The Scorpion Rules
Author: Erin Bow | Genre: YA, Dystopian, Sci-fi, Romance | Format: Hardcover, 384 pages | Series: Prisoners of Peace, #1 | Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books | Source: Library | Rating: 4/5, Best Antagonist Ever.
The world is at peace, said the Utterances. And really, if the odd princess has a hard day, is that too much to ask?
Greta is a duchess and crown princess—and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies.
Greta will be free if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday. Until then she lives in the Precepture school with the daughters and sons of the world’s leaders. Like them, she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. Like them, she is prepared to die with dignity, if she must. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives. Elián is a boy who refuses to play by the rules, a boy who defies everything Greta has ever been taught. And he opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system they live under—and to her own power.
As Greta and Elián watch their nations tip closer to war, Greta becomes a target in a new kind of game. A game that will end up killing them both—unless she can find a way to break all the rules.
Greta is a duchess and crown princess—and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies.
Greta will be free if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday. Until then she lives in the Precepture school with the daughters and sons of the world’s leaders. Like them, she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. Like them, she is prepared to die with dignity, if she must. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives. Elián is a boy who refuses to play by the rules, a boy who defies everything Greta has ever been taught. And he opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system they live under—and to her own power.
As Greta and Elián watch their nations tip closer to war, Greta becomes a target in a new kind of game. A game that will end up killing them both—unless she can find a way to break all the rules.
First of all: WHAT A RIDE.
Ok first - isn't this premise awesome? Children of royalty/political leaders are held hostage by an all-seeing AI called Talis, and if this royalty/leaders of countries wage war on each other, their children is killed.
Let's talk about this AI. Talis is the bad guy, but he isn't really. Do you love books with a bad-but-not-bad antagonist? Because that's what Michael Talis is. Talis blows up cities to stop humans from killing each other and holds children captive, but deep inside he believes he is doing the greater good. His quotes pepper the entire book, and he is snarky as can be. He is a class two AI, meaning he used to be human, and is one of the very few humans who survived the transition. He is multi-layered, he is funny (albeit in a sinister way) and he is real. Talis is my favorite bad guy.
The protagonist Greta is a natural leader, and very likable. Her voice is humorous but also profound, and not one second did I doubt her thoughts or actions. She is the Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy, one of the superpowers. She only has 16 months to go before she turns 18 and is released as a hostage. But her country is at the brink of war, and she struggles with her imminent death. Her fears are confirmed when a rebellious boy is brought to their Precepture (where they keep hostage children), a grandson of a leader who is desperate for water - something Greta's country has but is unwilling to give up.
THE SUSPENSE. I spent my whole Saturday parked on the couch reading this because I. Had. To. Know. What. Happens. World-building was immaculate. I found myself immersed in Greta's Precepture, where Children of Peace (the Hostages) are dressed in white robes and harvest produce from their self-sustaining farm. (So as to teach them to appreciate the Earth.) They are governed by an AI called the Abbot, whom Greta sees as her father figure, and robots with menacing shocking power.
Romance doesn't take center stage in this story but it was heartwarming nonetheless. Nothing explicit here.
I found the writing very easy to read. There are moments where Erin Bow's history as a poet shines. Plus despite its dark content, The Scorpion Rules is FUNNY. I credit that mostly to Talis' quotations, and the prevalence of goats. I love goats, don't you? The humor complements the heavy subject material nicely, so you don't feel too depressed over kidnapped and (sometimes) tortured children children.
I was very excited to learn there will be a companion book. For one thing, I CANNOT WAIT to read more about Talis. Who is Talis? How did he turn into a psychomaniac who blows up entire cities? Meanwhile, I'll sing the praises of this book, because it is awesome.
