“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”

The Scorpio Races was filled with mythology, romance and violence.

The story itself is centred around Kate “Puck” Connelly and Sean Kendrick, two teenagers at the start of a romance despite the foreboding arrival of the Scorpio Races, a race of deadly water horses.

The premise of the book was intriguing and the capaill uisce mythology was fascinating. Scorpio Races really delves into that and ensures that the reader knew everything about the water horses. With that in mind, Stiefvater did a fantastic job of creating the small island of Thisby and makes the island seem almost real. I really got the small town feeling from it, with all the characters knowing each other from childhood and so forth. It was almost like a character itself.

The characters were, as well unique and were easy to relate to. I really got involved in their stories and enjoyed listening to them. Despite this, however, I did occasionally have trouble with the point of views. There were times when I had completely forgotten whether it was Puck’s or Sean’s character who was narrating.

The writing however was purely lyrical. It swept me in completely and was just lovely. It did not however, help the pacing of the book. I found it very hard to stay concentrated while reading a large portion of the book. While I liked how the two main characters weren’t swept up in a fit of insta-love, I just wish that the story wasn’t so laid-back.

Overall, while there were parts that I adored, I found the pacing at times painfully slow and that really let the book down for me. If you enjoy a poetic read that is very much character driven this book is for you.

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 18^th October 2011

Publisher: Scholastic

Challenge: n/a

Rating: :

Quote: “—”…I’m sorry. I’ve overstepped. It’s not my business. Let’s go. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

-But he did say something, and it can’t be unsaid.”

To celebrate the release of the third and final book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series – Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, yaReads is taking part in the Forever Blog Tour!

On this stop of the tour we’ll be talking about one of Grace’s friends – Rachel, as well as sharing some awesome content from Maggie and hosting a giveaway.

Rachel

Rachel plays a relatively minor role in the series as Grace’s friend but her moments on the page are anything but minor. Rachel’s bright, sometimes dramatic and often hilarious personality lights up the scene and has become a favorite for many readers.

I think a good example of this is a quote from Grace in Shiver -

“Really, Rachel looked like a sun, bright and exuding energy, holding us two moons in a parallel orbit by the sheer force of her will. “

My personal favorite moments are her one liners and just her general humor, particularly when she refers to Sam as ‘The Boy’.

“What do you mean? Grace Brisbane, you do not mean that you’re not going back home again. Tell me that this was just because you were momentarily angry at them for grounding you. Or even tell me it’s because you could not live without The Boy’s stunning Boyfruits for another night. But don’t tel me you think it’s forever!”

Sam’s face was twisted into a weird shape at the mention of his Boyfruits.

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Still facing Sam, Rachel did a strange dance move with her index fingers extended; it looked like it had possibly been invented in the fifties, when people weren’t allowed to touch each other.
“Hi, The Boy!” she shouted over the music. “We’re making Italian food!”

Still holding a piece of chicken, I turned and made a loud noise in protest.

Rachel said, “My colleague informs me that I spoke too strongly. I am watching Grace make Italian food!”

Besides her humor, as a character, she may not always have as much contact with Grace but when the time comes, she’s always there for Grace which is the most important part of being a good friend. How will these two friends end up at the end of Forever? You’ll have to pick up a copy to find the answer to that question.

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Maggie Stiefvater has put together an awesome playlist that best describes Rachel, which you can check out below -

1. Hey Trouble – The Concretes
2. Gospel Song – Magnet
3. When I Decide – My Terrible Friend
4. White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes
5. Honey Bee – Zee Avi
6. The Wind Blew My Heart Away – The Fruit Bats
7. Her Morning Elegance – Oren Lavie
8. Mr. Pitiful – Matt Costa
9. Uncovered in Your Eyes – Jonas & Plunkett
10. In The Woods – Benjy Ferree

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Giveaway - One lucky yaReader will get the chance to win a framed original illustration of Rachel (pictured, right), drawn by Maggie Stiefvater herself. To enter, fill in the form here. (U.S. residents only, sorry!)

Make sure you check out the next stop on the tour, on Wednesday 20th at Presenting Lore where they’ll be discussing Cole.

Also, Scholastic (the amazing publisher behind the series) recently launched an online community called This Is Teen to connect readers with their favorite YA authors and books. Visit their page on Facebook for all the latest news on Maggie Stiefvater and Forever: www.facebook.com/thisisteen.

I can officially cross the first item off my Book Bucket List! As part of our Book Bucket List Challenge, I’m aiming to read 12 books which aren’t part of my normal review pile that I’ve been meaning to get to for a while.

