The Scorpion Rules » Book Review

I wasn't expecting much from this book. I remember being really excited about The Scorpion Rules as a new-release last year, but so many people I follow on Goodreads (except Emily May) did not care for this book. By did not care, I mean fervently despised. Hence with a sad sigh, I took it off my pre-ordered list and didn't think about it again.

I've only read one other book by Erin Bow, and sad to say, I really didn't care for it. Sorrow's Knot had a unique premise, but was just so confusing and dull to read. I appreciated the focus on friendship and the magic system was memorable, but I barely finished it.

Surprisingly for me, I really enjoyed The Scorpion Rules. But I can understand why others would have had a problem with it.

The World

This was what lured me in. The world has seen wars, and countless tragedies have occurred because of it. The UN started developing Artificial Intelligence machines, and one of them (Talis) was in charge of conflict resolution. After making his analysis, he realized the problem was *drum roll* humans!

He takes over the weapons system, demolishes a few cities, and sets himself up as the new head honcho. He is the instigator of peace. Anyone who wishes to rule their land (whether via monarchy or political parties) needs to have a child to be eligible. He/she must trade that child with Talis. The children will be kept as hostages to ensure peace. If a country decides to go to war, the child's life will be forfeit.

This isn't a new concept. In fact, it was relatively common for kings to demand or trade sons to ensure that both parties would enforce their treaties. Historically, it actually happened with Vlad the Impaler and his brother, Radu. They were traded to the Ottoman empire. That was also the same premise for the historical fiction book I read recently, And I Darken, about a female Vlad the Impaler going through the same thing (review HERE). Talis brings back this concept, and it's working quite well.

The Characters

Our main character is Greta. She is the crown princess to a duchy and very well-versed in history. She has excelled during her time at the Precepture school. She just has to make it to her 18th birthday and she will be set free. Her best friend, and roommate, is Da-Xia (or Xie). Han, Grego, Atta and Thandi are some of the other hostages that round out the rest of the cohort.

We are soon introduced to Elian, a new hostage, who wasn't prepared for life at the Precepture. All the other hostages knew from birth where they were meant to go, and were taught to handle it with dignity and grace. Elian, on the other hand, screams and fights and tries to claw his way to freedom.

I really enjoyed reading from Greta's perspective. She was calm, thoughtful, and intelligent. And unlike most YA novels, Elian's presence doesn't flounder her because of his UH-MAHZING good looks, or his ability to be a jerk one second and disgustingly sweet the second. He flounders her because of his inability to accept his new life. He rails against the unfairness of being a hostage for his people. He doesn't believe in the concept of being a hostage for peace. That forces Greta to examine her own beliefs and her training. Is she really willing to give up her life if her kingdom is forced to go to war? Is it fair? And above all, is Talis doing the right thing?

Throughout the book, we are peppered with Utterances, which are phrases lifted from Talis. I found his childish ways and sarcastic quips amusing and it provided a much needed dose of humor in an otherwise serious dystopian fantasy.

Critiques

As I mentioned earlier, there are several reviewers out there who despised or simply didn't care for the book. Some of their critiques were that nothing happened, the characters were wooden, there were too many familiar tropes and what the hell was up with their fascination with goats?!

The pacing was slow. There's no doubt about that. However, I really enjoyed it. In the beginning of the book, we really get to experience life with Greta and Xie, witness the growth and evolution of Elian, and learn about what is happening in their world. It is only in the second half, that the pace picks up. I didn't feel panicked or rushed, which can happen to me when I read the more traditional quick-paced books. I think it is a testament to Bow's storytelling that she could write a book that meanders, and stops to admire goats and still have me clinging to every page.

I do have some issues with the characters. I wish Greta's other classmates were given a little more time and backstory, and were more integrated into Greta's internal life. They definitely existed around her, but I wanted to feel more camaraderie among them. I was hoping for a true sense of siblinghood.

I also wasn't sure how exactly Greta became the de-facto leader of their little group. That part of it sprung out from nowhere, and it didn't seem like Greta truly earned that position and that level of respect from her peers. I did do my best to forgive that flaw, so I could enjoy the rest of the book.

