Rating: 5 out of 5

Genre: YA, Scifi/Fantasy, 5 Stars

People who should read this: If you like a dark, gritty concept that makes you think, social experiments, strong characters that kick butt. 

“Hope in the shadow of fear is the world's most powerful motivator.” 

I’ve been staring at the cover of Scythe for years. Years people… I kept pointing it out at the store saying that I wanted to read it. The first time I saw the cover, I was interested… and then I got to the title. Scythe. Scythe, as in that tool used to cut wheat? But what if it was used to kill people instead? Ok… they don’t actually use a scythe to kill people, but the scythes are people themselves, sent out to meet a quota that will keep the world’s population in control. Everyone can live forever now. 

You read that right. 

Everyone can live forever. The technology has been mastered in Shusterman’s world. Except for fire, nothing can kill you - not even jumping off the Empire State building. You’ll just get scraped right off the ground and back in tip top shape in a few days. You gotta love the nanites. 

That’s the idea of the book, and if you’re not already in your car rushing to buy a copy, well… I don’t know what to tell you. I guess you can stop here and visit my other book genres for something more up your alley. 

“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. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There’s no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.”

Scythe gave me chills. I had to put it down multiple times just to breathe. It wasn’t because there was a lot of gore or that the story was scary, but because of the way Shusterman would switch from the characters to explaining how a random person was going about their day before the Scythe showed up. And all the emotions in that moment came across with a distant narrator. Normally, I can’t connect emotionally without the up close and personal style of writing. Yet, here it worked. I think it was the switching between the decision to kill the person and that moment when Shusterman would show the person going about their day, not expecting what is about to turn the corner and utter the words everyone dreads, is what did it. Getting killed in the book is almost like being struck by lightning - it’s rare and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. 

The major plot points were not overly amazing. Scythe is pretty much your typical bad guy vs good guy story. There’s the altruistic guardians that want to stop evil, power hungry bad guys, etc. I didn’t really care. I was already so invested that the plot could have been about cats getting ready to dance on the moon. (Never mind… that could be interesting too). I say all this, but in its own way the plot was still really good with twists that I didn’t see coming. The foreshadowing was nonexistent. Literally no hints were given. That’s fine. I never felt ripped off because Shusterman stuck to the number one rule - stay true to your characters. 

With all the good things said, Shusterman still happened to do my number one pet peeve. His world is huge and we don’t want a bunch of info dumping at the beginning. However, some new magic feature shouldn’t just pop up to get a character out of a bad situation. It’s not ok. It feels cheap. 

I also think that a lot of people are going to find the beginning slow. Shusterman uses the time to explain the world and to set up the plot. By act 2, the plot is rolling and the story moves quickly. I ask that you stick with it and don’t give up. It’s all worth it. 

“Mortals fantasied that love was eternal and its loss unimaginable. Now we know neither is true. Love remained mortal, while we became eternal.”

Dark and thought provoking, this was easily a five star read. I knew from the first chapter that this book would be one of my favorites. I recommend it for the young and the old. Shusterman did not stick to the tropes of high school kids. It fact, they read more as adults than teenagers. I almost wonder if this book could be considered as an adult… let me know what you think in the comments below. 

Happy Reading

Love Kait

Reading Challenge: 76/100