Neal Shusterman

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 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. 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.

Arc of a Scythe #1

Scythe

Jordan

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 Faraday

There was a lesson to be learned in every gleaning, and today’s was one she would not soon forget. The sanctity of the law…and the wisdom to know when it must be broken.

Marz

“The ending of human life used to be in the hands of nature. But we stole it.”

Sara Vasilescu

I have become the monster of monsters, he thought as he watched it all burn. The butcher of lions. The executioner of eagles.

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 up human. There's no version of God that can help us if we lose that.

Immortality cannot temper the folly or frailty of youth. Innocencr is doomed to die a senseless death at our own hands, a casualty of the mistakes we can never undo. So we lay to rest the wide-eyed wonder we once thrives upon, replacing it with scars of which we never speak, too knotted for any amount of technology to repair.

I see a day when new scythes will be chosen not because of some esoteric moral high ground, but because they enjoy the taking of life. After all, this is a perfect world - and in a perfect world, don't we all have the right to love what we do?

-From the gleaning journal of H.S. Goddard

In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ('gleaned') by professional reapers ('scythes'). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe--a position neither of them wants. The one who becomes a scythe must kill the one who doesn't. . . 

taci

I choose to be known as Scythe Anastasia," she told them. "After the youngest member of the family Romanov." The gathered scythes turned to one another, discussing her choice among themselves.

Then let it be known," said Scythe Mandela, "that now, and forevermore... Citra Terranova shall wear the ring of scythehood, and bear the burden of all the ring entails."

“How did it go with the other candidates?" Citra asked. "From what I heard, one young woman flatly refused and left the room. One boy began, but broke down and couldn't complete what he started." What about Rowan?" Citra asked. Scythe Curie wouldn't look at her. He drew the pistol as his weapon." “And?" Still Scythe Curie hesitated. Tell me!" "He pulled the trigger even before they finished reading him the instructions."

 Citra approached the figure. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Now she understood Because bound to that chair, gagged, terrified, and tearful, was her brother Ben

Rowan let his training take over. I am the weapon, he told himself. And themselves against him, and although they were good, they were nothing compared to a weapon so sharp and precise as he. Rowan's blade cut Rand deep, but she kicked the sword out of his hand with a well-placed Bokator kick. Rowan responded with an even more effective kick that broke her spine. Chomsky set Rowan's arm ablaze with the flamethrower, but Rowan rolled on the ground, putting it out, then grabbed the toning mallet from beside the altar and brought it down on Chomsky like the hammer of Thor. striking again and again and again as if he were toning the hour, until the curate grabbed his hand to stop him and said, "That's enough, son. He's dead."

I am what you made me," he told Goddard. “And you're right:I enjoyed that. I enjoyed that more than anything I've ever done in my life." Then with his free hand, Rowan reached down and yanked the ring off Goddard's finger. "You don't deserve to wear this. You never did." Goddard opened his mouth to speak- perhaps to deliver an eloquent death soliloquybut Rowan didn't want to hear anything from him anymore, so he stepped back, withdrew his sword from Goddard's gut, and swung it in a broad, sweeping arc that took off Goddard's head in a single blow. It tumbled and landed in the basin of dirty water, as if that were what the basin was there for. The rest of Goddard's body fell limply to the ground

That's when Rowan realized that the blood on Volta's hands was not from his victims. It was from Volta's own wrists. The gashes were jagged and long. They were made with very clear intent. *Alessandro, no! You don't have to do this! We have to call an ambudrone. It's not too late." But they both knew that it was. "Self-gleaning is every scythe's last prerogative. You can't rob that from me, Rowan. Dont even try." His blood was everywhere now, staining the snow of the courtyard.

