Recent Read: The Scorpio Races

The island of Thisby is home to the deadly Scorpio Races, where Thisby natives bridle dangerous, flesh-eating water horses in a race that inevitably results in the deaths of a few, if not many. In a desperate move to care for her orphaned family, Kate "Puck" Connelly, a lover of non-water horses, defies convention by becoming the first female ever to enter the race. Her competition includes Sean Kendrick, a boy with incomparable gift with the water horses, who lost his own father in the race 10 years ago. Who will win? Who will survive?

There's a lot to love about Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races. For one, there's Stiefvater's wonderful ability to create a palpable sense of place. This was particularly important in this book, as the island of Thisby becomes a character in and of itself. I loved the mythology--majestic and lethal water horses with hints of the interaction of new Christianity and old paganism. Then there are the characters and relationships, which develop slowly. It was refreshing to me to see it happen over time, based on mutual respect, rather than the instant passion soul-mate thing you see so often in YA lit. Because the book takes its time, it's not as gripping or action-packed as you might think considering the fact that it's about killer water horses. So it may not be the choice for reluctant readers. But I think the reward of a believable, satisfying relationship makes the slower pace well worth it. My one criticism would be that it's in present tense. The tense just doesn't seem to fit the story--the feel, the pace, the tone. But in the end, I'm left with a love of Thisby, like the love our protagonists have for the island. I want to go that gloomy cliff-side town and I want to see those horses.