I think the romance in the book was handled pretty well. I usually can't stand a love triangle of any kind, but since Greta's focus remained with her kingdom and the world at large, I could handle the presence of more than one love interest. And I absolutely adore who she ended up with.

One reviewer compared the book to the Hunger Games series, especially during the section when the media was incorporated as part of the story. I definitely agree with her, and there were some Coin/Plutarch elements thrown in there as well. It didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book, but I can see why that would be a problem for others.

Goats???

And last but not least... Goats. I will admit that I was a little weirded out by their focus on goats when it was first introduced. But I grew to really enjoy those feisty animals as we progressed through. After all, who am I to judge. I come from a family that still speaks of one of our deceased cows (Nandini) with a great deal of love and deference.  *sigh* I never stepped on poo when I was on her watch.

All in all, I am really excited to read the next book The Swan Riders, which is set to release this year in September. The ending of The Scorpion Rules took it in a completely different direction than I expected, so I am really looking forward to seeing what happens next!

PS: September is going to be batshit guys. SO MANY NEW RELEASES.

The Walled City Review

Desperation practically ekes out of Ryan Graudin's The Walled City.  These are characters gambling with enormous stakes — much more dire than simply staying alive.  Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai are dangling above the precipice of human agony. 

Jin Ling lives in Hak Nam Walled City of her own volition, surviving by stealing food and necessities, and running like hell. She is also searching for her sister, sold, by their father years before, to a drug lord.

Mei Yee, forced into sex work, lives caged in a brothel, under constant threat. Mei Yee has no other option but to sit, stagnant, in her prison, and let waves of horror and misery wash over her.

Dai cannot bring himself to set foot outside of the Walled City.  He is trying desperately to free himself from a cage of his own making, and he must enlist Jin Ling's talents to do so, by compromising the drug lord Longwai.

A note on the book's setting... Based off of Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, Graudin's Hak Nam Walled City is a gritty, compelling backdrop.   Like its real world inspiration, Hak Nam is a re-purposed fort adjacent to a larger metropolis, turned into an over-packed mess of people stacked up on top of each other. It's a cluster of anarchy — full of gang activity, drug running, and human trafficking.  In regards to time and place — it was a little confusing.  It's my deduction that The Walled City is set an indeterminate Asian country, during an indeterminate period of modernity.

At this point, after detailing the characters and setting, it might seem like I'm going to make a glowing recommendation. But, this is not the case.  In fact, I believe that this book was more promising than successful.  There were definitely some admirable aspects to it, but I would strongly hesitate in recommending the book to other readers.

One reason for this concerns the book's style. On one hand, Graudin's voice utilizes effective dirty realism.  The setting of the walled city — its grime, its poverty, its depravity — sprung to life on the page. On the other hand, there was an extraordinary amount of purple prose. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of similes and and conceits.  At best, I felt some appreciation for the imagination of Graudin's writing. At worst, the prose was so clogged with stylistic elements that I was jarred out of the story completely.

Then, there was the pacing.  This is a story that could have benefited from a break-neck pace.  Instead, the plot was structured around an 18-day countdown.  A mistake, in my opinion.  I slogged through the story. My attention struggled to find a grasp.  Instead of propelling the plot forward, the narration got bogged down in reminisces and extraneous tangents.  

Another complaint — Graudin falls into the tired trope of instantaneous attraction. (AKA — insta-love)  As if I wasn't rolling my eyes enough over the melodramatic prose, all of the hot flashes and abdominal tingling of the love-struck characters sent me over the edge.  What made this nascent relationship extra questionable is that it involved a horribly abused girl who had been forced into sex work.  Giving her such a shallow plot-line really diminished the utter gravity of her situation.  I could not switch over emotionally from descriptions of horrific, sexual abuse to scenes of giddy young love.  It caused me to withdraw emotionally from the story.

It's a shame that this book had such fatal flaws.  If the style had been plainer, the plot brisker, the relationships more thoughtful, I could see myself enjoying this book for its resonant setting and high-stakes storyline.  As it is, I give The Walled City two north stars out of five.