Book: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 360
Publication Date: July 2010
Publisher: Scholastic

Rating: :

Why did you include it to your Book Bucket List?: When I first got the position as review for this site I had only just finished reading Shiver, and like everyone else, completely loved it. Linger was in one of the first boxes I received from publishers for review, only thing is, Nikki had already read, reviewed it and lined it up as our Book of the Month for July. So, there was no point in it being reviewed twice and I had plenty of books to get to so I put it off for months – till now!

To check out Nikki’s original review click here.

Was it worth it?: Yes

Brief Thoughts?: In general, I did really enjoy Linger but it didn’t have the same intensity as Shiver. The pace was a little slower and the love story wasn’t as prominent, which was what hooked me to begin with. 3.5 might seem like a low rating but when I think of it out of 10, a seven would be a fair score.

By the end of the book I LOVED Cole, which was a surprise, but I also found myself liking Sam less. He always seemed to be sad about something, first he was sad about being a werewolf, now he’s sad he’s not one since all his ‘family’ is, then he was sad about Grace, sad about Beck choosing Cole to be a wolf…just a lot of sadness. I found myself really agreeing with Isabel who tried to shake him out of it, saying he needed to step up.

Grace showed plenty of strength in this book when she faced quite a few obstacles, including her parents, but she faced them all boldly which was great to see. Isabel was as haughty as ever but let her guard down at times and developed even further as a character and a person becoming someone you could definitely sympathize with and really like.

Would you recommend it?: Yes – the second book in the series sets us up for the excitement of the last book, Forever, which is due out later this year.

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To check out other participant’s review or share your Book Bucket List review, follow the link below and leave the url to your review.

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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

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Want to sign up for the challenge too? Click here

Maggie Stiefvater’s stellar novel, Linger, is our Book of the Month here for July. As promised, she sat down for a quick Q&A with us (aint she just the cutest?!) Enjoy.

What made you decide to include the additional POV(s)?

Sheer insanity. No, mostly it was because I love to see characters from all sides — often an action they think is very sympathetic is actually very unsympathetic from an outside viewpoint, or vice versa. And with a limited first person POV, you can only see so much. I wanted to see more of Mercy Falls than Sam and Grace could see, and I wanted to see more about Cole in particular. I couldn’t have tackled his character arc without seeing inside his head.

Music is a reoccurring theme in your novels. For those that may be unaware of your affinity with music, please explain.

I . . . just need it. I can’t write unless I have music playing in the background, and I write better if I have dedicated playlists with the mood of the novel or scene or character playing. I also play a bunch of musical instruments so if writing ever stops working out for me, I can go back to busking on the sidewalk with my bagpipes. I’d need to get another kilt, though.

Since the release of SHIVER, your name is now considered among the best of YA authors. How has your life changed lately?

It’s really bizarre, actually, to think that just a few years ago I was reading the “greats” in YA and now I’m on lists with them. It happened so fast that I still sort of just feel as if my hair is on fire. It’s pretty amazing to go into a library, say my name, and have the teen librarian instantly begin nodding her head because she not only knows who you are, but she read your book. It’s just sort of crazy and wonderful and intimidating. I have readers! I don’t want to let these people down!

Can you tell us anything about the SHIVER movie?

Unfortunately I don’t have too much in the way of news. The film rights were optioned by Warner Brothers/ Unique Features, they hired Nick Pustay to adapt the screenplay, and the latest news is that the script is finished. I don’t know anything else other than that! Everything in film movies glacially slowly, and that’s saying a lot, since I’m used to publishing being slow.

Who is your ideal Grace and Sam?

Alex Turner for Sam (I know he’s not an actor) and Rachel Hurd Wood for Grace — or Dakota Blue Richards. She’s a little young at the moment, but movies take so long . . .

Can you give us any information about your next novel

It is not about werewolves. Or kraken. It’s a YA paranormal, mostly realistic with a hint of supernatural, like my other books, and it involves blood and beaches and kissing. That’s all I can say!

Can’t wait to read Linger, the second novel in Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver series, but you’re out of pocket money? Fear not, loyal yaReaders, we’re here to rescue you from your reading rut.

Like we do every month, as part of our Book of the Month promotion for July, we’ve got a giveaway for you. This time, we’ve only got one copy of Linger to offer, so make sure you get your entry in!

All you need to do is leave your details in the field provided and you’re in. This one is a worldwide contest, and we wish you all the best of luck!

The Nitty Gritty:

• Simply fill out the form below with your name, email, and mailing address.  We randomly draw the winners using random.org.
• Giveaway is open worldwide.
• Ends on July 31, 2010.