Scythe by Neal Shusterman – Book Review

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Scythe Synopsis

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.

Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award-winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman – Review

If you don’t know by now, Neal Shusterman is high on my auto-buy authors list. I love his intriguing synopses, crazily imaginative but scarily realistic storylines, and complex characters. One of my favourite books (not just by Neal Shusterman, but of all time) is Challenger Deep. Gahhh that book is amazing and if you haven’t read it, it should definitely be on your TBR!

Today, I’m going to review another one of Shusterman’s books, Scythe. I listened to it as an audiobook and my god, I loved it. Here are my thoughts…

Listening to Scythe as an Audiobook

I heard about Scythe so often from other book bloggers, with them saying how much they loved it. Being a fan of Shusterman’s anyway, I had to read it and see what the fuss was about. I used my next Audible credit on the audiobook. (The book was so expensive, so getting the audiobook for £7.99? Yes please!) I was a little apprehensive at first because I didn’t know what to make of the narrator, but he quickly grew on me and I realised his voice is perfect for the tone of the story.

It seems to be a running thing that I listen to Shusterman’s books as audiobooks at the moment (I also listened to Challenger Deep as an audiobook and I adored it). I don’t know what it is about his books but they always pick such incredible narrators with amazing range, full of emotion and perfect tone.

The Story

As I expected, Shusterman’s writing is yet again incredible. I really don’t know how he crafts such amazing stories that are like nothing I’ve ever read before! Every character is perfectly written with complex backgrounds and true to life families, and they all weave together in the story in ways that I didn’t expect.

Every single character is introduced for a reason and used in every detail in the story. (minor spoilers ahead) I especially loved reading how differently Rowan and Citra’s lives are when they’re both introduced to their own individual mentors – H.S. Goddard and H.S. Curie. Both characters are so insanely different so each of their lives, and their scythe habits, are total opposites.

One thing Shusterman does mind-blowingly well is plot twists. Every one of his books is filled with crazy plot twists that make the book memorable and so difficult to put down. Scythe was no different. I often found myself telling the story to my mum and getting so animated when telling her how shocked I was!

Final Thoughts & Sequel Excitement!

As of writing, I’m beyond excited for the second book in the series, THUNDERHEAD, to be released in January. Scythe ended with so many questions unanswered so I can’t wait to see what happens in the crazy lives of Rowan and Citra next! I loved Scythe almost as much as Challenger Deep (I don’t think anything can beat it, though) and I recommend it to absolutely anybody who likes YA, dark dystopian tales, and tons of plot twists.

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Related Posts

• Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman (Scythe #2)
• The Toll by Neal Shusterman (Scythe #3)
• Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
• Dystopian Fiction: Where Did It All Begin?

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