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smiley_ari's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
ozshark's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is a truly amazing series - "All rejoice!"
As with all of Neal Shusterman's books that I have read so far, it is thought provoking as well as compelling reading. I found the time jumps in the early part of the story disconcerting and confusing, maybe partially because I was reading this via audiobook than a physical volume. I think this volume was the most philosophical of the three, as Shusterman considers what it is to be human, and what it means to have a purpose. We even get an insight into Goddard's mind and a glimpse at the justification he gives to himself for his actions. He appears to genuinely believe he is doing the right thing, and not just for his own selfish gain.
The Toll focuses much more on the Tonists than the previous two volumes, and we see Shusterman's contempt for organised religion shining through. The way we see various Tonists respond to, distort and analyse the "teachings" of the Toll is a justified barb at some aspects of organised religion, but leaves no room for genuine response to truth.
Other issues are raised along the way. Through Goddard, he also pokes fun at despotic leaders...
“We're exploring the possibility of building a wall to stem the exodus."
"Don't be ridiculous," Goddard said. "Only idiots build walls.”
The corruption of wealth, power and greed. Pride. Gender and whether it is important. Euthansaia. I don't agree with all Shusterman's conclusions, but I appreciate their inclusion in the story.
As with all of Neal Shusterman's books that I have read so far, it is thought provoking as well as compelling reading. I found the time jumps in the early part of the story disconcerting and confusing, maybe partially because I was reading this via audiobook than a physical volume. I think this volume was the most philosophical of the three, as Shusterman considers what it is to be human, and what it means to have a purpose. We even get an insight into Goddard's mind and a glimpse at the justification he gives to himself for his actions. He appears to genuinely believe he is doing the right thing, and not just for his own selfish gain.
The Toll focuses much more on the Tonists than the previous two volumes, and we see Shusterman's contempt for organised religion shining through. The way we see various Tonists respond to, distort and analyse the "teachings" of the Toll is a justified barb at some aspects of organised religion, but leaves no room for genuine response to truth.
Other issues are raised along the way. Through Goddard, he also pokes fun at despotic leaders...
“We're exploring the possibility of building a wall to stem the exodus."
"Don't be ridiculous," Goddard said. "Only idiots build walls.”
The corruption of wealth, power and greed. Pride. Gender and whether it is important. Euthansaia. I don't agree with all Shusterman's conclusions, but I appreciate their inclusion in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, and Religious bigotry
judereadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, and War
luluslittlelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Transphobia
hannahr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Murder
honeybadger11492's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Violence, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, and Murder
its_van_vulpen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Torture and Religious bigotry
Minor: Suicide
The first half of the novel was fairly confusing as the story was constantly skipping throughout the timeline. If you are not a fan of multiple perspectives, this is not the book for you as we are not only given the perspectives of the major characters, but also of random side-characters that are only minimally relevant to the story I did really enjoy the social commentary on real life politics and religion present throughout the novel.sljordan313's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I bought this book when it was first released, and promptly threw it in my TBR pile. It was the first book I grabbed this year to get me back in my reading mode, and I FLEW through this book! I just fell into this story from the very first book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Racism and Religious bigotry
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Toll is the calm before an even nastier storm, the ringing in the ears after a cosmic shriek. A love letter to the best and worst in future humanity, built on death and drenched in blood.
Book three swims in blood, with a higher body count than ever before but fewer direct descriptions of death and violence. It helps to keep it from feeling like a bloody slog as the antagonist takes their goals of world domination through gleaning (read: culling, massacre, and genocide) as far as they can. It's about figuring out that even a world which was supposed to be perfect... isn't. Because people aren't perfect, and trying to live in someone else's idea of perfection chafes and cuts and breaks people down until they want to scream. This book rides the ripples of a pent up scream which was built into the fabric of its existence, waiting to be heard.
I love the MCs, including the couple of ones who are new in this book. For one character in particular I love their version of a kind of genderqueer identity which exists in the context of this book while being unequivocally queer. To me their identity feels like it fits in this world, including having this book's version of the kind of awkward conversations which happen between nonbinary and/or trans people and well-meaning but clueless cis people, all without using those contemporary words. It captures the feeling of those interactions while making them fit seamlessly within the story. I also love the returning MCs, they have full arcs of their own and everyone gets a resolution which is appropriate to what they want and what's actually possible in this world.
