‘The Scorpion Rules’ by Erin Bow book review

On June 7, Margaret K. McElderry Books released the first novel in Erin Bow’s “Prisoners of Peace” dystopian series, The Scorpion Rules, in paperback. The story moves slowly, but with great emotion, lovely and unique.

The world’s leaders have had to give up their children to keep the peace. A dominating Artificial Intelligence has ended world war by keeping their children as hostages. If war breaks out, the involved countries’ children are killed. Greta, a princess hostage, has never questioned the system until she meets Elian, a boy who refuses to play by the rules. Greta’s eyes open to the brutality of the arrangement and she begins to realize her own power. Can she stop the AI from creating more destruction? And who will she fall for – the boy who opened her eyes or the girl who’s loved her through it all?

Greta is an intricate character. She starts off strong and stoic, but naïve. You can feel her personality shift as she learns to love and realizes how much power she holds over others. She makes some incredibly difficult decisions about her life as the book moves on and you really want her to come out the other side with her emotions intact. The book kept me on the edge of my seat and had me tearing up in several places. Though it started slowly, it was a bold story that was brilliantly written.

This is definitely the best dystopian novel I’ve read this year. The story isn’t a repeat of every other YA book on the market and it has a sense of humor. If you’re a fan of apocalyptic fiction, give this one a try, or give it as a gift this holiday season.