Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, 1) MP3 CD – Unabridged, June 13, 2017

No spoilers in this rapid review of Scythe. I loved it and give it 4.5 stars. I read so much fantasy that any book set in modern times feels like a breath of fresh air, and Scythe is no exception. It blends genres, but I’d say the predominant one is dystopian. The premise is unique, timely, and thought-provoking.Scythe is set in a world where humanity has conquered every threat. All knowledge has been collected and stored in a database called the cloud (sound familiar?). 😉 The cloud—aka the Thunderhead—has used this cumulative knowledge to conquer all disease and prevent all accidents before they happen. Nanites in each person’s bloodstream control human emotions and can be triggered on a moment’s notice to curb spikes in anger.Since crimes of passion, disease, and accidents are absent and since aging can be reversed as often as a person likes, the world population burgeons in a very short time. Something must be done to curb this growth, and scythes are the eventual answer. Scythes are the only people not monitored by the Thunderhead and can thus glean excessive humans as they see fit (as long as they stay within their quotas, of course). Most scythes abhor the task and do it with a great weight on their shoulders and with great sympathy for the families left behind. But there are rogue scythes who enjoy what they do and try to make their gleanings as glamorous as possible.As the population continues to grow, more scythes are necessary. We meet our main characters when the honorable Scythe Faraday (who reminded me a bit of Dumbledore at times) takes on two new apprentices, Citra and Rowan. We see why Faraday’s drawn to them and then are immersed in the secret training and society of the scythes. Each chapter is prefaced with a journal entry penned by a scythe, so we get to be in the heads of a variety of characters in addition to our two mains.Shusterman struck the perfect balance between keeping me entertained and making me think, which is the formula for great dystopian, right? And what a journey he took me on with this tale! He presented quite a moral dilemma: How does a person maintain a sense of right and wrong when he or she truly lives above the law? And how do the scythes handle what they’re called to do each day without breaking?I enjoyed seeing both the inner turmoil and the rapid growth in Citra and Rowan as they go through their training. Their personalities are different, and they often respond differently to the same situation. Yet a bond slowly forms between the two of them. This bond is tested as they continue on the perilous journey to become a scythe. And all the while, they both question if this is something they even wanted in the first place.This story resonated with me for a number of reasons. As technology progresses by leaps and bounds every year and mankind attempts to conquer disease, hunger, and the other problems of the world, I found it fairly easy to envision a society like Citra and Rowan’s. It was interesting to see that even if crime appears to be conquered, Shusterman believes there will always be those who bend or break the law. He displays how human nature ultimately shines through. And I couldn’t help thinking of Christian ideals as I read. Can humans ever truly conquer evil? Or disease? And as soon as one problem is seemingly conquered, won’t others creep up? Shusterman suggests this is the case, and I tend to agree with him on this point. It seems perfection isn’t within human grasp without help from a higher power.Scythe was full of characters who are glaringly real. I loved Citra and Rowan equally. I enjoyed seeing the same new concepts through both of their eyes. And I liked their banter. So far my review has focused on the heaviness of the book, but there’s humor, too, and it often appeared in conversations between these two. Shusterman also presented some sardonic commentary on current American society and its frivolity (which made me alternately smile and cringe) as he built his dystopian take on the nation of MidMerica.What else can I say? I loved Scythe and definitely recommend it. It’s an exciting ride from beginning to end, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. I was truly surprised multiple times, and I loved every minute of it. The climax was exciting, providing the drama and answers I craved plus setting up Thunderhead, which is sure to be a great sequel.Search for 'Book Series Recaps' to read all of our reviews as well as our full book recaps!

A coherent, detailed and believable created future. Compelling characters, unexpected plot twists, more and more so as the climax advances inexorably.

Very captivating, easy to read, never predictable. There are a few, and I mean a few, moments that seem forced by the author’s hand. The moments i’m referring to have more to do with the world than the main characters, but those forced moments within the world have an affect on the main characters. In that regard, it seems jarring. Additionally, the ending seemed to have a great build up , but felt that it wasn’t as satanic as it could have been. Other than that, it was a great book. I’m hoping the sequels are just as captivating.

Do you love dystopian settings like the Hunger Games? Do you like a world that is rich and deep just like ours? Then Scythe is the perfect book for you!In Scythe, two young adults, Citra and Rowan, are selected by a Scythe to become his apprentices. Neither of them really want to be apprentices to a Scythe because after humanity became essentially immortal, Scythes are the only ones that can take lives to help balance the population. Although Scythes are supposed to be completely fair, unbiased, and kind when they kill people, there are Scythes that are not and their numbers are growing intensely. This puts Citra and Rowan on two different sides since after the death of their first master, they are put with new masters that have completely different beliefs.Scythe did a stellar job of showing how a seemingly perfect world with no famine, no disease, and no war could still be so messed up and twisted. It created an extremely deep world which mimics our own current world in terms of the way people are. If I could change one thing about the book I would add more journal entries from Scythes. I think there should be more because it really gives a new perspective in the world as we mainly follow Citra and Rowan, but seeing what a Scythe thinks is extremely interesting. Also, I would like to see more of the customs of the Scythes. The book really taught me that sometimes things are not as they seem. For example, in the beginning of the book we think all the Scythes are monsters for wanting to kill people, but as we read on we realize that most of them are just people too and they don’t want to kill, but they must.All in all, Scythe is a great fast paced book that gets you to think about the deeper implications of taking other people's lives. But, if you aren’t really interested in a dystopian world, then maybe Scythe isn’t for you. I personally believe this story is amazing, but I think readers should be at least 12 or 13 years old to read it because there are depictions of gore.After reading this, I am excited to read The Thunderhead, The Toll, and Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe which are the other books in the series.

This book, while possibly one of my quickest reads in a long time, is absolutely fantastic. Quick witted, slightly unpredictable in the best way, simple without losing weight to the point of the story.... Amazing. I truly hope this gets picked up as a TV show. There's no way a movie could do it justice without losing what makes it so special.