The Scorpio Races
Published by: Scholastic
ISBN: 0545224918
Genre: Fantasy
Review
The Scorpio Races is a novel set on the mythologically unique island of Thisby. Thisby is a home to many capaill uisce, a carnivorous horse straight from the ocean. These fierce horses are tamed by the people of the island to ride them every year in a special race called the Scorpio Races. Although it is a Thisby tradition, the Scorpio Races should never take place because the water horses are never really tame. One horse even ate a dog whole. The two main characters of The Scorpio Races are intertwined in the competition of this race. Tensions between the two main characters rise as you see from both points of view. I think the shifting point of view is helpful to understand their feelings for each other. Puck Connolly is an orphan girl who lives on Thisby. She lives in a house with Finn and Gabe Connolly. They will be evicted from their house soon if they don't get enough money to pay it off. Puck decides to compete in the Scorpio Races to pay off the house. Sean Kendrick is an experienced capaill uisce trainer that wants to race in the Scorpio Races in order to buy his favorite horse, Corr. Both need to win first place to get what they need, and Sean and Puck develop a friendship that could be broken. I think any reader would be in a dilemma for who should get what they want. This novel makes your stomach twist whenever either character gets closer to what they want. You have to read The Scorpio Races yourself to discover what happens next!
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is a great novel for readers looking for a juicy fantasy to quench their thirst for a good book. The Scorpio Races has a good plot speed to it, I felt like the book paused to explain the characters' feelings like when Sean felt happier when Puck was training with him. I also liked the level of description for the characters; sometimes I felt like I actually knew Finn when he would fix the house windows or tinker with the Connolly car, the Morris. I also felt like I knew that Gabe was hurting when he explained why he wanted to leave Thisby. I also think the Scorpio Race should have been closer the the middle of the book because the whole book is just waiting for the races. The book might have just been better a little shorter. I would recommend this to a friend, especially if they like horses.
Additional Reviews
Further Explorations
- The legend of a capaill uisce.
- Maggie Stiefvater's website with more information on The Scorpio Races.
- An interesting animated trailer for The Scorpio Races.
- A conspiracy theory group's description of a capall uisce.
- An online horse supply store.
Partner Titles
Misty of Chincoteague
Ghost Medicine
Taming The Star Runner
Works Cited
"Capaill Uisce." Raven Conspiracy. Raven Conspiracy, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
Ghost Medicine. Digital image. Goodreads. Goodreads, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
Misty of Chincoteague (Misty, #1). Digital image. Goodreads. Goodreads, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
"The Scorpio Races - Book Review." The Scorpio Races Book Review. Common Sense Media, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
The Scorpio Races | Maggie Stiefvater. Digital image. Maggie Stiefvater The Scorpio Races Comments. Maggie Stiefvater, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
"The Scorpio Races | Maggie Stiefvater." Maggie Stiefvater The Scorpio Races Comments. Maggie Stiefvater, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
THE SCORPIO RACES Animated Trailer. YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
"The Scorpio Races Review." The Guardian. The Guardian, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
Taming the Star Runner. Digital image. Goodreads. Goodreads, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
"Water Horse." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
"Western Horse Tack & Saddles." Horse Tack. Horse Tack, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.