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janin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
debated between 3.5 and 4 just because of how dragged out this book was and how it absolutely butchered (in the figurative sense) my favorite character but the rose tinted glasses i have for this trilogy won out. this was definitely my least favorite of the 3 books but overall an enjoyable read!
my criticisms below:
- i am Thoroughly disappointed in how goddard dies. not nearly enough pain and fear and suffering endured before he was killed. no repercussions for his actions either, he was just never brought back.
- also i found the thunderhead's magical workaround in creating cirrus a little too.. simple?
- and lastly my god look how they massacred my boy. my poor baby rowan was nothing more than citra's loverboy in this book. captured, escaped, captured, escaped, and when he finally had citra in his arms? boom dead sorry dude you gotta wait another 117 years to be with her! horrible, give the man a break!!
my criticisms below:
- also i found the thunderhead's magical workaround in creating cirrus a little too.. simple?
- and lastly my god look how they massacred my boy. my poor baby rowan was nothing more than citra's loverboy in this book. captured, escaped, captured, escaped, and when he finally had citra in his arms? boom dead sorry dude you gotta wait another 117 years to be with her! horrible, give the man a break!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Suicide
marareading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
I enjoyed this third book more than book two. The twists were more intense. I am not sure how I feel about the ending yet. The plot of this particular book is so random, I. Not sure if I love it or not. It is definitely going to sit with me, and on that basis alone it gets high marks. It is original, and very well thought out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
book_bear's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
Wow! What an excellent series! I was shocked by all the twists and turns! My one complaint is the book moving all over the place from different times, here to there. Other than that, it was great!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Violence, and Mass/school shootings
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Grief
lilithreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
cepbreed's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I am in awe. I really thought this book was on track to be the worst in the series, but I couldn't have been further from correct. In fact I enjoyed it the most out of all three. The story is long and convoluted yet every single thing happens for a reason. Each little detail is brought back and explained in a way that makes Neal Shusterman seem like a human on another level of existence. The mind he has to weave all of these details together is amazing. The ending filled my heart. I had grown to love each character so much I wanted the best for each of them. I am so glad he gave his creations the ending they deserved. Such a masterful balance of world-building, character arcs, and romance. Never was there a moment where I felt bored even when details were introduced that we wouldn't be able to comprehend for another 20 chapters or more. I was particularly moved by the cutting off of the Thunderhead. It was such a beautiful and melancholy moment. I never thought I could have grown so fond of an AI. Also, I am so glad to see Scythe Rand, who I despised, come into her own in a way that did not compromise her character. She is cold and calculating yet her act to fix the mistake that was her killing Tyger and bringing Goddard to life made me love her.
Ranking of the books: The Toll, Scythe, Thunderhead
Song:
Ranking of the books: The Toll, Scythe, Thunderhead
Song:
- Glory and Gore - Lorde
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and War
ozshark's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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 rather than a physical book. 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 rather than a physical book. 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: Death, Suicide, and Violence
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
anaguana's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Torture and Transphobia
ishouldbereading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
,,We are imperfect beings. How could we ever fit in a perfect world?"
THIS BOOK IS SUCH A MASTERPIECE. I wish I could give it 5 stars but, alas, I didn't like one thing so it's not possible. This book will make you feel every single emotion you have. It will make you cry. It will make you scream. It will make you laugh. It's the perfect ending to a perfect trilogy, where every subplot is explored and explained perfectly (except I still don't quite understand what happened on Mars) and just the way this book makes you feel is so amazing. I loved almost every single character (which says a lot, since this almost never happens). AND ROWAN AND CITRA GOING TO SPACE AND ROWAN SCREAMING AT CIRRUS AND JUST THE LOVE HE HAS FOR THIS GIRL MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT. I also loved what Rand did to Goddard/Tyger that was fantastic and I must say, in the first book I didn't like Rand but in this book I absolutely love her and Greyson's character development is just so *mwah*
THIS BOOK IS SUCH A MASTERPIECE. I wish I could give it 5 stars but, alas, I didn't like one thing so it's not possible. This book will make you feel every single emotion you have. It will make you cry. It will make you scream. It will make you laugh. It's the perfect ending to a perfect trilogy, where every subplot is explored and explained perfectly (except I still don't quite understand what happened on Mars) and just the way this book makes you feel is so amazing. I loved almost every single character (which says a lot, since this almost never happens).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Blood
Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail