The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Genres: Fantasy Fiction, Young Adult, Mythology
Series: No
Summary: Have you ever heard the legend of the Celtic Kelpies? Ireland myth is full of tales of water horses that lure men and women into the depths and their death. Maggie Stiefvater became fascinated with these dark tales and decided to put her own twist on the legend. The Scorpio Races is set on the small, fictional island of Thisby, where the kelpies, known as capall uisce, haunt the waves. The capall uisce leave the watery depths around the same time every year, making them vulnerable to capture. The people on the island try their hand at racing the man-eating beasts down the beach on the day the monsters feel the magic of the sea pulling them the strongest, resulting in a rather bloody sport for everyone involved. The book is told in split perspectives as each character faces the trials of the race.
Lanie’s Lowdown: Stiefvater does a really good job at keeping the book clean. There is a minimal amount of dirty slang used, but nothing harsh. Since the capall uisce are a predatory creature, a few deaths occur throughout the book but nothing that is described in graphic, gorey detail; it is very contained. There also is a small element of romance that remains subdued.