“It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.”
From the first line, Maggie Stiefvater wields her enchanting writing on you and draws you into The Scorpio Races just as the capaill uisce enchant their riders and call them into the depths of the Scorpio Sea.
Title: The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Synopsis: It is Scorpio season, and with Scorpio season comes the capaill uisce, carnivorous water horses. Every year, the island, Thisby, hosts The Scorpio Races where riders across the island and even overseas come to ride a capaill uisce by the November sea for a chance to win big money, if they live. Every year Sean Kendrick enters the Scorpio Races, a returning champion, but this year, Puck Connelly will be the first girl to ever ride in the Scorpio Races.
Genre: YA Fantasy/Magical Realism and Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
“I turn around and there is a horse…I smell blood on its breath.”
It’s not November unless I read The Scorpio Races. Maggie Stiefvater’s writing could be described as poetic prose. It is magic woven into the everyday world. It is a Scorpio writing style: calm and dramatic—not a loud, action-movie dramatic, but the dramatic that stirs in your veins and beneath your skin,—dangerous and enigmatic, blood and frothing seas. There are so many beautiful lines in this book and captivating imagery, I would recommend this book solely because of the writing, but it’s also more than just the writing.
“My mother always said that I was born out of a bottle of vinegar instead of born from a womb and that she and my father bathed me in sugar for three days to wash it off. I try to behave, but I always go back to the vinegar.”
The characters are more than characters, they’re human. They have their quirks, they have their fears, they have their wants, and they have their goals. What I love most is the way they are written: Puck Connelly is often cross with one of her brothers or someone else on the island, and the reason isn’t always explicit. And the sibling dynamics are so real; my favorite is when she realizes she and Finn are standing in the same way, so she gets cross, thinking either Finn is copying her or she’s copying Finn. Meanwhile, Sean Kendrick is reticent and in his chapters we see all the things he could say, but he doesn’t. A bonus: we see how Puck and Sean see the world and themselves vs how the world sees them and how they see each other.
Even the side characters have history and quirks, like the Carroll brothers who are “dough-for-brains” and “dough-for-lungs”. Malvern also has his quirks, as distasteful as they are—can I just ask, what the heck is Malvern thinking with that tea combination?
The Scorpio Races is a journey, and despite it being about a race, there’s no rush in the plot. The events unfold in their own time and build off of one another. The steady pace allows you to absorb the characters, the weight of the words, and enjoy the ride to the finish line.
“Shhhhhh, shhhhhh, says the sea, but I don't believe her.”
At last, an asexual mc! Not only ace, but a biromantic, asexual black mc! Plus an ace pun!? I’m sold.
Title: Let’s Talk About Love
Author: Claire Kann
Synopsis: Though she’s aware of her orientation, with her recent breakup and seeing the cutest new intern, Takumi (aka Soft BoyTM), Alice worries about her sexual orientation (is she really ace if Takumi just broke her Cutie CodeTM?) and struggles to divulge her orientation to others. Instead of a relaxing summer, now she has to face her growing feelings for Takumi, the hidden feelings about third wheeling her best friends, and the pressure of her family to go to law school.
Genre: YA Fiction/ New Adult
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Note: I can only attest for the ace representation in this novel. I cannot attest for the biromantic or woc representation.
“What made sex so integral that people couldn’t separate the emotional love they felt from one physical act?”
I was slightly disappointed to learn that Alice already learned her sexual orientation in high school, from her health teacher, nonetheless ( :o *le gasp). However, I loved that while she’s aware about her orientation, she worried about if she really was asexual when Takumi broke her Cutie CodeTM. The doubt and confusion and seeming upheaval of identity resonated with me. Most importantly is the first chapter: Alice’s girlfriend breaks up with her on the basis of Alice’s asexuality, and Alice has trouble sharing her asexual orientation. It hit hard, it hit home, and it hooked me.
Claire Kann’s writing is fun and playful. The narrator is bouncy and bubbly, sometimes pushing the quirkiness a little too much, but matches Alice’s character really well. The tone is light even in the serious discussions, but I feel this attributes to Alice’s lightheartedness.
“She made you want to pick her up, put her in your pocket, and then run because abduction was illegal.”
The relationships in this novel though, holy heck. First of all, the siblings. Finally an author who understands sibling dynamics; there’s none of that “hey bro” “hi sis” plain water here: “Was there a greater joy than antagonizing one’s siblings? Probably not.” (and that’s the Tea.) Then there’s the Found Family aspect I totally adore. Alice and her friends, Feenie and Ryan, live together over the summer and have Family Nights. They fight for each other, but they also fight with each other. While disheartening, I enjoyed the bit of realism: friends fight, miscommunication happens, and it sucks. But the outcome is warming ^.^
Highlight Reel
-“But God, did she feel like giving her tear ducts a solid workout.” What a fat mood.
-“She always laughed at characters who lost every last drop of their common sense on TV and in movies when someone too attractive for words crossed their path.” You and me, both
-“…but when most people think the A stands for Ally…” !!! I punched my knee as though it would drive this point across more
-kitchen=dangerous for Alice? You and me, both
