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Mayfly #2
Scorpion
In Scorpion, the sequel to Jeff Sweat's YA futuristic thriller Mayfly, Jemma, Lady, and Pico all left the Holy Wood to seek answers to the End, and when they find the Old Guys—the only adults to have survived the original wipeout of everyone over the age of seventeen—they think they've found help at last.
But there's a lot the Old Guys aren't telling them. In fact, some of them don't seem interested in solving the End at all and just want Jemma and her friends to leave. Meanwhile, war is brewing among the tribes of the rest of the Children. Jemma's old home has fallen into disorder, and is far from prepared for battle. It won't be long before the fighting reaches Jemma and the Old Guys, if they even live to see it.
But there's a lot the Old Guys aren't telling them. In fact, some of them don't seem interested in solving the End at all and just want Jemma and her friends to leave. Meanwhile, war is brewing among the tribes of the rest of the Children. Jemma's old home has fallen into disorder, and is far from prepared for battle. It won't be long before the fighting reaches Jemma and the Old Guys, if they even live to see it.
- GenresScience FictionDystopia
432 pages, Hardcover
First published June 23, 2020
2 people are currently reading
876 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Sweat
3 books93 followersJeff Sweat has made a living from words his entire career, as an award-winning tech journalist and as a pioneer of content marketing at Yahoo. He directed PR for some of the top advertising agencies in the country, and now runs his own PR and consulting firm, Sweat + Co.
He grew up in Idaho as the middle of eight children—seven boys and one girl—and attended Columbia University in New York. Jeff lives in a big blue house in Los Angeles with his wife Sunny and their three kids, two cats, and two racing greyhound, and 37 fish.
He loves to travel and writes everywhere he goes, even when there's not a desk. He likes karaoke and carpentry. He was once shot in the head with a nail gun, which was not a big of a deal as it sounds. But it still hurt like crazy.
He grew up in Idaho as the middle of eight children—seven boys and one girl—and attended Columbia University in New York. Jeff lives in a big blue house in Los Angeles with his wife Sunny and their three kids, two cats, and two racing greyhound, and 37 fish.
He loves to travel and writes everywhere he goes, even when there's not a desk. He likes karaoke and carpentry. He was once shot in the head with a nail gun, which was not a big of a deal as it sounds. But it still hurt like crazy.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 17, 2020
Disclaimer: I received an e-arc from the publisher for Rockstar Book Tours! Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Scoprion
Author: Jeff Sweat
Book Series: Mayfly Book 2
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: dystopian, sci-fi, apocalypse.
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
Genre: YA Dystopian
Recommended Age: 16+ (language, nudity/sexual content, drugs, violence, death)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 432
Synopsis: In Scorpion, the sequel to Jeff Sweat's YA futuristic thriller Mayfly, Jemma, Lady, and Pico all left the Holy Wood to seek answers to the End, and when they find the Old Guys--the only adults to have survived the original wipeout of everyone over the age of seventeen--they think they've found help at last.
But there's a lot the Old Guys aren't telling them. In fact, some of them don't seem interested in solving the End at all and just want Jemma and her friends to leave. Meanwhile, war is brewing among the tribes of the rest of the Children. Jemma's old home has fallen into disorder, and is far from prepared for battle. It won't be long before the fighting reaches Jemma and the Old Guys, if they even live to see it.
Review: Overall, I liked this book. The world building continued to be well done as well as the character development. I liked seeing our main character continuing growing and I thought the author built upon them well/ The book also had better pacing overall.
However, I did think this book got a bit wonky. Things took a sharp right turn about halfway through and it kinda threw me for a loop. The book also had some clunky fighting scenes that were a bit hard to get through.
Verdict: Overall, a well done ending to this duology.
Book: Scoprion
Author: Jeff Sweat
Book Series: Mayfly Book 2
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: dystopian, sci-fi, apocalypse.
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
Genre: YA Dystopian
Recommended Age: 16+ (language, nudity/sexual content, drugs, violence, death)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 432
Synopsis: In Scorpion, the sequel to Jeff Sweat's YA futuristic thriller Mayfly, Jemma, Lady, and Pico all left the Holy Wood to seek answers to the End, and when they find the Old Guys--the only adults to have survived the original wipeout of everyone over the age of seventeen--they think they've found help at last.
But there's a lot the Old Guys aren't telling them. In fact, some of them don't seem interested in solving the End at all and just want Jemma and her friends to leave. Meanwhile, war is brewing among the tribes of the rest of the Children. Jemma's old home has fallen into disorder, and is far from prepared for battle. It won't be long before the fighting reaches Jemma and the Old Guys, if they even live to see it.
