*RE-READ November 2019*
This is my third read of this book, in preparation for The Toll, which as of the time of this update is coming out in THREE MORE DAYS! To say that I'm excited would be the mother of all understatements.
This is one of my favorite series. I absolutely love it and this read through was no exception. I actually listened to the audiobook this time around, which was fantastic. The voice actor is a great complement to the text and characters.
I know that a lot of people, even those who enjoy the book, don't like the 'romance' in the book between Citra and Rowan. And I get it. I didn't think their relationship was fleshed out enough in this book to make the

I Love You

at the end really hit home. But during this read I kind of felt like it was more of a statement made in friendship, with the possibility of something more, rather than an all out declaration of intention.
Scythe Curie was even more wonderful for me this time around. I've always liked her character, but something about this reread made me love her even more. Maybe there was something about the audiobook and the voice actor's portrayal of her character that I connected with.

...Just checked the calendar...still three days left until The Toll...

*RE-READ February 2018*
This book is still amazing. Even more amazing is the fact that I have Thunderhead sitting right next to me that I can slide right into. Can't wait to see what happens!


Original Review:
It has been an awfully long time since I read a dystopian book I really loved. I am so happy I picked this up. I loved the Unwind Dystology, so I was excited about this as soon as I heard about it. Neal Shusterman has a way of creating these premises that sound completely far-fetched and crafting a story that feels absolutely possible in our own society. He often tackles ethical questions that are absolutely relatable to all of us.

The novel takes place in a future where there is no disease, war, hunger. People are given the option of 'turning a corner' and becoming young again. If they die, they are taken to a revival center where they are brought back to life. Essentially, they are immortal. In order to protect the Earth from overpopulation, there are people called scythes who kill (glean) people. They are basically reapers. They have a set of commandments they are supposed to live by, and the power to grant immunity to people if they choose. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice with a scythe and compete for the opportunity to become a scythe themselves.

I love the characters in this book. Citra and Rowan are wonderfully complex, and the side characters are all very well fleshed out. I emotionally connected to Citra quite a bit. She is caring and compassionate, but also determined and competitive in everything she does, even in trying to become a Scythe, something she scoffs at in the beginning of the novel. That dichotomy was very compelling to me. She's also a badass, which is always nice to see. Rowan as a character is very strong and self-aware. He sees how his surroundings are affecting him and tries his best to remain true to himself. I don't know if I saw enough interaction between Citra and Rowan to buy into a romance, but that is a very small criticism for me. I did really like that they always went out of their way to protect one another. Hopefully future books will show us more interaction.

I liked the fact that this story was told in third person. So often, when books are written in first person, I don't get a sense that the stakes are at all high. In reading this story, I felt nervous for everyone, pretty much the entire way through.

This book surprised me a couple of different times. There were some things I kind of expected, but others that I was not expecting at all. I really liked that about this book.

I have seen some reviews saying that this book is slow. I don't really get that. There is a part about 2/3 through where I guess I could feel the plot dragging slightly and it became a little repetitive, but I never really minded because we were getting good character development from those passages. Overall, this book kept me thoroughly engaged from beginning to end.

I can't wait for the next book in the series!