Now for my sequel check, here goes: It wraps up a lot of things left hanging from the previous books, just, so many. There's a storyline, complete with a new character, which isn't present in the previous book (and they're such a great character too!). Several things get introduced and resolved within this book which were not present in the first two (though the circumstances which lead to them might have been set up earlier). As the final entry in the trilogy it wrapped up a bunch of things, major and minor, some of which I'd given up on having a satisfying resolution for (because I thought that the tone of the series meant I'd have to be content with my unhappy and slightly unsatisfying resolution from earlier in the series). This is a pretty perfect end to a fantastic trilogy, and it feels finished. I'm very happy with where the various characters end up, it's a good mix between being messy in a semi-realistic way and being narratively satisfying. The POV characters who are new to this volume feel distinct from previous narrators, including in the interstitial sections. As for whether this could make sense if someone read this book without reading the first two, no, but, really, don't pick up the last book of a trilogy and try to read it by itself, it's not worth it. If this review intrigues you then read the trilogy, the whole thing is great.
I mentioned the series' handling of fatphobia in my first two reviews, and, as far as I can tell, that's not present in this third book, unless I just didn't notice some minor instance. My conclusion as far as the series goes is that the presence of bigotry such as fatphobia in the first and second books were hints that it wasn't a perfect world long before everything else went to shit due to the events in the main story.
Book three swims in blood, with a higher body count than ever before but fewer direct descriptions of death and violence. It helps to keep it from feeling like a bloody slog as the antagonist takes their goals of world domination through gleaning (read: culling, massacre, and genocide) as far as they can. It's about figuring out that even a world which was supposed to be perfect... isn't. Because people aren't perfect, and trying to live in someone else's idea of perfection chafes and cuts and breaks people down until they want to scream. This book rides the ripples of a pent up scream which was built into the fabric of its existence, waiting to be heard.
I love the MCs, including the couple of ones who are new in this book. For one character in particular I love their version of a kind of genderqueer identity which exists in the context of this book while being unequivocally queer. To me their identity feels like it fits in this world, including having this book's version of the kind of awkward conversations which happen between nonbinary and/or trans people and well-meaning but clueless cis people, all without using those contemporary words. It captures the feeling of those interactions while making them fit seamlessly within the story. I also love the returning MCs, they have full arcs of their own and everyone gets a resolution which is appropriate to what they want and what's actually possible in this world.
Now for my sequel check, here goes: It wraps up a lot of things left hanging from the previous books, just, so many. There's a storyline, complete with a new character, which isn't present in the previous book (and they're such a great character too!). Several things get introduced and resolved within this book which were not present in the first two (though the circumstances which lead to them might have been set up earlier). As the final entry in the trilogy it wrapped up a bunch of things, major and minor, some of which I'd given up on having a satisfying resolution for (because I thought that the tone of the series meant I'd have to be content with my unhappy and slightly unsatisfying resolution from earlier in the series). This is a pretty perfect end to a fantastic trilogy, and it feels finished. I'm very happy with where the various characters end up, it's a good mix between being messy in a semi-realistic way and being narratively satisfying. The POV characters who are new to this volume feel distinct from previous narrators, including in the interstitial sections. As for whether this could make sense if someone read this book without reading the first two, no, but, really, don't pick up the last book of a trilogy and try to read it by itself, it's not worth it. If this review intrigues you then read the trilogy, the whole thing is great.
I mentioned the series' handling of fatphobia in my first two reviews, and, as far as I can tell, that's not present in this third book, unless I just didn't notice some minor instance. My conclusion as far as the series goes is that the presence of bigotry such as fatphobia in the first and second books were hints that it wasn't a perfect world long before everything else went to shit due to the events in the main story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Self harm
CW for self-mutilation (not depicted), violence, massacre, religious persecution, genocide, major character death, death. This book contains references to the intentional massacre of people who are implied to be Indigenous or of Indigenous descent, as well as various unnamed subcultures. There's also massacre based on affiliation with a religion unique to the series. It's discussed but usually not directly depicted. It's unequivocally a bad thing within the book, but it's there, so please take care of yourselves.ravensandlace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com
You ever read a book where you get just a satisfactory ending. Sure, you are sad the series is over because you have grown to love the characters but you are happy with the way things ended and you can say goodbye to those characters peacefully. And yes, of course, you would love another book but only to stay in the world for just a little bit longer. That’s how I felt with this series. It had just a satisfactory ending and I couldn't be more happy about it.
This book was a lot better than Thunderhead even though I do have a complaint. There are all these weird time hops. Like years would pass and I’d have to read a few paragraphs about what happened during that time. It wasn’t that bothersome but it was a bit annoying. Why not just have the events happen in the book instead of having me read recaps all the time.
One positive thing I must point out is the gender fluid rep. In this Scythe world there is a whole island that is gender fluid. I can’t speak for the accuracy of it as I’m not gender fluid but I thought that it was super awesome. The character was also asked their pronouns, something we need to normalize.
Overall, like I stated above, just a real satisfactory ending to this series. I’m sad it’s over but I am happy with the ending. It wrapped up a lot of loose ends that Thunderhead left. The ending was a little convoluted but not the worst thing I have ever read. Truly a great book and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen as I just read that Scythe is being made into a movie! *insert incoherent screaming* I highly recommend this book series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma