The Scorpio Races

This is book is too beautiful for words. It paints pictures that carry more emotion than emotion can carry itself.This book all the sudden means so much to me. (*hugs book to chest while sobbing*) I don't know how to cope. So many different emotions rippled through my chest. So many characters that captured my heart. But mostly Maggie Stiefvater released the essence of a heart's freedom within these pages. She told a story my heart recognized, one I identified with, and one I will cherish forever.This book opened my eyes again. It reminded me why I love my world--the country. It reminded me why I admire horses, and what freedom feels like. I have promised myself to never forget what my world means to me. The Scorpio Races has revived my spirit and I cannot thank Maggie Stiefvater enough. This book is gold.There were a bunch of conversations that really cheered my spirit--mainly because it's so unique--one of them being the statement Peg made to Puck about racing. About motive. About proving that she can do the things that the men can. About becoming a man in the men's eyes. Peg was warning her that such a choice was dangerous...and wrong. Puck knew that wasn't what she wanted, she just need to show the men that such a thing was possible (also, personal reasons). But that statement really got me thinking...about feminists. That's what they're doing. Trying to prove that they can do the things men can, better then men can themselves. It may not be their initial intention, but that's what's happening...and just as Peg was implying such a movement can have dire consequences for everyone. Anyways ... I really appreciate that view.Description ~ I cherished every moment of it. The way she helped me picture things weren't so much in words, but in visions. The images she designed carried more emotion than her stating the emotion. It was gorgeous and my heart soared. I've never read details painted in such a fashion.Plot ~ I LOVED THE PACING. IT WAS AMAZING. Just enough action to keep me excited, but not so much that it created anxiety. I really appreciated that....most of the time--in order for the reader to stay invested--the action has to be so deep the readers can't enjoy the book without being thrown from page to page. That's why I love this pacing. There's not enough of this pacing.Romance ~ Top notch. Some of the best I've ever read. I hate how all the "horse/country" storylines have to always be cliche. The MC is a hot girl who is new to the country and loves horses or learns to ride horses. Then she and "the hot ranch hand" start having chemistry. Turns out a bully girl who is the best horse woman in the town likes this guy too. The MC and the bully girl have some sort of competition and the bully girl looses. Then our MC gets everything she wants....the guy, the horse, and friends. I HATE THIS. This romance was nothing at all like the normal "country girl" style. AND I LOVE THAT. The two MC's are some of the most interesting characters I've ever met. I love how their relationship develops slowly, but completely. It's so beautiful and unique.Content ~ It's a rather violent book. Honestly the water horses are bloody creatures. The Scorpio Race is a violent thing. It literally says "Today is November first, and so today someone will die." On the first page. :P There's also some language....and religion. Some crude comments and one kiss. Overall it's clean....for YA. 😏Characters ~ They were all very realistic and true to their personality. I adored how just a few words could carry so much meaning...or how one look implied so much emotion. 💕 The dialogue was EPIC.Sean ~ The prequel allowed me to connect with him so much more. I have this strange feeling that if the prequel weren't there I wouldn't understand him very well. He just isn't a very emotion person--most men aren't--so it matched his quiet ways. His ability with the water horses made my heart warm. There's just something about his personality that makes him endearing.Puck/Kate ~ Finally!!! FINALLY!!! We have a non stereotypical country girl. I have been wanting this MY WHOLE LIFE. She loves horses, but she cares for her family, and underneath that hard shell she is compassionate. I loved how she appeared calm under pressure and how could be strong the way a woman is suppose to be strong (not the way a man is supposed to be strong).Overall ~ This book has revived my spirit. I didn't realize how much I missed by not reading it for so long. BUMP THIS BOOK UP YOUR TBR. NOW.

