Scythe: Volume 1 (Arc of a Scythe, #1)

by Neal Shusterman

Two teens must learn the "art of killing" in this Printz Honor-winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.

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.

• ISBN10: 1442472421
• ISBN13: 9781442472426
• Publish Date: 22 November 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[EBookObsessed]

It had an interesting premise that made you think. While it is geared towards a teen crowd, the basic premise is that everything has been figured out. There is nothing further to learn. No one dies anymore since disease is a thing of the past. So part of it is that people get bored with nothing really to do and since things are finite, certain people are selected to provide a necessary service and glean a certain amount of people each year so that the planet doesn't overpopulate.

Scythes only have a quota to reach each year but other than that there are not much in the way of guidelines. One scythe lives a plain life and uses old statistics to pick his gleans, another gleans those who seem to have checked out and no longer seem interested in living endlessly. Of course, there is the group that takes whatever they want from others and does mass gleanings.

I found this interesting in the fact that when life is handed to you, how easily it becomes boring, and how human nature will still find a way to twist utopia with corruption.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Scythe has been on my to-read list for two years, but I never could muster up the courage to read it. I started Unwind years ago and couldn't get into it, so I wasn't sure this super hyped Shusterman book was for me. Over the summer, though, I got a copy of Dry and LOVED it, so I knew I had to give Scythe a chance and thank goodness I did!

Citra and Rowan live in a future America where there is no death and the population is controlled by scythes. The scythes live under their own law and must meet (but not exceed) quotas of people "gleaned," although they're free to glean in whatever way they see fit. Everyone fears and respects them - Citra and Rowan are chosen as apprentices. Scythe Faraday goes against convention and takes two apprentices, planning for one to become a scythe at the end of their training. Of course, things go awry and nothing works out as planned.

I really loved both Citra and Rowan, although I liked Rowan a tiny bit more. I definitely appreciated them more when they were separated and were able to explore their strengths individually. Both characters were forced into terrible situations and faced them in believable ways that made me love them even more than I did to begin with. Of course there is a hint of romance, but it's extremely minor as far as YA goes. The villains in this story are also incredibly well written. Their motivations are complex and totally within the realm of believability. Morally gray characters are my favorite and there are many of them here.

One thing Neal Shusterman definitely excelled at was world building. I love dystopian novels and the best ones truly make me see them as real. The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games are so great because the worlds are believable. Scythe belongs right up there at the top of the list. This world is so well written that I felt like I could picture myself there (yikes) while reading!

There are so many things to love about Scythe! The concept of having to control Earth's population because humans have overcome death is fascinating to me. The way the scythes were developed and the way they discussed these difficult issues in their journals was amazing and really made me think about morality in a different way. I also loved how intense things felt at times. There were definitely many slow moments, which was honestly my main issue, but there were other moments that felt so urgent that I couldn't turn the audio off.

Scythe is a must-read if you're a fan of dystopian fiction! There are definitely quite a few slow points but it will be worth it if you can get through them. I definitely plan on picking up Thunderhead as soon as possible!

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

RTC; on to Thunderhead

[arronkau]

Quite readable, and well-paced, but I just wasn't ever quite able to believe in the world as constructed.

[KitsuneBae]

Actual: 4.5 stars

Can you excuse me for a mo'? I'm kinda busy picking up the pieces of my brain atm..

[Berls]

Okay so I started this book for book club as an ebook. And then I had to drive and didn't want to listen to ANYTHING else because my brain was in Scythe. So I bought the audiobook too - yes, I paid for the ebook and the audiobook. I rarely do this when it's not a sale.

And then I DEVOURED it. The world building is on point. What a great world. Yes, I still have questions - but not that distracted from my ability to enjoy the book. More just, I was so immersed in this world I want to know everything about it. The characters are great. They are flawed as hell. They grow. They learn. They are likable from beginning to end. So clever. The romance is minimal, but enough.

While it does not end on a cliff hanger at all -- the ending was very satisfying and if I HAD to wait I could -- I was thrilled book 2 was already out. I bought it immediately (even though it's really expensive for an ebook) and I even got the audiobook, because yeah I knew I was going to want to whispersync it. And I'm seriously considering buying this series in hardback to have on my shelves. It's a great one, so far. Really excited for book 2.

[Kelly]

Unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

[writehollydavis]

An awesome world where Neal is the master at spreading out information, never info dumpy. Kept me on the edge of my seat til the last page! Can't wait for the sequel!

[lisbethwhite]

This was an amazing read. So many twists - every time you think you know where it's going, the author surprises you. I can't wait to see the next book in the series.

[Stephanie]

More like a 4.5. This was solid. And definitely relevant for today, despite its futuristic elements.