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Sep 02, 2016samcmar rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I absolutely adored the crap out of The Scorpion Rules. It was by no means perfect, but it was one of those books where my eye balls were completely glued to the page because I couldn't get over some of the stuff that was occurring in the story. I had moments where I cringed, gasped, and maybe even threw the book -- it had that much of an effect on me. I was so excited when the sequel appeared in my mail box because with the way the first book had ended, it was a hard wait to find out what was going to happen to poor Greta. And poor Greta it is. This sequel picks up almost directly from the previous book so one needs to have read The Scorpion Rules to get a full taste of what The Swan Riders has to offer. The prisoners are not so much prisoners anymore, Greta has transformed into someone who isn't herself anymore, and Canada is... well, Canada is an utter mess, more so than it was in the first book. I think what I love about this series is that Bow does an amazing job of giving you a larger sense of all her characters, their motives, and their coups on morality. Frances, Greta, Talis, all have different perspectives on freedom, humanity and the decaying world, and each attempts to be compelling about their stance. I equally loved the surprises that she wove into this particular installment surrounding Talis, who is by far one of the most interesting characters in this world if I am being frank. I do think the emotional intensity of the first book is missing from this sequel, but I think the strengths here come from the larger plot being developed. Oh, and Talis. Talis is perfect. I miss Xie. She was best. I do think this is a solid sequel to a book that in a lot of ways didn't need a sequel to be great. I think the ending of this instalment isn't as strong as the first book, and it definitely leaves the door open for a potential sequel given there's still characters whose stories don't entirely feel complete. The last monkey wrench Bow throws in is pretty darn fabulous, though I wish the book really hadn't ended where it did. Still, if you loved the first book, I do think this sequel is definitely worth checking out.