Scythe Review Diaries

Hello everybody and welcome back to another Review Diaries. Today, I will be talking about the novel, Scythe by Neal Shusterman. I read this book, not only because it was at the top of my TBR, but also because it was chosen for Book_Roast’s, Book in a Jar, pick for the month of May. I was so happy this book was chosen, because it has easily become one of my favorite books of the year, and quite possibly of all-time. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book of The Arc of a Scythe series, but as for now let’s get to talking about Scythe. Scythe by Neal Shusterman Genre: Dystopian/Utopian Science Fiction (YA) Format: Paperback Dates Read: May 10th - May 20th, 2018 Final Rating: 5/5 Stars  

Plot: Scythe is a dual-perspective novel set in a Utopian world, where everything negative in our world has been solved. Even death. Because of this, population has gotten out of control. To take care of the rapid increase in population, these people called Scythe’s, do and control all of the killing, which they call gleaning. Our two main characters, Citra and Rowan, become apprentices to a Scythe, to ultimately become Scythe’s themselves, only after being forced to compete in a conclave against one another. Even though they don’t necessarily want to become Scythe’s. What really drew me to this novel, was the plot. I thought this idea of Scythe’s, doing the killing in a world where there is no death, no sickness, war, or anything else negative. Was really interesting, and something I’ve never read in a Dystopian novel, before. The Scythe’s reminded me of the Angel of Death in many ways, which is an entity that’s always intrigued me. It was really interesting to see the many sides and facets to gleaning, and was interesting to see how each Scythe had their own distinct way of gleaning. For instance, one Scythe would do a mass gleaning for show, while another Scythe would do it because it’s their job. And after they died, some of them would go to the victim’s family members to get to know them, or go to their funeral to show a sign of respect. This whole concept of Scythe’s and gleaning, really made you think about society and humanity as a whole, and made you question what was the right thing to do and what was the wrong thing. Another aspect of the plot that I thoroughly enjoyed, was the apprenticeship of Citra and Rowan, under their assigned Scythe’s. Through their learnings, is where you really got to see the different sides of being a Scythe. Which you also got to see through the journal entries at the beginning of each chapter. I really liked that this book was written as a dual-perspective, because it allowed you to see two different sides of this world. One in which you could easily be corrupted, and another where you knew there was something clearly wrong within this Utopian society. The plot almost read as an adult novel, with the questions of society, humanity, and knowledge. But it was a young adult novel, because our two main characters were only sixteen when they were assigned as junior Scythe’s. Which I thought was very refreshing, because it made you think about death and the negative aspects of this world through the eyes of a child. Which was an interesting perspective to read from, since this was a world where you had to grow up fast. Writing: I had never read anything from Neal Shusterman before, but I can tell you now, that he has already become one of my favorite author’s of all time. His writing style is extremely thought-provoking, as he makes you think about right and wrong. What really are the negative aspects of our world, when death is no longer a concept we have to worry about? But, while he makes you question knowledge and humanity, he makes you laugh at the same time. While this was a more philosophical book, he still added a bit of humor, to make it not read like a text book. I also liked how he wrote in a dual-perspective, because I think it helped showcase the many sides to this world. Which I think would’ve been difficult, if he just wrote in Citra’s perspective, or Rowan’s perspective. While each had a similar viewpoint on Scythe’s, they were learned in different styles. So, the reader could easily see the different sides of being a Scythe. World-Building: I thought Neal Shusterman did a great job at world-building, by not making it description heavy. We really got to understand the world and it’s ideals, through the journal entries of the Scythe’s, which were my favorite aspects of the novel. We also got to know a lot about the world, through Scythe Faraday’s teachings, and through a lot of dialogue rather than descriptions. I thought the dialogue and journal entries were the best ways to see the world, and I could easily picture the world in my mind. It was also one of the most creative and unique worlds I read about, in regards to a Dystopian/Utopian society. Even though a lot of the aspects of this world stemmed from Biblical influences and philosophical ideals. One aspect of this world that I really found quite interesting, was this idea of the Thunderhead. The Thunderhead is basically a giant cloud, where all information and knowledge is stored. It is even how they solved death and destruction, and is where the souls of the dead go. I thought the Thunderhead was extremely thought-provoking, as it was an idea not too far off from our modern society. As we have a cloud that stores all information and important things that matter to us, such as pictures and memories of the past. Since this idea hit so close to home, I really hope we learn more about the Thunderhead in book 2! Characters: What I really liked about this book was that it didn’t just focus on plot and world-building, but also the characters. I thought each character in this book had a lot of development, even though the book was written in two perspectives. But through the journal entries, you got to see each Scythe’s ideals on society, which also helped provide development for those characters. I really enjoyed reading from Citra and Rowan’s perspectives, and thought it was really refreshing that they were only teenagers. Because their minds are still developing and can be easily corrupted, which you got to see when they were separated and learning from different Scythe’s. However, I did think that Rowan overpowered Citra, because I thought his personality was shown more throughout the book. While I felt more attached to Rowan, Citra did grow on me in the end. I especially thought we got to see more of her personality when she was being taught by Scythe Curie. While I loved both of them as characters, I didn’t really love their romance. I didn’t think they had a lot of chemistry, mainly because they were so different. I also thought the romance was unnecessary, very tropey, and extremely abrupt. One of my favorite characters in this book, a part from Rowan, was Scythe Faraday. Scythe Faraday, was the Scythe apprenticed to Citra and Rowan. I thought he was the most emotionally developed character in this world, and I really appreciated his process. While he was assigned to be a Scythe, he never found enjoyment in his duties as a Scythe. Finding that being a Scythe should never be fun, and when someone starts to think that it’s fun, is when we should start losing hope in humanity. I also loved how he went to his gleaning victim’s funerals, to pay respect to their family’s, and the life the world just lost. I thought he was extremely wise and a great mentor to Citra and Rowan. The last character I want to talk about is someone who I didn’t trust in the beginning, but grew to love in the end. That was Scythe Curie, who became Citra’s appointing Scythe, after some drastic event that happened involving Scythe Faraday. Citra was appointed to Scythe Curie, while Rowan was appointed to Scythe Goddard. I thought Scythe Curie was a perfect match for Citra, and helped Citra grow into a fierce female warrior. What really made me grow more attached to Scythe Curie, was her ideals on being a Scythe. While she knew this was her job, she still tried to give her respects to the family of the victim’s she gleans. By going to their homes, and getting to know them as people. Even though she never knows who she is going to glean beforehand, and picks them out randomly. She still pays her respects to the families, which I really appreciated. I also felt that she was a motherly figure who Citra desperately needed in her life, after having to be pulled away from her family. Final Thoughts: All in all, I fell in love with Scythe by Neal Shusterman. I thought this Utopian world and this idea of Scythe’s was really unique, and something I hadn’t seen in many YA Dystopians. It read like an Adult Science-Fiction novel with the philosophical ideals, but read like a Young Adult Dystopian, reading from the eyes of our two young main characters. I think this would be a great book for someone who reads a lot of Young Adult, but wants to get more into Adult Fiction. While I loved the world and the plot, I absolutely fell head over heals in love with our main characters and supporting characters. While I thought the romance was unnecessary, that was about all I disliked about this book. Which is why I gave it a 5/5 stars, and it has easily become one of my favorite books of 2018! I can’t wait to read the second book, of this trilogy!! That concludes my review for Scythe by Neal Shusterman, I hope you enjoyed reading it, and pick up this book soon! It’ll be well worth the read!! TTFN and Happy Reading! Chynna Williams @TheCWTorch