What would happen to the world if death was no longer a concern and people were able to live forever? This is the premise of Scythe. In this future version of the world, all causes of death have been fixed or eliminated, leaving people immortal. Scythes are assigned to end lives, following certain quota to control the population size. Teenagers Citra and Rowan are brought into this world unwillingly, learning the ways of the Scythes through an apprenticeship and deadly competition.

Scythe was an addictive read that I didn't want to put down. The book alternates between Citra and Rowan's POVs, so you get both of their opinions on the Scythe and their apprenticeship. You are thrown into the world of the Scythe, but Shusterman does an excellent job of building the world and explaining as we go along. The world that he creates includes enough realism to feel like something that could easily happen in our own future, which is scary. Plot-wise, things start to go a little crazy halfway through the book, leaving you with an ending that will make you want to pick the next one up immediately!

I did want a little bit more in character development, but I hope that as the series goes on I will learn more of the dimensions of the characters. Additionally, while this book is geared towards young teens (the back of the book markets it as 12+), I felt that some of the gore and content would be a bit disturbing for those ages, depending on the maturity of the teen.

Overall, I felt that the story was intriguing and unique, and I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.

TW: death; killing (with some graphic detail)