Extremely predictable, but a unique idea that was executed in a classic way.

I felt a strong need to come back and edit this after seeing a number of reviews bashing this book and saying Scott ripped off Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races...Maybe some of the overarching ideas are similar, but it's a pretty far stretch to say Scott plagiarized from Stiefvater. The Scorpio Races was a wonderfully moving book and had more depth than this one did, but it rested on old mythological ideas, so if you want to nit pick then Stiefvater is ripping off Celtic mythology. This doesn't make Titans any less of a good book, just a little different.

For fans of Stiefvater's Scorpio Races:

Astrid lives in Detroit, a slightly futuristic Detroit that has fallen even further into bankruptcy and despair than it is currently. One of the things that gives the people in the neighborhood entertainment is an illegal horse racing track and the gambling that occurs. But the horses that race there are not your usual horses - they are mechanical horses and Astrid is completely intrigued by them. She would give anything to ride one of them, to race one of them, because if she could and if she could win, she could pay off her father's gambling debts and they won't have to worry about losing their house.

LOVE the horses, especially Padlock. Great setting, great premise. Very enjoyable read.

Inevitably, this will be compared up down and sideways to "The Scorpio Races." But you know what? I liked this one all by its own merit. SR is a completely different book, with a different tone and message. Titans has strong, interesting characters - not just the main character, but her friend, her sponsors and mentors - everyone. I love the challenges she overcomes, and I love the idea of a metal friggin' horse.

It's not one of those books that will change your world, or burrow inside you forever, but it's a good read, better than many, and hell, the fact that I still remember anything about it three months after reading it says something.

3.5 but I rounded up because I did genuinely like this book.

3.75 stars
Okay I am feeling conflicted. I originally finished this book with love in my eyes, but after reading some reviews I can agree with some problematic things.
I started reading this book about three times and could never get into it, but I had some hours on a trip so I binge read it and actually enjoyed it. Sadly, I have been informed of similarities between The Scorpio Races that I was not aware of because I had not read it yet. I will hold back from rating this poorly because of that since I haven't read the other, but there are still other factors that I was not a fan of. The father was abusive and a change of character suddenly did not make me like him. The older sister also I couldn't forgive and the whole family dynamic just didn't work for me. The old guy who mentors the main character also seemed too good to be true, I mean whose next door neighbor decides to let a random girl race his horse with nothing in return?
I did like the friendship aspect of this book and was so surprised there was so romance in this book, although I would have enjoyed it most likely. There were just too many things wrong that I can't let go of to rate higher. I am a fan of Victoria Scott though and plan to read more from her.

Astrid’s family has been destroyed by the Titans, mechanical horses raced at a track near her Detroit neighborhood. Her father lost everything betting on the horses and now they may lose their home. Yet Astrid also finds herself drawn to the Titans and spending time figuring out the math to create the best approaches to turns. So when Astrid meets a strange old man who has a Titan of his own, the first generation ever made, Astrid knows that she just has to try to ride it. It is up to Astrid now to secure the future for her family if she can only prove that a poor girl and an old horse can win.

Scott has written such a rip-roaring story. It is a book that will hook those who love horses as well as those who love racing. It’s a book that is science fiction, but a near future that is all too possible, where the division between rich and poor is even more strong than today and where impossibly complex robotic horses come to life. Even better, it is a world that makes sense for the reader, one with great appeal and a strong heroine to cheer for.

Astrid is an amazing heroine. She has a brain that thinks in mathematics and physics, naturally bounding ahead of others. And she uses it not just to ride differently than the others but also to face the horrible traps set into the race track that change from one race to another. Astrid is complex. She is deeply loyal to her family, yet does not tell them what she is doing. She also takes longer than the reader to fall for her Titan, something that works very nicely so that the reader is cheering them on together.

A riveting read that is compulsively readable, this teen novel has great appeal and will set anyone’s heart racing. Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Disclaimer: I read an ARC of this that I traded with Aly!

Okay so I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was a good mix of action and familial relationships and there was no unnecessary romance which was a huge plus for me. BUT I couldn't help but compare it to [b:The Scorpio Races|10626594|The Scorpio Races|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1461209661s/10626594.jpg|15535056] by Maggie Stiefvater and because of that it, it was lacking something for me.

I liked Astrid and thought she was really strong and brave for doing what she did to keep her family together, especially her found family. I also really liked Magnolia because she stood by Astrid through thick and thin even when she was having problems of her own. And I liked their friendship: they bounced ideas off of one another, supported one another, and while they both had their own issues, they also helped the other in their time of need. Their relationship is the #1 reason I enjoyed this book. I love books that have positive female friendships and this is definitely one of them.

I also liked the secondary characters and getting to know the management team. They were so much more than just cardboard characters and they all had their own wants and desires. I really liked Rags and thought he played such an important role in Astrid's life.

I did think the introduction was a little bit sloppy and really just a way for Rags and Astrid to meet. But it felt forced and I was not really fond of how he was introduced and brought into Astrid's life. It felt too convenient for me to be really convinced. I also thought the races themselves were a bit lacking. As much as I was on the edge of my seat during them, it felt really repetitive and obvious what was going to happen because of how much book was left. It was like those episodes of Law & Order where they "find" the killer after 20 minutes and you're like "nope there is too much time left" if you know what I mean.

The whole idea of mechanical racing horses was cool though. I liked this and thought it was really well done. I liked that there were different models and how they worked. I thought this was clever and something that kept me really interested in the concept of the novel itself. But the horses themselves were awkward and difficult for me to picture. And the actual race tracks that weren't typical and had the jams were really hard for me to picture as well. I think they were described well enough but I feel like there was a missing piece for me to be really brought into Astrid's perspective and see what she was seeing.

But I didn't get a huge emotional connection to any of the characters or the horse, Padlock. I found myself not really caring if Astrid won or lost because she was a bit of a survivor and would probably have been okay if she had to move. I also thought Astrid's guilt was ... weird and like she placed a lot of weight on her shoulders for no reason. I feel like it would have been one thing if

she was the only one there and had left her grandpa with no one but there were three other people at the house with him so I didn't understand her guilt at all

.

Overall, this is a good novel. It has a lot of action and horse races and is interesting enough. But if you are looking for horse racing with a twist, I would pick up [b:The Scorpio Races|10626594|The Scorpio Races|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1461209661s/10626594.jpg|15535056] instead.

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This was such a unique idea!