Gypsy Reviews

Originally posted at Gypsy ReviewsMaggie Stiefvater blew me away with The Raven Boys and I had been told by many that The Scorpio Races was much more fast-paced, however it was not. Despite Stiefvater’s beautiful writing and a fantastic plot, it was really kind of boring due to its slow pace.Puck’s stubborn and has a lot of pride in her, her stubbornness governs her decisions and I can relate to that so much. Her decision to enter the races to get a reaction out of her brother and her unwillingness to drop out when she could because doing so would affect her pride. Sometimes it is not a choice, you can’t turn back from it because it seems right to do it that way and that stubbornness within you refuses to let you back out. Puck also has a lot of heart and it was enlightening to read about someone who didn’t want to go out and see more of the world, she wanted to stay home where everything was familiar to her. She was loyal and despite the other options out there, she still decided to stand by what she knew and what was familiar to her and had never failed her.Sean on the other hand, has everything and yet nothing. Being the reigning champion of the Scorpio Races for 4 years affects him little in his life when his capaill uisce, Corr, belongs to someone else. Sean dreams of a life where he doesn’t have to work for Malvern but Malvern refuses to sell Corr to him and Corr is all Sean wants. Sean and Corr have this silent understanding between each other and even though Corr is a ruthless creature who has killed many, they are bonded in a way many others could never be. It’s that kind of unspoken connection between a man and an animal can possess – one of the greatest mysteries in our world that science cannot explain why.There’s something compelling about Puck and Sean together, they creep up on you and for two people who know little about each other, they have this connection that makes them gather feelings for each other and care about each other. Both of them are such oddballs that it seemed only right that they found each other.The story was however not compelling enough, I appreciated the short chapters because it helped me keep on going despite the boredom. If there were longer chapters I’m sure this would have taken much longer to finish and I really love Stiefvater’s writing but sometimes, there’s so much weight behind her words that it takes quite a bit of time for all of it to digest. Stiefvater’s novels are weighty, not in topic but in her writing and in a way, reading her books is like wading through thick oil compared to swimming in water. It’s not an unpleasant experience but just that if you ever read a Stiefvater novel, you should be mentally prepared for something heavy because her books are anything but light. In this time, it seemed quite a drag to read it because the pace was far too slow. I didn’t feel like anything was happening at times. The action didn’t really start until the races began which was at the last few pages which had me wanting to bite my nails in nervousness. It was an unique plot no doubt but I wasn’t captivated enough to fully enjoy the book in its entirety.I am disappointed that The Scorpio Races did not live up to my expectations but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I highly recommend Maggie Stiefvater’s books nonetheless because she is a one of a kind writer though I do have my doubts about The Scorpio Races. No doubt it’s much less weightier than The Raven Boys but The Raven Boys had this magic about it that simply captivated me that The Scorpio Races lacked.