Book Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

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.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. The fact that the races involved flesh eating water horses that seek to drown humans and return to the sea was pretty intriguing. They are born of the sea and surface from the waves, naturally wild and fierce. The riders of the annual Scorpio Races must try and capture a horse and train it as best they can to compete in the annual event where for most the goal is just to make it out alive. On the small island of Thisby where the competition takes place, the sea and the races are an important part of the inhabitants lives. Horse breeders and wealthy tourists come from far and wide to be spectators to the wild and dangerous race. Sean Kendrick, a four time winner of the races, has put it all on the line for this years race. The stakes are higher than ever before. His honor, his livelihood, and his favorite horse Corr. Puck (Kate) Connelly, is a feisty and tough island girl who along with her two brothers have been trying to make a living and survive after their parents death. Running out of money and hope, she decides to enter her pony in the races. Against much opposition and danger she finds a determination inside of her to give it everything she has and not let anyone scare her away from the big race day amidst the crashing waves, biting horses, and men that don't want her in the competition and one that might even want her dead. Sean Kendrick and Puck also develop a friendship and mutual respect for each other as Sean helps her train for the races and despite the danger of it, he finds he just might be falling for Puck as well.

I thought this book was well written, had interesting characters, and is appropriate for ages 13+. It took me a few chapters to really get invested in it, but then I couldn't put the book down. I was excited to find out that a movie is also in the works. That was the first thing I told my husband when I got done reading it last night is that it would make a fantastic movie.

Moloka'i

(Overview)

This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai'i more than a century ago, is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place—-and a deeply moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end—-but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.

With a vibrant cast of vividly realized characters, Moloka'i is the true-to-life chronicle of a people who embraced life in the face of death. Such is the warmth, humor, and compassion of this novel that "few readers will remain unchanged by Rachel's story" (mostlyfiction.com).


Being that historical fiction is my favorite genre, I was very intrigued to read this true to life story about a secluded leprosy colony in the Hawaiian islands. This is a heart wrenching tale that includes many interesting and informative facts not just about the leprosy colony, but also about the end of the Hawaiian monarchy, technological advancements of the day, and Pearl Harbor just to name a few. The main character Rachel is only 7 when she is literally whisked away and forced to begin a new life in a tiny quarantined settlement where she finds and forms a new "family" and makes friends that will help make her life and her future easier to bear. I could only imagine the sorrow and loss of families being torn apart and ostracised by this disease that the society of the time did not understand or know how to sufficiently treat medically. There are so many wonderful life lessons in this book. The lepers try to carry on a life that is meaningful and filled with as much joy as is possible. They form a strong community bond, there are those that get married, and they also care for those to weak to care for themselves. They watch out for each other and also many times are helpless to watch them succumb to the disease and are left to bury their friends and know that they are all destined to the same fate. Set in such a beautifully exotic location, I could imagine the crashing waves, the swaying palm trees, and the balmy weather that was the backdrop of the story but almost became like it's own character. I was glad to learn something new by reading this book and I think Rachel is now one of my favorite characters. Her life takes so many interesting twists and turns, I had no idea how it would all wrap up in the end. As I finished the last page of the book, I instantly thought of a quote to summarize my feelings from the book - "bloom where you're planted".  Rachel had a life that was doomed to death and despair and instead made it into something to be admired.

Summer Reads

I recently finished a couple of books that still have me thinking about them and turning the story over in my mind. They were both excellent reads and I'm looking forward to discovering more books by these authors.

The first book is

Here is the summary for The Story of Beautiful Girl:

It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

I was totally wrapped up by this story written by Rachel Simon who also wrote "Riding The Bus With My Sister". The characters in this book were unique and interesting and each of them had a sad life that they had turned into something happy and uplifting. Lynnie was put in the institution by her parents as a child, and reading about her tiny little figure being taken into the school and her parents visits that became farther and farther apart until they finally ceased to come at all broke my heart. But her resilient spirit and will to find a way to carve out a better existence for herself shined a brilliant light on the sorrows and sadness she experiences and the cruel and sometimes undignified environment of the institution. They say a baby changes everything, and in this story in particular it catapults life altering change into each and every character that plays a role in Lynnie's story and helps secure a safe and securely guarded future for baby Julia. I loved Homan's character as well and the frustration I could only imagine someone like him had to endure not being able to properly communicate and convey his thoughts since he was deaf and had never been taught proper sign language or to really read or write. He is Lynnie's knight in shining armor however and the ending to this story proves that love really does conquer all and that even though years may pass by, sometimes the universe has a way of righting it's wrongs. This story is about two very different disabled people who fiercely love each other and the people who help them find a way to be treated better and ultimately live happy and fulfilling lives. This book moved me and kept me up late into the night. It is a treasure.

