The Scorpio Races – Maggie Stiefvater

It is the first day of November and so today, someone will die…

How’s that for an opening line? It’s one of my absolute favourites. 

The Scorpio Races takes place on a small island where rabid horses rise out of the sea every autumn. The population of the island trains them and races them, and this story is about two racers. One is a boy who is an excellent trainer and one is a girl who’s only ever ridden a normal pony, but who needs the money from the races to save her family. 

It’s seldom I read a standalone so satisfying. Stiefvater creates a whole world in such a short space of time with this book. She manages to capture the life and beauty of this strange island in a way that makes it feel so very familiar. I was so sad to say goodbye to these characters that I immediately started the book again as soon as I ended it.

I aspire to write environment and character as well as she does. 

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