers, is tough and determined. Her parents died years ago and her brothers and her horse, Dove, are all she has left. Once she makes up her mind about something she sticks with her decision. Puck's mum used to tell her,"some things happen for a reason, that sometimes the obstacles were there to stop you form doing something stupid." Her father, however, would say, "sometimes it just means you have to try harder." Puck learned her lessons well and is not afraid to stand up for herself. As one spectator declared, "She bites!" That's figuratively not literally. lol Being the first woman to ride in the races makes her the target of a lot of unwanted negative attention. She'll need a tough shell and a little bite because many are not happy about her entry.

To the onlooker the Puck and Sean are seemingly the opposite of each other. Yet when you get down to the heart of them, they're very much alike--loyal, smart, and have a love for their animals which others might not understand. They both are easy for the reader to relate to and bond with.

Each will grow just a little during the festival. They will form a friendship and come to understand one another. On an island where everyone claims to know everyone else, no one truly knows Sean or Puck. They will come to care for each other, but only one can win the Scorpio Races.

Stiefvater starts out slow and steady with this one and then turns up the speed and action at the end for a big finish and winning tale. She adds some twists and turns that will have you sitting at the edge of your seat waiting to find out who will win and who will lose. I could definitely see this becoming a movie in the future. While this one is labeled 'Young Adult', I felt it had more of an adult edge to it. Hopefully, the Young Adult label won't make those over the age of 18 overlook it. This one gets 5 out of 5 roses from me. I highly recommend this one. A beautiful story with just a dash of romance. FYI, I was just searching to find something about Capaill uisce and found out Warner Brothers bought the rights to the movie. Congratulations Ms. Stiefvater!

Notes to keep you in the know:
According to Wikepedia, "In Gallo-Roman religion, Epona was a protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera,cornucopia, ears of grain and the presence of foals in some sculptures[1] suggested that the goddess and her horses were leaders of the soul in the after-life ride, with parallels in Rhiannon of the Mabinogion. Unusually for a Celtic deity, most of whom were associated with specific localities, the worship of Epona, "the sole Celtic divinity ultimately worshipped in Rome itself,"[2] was widespread in the Roman Empire between the first and third centuries CE."
The above information found on wikipedia. To read the full account go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epona

"The kelpie is a supernatural water horse from Celtic folklore that is believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland and Ireland; the name may be from Scottish Gaelic cailpeach or colpach "heifer, colt".[1]...The water horse is a common form of the kelpie, said to lure humans, especially children, into the water to drown and eat them."
The above information was found on wikipedia. To read more about the kelpie go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie

To read more of my reviews please visit my blog at www.seducedbyabook.com ...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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