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A review by petra_bpm
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
5.0
4.5/5 | The plot is reeling and so am I.
”But to be a scythe means you are a scythe every hour of every day. It defines you to the core of your being, and only in dreams is one free of the yoke.
Yet even in dreams I often find myself gleaning…”
P L O T
Despite being YA Fantasy, this book was very thought-provoking. The ideas it explored and conflicting philosophies of the many interesting characters was fascinating. So many perspectives were powerfully portrayed to make a post-mortal world look very human indeed.
The world building gave so much opportunity to explore these varying levels of humanity and how they can manifest. You’d think a world where no one can really die would be dull and low-stakes, and I had that thought too when I started, but the rules of this magic system proved me very wrong very, very quickly.
Following a somewhat sedate introduction, the plot progressed at breakneck speeds, effectively communicating the whirlwind that followed Citra’s and Rowan’s time with Faraday. There was not a dull moment to be had in this book, every plot point punctuated by twist after twist.
C H A R A C T E R S
”She was the product of a corrupt system, and because of that, was denied her very life — as I almost was. …
I vow to become the change that might have been.”
CITRA WHAT THE FUCK—
For a large part of the book I admit I wasn’t that interested in her. I predicted this would be yet another YA series in which the female lead is overshadowed by the male lead, but I was once again sorely mistaken. What a strong-willed, clever, inspiring lead lady. I cannot wait to see how she will wield that miraculous mind of hers in the coming books.
”And while part of him felt like falling to his knees and hurling up breakfast, another part of him wanted to howl to the moon like a wolf.”
While Citra inspires free-will and justice, Rowan inspires in me apprehension and absolute giddiness.
Rowan interested me from the get go; the blank slate, apathetic boy he was at the beginning had so much room to grow. He was lovable; his subtle but mocking snark oddly reminded me of Percy Jackson and it made me biased towards him early on, and yet beyond that there was his evolution into something much, much more than a sarcastic little boy. The character potential feels limitless with Rowan.
”I am your completion!” intoned Goddard. “I am your deliverance! I am your portal to the mysteries beyond this life!”
Blades and bullets and flames.”
Goddard’s selling point is that he is vain, he is backwater, he has a god complex—however, he is also very human and, as Rowan admits, there is logic to a lot of his fucked up ideals. A lot of what he preaches isn’t unjustified. It’s scary to think about.
Curie and Faraday were a strong contrast to Goddard, diversifying the spectrum of humanity even more. I look fondly on their interesting past histories and also forward to their future contributions to the series.
I loved that every last character of significance served a purpose. Not one named individual didn’t contribute to the plot or another character: from Volta to Esme and even to Scythe Emerson.
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
One thing I’ve heard often, even from those that enjoy the series a lot, is that the romance between Citra and Rowan is stale and unnecessary. So far, in my opinion, it’s not so bad. I don’t actively dislike it, but it could easily be replaced with a childhood friendship and would probably be more meaningful that way. Their loyalty to one another would make more sense, but also I suppose a lot of their allegiance stems from shared ideals against a basically ubiquitous enemy. My stance now is that the romance could be much better, but it could be much worse.
The other relationships are very interesting, and there were many surprising ones that came to light. A lot of the fun of this book came from some shocking interactions!
… …
Rowan’s and Citra’s Scythe Historic names are SO BLOODY COOL.
”But to be a scythe means you are a scythe every hour of every day. It defines you to the core of your being, and only in dreams is one free of the yoke.
Yet even in dreams I often find myself gleaning…”
P L O T
Despite being YA Fantasy, this book was very thought-provoking. The ideas it explored and conflicting philosophies of the many interesting characters was fascinating. So many perspectives were powerfully portrayed to make a post-mortal world look very human indeed.
The world building gave so much opportunity to explore these varying levels of humanity and how they can manifest. You’d think a world where no one can really die would be dull and low-stakes, and I had that thought too when I started, but the rules of this magic system proved me very wrong very, very quickly.
Following a somewhat sedate introduction, the plot progressed at breakneck speeds, effectively communicating the whirlwind that followed Citra’s and Rowan’s time with Faraday. There was not a dull moment to be had in this book, every plot point punctuated by twist after twist.
C H A R A C T E R S
”She was the product of a corrupt system, and because of that, was denied her very life — as I almost was. …
I vow to become the change that might have been.”
CITRA WHAT THE FUCK—
For a large part of the book I admit I wasn’t that interested in her. I predicted this would be yet another YA series in which the female lead is overshadowed by the male lead, but I was once again sorely mistaken. What a strong-willed, clever, inspiring lead lady. I cannot wait to see how she will wield that miraculous mind of hers in the coming books.
”And while part of him felt like falling to his knees and hurling up breakfast, another part of him wanted to howl to the moon like a wolf.”
While Citra inspires free-will and justice, Rowan inspires in me apprehension and absolute giddiness.
Rowan interested me from the get go; the blank slate, apathetic boy he was at the beginning had so much room to grow. He was lovable; his subtle but mocking snark oddly reminded me of Percy Jackson and it made me biased towards him early on, and yet beyond that there was his evolution into something much, much more than a sarcastic little boy. The character potential feels limitless with Rowan.
”I am your completion!” intoned Goddard. “I am your deliverance! I am your portal to the mysteries beyond this life!”
Blades and bullets and flames.”
Goddard’s selling point is that he is vain, he is backwater, he has a god complex—however, he is also very human and, as Rowan admits, there is logic to a lot of his fucked up ideals. A lot of what he preaches isn’t unjustified. It’s scary to think about.
Curie and Faraday were a strong contrast to Goddard, diversifying the spectrum of humanity even more. I look fondly on their interesting past histories and also forward to their future contributions to the series.
I loved that every last character of significance served a purpose. Not one named individual didn’t contribute to the plot or another character: from Volta to Esme and even to Scythe Emerson.
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
One thing I’ve heard often, even from those that enjoy the series a lot, is that the romance between Citra and Rowan is stale and unnecessary. So far, in my opinion, it’s not so bad. I don’t actively dislike it, but it could easily be replaced with a childhood friendship and would probably be more meaningful that way. Their loyalty to one another would make more sense, but also I suppose a lot of their allegiance stems from shared ideals against a basically ubiquitous enemy. My stance now is that the romance could be much better, but it could be much worse.
The other relationships are very interesting, and there were many surprising ones that came to light. A lot of the fun of this book came from some shocking interactions!
… …
Rowan’s and Citra’s Scythe Historic names are SO BLOODY COOL.