As for Citra and Rowan (this is the main spoiler I’m “revealing” because I don’t think it’ll be that surprising to say that the male and female protagonists of a YA trilogy have a relationship), I never picked up on much genuine chemistry between them. On the subject of relationships, (almost) none of the romances held any interest for me. Still, overall, Shusterman is skilled at making a rich and interesting cast to populate this interesting universe. And the romance between her and felt quite forced to me. I just couldn’t see the transition from what we saw of her in the first book, to how she was in the second and third installments. I never felt invested in her journey or convinced of her changing nature. On the other hand, I feel that the character of Rand should have been a lot more fleshed out. I appreciated that he was less about only thwarting or destroying the protagonists, but had wider goals too. Meanwhile, the main antagonist is intriguing and cruel, genuinely frightening. Other side characters like Tyger, Constantine, Xenocrates, Scythe Curie, and others were also well-written, though not my top favorites. I also especially like Grayson, Possuelo, and Jeri. I liked Citra and Rowan well enough, though my favorite character in the first book is definitely Faraday. So Citra and Rowan must decide where they stand, and how to navigate a changing world they thought was forever static. But dissension in the ranks of scythes is growing, the Thunderhead has a mysterious plan, and the cult-like religion called Tonism is becoming more and more powerful. Our protagonists, Citra and Rowan, are chosen to be apprentices of a scythe called Faraday, learning about morality and the solemnity of their task. So to keep the population from becoming too large, people known as scythes must “glean” a certain number each year. Society and technology have progressed so far that no one dies-all ailments are cured. In the world of Scythe, Thunderhead, and The Toll, people live in a world ruled by a benevolent AI called the Thunderhead.

So there might be minor implicit spoilers, but I’ll try to avoid giving away major plot points. And I’ve decided, since I marathoned this entire trilogy, to write a review for the whole thing at once. I get to meet Neal Shusterman next month (!!!), so figured I’d better read one of his most beloved series, Arc of a Scythe, before I do.

Scythe trilogy