Sigh. My love for this book will never end. Reading this book for the sixth time was the best decision I've made in a while. Because nothing makes me more happy than The Scorpio Races. Though the ending still makes me cry. It is just so bittersweet. And so perfect. This book will always be a favorite of mine. It holds a very special place in my heart. The writing is perfection. The characters are the best. And the setting is stunning. I might just be spending all my days wishing there will one day be a sequel to it. <3I don't know how to explain that I know his heart better than anyone's, and he mine.There is so much to love about this book. And I will not talk about all the reasons for why I love it. Just a few main parts, to let you know how much this book means to me. Because it means pretty much everything. The Scorpio Races is full of feelings. There is so much heartbreak. There is so much hope and happiness. Mostly there are sad parts. But it is all so real and honest and I love every moment of every thing. Sean and Corr means the world to me. And Sean and Puck are just the sweetest thing.If I were to describe The Scorpio Races I would say it is a book about Sean and Corr and Puck and Dove. About their love for Thisby, the island. About their love for the water horses. About their growing relationship. About their lives, and how they want them to get better. To me, The Scorpio Races is everything. It is so well done. I cared for the characters so much. I wanted all the things for them. And I never wanted this book to end. But it do. And the ending is the best. But I still wanted a bit more, hih.It wasn't that we were unfriendly with the rest of the island. We were just friendlier with ourselves. Being a Connolly came first. That was the only rule. You could hurt all the feelings you liked, so long as you weren't hurting the feelings of a Connolly.There are two point of views in this book. First there is Kate Connolly, who likes to be called Puck. And she is all kinds of amazing. I adored reading about her. I adore her horse, Dove. I adore her younger brother, Finn. I wanted to know more about him. But her older brother, Gabe. Sigh. I hated him. I have hated him since I first read this book, and I still do. He is leaving them all alone. And I will never forgive that. Sure, there is a reason, but I don't approve of it either way. Anyway. I did love reading about them.Then there is Sean Kendrick. Sigh. My love for Sean is the biggest. I loved reading about his life. How he lost his dad and his mom. How he works for Malvern, whom I despise. And Malvern's son, Mutt. He is the character I hate the most. Just. Awful person. But so awesome to read about at the same time. The story is just all kinds of amazing. But Sean. I love how everyone looks up to him, though he's only nineteen. I love how he is with the horses, how much he loves them all. Sean is the best person there is.I trust Corr more than any of them.I should not trust him at all.This book is about horses. And though I don't like horses, I loved them in this book. So so much. There is just so much about them. The water horses. But also the normal horse, Dove. This book made me love them. Okay, Sean made me love them all. Especially Corr. And the relationship Sean and Corr have. It is the most amazing. And I am dying to read more about it. There is a race at the end of the book. It is so exciting. Yet it is the most heartbreaking thing and I cry every time I read it. Sobs. Damn it.I have already said too much about this book, I think. It's just. When I start thinking and writing about The Scorpio Races I cannot stop. I have so much love for this book. It means the world to me. Sean is the best. And the small romance between Sean and Puck is the best thing in the world. They are perfect together. And I adored reading about the American, George Holly. I just loved every single thing about this book. And I wish with all my heart that there will be more of it. I can't stand not knowing more.If you still haven't read The Scorpio Races, then we cannot be friends. Because this is the most stunning book. And I have been talking about it for years. And you need to have read it by now. Okay, I will give you a chance if you read it right away. <3 Because no one should live without having read The Scorpio Races. Without having met Sean Kendrick. And Puck Connolly. And Corr and Dove. And just everyone and everything. This book is stunning. And you all better have read it by now. Because this book is the best.She stands beside Corr, looking up at him.I want her to love him.---I first read the book from November 23rd to 24th 2011.On November 12th 2012 I read it for the fourth time.On November 1st 2013 I read it for the fifth time.And from December 3rd to 4th 2014 I read it for the sixth time. New blog post here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2014/12/the-scorpio-races.html

This is the first book I've read from this author but it won't be the last. The prose is beautiful and I especially loved the descriptions of the sea and the island. Sean was written in a very compelling way and I found myself drawn to his character, more so than Puck. I had to wonder what it was about her that drew Sean to see her as a potential wife, other than the fact she didn't want to leave the island. Yes, she was brave, but I found her character the weaker of the two protagonists. What was it about her that Sean connected to, above anyone else? Still, the story was beautifully told, and I was struck by the folklore of the water horses. I did wonder, however, with so many riders being killed over the years, how there was anyone left to actually ride in the race? There are a few scenes in the book that are extremely violent toward the horses, which I didn't appreciate, and no one really seems to grieve over the deaths the way I would have expected, but that's just me. All in all, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers, young and old.

