The Scorpio Races

Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. 2011. 409p. ISBN 978-0-545-22490-1. Available at FIC STI on the library shelves.

Every year on the first day of November, the Scorpio Race takes place. Thisby Island’s best riders compete against each other with the best horses to win the race and the purse that’s attached to it. Most riders ride the fabled capail uisce, the fearsome water horses. Carnivorous and temperamental beasts, they hail from the Scorpio sea and are notorious for their foul mood and their deadly anger. Caught, stabled, and trained, most capail uisce are still bold enough to make for the water during the race, sometimes trampling and killing their riders.

Sean Kendrick has worked as a stableboy then as a trainer for Malvern stables. The stables are owned by Benjamin Malvern, the richest horse master on the island. People come from as far away as America to purchase a Malvern horse. The pride of the stable is the red uisce, Corr. Sean has ridden Corr in the races four times, and each time he has come in first. This year, he expects this will be no exception. Unfortunately, his life soon collides with Puck Connolly.

Katherine Connolly, or Puck to her friends, has always ridden. When her parents died on a fishing trip, victims or the capail uisce, she was left orphaned with her brothers Gabe and Finn. As the November race draws near, Gabe announces he will be leaving the island like so many other young people to work on the mainland. And the house is about to be seized by Benjamin Malvern, the landlord, for nonpayment of rent. Puck decides that the only way to save the family homestead is by competing in the Scorpio Race, and win.

But to do so her small mare Dove will need more training than she’s getting, and better food than what she’s been eating. Puck’s entrance in the race is about to throw into disarray the tradition that only male riders have been in the Scorpio Race. As Sean begins to help her, Puck realizes that winning the race may solidify her dream of remaining on the island, but it may cost Sean everything...