Extremely well-written and organized, this fantasy tell the story of almost magical horses that are meat-eaters and live in the sea. These beautiful, dangerous animals come on land during the late fall of the year. The location of this story is a fictional island called Thisby which I imagined to be off the coast of Scotland or Ireland.
Two main characters propel this story forward: Puck (Kate) Connolly and Sean Kendrick. Sean is 19 and a genius with horses, particularly the capaill uisce, the water horses.Some have been captured and are traditionally raced along the shore in the annual Scorpio Races held on Nov. 1. Sean has won for the past four years on a fiery red capaill named Corr. This year he races to win the right to buy Corr from owner Benjamin Malvern. He also runs to protect Puck who has entered the race as the first female ever to compete. Braving convention, her parents dead, she needs the money to save their small farm. Puck does not have one of the faster capaill uisce, but she has her beloved mare Dove who runs fast, straight, and true.
This exciting story is strengthened by the antagonist character of Mutt Malvern, the son of the most powerful man on Thisby, Benjamin Malvern. Benjamin is Sean's boss. Sean's ability with Mutt's father's horses earns him the esteem of everyone on the island and Mutt's irrational hatred.
What I admire about this story is the high degree of tension that the author maintains and her ably written descriptions. The minor characters are well-drawn, too, especially Finn, Puck's younger brother. Other characters enriching this story are islanders Peg Gratton and Dory Maud and especiallty George Holly, an American tourist there for the festival and races. Richly woven and totally engrossing, The Scorpio Races is a YA masterpiece.
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