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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
WHAT. EVEN. OMG.
Gotta process everything but Erin Bow has definitely, DEFINITELY done it again. Get this book.
Gotta process everything but Erin Bow has definitely, DEFINITELY done it again. Get this book.
4.5 Stars.
The first book was nothing at all what I expected - it was a heavy, more politically inclined dystopian thriller. The second book again shocked all expectations out of me, the heart bled through on almost every chapter, every scene of The Swan Riders. It was an exploration of humanity in every way, of love and relationships and idea's about morality, autonomy, and identity. It was heavy but it was poignant and Greta was a character that landed in my heart and head and refused to budge. Erin Bow really outdid herself with The Swan Riders it was so unbelievably gorgeous and heart-wrenching.
The first book was nothing at all what I expected - it was a heavy, more politically inclined dystopian thriller. The second book again shocked all expectations out of me, the heart bled through on almost every chapter, every scene of The Swan Riders. It was an exploration of humanity in every way, of love and relationships and idea's about morality, autonomy, and identity. It was heavy but it was poignant and Greta was a character that landed in my heart and head and refused to budge. Erin Bow really outdid herself with The Swan Riders it was so unbelievably gorgeous and heart-wrenching.
My feelings about both The Swan Riders and The Scorpion Rules are complicated. On the one hand, the story is interesting, there's a queer romance (moreso in the first book), and it's a new and unique story. On the other hand, the pacing is super weird, especially in this book. There are stretches where nothing really happens, and then all of a sudden, everything happens and it's hard to follow along. Some of the characters seem to be not fully fleshed out, either - like, tbh, why is Elian so important? I don't really get it. He was relevant in the first book, but what is he adding to the story in the second book at all? Idk. 3 stars for me, because it was an enjoyable read, but overall, not amazing.
It had been a while since I had read Scorpion Rules, so my memory of past plot events was a little unclear, but I followed along alright anyway.
The novel picks up with Greta's experience as a new AI. We see a new side of Michael Tallis, the AI who took over the world and rules it as its benevolent(ish) overlord, as he cares and worries for Greta in this delicate stage. Apparently many new AIs go insane within their first few days in a process called "skinning" - their emotional memories cause their data-brain to play back certain events in perfect detail, which then elicits more strong emotions in an endless feedback loop that ends in a breakdown.
Tallis must get Greta somewhere safe without setting her off. They travel across her former homeland with the help of the Swan Riders, augmented humans who are sworn protectors of the AI.
But Tallis and Greta are betrayed on their journey, and the line between friend and foe becomes too thin to be seen.
I was disappointed that Z plays little to no role in this installment, as the casual representation of a lesbian relationship completely overthrew what looked like a setup for a cliche heterosexual plot. Greta still mentions her love for Z, but book two is all about bonding between Greta and Elián, the pre-mentioned heterosexual plot point set up. Greta's love for Elián may be platonic, but it's not very clear from this novel.
We see some more world-building through meeting the swan riders and some of the other AI, and face the question of what it means to be human, as opposed to robot.
I think I liked the first book better, but it is still worth it to continue the series.
The novel picks up with Greta's experience as a new AI. We see a new side of Michael Tallis, the AI who took over the world and rules it as its benevolent(ish) overlord, as he cares and worries for Greta in this delicate stage. Apparently many new AIs go insane within their first few days in a process called "skinning" - their emotional memories cause their data-brain to play back certain events in perfect detail, which then elicits more strong emotions in an endless feedback loop that ends in a breakdown.
Tallis must get Greta somewhere safe without setting her off. They travel across her former homeland with the help of the Swan Riders, augmented humans who are sworn protectors of the AI.
But Tallis and Greta are betrayed on their journey, and the line between friend and foe becomes too thin to be seen.
I was disappointed that Z plays little to no role in this installment, as the casual representation of a lesbian relationship completely overthrew what looked like a setup for a cliche heterosexual plot. Greta still mentions her love for Z, but book two is all about bonding between Greta and Elián, the pre-mentioned heterosexual plot point set up. Greta's love for Elián may be platonic, but it's not very clear from this novel.
We see some more world-building through meeting the swan riders and some of the other AI, and face the question of what it means to be human, as opposed to robot.
I think I liked the first book better, but it is still worth it to continue the series.
Loved reading this book again, I love this world and it was such a great story about humanity! And a 3rd book would still be pretty fantastic, though things were left on a good goodbye note!
*Second Read May 26th, 2018*
This book was such a great sequel, and I loved exploring the Swan Riders, so interesting! And Talis having to deal with being human! Though again, missed some characters, mostly Xie!
*First Read August 5th, 2016*
This book was so freaking great! Such a great sequel, though I missed some of the characters that were left behind, but we met some new ones, too! I would really love a 3rd book!
*Second Read May 26th, 2018*
This book was such a great sequel, and I loved exploring the Swan Riders, so interesting! And Talis having to deal with being human! Though again, missed some characters, mostly Xie!
*First Read August 5th, 2016*
This book was so freaking great! Such a great sequel, though I missed some of the characters that were left behind, but we met some new ones, too! I would really love a 3rd book!
AI road trip! Some of it was interesting, some of it dragged.