Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The House of the Scorpion (Matteo Alacran #1) By: Nancy Farmer

Title: The House of the Scorpion (Matteo Alacran #1)
Author: Nancy Farmer
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Shelves: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Adventure
Recommended for Fans Of: Carol Plum Ucci, Margaret Petterson Haddix,

Synopsis: From award winning novelist Nancy Farmer comes a new tale about a young clone named Matteo Alacran. From the moment he is born, Matteo is not a free boy. He is under the rule of the House of Alacran, specifically the man he was cloned to be like, El Patron, the most powerful man in the land. El Patron is like a grandfather to Matt; taking care of him when no one else will, and giving him an education and life to be like normal children. However, what Matt doesn't know is that every man with power must have a seed of corruptness, and El Patron's seed has already grown into a tall, dark tree. As Matt grows up, he discovers secrets that are better off kept hidden, people he never thought he would encounter, and worlds beyond the cage he grew up in. Magnificently simple and beautifully written, The House of the Scorpion is sure to be a classic that will outlast our time.

Review: For a girl who has been reading way too much dystopia and paranormal books, The House of the Scorpion is a wonderful change. In a way, this book will remind you of a fairytale, because of the superb way it is written, with a beginning, a middle, and an ending. The entire plot felt like one great big story, especially because the character of Matt ages almost ten years in the span of 400 pages. Although sometimes a little slow and monotonous, The House of the Scorpion is generally fast-paced and just has a sense of adventure that comes with reading this book. The characters were flawlessly developed, and Nancy Farmer does a wonderful job bringing an emphasis on the contrast of good and evil characters. While El Patron and most of the Alacran family made Matt's life miserable, the opposite shows Celia and Tam Lin showering Matt with kindness and love even in the worst of times.

Conclusion: This book made me smile (with the wonderfully kind characters), angry (with the way Matt was treated), indignation (with most of the Alacran family) and it even made me laugh, because Nancy Farmer really brings a gem that you won't be able to get out of your mind, with The House of the Scorpion.


*The House of the Scorpion might be made into a movie!! Ahhhh!*

xoxo,
Fiction_TheNewReality

4 comments:

  1. YES! I loved this book. And got just as excited when Nancy announced that about the movie, too! Matteo was put through SO much! :( I just got the sequel, The Lord of Opium, a couple of days ago, and can't wait to read it! :D

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  2. I loved this book! I had it for Battle of the Books one year in school and I can't wait to read the second one! :)

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  3. Thanks for a great review! I have never heard about this novel before, but your review made me considering reading it :-)

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  4. i haven't seen this one before, but I ran across a book called The Lord of Opium and decided to do some research, and that led me to this one. I haven't had the chance to read it yet, and yours is the first review that I have read for it. But I think that is honestly all that I need to make the decision to check this out for myself!

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