Nocturnal Book Reviews

I'm always amazed at how well Maggie's writing can grab you and drag you along the plot with the main characters. It's so alive, so grounded, vivid with smells and sounds and tastes so real that you feel like you are there in the eye of the storm, small and terrified.

You can see that I loved the book. Sean, Puck and Puck's brothers are real. Their problems and insecurities, their dreams are real. You can relate. Every character is rounded and has its place be that charming rich American who plays a role of the fairy godmother, three grumpy sisters who hassle Puck lovingly, wild and scary butcher's wife or even weary and shrewd Sean's boss...

Sea horses are terrifying, and I'm glad that Puck didn't ride any of them, but was riding her own horse. The violence that followed every day of the training was absolutely mad - someone was losing their fingers or their life with a snap. Sea horses were magical, wild creatures, a force of nature, you couldn't hold what their were doing against them.

At one point I got so scared I had to stop reading because a sea horse was chasing a barn cat and I couldn't bear the thought of it being eaten. Yeah, laugh while you can!

What's happening between Puck and Sean, their slow relationship is the type that I prefer. It's "show, don't tell". It's what they do and sacrifice for each other in little things that's important, not the declarations of love which you won't find in this book.

The end is bittersweet and typical for Maggie. People you root for win but at heavy price, so they celebrate but they mourn as well.

The Scorpio Races is so pagan and wild, it inevitably reminded me of The Wicker Man. Highly recommended.