Scorpio Races

UPDATE: I have grown into a HUGE Maggie Steifvater fan since I wrote this review. I know read everything she writes!

So here’s the lowdown. The totally awesome, talented writer I work for gave me a Kindle after we finished work on her second novel. My sweet, sweet girlfriends gave me an Amazon gift card for my birthday. I was scheduled for a c-section with my second kid, and I wanted to check into the hospital armed with some light, not-too-realistic reading to take my mind off of things. (“Things” being nervousness, pain, general freaked-out-ness.) I read all three of Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls books and really enjoyed them. I subscribe to her blog, and I was intrigued by the synopsis of her newest novel, Scorpio Races. But HOLY MOLY! The synopsis did not prepare me for what was to come. I didn’t start reading after my surgery. (My son and husband spent the first night in the NICU, and I was by myself all night. Thank God for technology! With my iPod, Kindle, and cell phone, I didn’t feel near as alone as I could have.) Here I am alone in the middle of the night reading a book about people racing these mythical horses that come from the ocean and WHOA! The horses are SCARY! Maybe it was the painkillers; maybe it was being all alone in a strange place, but Stiefvater water horses Freaked. Me. Out.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the book. Scorpio Races was a thrilling read, and I really love the way Stiefvater develops her characters. I find myself feeling affectionate for even the most flawed among them. I was just not expecting the level of suspense that those crazy water horses created. I found Scorpio Races much more violent and suspenseful than the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. And I think it really picked up the pace of my reading. I also liked the self-contained-ness of the story. Series are very, very popular right now, and I LOVE a good series. (Who wouldn’t want to spend more time with characters and a plot one loves?) But I found it refreshing to have a story that felt complete when I had finished. I still enjoyed musing over what the characters’ lives must have been like once the story ended, but the tale felt very complete, and I was left very satisfied with the way it all wrapped up.

I will be checking out Stiefvater’s other novels now and following her blog more closely. She really is a wonderfully talented storyteller and just a bright, fun personality in general. So easy and enjoyable to read, but her work is far from “dumbed down,” even though she is considered a young adult/teen author. I can’t wait to read her other works and see what she comes up with next!