Publishers Weekly
In her closing notes, Stiefvater (the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy) calls this a book “about killer horses”—terrifying faerie creatures that eat meat and seek to drown humans—and, in virtually the same breath, says that it “isn’t really about water horses.” She’s right on both counts. On the island of Thisby, the Scorpio Races are held every November, when the driven or the crazy ride the beaches on the backs of these mounts. Sean Kendrick does it for love, winning year after year on the stallion Corr; Puck Connolly, pitting her ordinary horse against the killers, does it out of desperation, to win money to keep her home and to earn respect from her older brother, who threatens to desert the family. Stiefvater’s narration is as much about atmospherics as it is about event, and the water horses are the environment in which Sean and Puck move, allies and rivals to the end. It’s not a feel-good story—dread, loss, and hard choices are the islanders’ lot. As a study of courage and loyalty tested, however, it is an utterly compelling read. Ages 13–up. (Oct.)¦
From the Publisher
é “Stiefvater's novel, inspired by Manx, Irish, and Scottish legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge from the sea each autumn, begins rivetingly and gets better and better . . . all the way, in fact, to best.”–Horn Book Review, Starred Reviewé “Masterful...like nothing else out there now.”–Kirkus Reviews, Starred Reviewé “A study of courage and loyalty tested…utterly compelling.”–Publishers Weekly, Starred Reviewé “A book with cross-appeal to lovers of fantasy, horse stories, romance, and action-adventure, this seems to have a shot at being a YA blockbuster.”–Booklist, Starred Reviewé “Upon the sea-battered and wind-swept isle of Thisby, fall brings the famed and feared capaill uisce, or water horses, and with them, death . . . The author takes great liberties with the Celtic myth, but the result is marvelous.”–School Library Journal, Starred Review“Stiefvater not only steps out of the young adult fantasy box with “The Scorpio Races” but crushes it with pounding hooves…. If “The Scorpio Races” sounds like nothing you've ever read, that's because it is.”–The New York Times Book Review“Tactile world-building, an island full of compelling characters, and the budding romance between Sean and Puck all make for an unforgettable book that's quite unlike anything else out there.”–NPR Books“With this beautifully executed drama, Stiefvater has established herself as one of the finest YA novelists writing today.”–Entertainment Weekly“Tense, atmospheric, and utterly original.”–People Magazine
Children's Literature - Loretta Caravette
Puck is the first girl to run in the annual horse race, but this is no ordinary race and these are no ordinary horses. Set on an island, the story is based loosely on an Irish myth about wild horses that live in the sea. This riveting and suspenseful story expertly weaves myth with reality. The story is told alternately from two points-of-view, those of Puck and Sean Kendrick. Once a year the islanders race the water horses, or capaill uisce as they are called. The capaill uisce run unlike any land horse and are very strong. They are hard to tame and will kill man or animal if given the chance. Puck and her two brothers lost their parents when they were pulled into the ocean by a water horse and never seen again. There is big prize money for the winner of the race. Puck must win—their home is on the line. The islanders are superstitious and don't want a girl to ride. No one will support Puck except Sean Kendrick. Sean works for Benjamin Malvern's ranch. He breaks in land horses and knows how to communicate with the capaill uisce. He trains and races a red water horse, Corr. They won the last four races together. Puck decides to ride her land horse named Dove. Despite the danger as water horses prey on land horses, Puck, on Dove, and Sean, on Corr, train together. Just before the race, Sean and Mr. Malvern make a deal. If Sean wins he will be able to buy Corr. If he loses he must never ask for Corr again. Corr is as close to Sean as family. Sean must win to get Corr but Puck must win to save her home. Suspenseful, compelling, wonderful visual descriptions with strong characters make this book hard to put down. Reviewer: Loretta Caravette
VOYA - Blake Norby
Sean Kendrick and Kate "Puck" Connolly have both been orphaned by the capaill uisce—the water horses that are born from the sea every fall in the small island town of Thisby. Their stories are not uncommon on the island as many families have lost loved ones to the hungry and feral creatures and to the Scorpio Races the horses are used for every November. Sean is a four time champion of the races and has more than just his love for the horses riding on this year's race; his freedom is on the line. Puck is the first girl to sign up for the race, and she must win to save her family. Only one can win the race and many are lucky to even survive, but Puck and Sean learn to lean on each other to survive the deadliest season on the island they both love. Fans of Stiefvater's Shiver (Scholastic, 2009/VOYA December 2009) will fall under her descriptive trance once again in The Scorpio Races as she draws the reader into Sean and Puck's captivating world of capaill uisce. The elegant imagery of the town and subtle romance between the two main characters make up for the slight holes in the story, such as Puck's weak motivation for involving herself in the race. Readers may need a little push to get past what initially sounds like a juvenile concept, but will quickly become entranced in this beautifully told coming-of-age story. Reviewer: Blake Norby
School Library Journal - Audio
Gr 7 Up—On the island of Thisby, October is a time of mounting tension, as the great water horses descend from the sea. Fierce, fast, and dangerous, they are used in the yearly Scorpio Races. Riders must combine skill with luck as they fight to keep hold of their horse and avoid becoming one of the race's causalities in Maggie Stiefvater's action-packed, romantic fantasy (Scholastic, 2011). Sean Kendrick, a loner and sought-after horse trainer, has won the numerous times and plans on doing it again this year. However, things change when Puck Connolly decides to enter in the hope of winning enough money to save her home and keep her family together. Puck will not only be the first female to ride in the races, but also plans on riding a land horse. With odds 45 to 1, she faces the ridicule of the entire island and those that care about her fear her death. While first thrown together by circumstance, Sean and Puck soon realize that they share a bond with the island and seeing the other succeed becomes as important as winning the race for themselves. With English accents, narrators Steve West and Fiona Hardingham alternate the voices of Puck and Sean, adding an authentic rhythm to the text. Pacing and delivery is strong and pulls listeners into a world of strong imagery and fierce emotion. This will be in heavy demand in middle and high school libraries.—Rebecca Flannery, Lyman Memorial High School, Lebanon, CT
Kirkus Reviews
The bestselling author ofShiver(2009) andLinger(2010) turns the legend of the water horse into a taut, chilling, romantic adventure.
Each October on the island of Thisby, thecapaill uisce, or water horses, emerge from the sea. Predatory meat-eaters, they endanger the islanders—but they are also fast, far faster than land horses, and if captured and very carefully handled, with iron and magic, they can be trained. Every first of November, the water horses are raced on the beach of Thisby; winning the Scorpio Races brings fame and fortune, but losing often bringsdeath. Nineteen-year-old Sean Kendrick runs for the right to buy the water-horse stallion Corr; 16-year-old Katherine, called Puck, pits her land mare against the water horses in an attempt to save her home. Gradually, the two of them, both orphaned bycapaill uisceand fighting for the most important object in their lives, become confederates. First-person narration alternates seamlessly between Sean and Puck. The large cast of supporting characters springs to life, particularly Puck's brothers, Finn and Gabe, and Thisby feels like a place you can see and smell. The water horses are breathtakingly well-imagined, glorious anduntamably violent. The final race, with Sean and Puck each protecting each other but both determined to win, comes to a pitch-perfect conclusion.
Masterful. Like nothing else out there now.(Fantasy. 13-18)
