BOOK REVIEW: Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1) by Neal Shusterman

Today’s book review is for Scythe, (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1) by Neal Shusterman, a young adult dystopian novel about unwanted apprentice roles for immortal(ishs!)

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Book Synopsis

Thou shalt kill.

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. From Goodreads.

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

The Basics

• Category: Dystopian, Young Adult
• Tags: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Death, Teen Romance
• Author: Neal Shusterman
• Publisher: Simon & Shuster, November 2016
• Where to Find: Amazon, Walmart, Goodreads
• Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

**Spoilers Ahead**

A young adult dystopian novel by Neal Shusterman, Scythe is the first book in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy. After being on a romantasy kick for the past few months I needed a change of pace, and this was right up my alley. 

This book is set in a dystopian future where everyone is immortal-ish. Humans have eradicated all disease, war, hunger, and death. Because no one dies in this utopian world, the population continues to grow. This is where scythes come in. A scythe’s duty is to “glean” (not kill, berceuse killing has a negative connotation) people to keep the population under control. The novel follows Citra and Rowan, who are both selected as scythe apprentices. However, neither of them wanted to become one.

The concept of the book is very different from anything I have read. As our current world population continues to grow alongside medical advances, the earth as we know it will have different obstacles to face. With any dystopian book, it’s fascinating to ponder how our world would react given the same circumstances.

“As I see it, they’re all innocents. Even the guilty. Everyone is guilty of something, and everyone still harbors a memory of childhood innocence, no matter how many layers of life wrap around it. Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both are undeniably true.”

So Let’s Get Into it…

The two main characters took a while to grow on me. I resonate more with Citra because of her outspoken nature. At times she comes off as whiny, but then I remember she is only a teenager. With Rowan, the reason he was chosen to become a scythe’s apprentice seemed boring in comparison to Citra. However, throughout the book his personality and vigilante ending make him a more likable character.

Some things about scythes that are important to note: 

• Scythes abide by their own rules, separate from the Thunderhead (more on the Thunderhead to come)
• No one can take a scythe’s life. The only way they can die is through self-gleaning.

As apprentices under Scythe Faraday, Citra and Rowan are taught different methods of gleaning and how to chose someone for gleaning. It becomes clear that there are two different types of scythes. Faraday falls under the “Old Guard.” Old Guard scythes respect the traditions that came with the role, live simple lives, and do their job out of duty not because they enjoy gleaning. “New Order” scythes are more interested in a celebrity lifestyle and enjoy taking lives. Scythe Goddard is the face of New Order scythes – hosting lavish parties and committing mass gleanings.

Here is a quote from Scythe Goddard’s journal and I think it explains all you need to know about him: 

“I see a day when new scythes will be chosen not because of some esoteric moral high ground, but because they enjoy the taking of life. After all, this is a perfect world – and in a perfect world, don’t we all have the right to love what we do?” 

There is no real reason why Scythe Faraday took two apprentices since only one can become a scythe. During the Spring Conclave, there is a discussion on whether or not Scythe Faraday should be able to have two apprentices. There is no rule stating that he can’t, but it is decided that whoever becomes a scythe will to have immediately glean the other. Citra and Rowan have grown close and do not want to glean each other.

Rowan and Citra are then told that Faraday self-gleaned which ends their apprenticeship. However, two scythes agree to become their mentors. Citra will go with Scythe Curie (Old Guard), and Rowan will be under Scythe Goddard (New Order). Citra believes that the death of Scythe Faraday is suspicious and begins looking into it only for her to be accused of murdering him. There is a whole chase that ensues for Citra until Scythe Curie is able to clear her name. The story ends with Citra becoming a scythe and Rowan escaping and going into hiding.

Shusterman has some great twists and turns throughout this book. As soon as I thought I knew the direction the plot was going, something else was revealed. There are so many other plot points I could write about – my initial review was six pages! Also I don’t want to spoil everything.

Not quite cons, but things I wish were more detailed:    

• Politics of the Scythedom
• More backstory on scythes, in particular: Faraday, Goddard, and Xenocrates
• More backstory on how this dystopian future became a reality
• More journal entries – I just really enjoyed reading them

Cons:

WEAK love story: I know this is a work of fiction but there is a total lack of chemistry between Citra and Rowan. I can understand them growing close, but they are pitted against each other from the beginning. Citra and Rowan falling in love was predictable but so boring. Though the book is long, I would’ve appreciated some sort of build up between the two or at least some scenes of them getting to know each other.

The Thunderhead: I still don’t understand the Thunderhead. With the second book in the series named, “Thunderhead,” I’m hoping Shusterman brings more clarity.

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

So… Bookmark or Bin it?

Conclusion: Bookmark it

This book is 400+ pages and packed with content. I finished reading it in two days because I couldn’t put it down! It is also different than any other dystopian book that I have read, and I really enjoyed the change of pace. Also… If YA dystopian is your thing I would highly recommend the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman.

Fun Extra Tibit

My husband and I were going through and packing up his books (and let me tell you, he has A LOT of books) from his parents’ house to bring back to our house. He has an entire shelf dedicated to signed copies of books. He has a signed copy of UnWholly (second book in the Unwind dystology) by Neal Shusterman. Shusterman is my favorite dystopian author, and I am so excited to display it in our home.

Thanks so much for reading my book review for Scythe, (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1) by Neal Shusterman! Now it’s your turn! Have you read this novel or any others by Neal and if so, what are your thoughts? Please feel free to share in the comments below!

Happy reading 😊