Review: Overall, I liked this book. The world building continued to be well done as well as the character development. I liked seeing our main character continuing growing and I thought the author built upon them well/ The book also had better pacing overall.
However, I did think this book got a bit wonky. Things took a sharp right turn about halfway through and it kinda threw me for a loop. The book also had some clunky fighting scenes that were a bit hard to get through.
Verdict: Overall, a well done ending to this duology.
March 23, 2020
The story: In the second (and final) installment of the "Mayfly" duology, Mayflies Jemma, Lady, Pico and Grease have left Ell Aye and found the Old Guys--the scientists who brought about the end of the Long Gone world a hundred years ago. Having “perfected” The Haze (nanobots that could heal humankind) a hundred years ago, the scientists needed an AI to control their technology...but Charlie evolved beyond their expectations and has put The End in place so it can feast upon their experiences just as they die in their late teens. The children of those who survived the first purge, numbering only in the low thousands, now fight to stay alive and achieve dominance over the other surviving tribes and their resources before they die in their late teens. As the tribes race to find answers, it doesn't occur to them that everyone's looking for the same thing. What does occur to them is the age-old solution: kill, or be killed.
June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence R, Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG; adult themes (artificial intelligence running amok, gang warfare) PG-13; overall rating R. Best for grades 9-up.
Liz's comments: Author Sweat delivers a gritty post-apocalyptic novel with myriad characters and plot threads. This is not a stand-alone novel, but the duology is a fine addition for libraries serving older teens, especially where Neal Shusterman’s Unwind and Scythe series circulate well. Buy where the first book is popular (or buy them both).
June Cleaver's ratings: Language R; Violence R, Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content PG; adult themes (artificial intelligence running amok, gang warfare) PG-13; overall rating R. Best for grades 9-up.
Liz's comments: Author Sweat delivers a gritty post-apocalyptic novel with myriad characters and plot threads. This is not a stand-alone novel, but the duology is a fine addition for libraries serving older teens, especially where Neal Shusterman’s Unwind and Scythe series circulate well. Buy where the first book is popular (or buy them both).
June 25, 2020
I'd been waiting for this sequel, so as soon as it dropped I had my plans for the night! I loved "Mayfly," and "Scorpion" raised the stakes. It's even more epic, even bigger, and comes together in a fast, satisfying read.
Loved it. I'm so sad this series if over, but I can't see what new world the author has in store for us next!
Loved it. I'm so sad this series if over, but I can't see what new world the author has in store for us next!
May 25, 2020
"Scorpion" by Jeff Sweat is a masterfully crafted sequel to the first thriller in the series, Mayfly. The book draws you in quickly, entangles you in the characters and plot, and then spits you out effortlessly as you move from adventure to adventure. Scorpion is a very fulfilling read as you navigate the pages and can't help but wonder what Jeff Sweat will come up with next!
January 26, 2020
Received an arc from netgalley. Really enjoyed this book! Better than the prior book! Definitely recommend it!
July 30, 2020
Again Jeff Sweat knocks it out of the park. I waited 2 years for the sequel to Mayfly, Jeff's debut dystopian set in a bleak future where no one lives beyond the age of 17. Of course, that isn't quite as true as the kids thought.
Scorpion picks up right where Mayfly left off, with Jemma and the gang recovering with the "Old Guys" after their escape from Night Mountain. The kids want to stop The End, and the Old Guys hold the answers. But there are, of course, twists, obstacles, and danger around each corner. Jemma, Pico, Grease, and Lady are all they have, their own tribe of Mayflies, trying to survive in a world set on the precipice of combustion.
The world-building is, again, the strength of the book. The world of Ell Aye and beyond, as the kids travel further out and further into the world they thought they knew, is large and detailed. The reader learns more about the time before "The End" along with the kids, and the reader is sucked right in. Some of the things the reader learned in book 1 are flipped on their head, others are built upon, but no matter what page your on, you are glued to the story.
Action-driven, fast-paced, and a little dangerous, Scorpion leads to a whammy of an ending, one that I found very satisfying. I could read more and more about this world, but the book leaves on a hopeful note (and that's all I can say about that). Jemma continues to be a kick-ass heroine, with her gang of indispensable companions. Following along besides the Mayflies, you yearn for them to triumph and, more than that, thrive.
If you are looking for a satisfying sci-fi duology, Mayfly and Scorpion by Jeff Sweat are necessary reads. Fans of Neal Shusterman and Suzanne Collins will enjoy the heck out of these books!
