The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

[rachelmanija]

On the tiny island of Thisby, killer carnivorous water horses emerge from the ocean every fall to eat people and gallop along the beach. The inhabitants of the island capture some of the horses, train them all year, and then race them along the beach for a huge cash prize to the winner. Often at least one rider gets eaten during the race, or ridden

Comments

[sartorias]

Yep--felt the same.

[jeremytblack]

Just the premise alone has me intrigued.

Also, with some variations, I live with a killer sea horse.

[green_knight]

I haven't read it yet, or rather, I started and got distracted, which is never a good sign. Particularly as this has horses.

And while having an unconventional solution *is* a staple of fantasy and *is* a god thing in general, I cannot help but sigh: once more, girls are told they can't play with the boys, they can't do the dangerous things, they should stick to the safer option.

And that, in a word, sucks.

[jinian]

Is there a reason for all the Midsummer Night's Dream naming? (All = two, but that's enough to distract me.)

[rachelmanija]

Not that I noticed.

[lady_ganesh]

I'm starting to wonder if The Raven Cycle is her only real success. Reviews for her other works are 'meh' to 'nope.'