The Scorpio Races-A Book Review

You know what I was thinking…Lisa’s solo isn’t yet out but I am giddy already. I can’t wait to listen to her solo. I mean…just imagine how the whole internet will break and go ABSOLUTE NUTS when her solo will be released…just try to think about that…

And there is me thinking that Jisoo’s ‘Hey Boy’ is the most iconic line in Whistle. Like…the song has one of the greatest beats!

Instead of talking about BlackPink or any other singers when this is supposed to be a review, let us just get straight to what this post is SUPPOSED to be about.


  • Title: The Scorpio Races
  • Author: Maggie Stiefvater
  • Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Romance
  • Category: YA
  • Publishing Date/Publisher: October 18th 2011 by Scholastic Press (originally published in September 18th 2011)

The Scorpio Races
Source: Goodreads

I think rust red is actually a beautiful colour you know.


Every November, the Scorpio Races begin. One of the most dangerous races where you either live, make it to the finish line or die. Riders ride the water horses, horses that come out of the sea every November and if captured by humans, made to race, if the humans are able to hold the water horses long enough before they start tearing people into pieces and leave you dead.

Sean Kendrick is just a 19-year-old boy who takes part of the races every year, won four times and has still managed to stay alive. He rides on Corr, believed to be one of the fastest water horses. He rarely shows his feelings but he has an ambition. Win the race, get the prize money and buy Corr for himself, who currently belongs to the owner he works for.

Puck Connolly is just a girl with loads of freckles, ginger hair and who is an orphan who looks after her little brother, Finn and sometimes her older brother, Gabe. When Gabe wants to leave, she has no choice but to participate in the races with her normal mare, Dove and hopes to win the race…when she has almost no chance against the insanely powerful water horses. And she is the very first woman…to participate…and people don’t like a women in a race where the blood of men rule.


About the Author:

Maggie Stiefvater

New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.

All of Maggie Stiefvater’s life decisions have been formed by a desire to leave a mark, resulting in spray-painted cars, sharpie-covered computer printers, ink-splattered walls, and stories told in books, in magazines, and on stages. Maggie Stiefvater lives in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her husband, kids, and a bunch of fainting goats.

[Picture and text taken directly from Goodreads]


My Ratings: 4.5/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

My Thoughts:

There are a few reasons why I picked up this book…here they are:

  1. It has mythical horses and I ADORE horses (mythical or not)
  2. The word SCORPIO caught my attention (ignore the fact that I am a Scorpio over here)
  3. The word RACES also caught my attention (I haven’t read many books about horse racing)
  4. I had a feeling about this book that it wouldn’t disappoint me..
  5. It had a cowboy vibe to it, that I couldn’t ignore.

Well, this is a slow-paced book but…damn…was it beautiful? Yes. It started slow at first and slowly picked up pace. The thing that I love about this book is the way the characters aren’t randomly thrown into the book but introduced, slowly and in such a way that you get to know them.

Let us just TALK about our two main characters, Sean Kendrick and Kate Connolly (Puck). At first none of them knew each other but as soon as they are introduced in the book…well…quite predictable right?

The whole concept of the book was great. At the start of November, the Scorpio Races start. The horse-riders of Thisby try to catch the water-horses (capaill uisce [plural]) when they emerge from the depths of the sea. These horses are extremely fast, bloodthirsty and are constantly pulled to the sea. They are very dangerous creatures and the simple act of trying to handle/ride them can cost your life. This is why the aspect of dying in Thisby is almost natural.

SEAN KENDRICK (Oh, it ended up in caps lock…I definitely didn’t mean this but nevermind) horse-lover, expert in horses, and seems a bit like a very cool cowboy-guy. He as a way with horses and can manage the capaill uisce unlike any other.

Puck Connolly…you are probably the stupidest and the bravest person I know. I CANNOT believe you wanted to participate in the races but I admire your indifference to what other people think. I don’t think I would have ever been able to do what you have done though…

Now…the CHEMISTRY between those two..

