The Plot
Sean Kendrick knows horses, whether they're the thoroughbreds he trains for wealthy kingpin Benjamin Malvern or the magical and ferocious capaill uisce that come from the sea and are ridden in the annual Scorpio Races. On the back of Corr, Malvern's prize water horse and Sean's best friend, Sean's won the race four times out of the last six. He rides because he loves it and because it's the closest he can come to owning the animal. When Malvern promises Sean a chance to buy Corr if Sean wins the race, it seems his dreams may finally come true.
Puck Connolly, on the other hand, lost both her parents to the fearsome water horses. When the impending loss of both her home and her brother force her to enter the races, she decides to run on her own small horse, Dove. Facing opposition both for her choice of mount and her gender, she finds an unlikely ally in Sean, who speaks for her. As the two train together, the two outsiders discover a kinship that blossoms into something deeper. In a race where horses and men die, will Puck and Sean be able to keep each other safe and still get what they need?
The Review
Written in alternating chapters from both Sean and Puck's perspectives, the novel is only a fantasy in the sense that the water horses of the Scorpio races are mythological creatures with roots in Manx, Irish, and Scottish fairy lore. The rest of the novel's world is ordinary, and yet magical in the way that only good descriptive writing can make it. While the novel's racing sequences are gripping, what stays with you are the love stories: the love of a boy and girl, their love for their horses, and their love of the difficult place they call home. The only jarring note is the sudden and unsatisfying ending, which leaves a few too many questions unanswered.
The Details
- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 1, 2013)
- Age Range: 12+
- ISBN-10: 0545224918
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