It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen. (summary from Good Reads)
I have wanted to read the SR for a very long time. Close to when it first came out, just over a year ago. I absolutely love the Maggie's writing style and how she can switch narratives/character perspectives. I really enjoyed Shiver, Linger, and Forever although the ending of Forever not so much. It was the same for the SR; while I appreciated it, the ending fell flat for me.
The story itself is based off the legend of Celtic water horses and takes place on the small island of Thisby that is owned by Benjamin Malvern. Sean Kendrick, who mostly goes by his last name, watches his father die when he is just ten years old. He is then taken in by Benjamin who raises him like a son, almost. Sean works for Malvern training horses, esp the water horses. He loves one of them, Corr, his father's horse and the one he races with. But Malvern will not let him have Corr. Sean, now 19, has ridden in the Scorpio Races for the past five years and won.
But this year, Kate or Puck Connolly is racing. Only she's not riding a water horse. She's riding the pony she has, Dove, in hopes that she can win and save her and her brothers from eviction.
Everyone believes in Sean Kendrick. Few believe in Puck Connolly, but she believes in herself. Puck is the first woman ever to ride in the Scorpio Races and all the women of Thisby stand behind her. This includes Peg Grattam, the butcher's wife, and the three Fathom sisters, especially the oldest of the three, Dory Maud.
With Puck stands these women, her brother Finn, their cat Puffin, and her horse Dove. And also Sean Kendrick comes to think she can win, even though the odds are against her. Sean and Puck come to respect each other and he even falls in love with her. But Sean Kendrick cannot have everything, and when he has to choose between Corr and Puck...SPOILER
He chooses Puck! Yay! END SPOILER
I love Puck and I'm really glad that she and Sean get together. I'm glad she realizes that she loves him too, even though their love is different from others. It's unique. I wish I could explain it. Puck is one of my favorite characters. She grows from just-another-island-girl/that-Connolly-girl to being a respected woman with hard fought pride and honor. She gains her courage to take risks and to love, which is the biggest risk of all. Her and Sean's love is really something special.
I really enjoyed Sean's character, as well, though not as much as Puck's. Sean goes through somewhat of an identity crisis, realizing that the life he has known working for Malvern is not what he wants forever and also that he is in love with a wild girl, Puck. They both grow in the novel, and at the end they both have a lot to show for their effort.
The Scorpio Races is ultimately about love, death, life, sacrifice, family, home, letting go and holding on, all happening on a small island called Thisby where the water horses rise up from each year.
Resources
Official website of The Scorpio Races book: http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-scorpio-races/
The book trailer on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojCn2Y41ig
My review on Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/234764300
Please comment below! Tell me what you thought of the Scorpio Races!
