The Scorpio Races
By Maggie StiefvaterI don't know why I went for this book I guess because I'd read other books by the author and thought they were okay. I have fond memories of going to horse races with my grandpa when I was just a wee one. It was available at the library, why not? Still, I now regret having checked this one out.
It's boring. Nothing happens. Yes it's about a horse race. A violent horse race where wild killer horses draw in crowds from around the world. The race is basically all the island of Thisby has going for it. Once the novelty of it wears off many of the islanders realize they're destined to do nothing more than work with fish, live in poverty, and if lucky make some extra money off tourists at the races each year -- therefore they dream of leaving.
Not Puck though, she loves the island. When she realizes that one of her brothers is ready to leave the island she decides to become the first female to join the races in order to collect prize money allowing her save their home and to keep her brother around, if only for a little awhile longer. Never mind that Sean Kendrick will be in the race and he has won the races four times before and Puck will be racing on a horse that is all but a common pony compared to the violent killer flesh eating water horses that she'll be up against. Oh and no one but Sean seems to want Puck in the race as girls don't belong in such things. If Sean wins his jerk of a boss (Bemjamin Malvern) will allow him to finally buy his horse. If Puck wins, the money will save her family from ruin (they own Malvern a lot of rent).
I will give her kudos for not rushing the romance into some silly over the top instant forever and ever 'til death do us part teen gushy thing, though it had potential to go that way and felt it could be heading that way. There's no love triangle either, yay!
Throw in the psycho angst ridden knife wielding son of Malvern, who is quite angry that daddy seems to favor Sean (even if he a jerk to him) and you think you'd have one wild ride. Nope, not really. It put me to sleep (literally - I put it down and went to sleep several nights in a row when I got too bored reading it to stay awake any longer).
Given that all of the book was a build up to the race, it actually flies by. Since we know that the races are deadly we also know that there will not be a happy ending for everyone (or every horse).
You're going to have to really really love horses to want to pick this one up, and even then I'm not sure it's worth a read.
