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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Mostly I’m just unable to really grasp the story as a whole. It just goes by way too slowly, even as the writing is excellent. The whole idea of AI is well explained and understood.
But I just felt that nothing was happening. Nothing was really important and everything just went from one page to the other with no idea what it’s really doing. No idea what kind of impact that it really wanted to make.
Most importantly, the characters were just too flat. Greta has no voice, it could be written in third person and nothing will have changed. The characters are just floating around with no idea what they are doing or thinking. Hence making for a difficult story.
Also, was it about AI killing themselves or about war? The ending was even more confusing to me than before. Choosing to take upon another name when she is essentially the same person as she was before.
The Swan Riders were anything but interesting. I can’t even name a trait about anyone of them except their names.
Overall, this is just so much of a disappointment than the previous book. The plot is nowhere, and at times immensely disappointing. The characters are just names of people I don’t know.
But I just felt that nothing was happening. Nothing was really important and everything just went from one page to the other with no idea what it’s really doing. No idea what kind of impact that it really wanted to make.
Most importantly, the characters were just too flat. Greta has no voice, it could be written in third person and nothing will have changed. The characters are just floating around with no idea what they are doing or thinking. Hence making for a difficult story.
Also, was it about AI killing themselves or about war? The ending was even more confusing to me than before. Choosing to take upon another name when she is essentially the same person as she was before.
The Swan Riders were anything but interesting. I can’t even name a trait about anyone of them except their names.
Overall, this is just so much of a disappointment than the previous book. The plot is nowhere, and at times immensely disappointing. The characters are just names of people I don’t know.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i feel crazy. i love elian. AI is so interesting.
2025 reread edit: this is one of the most fascinating books ever. i loved how the author explored what it means to be human and how identity is tied to what we care about and who we care for! and also all of those kids shouldve been at the club omfg. GRETA❤️❤️❤️
2025 reread edit: this is one of the most fascinating books ever. i loved how the author explored what it means to be human and how identity is tied to what we care about and who we care for! and also all of those kids shouldve been at the club omfg. GRETA❤️❤️❤️
I liked this book, but anyone who thought The Scorpion Rules was too slow is going to be bored to tears by it. It's much more philosophical (it looks at what it means to be human by examining the AI characters), so there's a lot less action. It doesn't resonate much, either, because our main character and narrator (the same one from the first book) is now an AI, and while she still retains a human body and has human emotions, she feels a lot more distant and impersonal here. Part of that could be how the story moves beyond the love triangle from the first book.
I loved this book more than I loved the scorpion rules... and I loved that a lot
Greta my perfect human AI hybrid, who loves everything and just wants peace. She's the perfect character for this world, and the story fits her personality as well. AND MICHAEL/RACHEL/TALIS UGH MY HEART! Fantastic job Erin Bow, my heart is now broken and waiting for more Greta(Grace now) and Xie moments in the third book
Greta my perfect human AI hybrid, who loves everything and just wants peace. She's the perfect character for this world, and the story fits her personality as well. AND MICHAEL/RACHEL/TALIS UGH MY HEART! Fantastic job Erin Bow, my heart is now broken and waiting for more Greta(Grace now) and Xie moments in the third book
No princesses kissed each other in this one so I can't give it a very high endorsement.
I am surprised I loved this more than the first book. While I missed the presence of Xie and the larger cast of Greta's friends, the actual plot in this was beautifully-written. It was complex, very much exploring the grey area between good and bad, human and machine, friend and enemy. It wasn't all black and white which I really appreciate in a YA dystopia. It truly made me think, long after I was done with it. I wish there was more in this series, but on the other hand, I really like the way it ended.
*throws this book in the face of anyone who thinks YA is 'simple'*
I am both confused and fascinated by this series. The stories are so well written, but half the time I have no idea what’s actually going on! Yet I really enjoyed them. That said, I started reading this book via Kindle library book and it expired, so I switched to the audio version. I do NOT recommend the audio version. It was slow, stilted, and diminished my enjoyment of the story. So stick with the traditional method of reading for this one!
I don't know where to start with reviewing this book, because the book itself was sort of all over the place, and much different from the first book, which I loved.
First and foremost, I loved Talis (both versions of him): the way he interacts with people, with himself, the way he had humanity forced upon him and it came close to breaking him. His enormous and vibrant personality (clearly curated by an ability to control the world) was fascinating, and seeing his personality change depending on the situation was equally fascinating.
Greta I don't have many opinions on, unfortunately. She spends a lot of the book being sort of detached from what's going on around her; one might even say that she lacks agency. The bonds she builds with those around her (the Swan Riders and Talis) are subtle. The things she takes in over the course of the book are detrimental to the resolution of the end of the book, but it's a slower journey than that of the first book.
Elian I have opinions on. I tried to reserve judgment of him in the first book because he was portrayed as being one of two love interests for Greta (the other being a young woman, Xie). But he definitely turned from "maybe irritating" to "definitely irritating" in this book, for me. It's a matter of my own taste, because I hate characters who just barge into things and try to fix everything. The book even says that Elian thinks of Greta as a damsel in distress. He's action-based, moving without thinking or talking or using logic. The only thing that tempers that, for me, is that he's a little slow to think, and it's definitely categorized as a character flaw. He acts, as in the first book, as a catalyst that brings Greta (or other characters) to action; in this book, it just makes Greta seem more passive and him more irritating.
(The fact that he, a brash, action-based young man bent on "rescuing" Greta, is now her sole love interest, merely by his being in the book and Xie not at all, except viewed from a very far distance, might have a little to do with it. I was curious to see where the two love interests might take Greta; she's clearly not in a position to pursue love interests now, but Elian, just by being too brash, has now taken center stage, further irritating me.)
So I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first; still very interested to see where this series goes.
First and foremost, I loved Talis (both versions of him): the way he interacts with people, with himself, the way he had humanity forced upon him and it came close to breaking him. His enormous and vibrant personality (clearly curated by an ability to control the world) was fascinating, and seeing his personality change depending on the situation was equally fascinating.
Greta I don't have many opinions on, unfortunately. She spends a lot of the book being sort of detached from what's going on around her; one might even say that she lacks agency. The bonds she builds with those around her (the Swan Riders and Talis) are subtle. The things she takes in over the course of the book are detrimental to the resolution of the end of the book, but it's a slower journey than that of the first book.
Elian I have opinions on. I tried to reserve judgment of him in the first book because he was portrayed as being one of two love interests for Greta (the other being a young woman, Xie). But he definitely turned from "maybe irritating" to "definitely irritating" in this book, for me. It's a matter of my own taste, because I hate characters who just barge into things and try to fix everything. The book even says that Elian thinks of Greta as a damsel in distress. He's action-based, moving without thinking or talking or using logic. The only thing that tempers that, for me, is that he's a little slow to think, and it's definitely categorized as a character flaw. He acts, as in the first book, as a catalyst that brings Greta (or other characters) to action; in this book, it just makes Greta seem more passive and him more irritating.
(The fact that he, a brash, action-based young man bent on "rescuing" Greta, is now her sole love interest, merely by his being in the book and Xie not at all, except viewed from a very far distance, might have a little to do with it. I was curious to see where the two love interests might take Greta; she's clearly not in a position to pursue love interests now, but Elian, just by being too brash, has now taken center stage, further irritating me.)
So I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first; still very interested to see where this series goes.