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theravenkingx 's review for:
Scythe
by Neal Shusterman
4.5 stars
This book was so good, it killed me (or should I say: Gleaned me?) It was a real page turner that shook me to the core with its ginormous amount of plot twists.
This book is set in a distance future where humanity has conquered all of its shortcomings and has reached the peak of technological advancements. Death is a thing of the past, diseases have been wiped out, and reviving technology has made accidental deaths a mere hindrance in day to day activities. AI has taken over the government and manages most of the economical issues. To keep overpopulation in check, scythedom has been created, which is, for better or worse, free from any scrutiny from the AI. Every couple of years, depending on the demand for gleaning, a few individuals are taken on as apprentice who are trained in the art of Gleaning. Citra and Rowen are two of the chosen ones, who, contrary to the rules, are being trained by the same scythe mentor - Faraday. The more these two get involved, the more they learn about the deadly secrets and dirty politics within the scythedom.
The best thing about this book is its pacing. It's a page turner and every page has something to keep you wanting more and more. However, this book is not perfect. There are some flaws in the way scythedom is structured. For example: i didn't understand the need to glean people in a painful way. Humanity that conquered death couldn't figure out a less painful way to glean people made no sense to me. Also, what sick person allowed the use of bombs and flamethrowers? I think it was pretty dumb on the writer's part. My second issue was with the romance between Citra and Rowen. It seemed forced and too instantaneous. I would have liked if more attention had been given into developing their relationship. There feelings for each other seemed unrealistic and unbelievable, and the sacrifices they were willing to make for each other didn't create the impact the author intended to create.
In the very beginning of the book We meet scythe Faraday who seem pretty evil until we meet other scythes who make Faraday look like an angel. I thought I'd hate Faraday but he became one of favourite characters in the book. Citra and Rowen were okay. I enjoyed the side characters more, like scythe curie and Volta. Volta was like a coconut: though on the outside, soft in this inside. I loved him. By the end of the book Rowen grew on me too. He did some badass questionable stuff and I loved him for that.
At least 30-40% of the book was pretty basic but after that it became a Rollercoaster ride. My heart skipped several beats over the course of this whole book. It was very well done and I am super excited to read the second book.
My review of thunderhead
My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another
This book was so good, it killed me (or should I say: Gleaned me?) It was a real page turner that shook me to the core with its ginormous amount of plot twists.
This book is set in a distance future where humanity has conquered all of its shortcomings and has reached the peak of technological advancements. Death is a thing of the past, diseases have been wiped out, and reviving technology has made accidental deaths a mere hindrance in day to day activities. AI has taken over the government and manages most of the economical issues. To keep overpopulation in check, scythedom has been created, which is, for better or worse, free from any scrutiny from the AI. Every couple of years, depending on the demand for gleaning, a few individuals are taken on as apprentice who are trained in the art of Gleaning. Citra and Rowen are two of the chosen ones, who, contrary to the rules, are being trained by the same scythe mentor - Faraday. The more these two get involved, the more they learn about the deadly secrets and dirty politics within the scythedom.
The best thing about this book is its pacing. It's a page turner and every page has something to keep you wanting more and more. However, this book is not perfect. There are some flaws in the way scythedom is structured. For example: i didn't understand the need to glean people in a painful way. Humanity that conquered death couldn't figure out a less painful way to glean people made no sense to me. Also, what sick person allowed the use of bombs and flamethrowers? I think it was pretty dumb on the writer's part. My second issue was with the romance between Citra and Rowen. It seemed forced and too instantaneous. I would have liked if more attention had been given into developing their relationship. There feelings for each other seemed unrealistic and unbelievable, and the sacrifices they were willing to make for each other didn't create the impact the author intended to create.
In the very beginning of the book We meet scythe Faraday who seem pretty evil until we meet other scythes who make Faraday look like an angel. I thought I'd hate Faraday but he became one of favourite characters in the book. Citra and Rowen were okay. I enjoyed the side characters more, like scythe curie and Volta. Volta was like a coconut: though on the outside, soft in this inside. I loved him. By the end of the book Rowen grew on me too. He did some badass questionable stuff and I loved him for that.
At least 30-40% of the book was pretty basic but after that it became a Rollercoaster ride. My heart skipped several beats over the course of this whole book. It was very well done and I am super excited to read the second book.
My review of thunderhead