A Vintage Reads YA Review: Scorpio Races

Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, October 18, 2011. 409 pages. Published by Scholastic Press. Source: Borrowed from Library.

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. 

First Sentence:

It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.

Well, I had been contemplating reading The Scorpio Races for a few years. The premise was interesting, I just never bothered to read it till now because of hype. It was talked about so much that I just could not bring myself to read it at that time.

• I was not impressed with the first half of the book. While the characters story's piques my interest, it was just so slow and drawn out that it was barely holding my attention. The pacing was just so slow that I very nearly put it aside. Yeah, that first half was just not as strong or absorbing as I expected.

• While the first half of the book failed to completely impress me, the story was asking to be given a further opportunity to gain my attention, Which it eventually did. There was just something about Sean and Kate, as well as the mythology, that kept me from walking away. Yes, there was just enough for my curiosity to win out.

• While I ended up enjoying The Scorpio Races I wanted more answers. I would have liked to know more definitively why the Connolly's parents were out the night they died. I just wanted a better answer than the passing one that was supposed to suffice. I don't like vague answers. Yes, it really bothered me not knowing all the details. I also could have used with more backstory on Sean. He was just very mysterious.

• Oddly enough, I liked Sean more than Kate. That's not to say that I disliked Kate, she was just less mysterious and pretty straightforward (i.e. easy to understand what she was feeling). Though I did really enjoy seeing the way they slowly came to understand one another. It was nice.

• The second half of the book was intense as things came to a head. It was, well, it was entertaining. There's no better word I can think of right now than that. It was intense because things were turning dark for both Sean and Kate as the things they wanted seemed almost out of reach. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but the last seventy-five pages were impossible to put down.

Final Verdict: The Scorpio Races- While it takes some time for this book to hook you, the characters and mythology make it a good read. Just have patience.

The Scorpio Races earns

A copy of this book was borrowed from the library. All thoughts are my own.