Scythe

Amazon Review
Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.

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 d; o 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.

Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

Miss J's Review
Finally, I'm back in my comfort zone:  sci-fi/fantasy. And I am pleased to announce that THIS BOOK DID NOT DISAPPOINT. After reading so many books outside of my normal genre, I am glad that I chose a Shusterman novel to kickstart my return to my favorite reading world. After reading Unwind by Shusterman, I knew that I had a real treasure on my hands. The world that Shusterman creates in this series is so eerie and compelling because it feels so real, so plausible. As I was reading this novel, I couldn't keep from telling people about it. 

Similar to Unwind this novel is told from different perspectives:  some from Rowan's perspective and some from Citra's. As the novel progresses, there are several twists and turns that will keep readers guessing, many of which blew my mind. The juxtaposition between the mentality of the old scythes and the new creates several interesting conflicts throughout the novel, and watching the two protagonists navigate these ideas to figure out what being a scythe truly means to them is really quite interesting. 

The subtle and forbidden romance between Citra and Rowan feels very Romeo and Juliet, only better because both characters are rational and dutiful. So, people who want a little romance in their stories will enjoy the chemistry between these two characters.

Recommended Reads:  The Thunderhead; The Unwind Series; The Diabolic

Stats:  449 pages