Happy So Excited GIF
Giphy

It was just so asdfghjkl but I wish it was longer. Like…you know…and there was a moment where it was just so abrupt and one moment where I had to go hide under the table and stop myself from jumping so high I’ll crack my head on the ceiling or my parents think I am just the human-definition of weird-craziness. THIS SHOULD DEFINITELY NOT HAPPEN!!

There is so much to say but I will just end of messing everything up and spoil the whole book but I really ship both of those silly people together. (Wait…did I just call them silly, I just cannot believe myself).

Just go and read this if you like freckly people, golden grass in the afternoon, major cowboy vibes, slow-paced fantasy, horses and side-characters who are just the sweetest (do all characters that are named Finn are supposed to be cute or what??)

Well, I should better go now and prepare my other post which will be my review of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig but now don’t go and tell everyone now…

BTW, I wanted to ask all of you something…do you think that it will be a good idea if I made a monthly post of memes related to all things bookish?? I mean, it was an idea that occurred to me during the night and I was wondering if I should do that??

I mean, I should probably just scoot out of here before the whole story of screen-time just decides to pop up..

Light Up The Sky Love GIF by NETFLIX
Giphy

Why am I feeling a little mildly obsessed with gifs today? Sorry… had to include BlackPink in this post for no reason😂 They look really cute together🖤💜🖤.

hermione

Wrap Up #August2021

Okay, can somebody EXPLAIN how we are already starting a new month because my head is seriously very muddled up…and time seems to make no sense anymore. I HATE IT when time decides to just start sprinting or start a marathon against another time in another parallel universe to see which one reaches some specific date in the future…like WHAT??

I admit I am a crazy person but parallel universes do exist…

Total number of books read: 7 *rapid blinking* *extremely proud of herself for managing seven books and more-than-10-tests* (I am very lucky they were small tests otherwise I would have had a mental breakdown…)

By the way, I actually changed my blog theme because I didn’t like the old one😂. Now, it is much more of something that I like. I was always scared of changing my blog theme because one I accidentally did that and it was a total fiasco but don’t worry, the problem has been resolved.

[All links are the reviews I posted]


The Queen Will Betray You (Kingdoms of Sand and Sky #2) by Sarah Henning (Fantasy)

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My Ratings: 4.5/5

Okay, well, I did wait a lot to read this book since I finished The Princess Will Save You like two months ago and this book DID NOT DISAPPOINT. So for fans of bestfriend-to-lovers trope, go read this. But start with The Princess Will Save You though, haha!

BTW, it is also action-packed and a has a strong and fierce female main character. Greatly recommend.


You Have A Match by Emma Lord (Contemporary)

You Have a Match
Source: Goodreads

My Ratings: 3.5/5

Again…bestfriends-to-lovers trope and I tell you…this book is so sweet and definitely makes people smile. It has a great friendship which was portrayed so perfectly in the book. I mean, I really liked this book so if you have read Tweet Cute by the same author, then this is definitely for you!


Wilder Girls by Rory Power (Horror)

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Source: Goodreads

My Ratings: 4.5/5

Rory Power is one of those authors with totally weird and unique ideas. This is the second book I have read by Rory and well…it was so different from Burn Our Bodies Down. It is a horror book with gruesome parts, blood, weird body deformities so proceed with caution. Or just go read it. It made me think a lot of the Covid since there is a contagious disease in this book but it is nothing like it. I mean, the whole plot of the book was original and the cover is just so BEAUTIFUL!!!


Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (Fantasy)

Sorcery of Thorns
Source: Goodreads

My Ratings: 5/5

First of all….WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS COVER! The author is literally SO LUCKY to have written a book which deserved such a cover! And I love the dark turquoise on the cover. I have never seen such a cover in my life…it is too beautiful for my eyes really😂…

This book is just fantastic. Why? Because we have characters who 1. Are pure SLYTHERIN (Nathaniel…I SEE YA) 2. Who have another level of sarcasticness (this isn’t a word) (haHA! Silas, you are just purrfect…I…) 3. Main character who loves books and practically LIVED IN A LIBRARY! (Okay Scrivener, I am jealous of you right now😑)…

Let us just say this book has major Slytherin vibes, sarcastic vibes and lovable demons (Silas, you aren’t invisible and I can very well see you) and totally relatable main characters.


