Book Review: Scythe by Neil Shusterman

Goodreads Summary: 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.

I just finished the book and I had to hurry and write down my review before I forgot. This story is about a dystopian world that does not experience natural death, sickness, or anything of that nature. That means with mortality outdone the world's population is growing. To handle this Scythes are appointed to be the bearer of death which is called gleaming (killing)

Rowan and Citra are two teenagers that are chosen to be Scythe's apprentices under the mentoring of Scythe Faraday. They must each learn the way of gleaming and the lives of a Scythe. When one apprentice is chosen the other gets to go back to their lives but to show that no loyalty between Rowan and Citra which ever one wins they would have to gleam the other.

This has the vibe and tone of all of Neil Shusterman's writing everywhere. It was dark and it had suspense as well. Rowan and Citra are both alike and at the same time different. Their personalities always clashed a lot but the friendship between them bloomed nicely. I think this could have done without the romance. I didn't really think it was necessary for them.

The world that was created was different from anything that I read and had an original turn on it. With the scythes symoblizing death it still contradicted the immortality of the world because the uncertanity was there. It was still sudden and people did not know when they would die. Instead of dying from sickeness or natural causes they were killed and it was just.

The scythes had morals that they lived by but to the scythe it didn't matter if it was right or wrong. It was all right in there eyes of how or why they gleamed regardless of losing their humanity.

This did have some parts where it dragged but it wasn't to much. I felt this wrapped up nicely and it was a quick read.

4 Stars

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