Review + Favorite Quotes: Scythe - Neal Shusterman

Hello everyone!

Recently, I received a copy of Scythe by Neal Shusterman, provided by Walker Books. Thank you so much for sending me this book! I'm so excited to discuss it, so let's do it!

Title: Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1)

Author: Neal Shusterman

Published by: Walker Books

Pages: 448 | Publication date: February 1st 2018

ISBN: 9781406379242

Goodreads | Buy the book! 

Synopsis:
A dark, gripping and witty thriller in which the only thing humanity has control over is death.
In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ("gleaned") by professional scythes. Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes' apprentices, and despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation, they must learn the art of killing and understand the necessity of what they do.
Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe's apprentice and as Citra and Rowan come up against a terrifyingly corrupt Scythedom, it becomes clear that the winning apprentice's first task will be to glean the loser.

I started Scythe with only a perception of what the story was about and, even though fascinated by the concept, I had no clue of the weight this book would have on me. It's a masterpiece that slowly climbed through my heart and my mind with its unique storytelling and worldbuiling. 

It's a book that makes you think hard about death and immortality, and how both realities shape the human's lives. Although, the world presented in Scythe could lead to corruption, it's presented as the solution of corruption during the Age of Mortality, introducing this idea that our time is the time of corruption, which can be terrifying. So, the system trusts completely on the Thunderhead, a bigger and more complex version of the Cloud, and everything is decided and everyone is watched by it. And, at this point in time, it's crazy to trust a machine that completely, but Neal Shusterman saw and created a future all about it – forget the dictators and the politicians who wanted power, trust the Thunderhead that knows it all. 

“Mortals fantasied that love was eternal and its loss unimaginable. Now we know neither is true. Love remained mortal, while we became eternal.”

Immediately after receiving it, I decided to read the first chapter and I couldn't put it down. Shusterman created such a complex and revolutionary world with flawed characters that felt so real. Citra and Rowan, the main characters, are so different and intriguing, and I loved to read about their development throughout the book. Their separation at the middle of the story was a surprise, and it was amazing to see how, even apart and without knowledge of each other, Citra and Rowan persevered.  

Their romance wasn't rushed or intentionally pushed, which is a great aspect of this story. Citra and Rowan are two separate beings, but they work and preserve what they have, even if it isn't much. Scythe Faraday and Scythe Curie were also amazing characters, and their different methods of 'gleaning' showcased how the same job can be interpreted and done differently. More than that, it complemented their characteristics and how they face their role as Scythes. 

“Without the threat of suffering, we can’t experience true joy.”

The chapters with the character's journals were also an asset, reveling more of this world and its complex set of characters. It enlightens the reader and brings him closer to the characters' minds, which was a fantastic way to give more to the reader.

Something I wasn't expecting were all the setbacks in the story. First, the decision to pin Citra and Rowan's apprenticeship as a competition, sort of The Hunger Games. Then, the death of Scythe Faraday, which I had a feeling it hadn't happen, and it actually didn't. The "massacre" produced by Rowan. And obviously, the ending.

While in the first couple of setbacks and twists, I wasn't that surprised, the final chapters were a jolt of energy. It was exhilarating and a well-thought-out ending to Scythe, and I can't wait to continue seeing more of these characters in Thunderhead, the sequel to this fantastic first book!

What about you? Have you read Scythe? If so, share your thoughts! If not, do you plan to pick it up?