Uno de los mejores libros que he leído.

Sinceramente, não é supresa que eu tenha gostado tanto do livro! Eu já chequei outros trabalhos da Sra. Maggie e, apesar de não serem obras unanimes, são obras que realmente me envolvem e me fazem viver o livro.Não foi diferente com Thisby. A atmosfera me cativou e envolveu num segundo, eu consegui ver claramente o cenário e sentir o friozinho da manhã e cheirar a brisa do mar. O uso da lenda dos Capaill uisce foi sensacional!Amei o fato de que a Puck é tão forte, corajosa e segue tentando desviar de todas as pedras que a vida joga em seu caminho. Do seu amor pela família, ao seu amor por cavalos ao fato de que ela se sente em casa em Thisby e não tem medo de dizer... Ela realmente fincou um lugar no meu coração.Por fim, o fato de que não houve aquele amor louco e intenso entre os personagens principais foi outro sopro de ar fresco. Há uma conexão inegável entre os dois, mas nada fica escrito em pedra do final e acho isso muito realista considerando que são jovens com pouco tempo de convivência para proferir amor eterno como em alguns livros por aí.

There are books you read where you can see the author at work - you feel that it's been 'written'. Maybe because the prose doesn't flow or feels contrived. Maybe it's because it feels too plotted or not plotted at all. Or the characters seem cliched or wooden. Then there are novels that you get lost in because the place and people jump off the page and the author themselves remains hidden. This is one of those books. Maggie Stiefvater is, as far as I'm aware, American. The Scorpio Races is set in Thisby (its main town is Skarmouth) and although this is a fictional setting, it has a very British or maybe Irish feel to it. I'd say maybe Irish, as Thisby is an Island (which put me very much in mind of the Aran Islands off Galway Bay. Given that the place is, in any event, fictional, Thisby is brought to life so well, it becomes almost like a third character in the book, alongside Puck and Sean.Told in alternating first-person chapters from Puck and Sean's perspective, we get a true insight into what drives them. The character building is superb and I loved Puck, who was often very witty in a dry way. There are also insights that are wonderful and profound. Like Puck's observation that 'there are moments that you'll remember for the rest of your life and there are moments that you think you'll remember for the rest of your life, and it's not often they turn out to be the same moments'. For me, as a reader, those 'ohhhh' moments, when you're gifted something truly beautiful and relatable to mull over are wonderful. And then there are Puck's amusing observations - for example, her description of two sisters: 'Annie looks dreamy, but she always does because she can't see further than a metre away. Elizabeth looks vaguely angry, but she always does because she can see further than a metre away.'These musings by Puck bring her to life in an amazing way. By contrast, Sean, is quiet and self-contained but no less developed as a character for being such.For me, this book wasn't really about magic (although there are allusions to it - bells and circles in the sand, iron, spit - things designed to 'tame' the mythical and deadly water horses that emerge each November and are rounded up for the Scorpio Races). Rather, the novel is about overcoming adversity, being true to oneself, loyalty, tenacity and finding meaning in the here and now. Not looking for something more or 'other' but being present in the moment, and being happy with that and with your place in the world. I don't want to say much about the plot - this isn't plot-driven in a 'and here's the next twist' way type of a novel. What drives this novel is the development of Puck and Sean as individuals and, then, as two people who begin to care for more than just their own situation. The relationship between Sean and Corr (his water horse) was also beautiful and intriguing - and contrasted wonderfully with Puck's more conventional (but no less committed or affectionate) relationship with her horse, Dove.I think this novel will definitely appeal to horse lovers - but also readers who enjoy being transported to different places. There are some shocking scenes in the book (the water horse are deadly after all and enjoy taking bites out of people and other horses!) but there are truly beautiful scenes too. There aren't many books where I'll go back and re-read the ending - but I have with this one a few times. And although I finished the novel a couple of days ago, the characters and place are still with me. I feel that I'd love to visit there. I only hope that, one day, there might be a follow up to this novel.

A shivering account about horses and the sea, but also nothing about them at all. Mended and broke my heart a thousand times over.