Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races is a standalone novel. Every November, tourists from all over flock to the small island town of Thibsy to see the Scorpio Races, to see riders risk life and limb to capture carnivorous Capall uisce (water horses) from violent waves, to train these wild monsters into machines of pure speed, to watch blood water the sandy race ground. Island resident Kate (Puck) Connolly has seen the carnage left by the races first hand. After witnessing the death and destruction left by the beast, She knows better than to participate in the races, but fate pushes her to be the first woman rider the races have seen. Meanwhile, returning champion, Sean Kendrick is the favorite to win, but he is haunted by fears he buries deep.
Puck Connolly and Sean Kendrick both take turns narrating the story. Puck Connolly is a strong willed and brave girl. As a native to Thibsy Island, she knows the effects of the races all too well. Like many, she has lost family and friends to the Capall uisce. With her family falling apart due to the strain of lost parents and the allure of the mainland, Puck Connolly decides to enter in the Scorpio Races. As its first woman, she experiences endless ridicule, but bears it all, as she becomes a better and faster racer. Sean Kendrick is a man of a few words. After the death of his parents, he began work for Benjamin Malvern, the owner of a huge horse yard. Through hard work, he manages to train the entire yard’s horses, knowing each horse inside and out. Quiet and abrasive, this horse-lover has won four Scorpio Races and is vying for a fifth win. As he encounters Puck Connolly, she slowly brings out his repressed fears and urges him to work towards his hidden dreams.
The Scorpio Races is not for everyone. The book is undeniable good as it has won a Printz Honor, but fails in delivery. The plot drags on at as slow unbearable pace. The sheer boredom almost caused me to drop the book several times. If I wasn’t forced to read it, I would have dropped it a long time ago. This is really sad because almost all other aspects of the book were amazing. The book’s diction is expertly chosen and creates a beautiful backdrop for the story. Thibsy’s misty and isolated aura wafts out of the page, bringing to mind gray, cloudy days and cold winds. In creating her mysterious island, Maggie Stiefvater neglected to provide any information about affairs outside of the island. While this is heartbreaking or confusing to some readers, it adds to the allure of the beautiful, isolated island. Like the setting, the characters were nurtured and cared for. Most minor characters had several personalities marking them as unique while major characters had layered and developed personalities. Much of the story was spent cultivating these personalities at the sacrifice of plot and action. I give this 404 page book 3 stars.