The Scorpio Races Book 2

[Efraine Ton]

EveryNovember on the island of Thisby, tourists flock in for the annual Scorpio Races. This dangerous competition is only for the bravest as riders do not race atop regular horses but rather upon capaill uisce, bloodthirsty mythological horses that come from the sea. Still, the races are a major part of Thisby, and winning can mean everything. For Sean, a favorite in the race, winning again could mean the freedom to live life on his own terms. For Puck, whose parents were killed by capaill uisce, it is the only way to dig herself and her remaining family out of financial ruin.

This fantasy novel by Maggie Stiefvater is published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., and is written for kids ages 14 and up. The age range reflects readability and not necessarily content appropriateness.

When her mare is in danger because of fierce water horses practicing nearby on the beach, Sean tells her to keep her pony off the beach. Eventually, Sean helps Puck learn to race. As the day of the race approaches, the island comes alive with guests, festivals and intense training rituals. Wealthy mainlanders bargain with Malvern for his capall uisce. Riders make blood pledges to participate in the races. Mutt bullies Sean, and he severely injures a horse, thinking it is Corr. Men in training are injured and killed by the fierce water horses.

The self-interested Malvern owns much of the town and exerts control over people like Sean and Puck. He watches out for his son, Mutt, even though he has little respect for the boy. The men of the town, steeped in their traditions, use fear and threats to try and keep Puck from being the first female rider. Gabe plans to leave his two younger, orphaned siblings to seek his fortune on the mainland.

I am a re-reader. If a story captures me, I will return and savor the world within its pages from time to time. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is one of those favorites. It has all the bits and pieces I love in a tale: horses, female hero, horses, a touch of fantasy, horses. I think you get my point.

Set on Thisby, an island off the coast of Britain, it is the time of the annual November race of the Capall Uisce, or water horses on the ocean beaches. They are a stunning and deadly breed barely tamed for the races. Puck Connolly, a teenage girl has dared to be the first woman to enter the race on her normal mare Dove. She faces physical danger, as well as opposition from the male-dominated racers and organizers. With the help of fellow racer Sean Kendrick, Puck takes on the challenge.

Thisby is steeped in the rich history and mystique of the Capall Uisce. From the architecture of the Malvern Stables to the rites of the Scorpio festival led by Epona the mare goddess, Stiefvater sinks the reader into this world with her usual lyrical style. The juxtaposition of the hardscrabble life of the islanders to the mystique of the water horses is seamless and believable. I secretly wish the island existed somewhere in the wild Atlantic.

Reviewed by: The Scorpio Races Karen Coats Stiefvater, Maggie . The Scorpio Races. Scholastic, 2011. [416p]. ISBN 978-0-545-22490-1 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10. Every November, the island of Thisby hosts the Scorpio Races, which feature the deadly water horses, or capaill uisce, who come to the island out of the sea. The horses, if they can be tamed, are the fastest creatures alive, but the carnivorous [End Page 225] animals think nothing of eating the man who feeds them; what's more, if the sea calls to them, they will rejoin it, rider and all. Sean Kendrick loves one of these animals, a red beauty named Corr, despite the fact that his father met his death at the teeth and hooves of another one. Puck Connolly, on the other hand, has no love for the capaill uisce, who killed both her parents. She wants to race, however, so that she can make enough to save their house now that she and her brothers are orphans. As Puck and Sean prepare for the races, they battle island prejudices about Puck, who is the first woman to ever compete in the race, and Mutt Malvern, who is determined to keep Sean from his fifth victory. A win for Sean is the only way Benjamin Malvern, Mutt's father and Sean's boss, will allow him to buy Corr; hence Puck and Sean, despite their growing feelings for one another, both need the win to realize their heart's desire. Though the plot arc unfolds slowly, Stiefvater does a masterful job in creating an immersive world with well-developed traditions, history, prejudices, and complex social relations. The book credibly depicts the subtle tensions of a developing romance between two stubborn and taciturn people with a multitude of concerns: their training for the races, Puck's worries about money and the splintering of her family, and Sean's love and care for his horses, among other things. Those willing to take it slowly will be richly rewarded with a story whose mythic dimensions stand easily with its more quotidian ones, thus embodying the tensions between the water horses and their humans.

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