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The Scorpio Races

Maggie Stiefvater

Discussion: Stand Alone

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Stand Alone

* Stand Alone- Better Than Revenge
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last updated Sep 15, 2025 07:03AM

* Stand Alone- Maybe Meant to Be
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What Members Thought

Jan 14, 2014 Owen rated it really liked it

National Velvet, Misty of Chincoteague, and the Island Stallion were all staples of my childhood. At one time or another they were each my favorite. Bagnold was able to create the best countryside. I wanted to ride through the moors and farmland. Misty was real to me when we visited Assateague and saw the ponies swim across the channel. And the island stallion was just a little bit exotic, so it captured my imagination and allowed the world I lived in to be just a little bit larger and a little ...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Tressa (Wishful Endings) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012

This was a book that really draws you in and keeps you there. I really liked the characters and you get to know them as you read their stories and as they get to know each other. The writing is really good and the story's plot is very creative. Definitely a one-of-a-kind book. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the crass descriptives in parts and violence. Amazingly those water horses really kind of got to me, which I guess shows how well this was written. ...more

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Oct 16, 2013 Mary Holm rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love this book so much. The writing is gorgeous, the story-telling and the characters are engaging, compelling and fun. At first I thought the concept was completely made up, but I love the fact that Maggie Stiefvater based the idea of water horses on on real mythology. I could go on gushing, but instead, why don't you just pick up this book, sink deep into The world of the Scorpio Races and enjoy? ...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Audio Review:

In the beginning of this story, it was quite slow. In fact, I had a hard time really getting into the flow of the book. At first, I thought it was the narrators Steve West (reading Sean's chapters) and Fiona Hardingham (reading Puck's chapters). Not because they were bad, but because they had a very smooth voice quality... especially Steve West. I thought maybe it was the cadence of their voices that sort of lulled me. However, the story wasn't just taking me away.

Until...

There was Audio Review:

In the beginning of this story, it was quite slow. In fact, I had a hard time really getting into the flow of the book. At first, I thought it was the narrators Steve West (reading Sean's chapters) and Fiona Hardingham (reading Puck's chapters). Not because they were bad, but because they had a very smooth voice quality... especially Steve West. I thought maybe it was the cadence of their voices that sort of lulled me. However, the story wasn't just taking me away.

Until...

There was a twist. Not a huge one, but it, for some reason, really ramped up my attention. After that, I was able to really see Puck and Sean both struggling with their respective problems and I became entranced. Not only that, it was the beginning of me becoming increasingly tense about the race coming up shortly. A race that started to seem like it would take a year to get here.

Now feeling like it was a year might not sound like a good thing, but it really was. It was the anticipation, the want to hurry up and get it over along side the same feeling of wanting it to last. Not wanting to leave this world too quickly. So, I became increasingly anxious as to what was going to happen. Oh but Maggie Stiefvater doesn't just leave you at that building anticipation. She throws in other anxiety producing incidences that makes you find yourself at the edge of your seat. It also enhances the anxiety already going on.

I should say something about the romance because I really enjoyed it here. There is one and it proceeds gloriously slow. Gloriously? Oh yes... It makes sense with who Puck and Sean have become and are becoming. It cannot be any faster or it would have played false. No insta-love here. And it's a perfect build of emotions. One that takes into account each person's world not made easy by their respective circumstances.

Oh the ending! So many questions leading up to the ending... Will I get my HEA? Will something worse that what is going through my head will happen? Who will die? Will I be able to get my hands through this story and pluck Mutt Malvern out and kick him in the arse? Will "I" survive this ending?

Ah... the end. All I will say is that it was satisfying even though this is one book I would have love to have ended with a epilogue so I know what happened to all the remaining characters years later. No, it's not necessary to the book's ending, I just my want to know since I'm now invested in this world.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars. It has a slow beginning but stick with it, the rewards will pay themselves off ten fold. You may also like the audio. If nothing, you will enjoy the two narrator's British accents. :) ...more

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