Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Tags: #rivals #slowburn #romance #dualpov #fairytale #genderroles #strongfemalelead

Blurb:

"Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen."

Rae's review:

Inspired by legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge from the sea each autumn, this is Stiefvater's personal favorite of her growing collection of vivid, gripping contemporary fantasy novels. Of course you should read her 'Wolves of Mercy Falls' trilogy, her 'Raven Boys' quintet, and her latest ongoing 'Dreamers' trilogy (I devoured the gleefully titled 'Mister Impossible' earlier this summer). If you're a writer, yes you should also subscribe to her 'Telltale Crumbs' substack blog for monthly post on the craft of writing!

But if you're new to Maggie, start with 'The Scorpio Races'. This is a stand alone story set on the sea-battered and wind-swept isle of Thisby, visited every fall by the famed and feared capaill uisce, or water horses. I'm such a sucker for horse stories, and always have been. <3 This one includes magic and danger, the gritty struggle of making ends meet when your parents are gone, and slow burn chemistry between two genuinely good but vitally different main characters, not to mention a gripping race to the finish. Literally.

I could go on but just--read it. It won't take you long--you'll be flipping the pages to get to the end. Or if you're listening to the audiobook for the plummy Welsch accents, you'll be plugged in for hours.

This is in my top 3 favourite fiction books of all time.

Audiobook available free on Libby (and Overdrive) library app.