Reviews

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

nglofile's review against another edition

2.0

Interesting, engaging, and thought-provoking, but the final third of the book seemed to go off in a different direction. Not necessarily bad, but that portion just felt more like a spin-off than a smooth continuation of the whole. I still would give the book 3 stars, except for the format by which I experienced it, which brings me to...

audiobook note: painfully over-enunciated and slow reading by Robert Ramirez, though I'm starting to wonder if that is in part due to being the Recorded Books edition. Even at that, there is no reason an extended pause needs to be taken at every...single...period.

wiley_townsend's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.75

avery5683's review against another edition

5.0

I read "The House of the Scorpion" in middle school and loved. Rereading it as an adult: I love it even more.

Farmer has her finger right on the pulse of human nature. She understands motivations, social pressures, psychological factors, and more. Her characters are real in a way that too few authors accomplish.

Farmer's world is layered, rich, and vibrant. She includes delicious sensory details, of all five senses, incorporated flawlessly into each scene. She has mastered the metaphor and simile, and also adept in tension and action-oriented style. I admire her work greatly. I can't wait to start "Lord of Opuim."

marcht's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

hannchilada's review against another edition

4.0

The House of the Scorpion bears a lot of similarity to Unwind, so I couldn’t help comparing the two. I think the best thing in both is the way they use the current darkest aspects of society and take them to their logical ends while understanding that human capacity for both good and evil never changes. This entails a lot of worldbuilding, but I think The House of the Scorpion pales in comparison to Unwind, though the former has a lot more pages in which to do so. I also found the tone shift in the second half of the book a little strange and somewhat disconcerting. In the end, though, I thought that the ending had an appropriate and realistic amount of justice without complete closure. Rating: 4

jemms's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Slavery

stonefruitbutch's review against another edition

5.0

This was one of the very first books that really spoke to me. Definitely a favorite. I've reread it countless times and it's never stopped wowing me. Matteo is such an interesting character and his chemistry with El Patron is unlike any other I've seen written. I highly recommend it.

teachergetslit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

3.75

mollyhuie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-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? Yes

4.0

c_rewie6's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0