Book review: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Series: Arc of a Scythe #1
Rating: ★★★★☆
Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: November 22, 2016
Source: Purchased

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.

So, first things first! This was a buddy read with Kelly and I just want to thank her for doing this with me! You can see her review here, which is much more in-depth than mine!

Anyway. My thoughts going into this book were something along the lines of “I hated four of my last five books so fingers crossed for this one.” Not only were my prayers to not hate this book answered, but it actually exceeded my expectations. It’s the first dystopian novel that I’ve really enjoyed in a very long time.

It took me a minute to get into the book, but once I got past chapter five or so, I was really intrigued. The worldbuilding is so well done, the premise is really interesting, I loved the main characters, I really hated some of the side characters, and the whole thing was just so good. I planned out my reading very, very poorly this month and I have to catch up on a bunch of ARCs before I can jump into Thunderhead, but it’s definitely on my more immediate TBR.

Have you read Scythe? What about Thunderhead?
Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

31 thoughts on “Book review: Scythe by Neal Shusterman”

  4. booksteabee says:
    Reply

    I find it really interesting to see people’s responses to this one – I wasn’t a fan personally but a lot of other people seem to have adored it. I love seeing people’s reactions to the same book or movie or whatever, it definitely shows how our preferences shape our experiences of things. Really glad you liked it though, I wish I’d got the same enjoyment out of it!!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. thoughtsofthereader says:
    Reply

    Great review! I loved Scythe so much! I read Thunderhead almost immediately, and now I’m highly anticipating the third book!! I thought both Scythe and Thunderhead were excellent reads, I loved the writing. It was my first venture into Neal Shusterman’s writing and I’ll definitely be reading more! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Carolina @fictionologyst says:
    Reply

    Sadly I didn’ enjoy this book as much as I hoped, the worldbuilding is unique but I just didn’t love the plot and I coudn’t care less for the character! Great review Sara, hope you enjoy Thunderhead!!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. superkitty21books says:
    Reply

    I really loved Scythe whenI first read it in january but I haven’t picked up Thunderhead. It’s because Scythe has such a satisfying ending that I didn’t need a sequel. Shusterman tied up all the loose ends while making the ending ambiguous enough to have me thinking but not frustrated.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Pingback: Weekly Update – The Bibliophagist
  13. ecn says:
    Reply

    This is a book I never would have picked up on my own, but I was at ALAN two years ago and Shusterman was there and he read one of Rowan’s chapters and I was so intrigued. I have Thunderhead, but haven’t gotten to it yet.
    I agree, the world-building is fantastic!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Sara @ The Bibliophagist says:
      Reply

      I never would’ve picked it up if not for recommendations from other bloggers! I’d been kind of avoiding dystopian YA for years since I was so burned out on it, but a few bloggers I trust had absolutely glowing things to say about this book. I’m so glad I took a chance on it!

      Thunderhead will be in the next pile of books that I buy. I hope you like it when you get around to reading it! 😊

      Like

  14. Pingback: Book Review: Scythe – Struggling Bookaholic
  15. Pingback: Monthly Favorites: August 2018 – The Bibliophagist
  16. Pingback: It’s my one-year anniversary: I’m answering questions and doing an international giveaway! – The Bibliophagist
  17. Pingback: Book Review: Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman – The Bibliophagist

Leave a comment