Scorpion picks up right where Mayfly left off, with Jemma and the gang recovering with the "Old Guys" after their escape from Night Mountain. The kids want to stop The End, and the Old Guys hold the answers. But there are, of course, twists, obstacles, and danger around each corner. Jemma, Pico, Grease, and Lady are all they have, their own tribe of Mayflies, trying to survive in a world set on the precipice of combustion.
The world-building is, again, the strength of the book. The world of Ell Aye and beyond, as the kids travel further out and further into the world they thought they knew, is large and detailed. The reader learns more about the time before "The End" along with the kids, and the reader is sucked right in. Some of the things the reader learned in book 1 are flipped on their head, others are built upon, but no matter what page your on, you are glued to the story.
Action-driven, fast-paced, and a little dangerous, Scorpion leads to a whammy of an ending, one that I found very satisfying. I could read more and more about this world, but the book leaves on a hopeful note (and that's all I can say about that). Jemma continues to be a kick-ass heroine, with her gang of indispensable companions. Following along besides the Mayflies, you yearn for them to triumph and, more than that, thrive.
If you are looking for a satisfying sci-fi duology, Mayfly and Scorpion by Jeff Sweat are necessary reads. Fans of Neal Shusterman and Suzanne Collins will enjoy the heck out of these books!
July 23, 2020
3.5 stars
A couple of years ago, I reviewed the first book in this duology and, while I wasn’t blown away by it, I enjoyed the premise, that all over the age of seventeen face certain death. I thought the author handled this new existence well other than giving readers a fairly skimpy worldbuilding and I never did understand why the teens would want to bring babies into this world, knowing that will die, in turn, at an all too early age.
In Scorpion, I have the same concerns although I think the worldbuilding is a little more complex and our small group of teens who went in search of answers have discovered that the automatic deaths of all adults isn’t quite true. The Old Guys have survived but they’ve done so partially by isolating themselves and, even after Jemma and her friends discover them, they are very reluctant to engage with the kids in any meaningful way. While war looms among the children’s tribes, the Old Guys continue to distance themselves. Could it be that these are the people who unleashed hell on the planet in the first place?
In some ways, this second book is better than the first, at least in the sense of being more developed in worldbuilding and plot, but I’m still thinking about whether or not the ending fully satisfied me. Perhaps Mr. Sweat will change his mind and turn this into a trilogy 🙂
A couple of years ago, I reviewed the first book in this duology and, while I wasn’t blown away by it, I enjoyed the premise, that all over the age of seventeen face certain death. I thought the author handled this new existence well other than giving readers a fairly skimpy worldbuilding and I never did understand why the teens would want to bring babies into this world, knowing that will die, in turn, at an all too early age.
In Scorpion, I have the same concerns although I think the worldbuilding is a little more complex and our small group of teens who went in search of answers have discovered that the automatic deaths of all adults isn’t quite true. The Old Guys have survived but they’ve done so partially by isolating themselves and, even after Jemma and her friends discover them, they are very reluctant to engage with the kids in any meaningful way. While war looms among the children’s tribes, the Old Guys continue to distance themselves. Could it be that these are the people who unleashed hell on the planet in the first place?
In some ways, this second book is better than the first, at least in the sense of being more developed in worldbuilding and plot, but I’m still thinking about whether or not the ending fully satisfied me. Perhaps Mr. Sweat will change his mind and turn this into a trilogy 🙂
December 3, 2020
Someday this masterfully crafted sequel to Mayfly should be required scholastic reading. Scorpion is definitively a page-turner, with each morsel of adventure propelling the reader through the transitory ardors of adolescents burdened with saving their world.
I ugly cried through the last few chapters (at least). This book has adventure, war, redemption and and is ultimately an ode to the immutable potential of children to remake ourselves as a society.
I ugly cried through the last few chapters (at least). This book has adventure, war, redemption and and is ultimately an ode to the immutable potential of children to remake ourselves as a society.
July 18, 2020
I was starving for more of the story after the first page and tore through this book. I fell in love with this world, these kids, their plight and I can't remember wanting anyone to win more than them. Jeff Sweat's vision of this new Southern California 100 years or so down the road keeps the halo of plausibility within a truly creative manifestation unlike anything we've ever seen.
February 10, 2021
2/21: To fans of this book, FYI author Jeff Sweat is in the ICU with Covid, and his wife and children also have it. We're running a GoFundMe for them: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-help-...
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews