Review of Neal Shusterman's Novel Scythe

 Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Title: Scythe

Series: Arc of a Scythe

Author: Neal Shusterman

Number of Pages: 460

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 22 Nov 2016

Genre: Science fiction, dystopia

Age Recommendation: 13 and up

My Rating: ★★★★☆

    

    Hello, world! This is my first blog post on this website, so I will dive straight in and begin exploring the first novel I have read recently: Scythe by Neal Shusterman.

    Scythe is part of a trilogy, and I will be posting reviews on the next two novels in the series after this one. I post every Saturday, so stay updated!

Blurb

    A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

    Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

    Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

My Thoughts (no spoilers)

    So, you can see up there that I gave it four stars. The book is absolutely amazing. It's refreshing to see someone explore the what-ifs of the future world, which is why I read a lot of dystopias. I thought the concept of scythes was fascinating. However, the reason the fifth star is not in there is because some parts of the novel simply didn't need to be there, or came unexpectedly. But in all, the novel was marvelous and I would most definitely recommend you read it if it sounds enticing or you love a good sci-fi read!

My Thoughts (spoilers!)

Warning: Major spoilers abound! Please proceed at your own risk!

    Let's begin. I truly felt like this novel is something to be treasured-- it has a permanent spot on my bookshelf, along with the rest of the series. I thought that the little journal entries shown at the beginning of each chapter provided the reader with context, clues, foreshadowing, and a glimpse into the writer's life. I loved it when we meet Scythe Faraday in Citra's POV-- he's so mysterious and peculiar. Later, we meet Scythe Curie, who is also known as the Grand Dame of Death (what a terrifying name). I think that seeing Goddard's plots and desires become true was absolutely horrifying to see, but they gave us some insight into how the world will always have its issues. So why have I taken away that last star? Well, mostly because the romance that "develops" between Citra and Rowan feels extremely forced. It's not obvious until the end of the novel, and even then, it's really only Rowan who admits to his feelings. It takes Citra a whole other novel to figure out she loves him. I would've loved to see these two develop as friends and work together platonically, and I think it would've made their interactions seem so much more natural. But, in conclusion, it was a good book.

Character Development

    I really enjoyed discovering Citra's personality-- determined, hardworking, and compassionate. I also loved seeing glimpses of Rowan's personality-- fierce, pessimistic, and a quick study. I thought that the two characters, separately, were wonderfully introduced to the reader and placed perfectly in their world. I love the way Shusterman makes one hate Goddard with a burning passion and makes one want to reach through the pages and give Goddard a good dose of reality (at least, that's how I felt). It was also difficult to see Goddard had a lot of support, but it ultimately made the story much more interesting.

Plot

    The plot of the story-- Citra and Rowan having to work through their whole world falling apart-- was very well-done. The pacing was good. It didn't drag, but it wasn't too fast for the reader. There were some places where I felt that nothing was truly happening for a little while, but those scenes were brief and swiftly moved into more interesting scenes. Watching Goddard grow more and more powerful left me hungry for the next novel, and I thought that the author did a fantastic job of developing the plot.

Description/Explanation/Worldbuilding

    Now, this is a sci-fi novel, so worldbuilding does need to be discussed. I think that the way the world is established was great-- enough information was given at the right times. I think that the history of the world was sufficient for the story, but I would've loved to see more. Perhaps it's just me, but I would've loved the perspective of somebody who lived in mortal times and saw the world become immortal. In terms of description, I feel as if the author provided us with enough details to keep the reader grounded, but didn't ramble endlessly about trees like romantic novels love to do. All in all, though, the worldbuilding/description was awesome!

Conclusion

    I found Scythe to be something new in a world where most YA novels nowadays take place in a dystopian, fantasy, or real-life setting. In this book, you've got it all: immortality, money, and a chance at a fruitful life. And it's great to see how even that world can unravel and fall apart. It's refreshing and really opened my eyes to how corruption and the like truly happen and evolve into something much greater. I would recommend this novel (and all novels in the series) to anyone who's looking for a different kind of sci-fi, with a bit of romance, and a lot of death.