Reviews

I jumped into this one straight after reading book 1 and 2 and so it seems the books just got worse.

I didn’t realise how many more random characters can be added in the last book of a trilogy, but after reading this, I’ve realised why it is not a usual convention by other authors.

This book felt very slapped together to just be done.

I felt like Shusterman decided on a few things without forethought to bread crumb it in the previous books, but then just added it into this third one… but why? It wasn’t even added well.

Moments of cringe when ideas and characters just do random things to show us something that has no story arc. Some things are added in to explain some others but were only ever introduced as we read it in book 3 and had never come up even remotely before.

Disappointing end to it all and without proper explanation or resolve to many things.

meiror13's review against another edition

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5.0

The Toll is the final installment in the main Arc of a Scythe series. This is a long book, and the timeline throughout the book seems messy at times. It works, but it can be confusing, especially since years are labeled using the names of animal species instead of numbers. I won't lie, the first time I read this book I would not have given it five stars. It would have lingered around the 3-4 star range, and I found that disappointing because I loved the first two books so much from the start. However, I read this book for a second time and found it to be worthy of a five star rating. The world building and characters in this book are too good for it to receive anything less, and the fact that I finished the book over a week ago and am still thinking about it means that it did impact me.

My biggest gripes with this book (other than the timeline) have to do with the plot. I love Citra and Rowan as protagonists, but I feel like they never spent enough time together throughout the series to really fall in love. I do see them having a solid relationship, but the books never provide enough context for it to feel as real as it could. I wish that, since the two of them were revived together near the start of this book, they could have worked together to take down Goddard. I think it could have been really interesting to see their dynamic working together, gradually adding in the other characters, while also trying to keep Rowan from being captured.

My only other complaint regarding this book is the ending. It felt kind of rushed, especially because the book was over 600 pages. It was cool how all of the storylines eventually came together at the end, and the ending was thrilling and made sense, but I do agree with many other readers that I would have loved to see a clearer "takedown" of Goddard, perhaps utilizing all of our protagonists and maybe even Scythe Rand in the process. The ending doesn't feel wrong, and I don't think that it is a bad ending, it just didn't satisfy me as much as I had hoped that it would.

Overall, this book is still great and if you liked the first two I do think that this one holds up next to them fairly well. I would recommend it.

teatiger81's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

Just finished this book, currently crying

kylajfountain's review against another edition

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4.0

I stopped reading halfway through, and never felt like picking it back up, which is kind of depressing given I was obsessed with the first two books in this series. Overall, the best thing about this book is the storytelling and writing. It ended nicely, but took ages. 3.5/5

paulablanc's review against another edition

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2.0

AL FIN IM FREE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY FUCKING LIFE

para ser un final de trilogía es muy decepcionante, me enoja que tenia mucha fe en esto después del segundo y este tercer libro es de las peores conclusiones que leí en mi vida. es largo innecesariamente, me molestaba la cantidad povs innecesarios que había y a veces eran de personajes que aparecieron una o dos veces? otra cosa que no entiendo es que rowan y citra se supone que son los protagonistas de esto y en este libro tienen una participación MINIMA????
ENOJADA TAMBIÉN PORQUE ROWAN Y FARADAY NO TIENEN UNA REUNION ADECUADA?? NO SE HABLARON?? ESTABAN EN LA MISMA HABITACIÓN Y EL AUTOR NO PUDO DARME UN MEJOR CIERRE A ESE VÍNCULO? y en general de rowan todo el sufrimiento innecesario que le dio en toda la trilogía ya para este tercer libro me tenía cansada era como que sufría por el simple hecho de sufrir y era un circulo constante de sufrimiento DEJATE DE JODER
y otra cosa la verdad toda la trama de los tonistas esos me pareció un aburrimiento y encima siento que podes sacar varias partes y no afectaría en nada al libro !!!

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