Title: The Scorpio RacesPublisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: October 18th 2011
Source: ebook
Goodreads | Amazon
Summary: 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.
Review: I read this book for the 2012 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge. The Scorpio Races was a book that showed the beauty of language. I could taste, feel, hear, smell and visualise every scene. The descriptions were amazing and I think it is something that is really lacking in many trendy books these days. There is more focus on the plot and pacing and descriptions are sacrificed. The setting in The Scorpio Races was very dark and gloomy and I actually believed that the water horses were real, it didn't feel like a mythology which was very cool indeed. The setting just worked so well with what Maggie was trying to tell in her story about one's love for the island and their horses. Not only was the setting painted so life-like but also the characters!
Puck and Sean's narration alternates and it was actually quite obvious! I was really impressed by that, so many books fail to achieve that. I think what really helped was the intense character development, their voices were distinct and it formed a great overall image of what was happening in the town. Also, their romance was so natural! No insta-love, woohoo! It was built on mutual interest in riding and respect for each other. There weren't any clothes-ripping hot moments but somehow I found myself really believing in their love for each other and rooting for them!
The only issue I had was probably the pacing. I expected it to be about baddies on horses eating everyone in sight or that the races was a weekly affair of sorts. Basically, I was expecting tons of action and I was teeny bit disappointed. With that said, I felt okay by the end of the book because a good book transports you to places and allow you to live separate lives. This book definitely achieved that, and beyond.
Since you now know what to expect, I promise you would enjoy this much more than I did. :)
I am going to check out the other books by Maggie Stiefvater!
My rating:
I would recommend this to anyone that wouldn't mind a read with a slower pace but has brilliant descriptions.
0 comments:
Post a Comment