House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (Horror)

House of Hollow
Source: Goodreads

My Ratings: 4.5/5

This book surprised me in so many ways but mainly for its uniqueness and originality. I really recommend this book but again, proceed with caution since there is a lot mentioned about blood and just check a few trigger warnings before reading. But again, for fans of horror, this book is DEFINITELY FOR YOU. It has a natural way of blending horror an magical realism together and has the aspect of ‘Otherworlds”.


Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (Contemporary)

Tweet Cute
Source: Goodreads

My Ratings: 4/5

AAAAAAWWWW! Cheesy. Cute. Adorkable. Funny. Witty. Just go read this if you badly need to smile right now. It sets people smiling in the great need of grilled cheese…


The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Fantasy)

The Scorpio Races
Source: Goodreads

My Ratings: 4.5/5

SEAN KENDRICK!! PUCK CONNOLLY!! I FREAKING SHIP YOU BOTH!! By the way, review coming soon!


🖤🖤🖤Best Book of the Month🖤🖤🖤

Sorcery of Thorns
Source: Goodreads

Other Posts:

BTW, you can check out my first two Sunshine posts down below:


What I Plan to Read Next:

ISDK(I Seriously Don’t Know)


Life Update: (In bullet points)

  • My best-friend celebrated her thirteenth birthday on the 22nd of August and Happy Birthday you annoying girl!😂 (I mean…SHE IS)
  • I realized that my two best-friends are already thirteen but I am not yet.
  • Spent the whole month trying to convince myself I DO NOT have a crush on Silas (Sorcery of Thorns) but ended up giving up and now I hate myself for this. (I mean I hate myself for actually admitting that).
  • Then, I was wondering whether or not I have a crush on Luc from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Currently, the right and left side of my brain are currently debating but soon, all of my organs will join in😂🤦‍♀️
  • I think I have a thing for characters who are demons…
  • Disappointed with myself for losing 3 marks in French (22 out of 25) because of two repeated mistakes and one stupid mistake and going into a full blown panic attack because 22 out of 25 is 88 out of 100. 😱 #horrified
  • Actually realizing that stupid me didn’t know what a light pen was and because of that, lost one mark in my ICT test.

Since discussing grades must be a boring topic and soil particles is even duller let us just move on…

  • Convinced my best-friend (the one who turned 13 this August) to read Sorcery of Thorns and SHE ACTUALLY LISTENED!! I love you bestie🖤
  • Started my Bharatanatyam course this month (it was disrupted because of Covid and we just resumed) and actually enjoying them but despising the teacher. Ooop-
  • Painted a pear for my Art Class and it ACTUALLY TURNED OUT GOOD!! I think I am actually good at painting with watercolor but when it comes to shading with pencil…let us just say I have to practice that.
  • Actually realized that anytime, an APOCALYPSE CAN OCCUR! The problem…my friends agree but don’t take it seriously enough.

September Goals:

  • Read at least 8-10 books.
  • Complete that Design and Technology project (AND MAKE SURE YOU GET GOOD MARKS GURL. UNDER 90 ISN’T ACCEPTABLE)
  • Don’t waste your time Spend less time doing silly things (like secretly watching YouTube because you are bored)
  • And do what makes you happy (even if this includes staring at the dark ceiling at night thinking of useless things or sending stupid texts to your best-friends like arguing whether the moon landing is fake or if Area 51 has aliens or if we are just aliens from another planet that have conquered the Earth and living on it for like 100 000 years.

Yes…now I am finally done! *reads the September goals…and wondering if I have actually lost my mind in the process*

And I also have to say that all those bloggers who did the Top Ten Tuesday post on Fictional Crushes, I really enjoyed all of them😂. I mean, it is very weird, fictional crushes are like one of the most interesting topics when it comes to talking about books. I am laughing like right now😂

See you all with another post! Do drop a comment down below! How was your month btw?? What did you read?