The Toll by Neal Shusterman

The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3)

by Neal Shusterman

The explosive conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Arc of a Scythe series.

It's been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.

In this pulse-pounding finale to Neal Shusterman's internationally bestselling trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.

Reviewed by Kim Deister on

4 of 5 stars

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The way Shusterman wove together the storylines of The Toll was masterful. It was done in such a way that I was always completely absorbed by each of them. I especially enjoyed Citra’s story. There was such change in her as a person since she was chosen to become an apprentice. Over the course of the three books, I really fell in love with her. I do wish Rowan had been a little more prominent in this book, but I loved the parts with him I had. Grayson’s arc, too, was fascinating. In the second book, he was sort of swept along, but in this third book, he really came into his own.

I loved most of this book, but one thing kept me from giving it a full five stars. The ending. In my opinion, it was wholly unsatisfying, which is a difficult thing to discuss without spoilers. For one thing, it felt like the villains conclusion was rather anti-climatic. Nor did I feel like the storylines of Grayson, Faraday, Rowan, and Citra were totally finished. I was hoping for some kind of epilogue for them, and for the world itself because the novel felt like it ended before we really saw the whole conclusion.

But I did love the book nonetheless, and there was plenty to keep me turning the pages!

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Reading updates

  • 26 September, 2021: Started reading
  • 7 October, 2021: Finished reading
  • 24 November, 2021: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 24 November, 2021: Reviewed