by Neal Shusterman
Series: Arc of a Scythe #1
Published on November 22, 2016 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 435
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
Thou shalt kill.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
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Scythe was one of those books that took forever to get going and then smashed through my expectations at the end. I had so many people recommend this book to me, raving how amazing it was, and for nearly 70% of the book, I thought we were reading two different stories. After a sucker-punch twist of an ending, I finished Scythe wanting to read the sequel but not feeling much for the book itself.
First and foremost, I’ve never read a book with a premise like this. AI has taken over the world and everyone lives forever which caused some issues with overpopulation. Introduce Scythes who “glean” people at random to keep the population in check. I was hooked immediately. . . once I got to the part where all this was explained. We see the world of the Scythes through apprentices Rowan and Citra. I didn’t particularly care about either one for the entire book which wasn’t a good sign, but their character development over the course of the book was spot on and really showed their growth and maturity as the weight of death fell on their shoulders. I’m hoping my connection to them strengthens once I get to the sequel.
This was definitely more a read for the world than the story. I loved how Shusterman wove in modern issues into this future world where everything seems perfect. An AI utopia. But then we start getting a glimpse into the world of killing as a mercy vs killing for sport and the impact it has on the apprentices and those around them. Scythes have full power in this world to do as they wish. The only thing I never understood was the gleaning weapons. For a good bit of the book, Citra and Rowan train with different weapons and fighting styles but it felt a contrast to the perfect world that they could use something like a knife or gun when painless options also existed.
That said, I struggled to find fault with this book. While I couldn’t get into it, personally, for the longest time, I don’t think that was an issue with the book as much as it was my mood and interest in a dystopian YA novel. I’ve had bad experiences with the genre in the past and usually avoid it now but I’m glad I didn’t with Scythe.
This book makes you question everything you know about our world and morality. By the end, I was more than hooked. I couldn’t stop listening! And I do recommend the audiobook, for anyone curious about it. The narrator was fantastic and created almost a detached storytelling experience that really worked with this book and the plot. After Scythe, I immediately downloaded the audiobook for the sequel, Thunderhead, and I’m really looking forward to listening to it!
About Austine
I'm a 20-something research proposal developer with a background in the life sciences and education. Reviewer of books since 2011, amateur photographer by day, and aspiring author by night. I believe animals (and books) are better than people.
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