The Scorpio Races

I remember reading Shiver (by the same author) as a teen and being completely over it– something hard to do when I was in love with vampires and werewolves. Because of this, I have yet to give Maggie Stiefvater a second chance, but with all the hoopla over The Raven Boys, I decided before starting a series I would see how I liked a stand alone book first.
I'm glad I gave it a try.

To start, I think it is important to note that I read this as an audiobook, and I generally have more patience with these books, I do not feel them drag too much (thank you x1.6 speed). Yet, for a book about a race and preparing for the race, I thought it would be a much bigger deal. The race itself was very short! I was expecting a distance or endurance race, not just 2 miles. This was one of those times I would have liked some description.

I did enjoy that people were not always described. And three cheers for Puck not fawning over Sean's good looks (was he good looking?)! This was very refreshing.
Can I also take a moment to mention how awesome Puck is? And during the 1920-30s I believe because a reporter brought up the Women's Sufferage movement – please correct me if I am off. She has to fight against evil mean horses as well as stupid-ass men. Even though she had to be rescued a few times, I thought she handled herself very well.

So, as a journey with Puck and Sean to understand what happiness is, and how we can become our own people, I really enjoyed this book. The race almost seemed like an afterthought (lol). I appreciated the ending as well.

This book has convinced me to try reading The Raven Boys.

I recommend this book to people who like books with animals, books with multiple POV, coming-of-age books, and books that are a little slower in pace. This is definitely not a book for someone who wants epic world-building or everything explained to them.