I originally read this in 2012, but just re-read and bumped up my rating to a full five stars. I can't name any better stand-alone fantasy Young Adult novel. What Stiefvater is able to capture in around 400 pages is simply amazing; a fully realized world, a complex mythology about savage man-eating water horses, and a quiet love story amidst the chaos of a deadly contest. You can smell the sea, taste the November cakes, and hear the calls of Stiefvater's wild beasts. Fabulous.