Book Review: The Scorpio Races

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      As a huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater, author of The Wolves of    Mercy Falls trilogy. I decided to give The Scorpio Races a try. And OMG! Stiefvater just continues to occlude me. It is a stand alone novel that revolves around a mythology of sea horses. Written from the point of views of the two main characters Sean Kendrick and Kate ( Puck ) Connolly. 


     So, the story takes place in the Thisby Island in Ireland. A remote, fictional place where some flesh eating sea horses called the Cappaill Uisce (plural/ pronounced Copoll-Ooshka) and Capall Uisce (singular/ pronounced Capell-Ishka) appears. And every November an annual race is being held between those Cappaill Uisce and their riders and rewarded with an irresistible amount of money when winning, making it possible for people to risk their lives for it. But those sea horses are nothing like normal ones obviously, and so the islanders are all at risk and many deaths occurs every day.

   Sean Kendrick is an expert when it comes to those sea horses. He is the one who everyone turns to when a disaster happens because of the sea horses and believe me much happens. Nineteen years old lonely boy and a four-time winner of the races but this race may seem more of importance. With winning this specific one, he gets his dream, freedom. But then you could easily observe the true bond between him and his horse, Corr, the fastest and most valuable sea horse of all. On the other hand, Puck seems to be obligated to join the race. She needs the money. Her parents were killed by those horses leaving her with her two brothers. Now, not only will she be the first woman to race but also on her own horse, not a sea horse.

     I love how Sean and Puck slowly develop a sweet relationship step by step. And Stiefvater has this style of writing that never falls in enchanting me, she has this way with words that can deliver the scene as desired. The characters are easy to visualize and genuine. Puck was so easy to go with. And when reading it from the two different point of views, it is really shown how Maggie completely transforms and she was able to wear the two characters pretty well. But to be honest, at the very beginning it might not be the most captivating but then once in, there is no way out, ( I mean, I finished this book two days :o ) you can easily get sucked in.   

    My only complaint was that there wasn't much about the race itself. The whole book revolves around the races but then by the end it wasn't sufficient. I couldn't even imagine the race quite well and also the part after when the race ended. What I feel is that Maggie Stiefvater was in a bit of a hurry while writing this book ;)

   Overall, a tremendous, refreshing read with an interesting mythology and an enjoyable storyline. Magically written as always when it comes to Stiefvater. This book made it's way to my favourites shelf and I absolutely recommend it. I personally LOVE horses by the way, so anything that includes horses is fun for me. But even if horses isn't something of your interest, I don't think that it has much of an impact.

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Pages: 409
Grade Rating:  

Happy Reading Everyone!
xoxo, Mariam

On My Wishlist #11

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Cosy Books .

The Breakaway
Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle
Published : 1st May 2012
Genre: YA/Contemporay

Goodreads:

When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she’s missing. Escape isn’t high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she’s part of a family—even if it is a family of criminals. But she’s still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she’s falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn’t sure she wants to take it.

That was mine. What about you? Leave me a comment down below which I'll be sure to check out ;)

And happy reading everyone!

xoxo, Mariam

It's Monday... What Are You Reading

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is a meme hosted by Book Journey.

Books I Read Last Week:

    Matched by Ally Condie ( Review Soon )

    Crossed by Ally Condie  ( Review Soon )

On My Blog Last Week:
     The Vampire Diaries Tag 
     Book Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon
     My Top: New Releases in May 2012    

     Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Books I'm Currently Reading:

The Scorpio Races 

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Published: 18 October 2011

Goodreads:

 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 chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Books I Have My Eyes On:
     The Iron King ( The Iron Fey #1 ) Goodreads

   

What do you think? Leave me a comment down below which I'll be sure to check out ;)

xoxo, Mariam   

We Are Young #2

 

We are young is a weekly meme hosted by Read Into Hiding.

This week's question is:

 If you could be your favorite book character for one day, where and with whom would you spend your time? Whether you choose to be with a character from a book, in a place from a different one, that's your choice :)

Ah, tricky question Ella. There so many but for one day, I'd like to be Rose Hathway from the Vampire Academy series. I personally love vampires and so if you read the series then you know that she is a Dhampire, so not a real vampire like Edward Cullen for e.g. And would spend the day with Julian from Pandemonium, he was such a sweetheart so absolutely him. And would spend it with him in the underground  caves from the Host by Stephenie Meyer, where Melanie and Wanderer stayed with the others for most of the story, it felt home-ish for some reason. That was a twisty answer :)

So what about you? Leave me a comment down below telling me or a link to your own post, which I'll be sure to check out in both cases :D

And hope you all are having an amazing day!
xoxo, Mariam

Book Review: Insurgent

From Goodreads:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

     In the sequel to Divergent, Insurgent. The story picks up immediately from where it ended in Divergent, where Tris, Tobias, Marcus, Caleb and Peter were going to the Amity compound, where they got rest and such. But it was the beginning of a really exciting adventure with some twists & turns. It still enchanted me, the whole story. But I feel it wasn't as Divergent. I feel in Divergent, each incidents in the story was much more remarkable.

   However, we get to know better some of the characters whom weren't quite in the light in the first book. I honestly enjoy Roth's characters. But Tris was sort of a surprise, new things were revealed about her character. And as she was still shaken by the latest incidents, her parents death and shooting Will, she couldn't even a gun for a long while. Her character developed really well. She and Four, ah Four was still Four. But getting to know more about the other factions was something that I was looking forward to and it was a pleasant experience. But the ending was such a cliffhanger that I can't wait for the third book to come out already. 
   

   Overall, I personally had a hard time putting it down. I absolutely recommend reading it. So if you already read Divergent, read this one because it was worth it. This book actually had a lot, from romance to guilt to loss to betrayal to some tension and considerate amount of action in it. Well-written and had a good-pace as well.

Some Quotes:

" I love Tris the Divergent, who makes decisions apart from faction loyalty, who isn’t some faction archetype."

" Relax, Beatrice (…) I’ve driven a car before."

"I’ve done a lot of things before, but that doesn’t mean I’m any good at them!"

"I think it would be easier to fight in a dress,” says Marlene, tapping her chin. “It would give your legs freer movement. And who really cares if you flash people your underwear, as long as you’re kicking the crap out of them?"
"Insurgent,” he says. “Noun. A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as belligerent."

Author: Veronica Roth

First Book: Divergent ( Review HERE )
Grade Rating:

Happy reading everyone!

xoxo, Mariam

PS: I actually read this book a while back but hadn't got the chance to the review it until now because of my exams :(

On My Wishlist #10

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Cosy Books .

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

Author: Richelle Mead

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Expected Publication: 12 June 2012

Goodreads Summary:

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

I'm so super excited for this book to come out, since I loved  the first book, Bloodlines. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

That was mine. What about you? Leave me a comment down below which I'll be sure to check out :)

Hope you all are having a wonderful day
xoxo, Mariam