The second book is

Summary:

Ann Patchett raises the bar with State of Wonder, a provocative and ambitious novel set deep in the Amazon jungle.
 
Research scientist Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have disappeared in the Amazon while working on an extremely valuable new drug. The last person who was sent to find her died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding answers to the questions about her friend's death, her company's future, and her own past.
 
Once found, Dr. Swenson is as imperious and uncompromising as ever. But while she is as threatening as anything the jungle has to offer, the greatest sacrifices to be made are the ones Dr. Swenson asks of herself, and will ultimately ask of Marina.

State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss. It is a tale that leads the reader into the very heart of darkness, and then shows us what lies on the other side.

This was one of the most fascinating books I've read in a while. A major pharmaceutical company has sent a research team headed by a highly esteemed and revered doctor to the Amazon to find a fertility drug that will change the world. Dr. Swenson is a hard nosed, no-nonsense woman with an intelligence and scientific mind that goes a mile a minute and plays second fiddle to no one. The secret she's looking for lies in a reclusive tribe deep in the jungle and far from the world's eyes. When Marina who works for the drug company is sent to find out about her deceased colleague and his unfortunate end, she encounters a world not many ever get to live to see and tell the tale. The author has a captivating writing style that had me unable to stop reading. Her descriptions were so detailed and concise I felt like I could picture everything in my mind as if I were there. The plot twists when Marina finds out the doctors are not singularly studying fertility, but also on the cusp of finding a cure for a deadly disease, a cure that could save thousands and thousands of lives. Marina is forced to think about ethics and what is best for human kind. She also has to face down her fears of the past and comes home a changed person. This book is a gigantic adventure, I felt like I took an exotic vacation while reading it. Time magazine calls this one of the authors best books.


I highly recommend both of these books.

Book Review: Divergent

Synopsis

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
 
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

If you enjoyed the "Hunger Games" series and you are looking for something with the same edge and excitement, I think you will enjoy this book. I had this book on pre-order for a month and had been anxiously awaiting it's arrival last week. I was so into the story I made short work of it in a day or two. I am so excited this is a series, just disappointed I will have to wait so long to read the next one. There is a lot of buzz surrounding this new "young adult" story, and I think it lived up to the hype.

I loved the whole concept of the new society being split into particular virtues -- it made me think throughout the book which one I would have chosen had I been in the main characters shoes. Not only do the 16-year-olds choose a particular virtue that they will devote their lives too, but the people of that "faction" become their new family and they all live in their own separate communities where they are responsible to perform tasks and jobs specifically assigned to their group. They basically have to give up the life they knew before and leave their families behind if they choose to transfer to a new "faction". The main character Tris grows up in Abnegation, the faction in charge of the government of the other factions. They are the most peaceful and selfless group which is never allowed to think of themselves before others, look at themselves in the mirror because that would be vain, or wear anything but the simplest of clothing, but she always feels like she does not quite fit in and there could be something more out there for her. Like all of the other 16-year-olds, she undergoes the testing that will help them decide where they should be placed except for her results are anything but normal, and can be very dangerous if anyone else finds out. After her choice is made, there is no going back. During her initiation into her new faction, she discovers the city gates are locked not from the inside like she had always believed, but on the outside. As if they are trying to keep everyone IN. The story continues to unveil the rivalries and politics between the factions and plans for a war that could wipe out one of the factions forever. The plot just keeps building and building and building.

I thought this was an interesting, fast paced, intense, and well written book. I can't wait to read where the rest of the series will take the characters. I think you will be hearing a lot about this author and this series in the months and years to come.

******If you'd like to have a chance to read the first 100 pages to see if you want to keep reading and get the book (which I'm sure you will), you can go to this link from the Harper Collins website and check it out.