The Scorpio Races by Meg Steifvater
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Apr.22, 2012, under Adventure, Animal, Legend, Romance, Sam's Reviews, Thriller
Who would like this book? Readers, 7th grade and up, looking for an amazing story combining action/adventure with Celtic myth, strong characters, and a thrilling plot.
Why? On Thisby, a windswept island somewhere close to Britain, modern life seems far away. The hardy residents have endured for centuries the “capaill uisce,” ferocious flesh-eating water horses which arise out of the sea every autumn. Each November, Thisby becomes a destination for adventure-seeking tourists by hosting “The Scorpio Races,” in which men ride these horses in a life-threatening race down the beach. As the story opens, Kate “Puck” Connolly has decided to race. She and her two brothers have been orphaned by the horses and, as one of the narrators of the story, she shows the wild beauty of Thisby and the courage needed to survive there. Her decision to race on her beloved Dove, not a water horse, draws much anger toward her. It also draws the attention of the other narrator of the story, Sean Kendrick, a stable boy who has a special connection to the water horses and has won the race four years in a row. This book starts out as a page-turner and never lets up. Some of the descriptions are bloody, but the unsettling events are crucial to the story. Anyone who likes thrilling suspense and vividly strong characters, don’t miss this book!
The details: 409 pp. 2011 Review by Samrarian
