Book Review: The Scorpio Races
The Scorpio Races
Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: I want to say it's fantasy, but perhaps I'm mistaken.
Summary:
Some race to win. Others race to survive.
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 choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
As she did in her bestselling Shiver trilogy, author Maggie Stiefvater takes us to the breaking point, where both love and life meet their greatest obstacles, and only the strong of heart can survive. The Scorpio Races is an unforgettable reading experience.
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 choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
As she did in her bestselling Shiver trilogy, author Maggie Stiefvater takes us to the breaking point, where both love and life meet their greatest obstacles, and only the strong of heart can survive. The Scorpio Races is an unforgettable reading experience.
Thoughts:
This book was recommended to me by my dearest companion, July. She said it was so much better than Shiver (that horrible other book this author wrote that had be writhing on the ground moaning, "When will it end?!") so I thought, oh why not give it a whirl and see how it goes!
Well, I'll admit that it was, in fact, better than Shiver, so that was good. The problems I found in this book I shall explain. First of all, I felt like there wasn't that much suspense to it. If there's not much suspense, there's not much to keep me wanting to read it, now is there? I felt like there wasn't enough depth to the story to make it really suspenseful and full of life. Another problem is that while the plot had a generally good idea, there really wasn't that much that happened. The author spent too much time describing things, giving me a life story on so-and-so's life before actually continuing the story. What I wanted to know more about, the author merely skimmed, and what I had no interest in whatsoever, the author decided to let that take about two pages of description. Sometimes the author adds a love triangle to the mix, and this author did have some romance in this book, but she made it a straight line from person 1 to person 2. Which isn't a bad thing, it just wasn't that much of an importance to the book. This book wasn't really that predictable as some can be, but I mean really, you know one of them's going to win the race. It's kind of a fact. No, the author's not going to let that antagonist win, because it's just not the way she writes.
But alas, I digress. There was some good scenes in the book that I loved, like the ones that talked about the water horses emerging from the ocean. I've always loved books about the ocean, so those were scenes that I really liked.
Although the summary up there says this is unforgettable, I'm sorry, but I can see myself forgetting about it a year from now. It didn't leave that much impact on me. Sorry, July, but this isn't a book for me.
Rating: 3.9
It sounds to me like Stiefvater isn't worth reading. Which is funny, since my sister picked up Shiver from the library yesterday, even after reading your review on it...
ReplyDeleteI looked at this book once, and though I am curious as to what exactly water horses are, I don't think I'll read it. Good choice?
Mmm...I'd say you wouldn't like it. There's really nothing that leaves you guessing for a while like a bunch of good books do.
DeleteWater horses are simply horses that live underwater, and during the month of November, come onshore and people capture them and race them. The difference with these horses is that they eat meat, are unpredictable, and could wind up eating their riders for lunch.
I must say, although this is better than Shiver, I never really liked Stiefvater's books.
Oh dear...your sister picked up Shiver?! *paces frantically* It's just not a good book. I feel like if a different author took the basic plot of Shiver and rewrote it, they could've done a much better job than she did.
Ah, so they are kin of the flesh-eating horses Heracles gave baths to, eh? They probably liked the water so much they decided to live there for the rest of their lives. But they aren't hippocampi, as I thought originally.
DeleteShe told me today that she's taking it back. She didn't like what she read.
Of course. Most likely related to those very flesh-eating horses you speak of.
DeleteI didn't like what I read either. Nearly fed the book to my neighbor's guinea pig, but decided against it because it was a) a library book and b) guinea pigs shouldn't have to suffer like that.
Yes Seana,
ReplyDeleteI read about half of Shiver and now I want to take it back to the library. It was weird (hence the name?) and I had forgotten about your review.
I totally agree with you that it isn't a good book and I really don't want to read it again.
-Liam, Head Phil's sister
Good choice. It certainly was stuffed to the brim with odd things, and as much as I love weird things, it wasn't to my liking sadly.
Delete