Then she lowered it to his knee and fired. Her aim was perfect. He wailed and went down, and Citra raced across the sand, leaped the hedge, and grabbed him by the shirt with both hands as he writhed. “You're going to pay for what you' ve done," she snarled. Then she saw the man's face. Familiar. Too familiar. Her first instinct was to think this was another layer of treachery. It wasn't until he spoke that she had to accept the truth. "Citra?" Scythe Faraday's face was a mask of pain and disbelief. "Citra, oh god, what are you doing here?" She let him go out of shock, and Scythe Faraday's head hit the concrete hard, knocking him out and making the horror of the moment all the worse. She wanted to call for help, but who would help her after what she'd done? She lifted his head again, cradling it gently as the blood from his shattered knee flowed between the patio stones, turning the sand in the cracks to red mortar, drying to broyn.

"There's something you need to know," Citra said. "Xenocrates showed me something he said Scythe Faraday wrote. It was his handwriting, but I don't know how he could have written it." Scythe Curie sighed. *I'm afraid he did." Citra was not expecting that. "So you've seen it then? Scythe Curie nodded. "Yes, I have." "But why would he write that? He said I wanted to kill him. That I was plotting horrible things. None of that was true!" Scythe Curie offered Citra the slimmest of grins. He wasn't talking about you, Citra," she explained. He wrote that about me.'"

"Do you want another jolt?" he threatened. “I'd be happy to give you one. After what you did, I wouldn't mind turning the voltage into the red." *What I did? I haven't done anything! What am I being accused of?" "An ancient crime called murder," he said. The murder of Honorable Scythe Michael Faraday."

Xenocrates?" It's your shot," said Volta. If it came out that the High Blade had an illegitimate daughter, it would destroy him. He'd be in serious violation." You know what would be even worse?" said Volta. If the daughter that no one knew about got herself gleaned." Rowan ran a dozen things through this new lens. It all made sense now. The way Esme was spared at the food court, the way she was treatedwhat was it Goddard had said? That she was the most important person he' d meet that day? The key to the future? "But she won't get gleaned,'" Rowan said. Not as long as Xenocrates does whatever Goddard says. Like jump in the deep end of a pool."

But then Rowan did something Citra hadn't anticipated at all. He threw himself forward with lightning speed. Not clumsy, not feigning false incompetence, but with perfect, practiced skill. In an instant he had put her in a headlock, squeezing her neck tight tight enough for her pain nanites to kick in. And then he leaned close and snarled into her ear. You fell right into my trap," he said. "Now you get what you deserve." Then he flung her body into the air, twisting her head the other way. Her neck broke with a loud and horrible snap, and darkness came over Citra like a landslide.

"Tm afraid I've already given my blessing, so the matter is settled." Then he turned to each of them in turn. "You, Citra, will now be the apprentice of Honorable Scythe Curie. ..." Rowan closed his eyes. He knew what was coming next, even before Xenocrates said the words. "And you, Rowan, will complete your training in the capable hands of Honorable Scythe Goddard."

"But it doesn't make sense," Citra said, fighting tears with little success. "He wasn't the kind of man who would do something like that. He took his responsibility as a scytheand training usvery seriously. I can't believe he would just give up like that. .. Rowan held his silence on the subject, waiting for the High Blade's response. *Actually," Xenocrates said, it makes perfect sense." He took an excruciatingly long sip of tea before he spoke again. Traditionally, when a mentor scythe self-gleans, anyone bound to an apprenticeship is unbound." Citra gasped, realizing the implication. "He did it," said Xenocrates, "to spare one of you from having to glean the other."

"Where's Scythe Faraday?" Rowan asked. The High Blade took a deep breath in, and sighed. He invoked the seventh commandment," Xenocrates said. "Scythe Faraday has gleaned himself."

"I propose," said Scythe Rand, with the slickness of a deathstalker scorpion. "that upon the confirmation of the winner. the first order of business will be for that winner to glean the loser." Gasps and grumbles from around the room. 

Citra wasn't sure she heard him right. Did he say he didn't fear anything? Had he lost his mind? *Perhaps you want to take some time before answering." Scythe Curie prompted, but Rowan just shook his head. *"I don't need any more time. That's my answer. Not gonna change it." Absolute silence in the room. Citra found herself involuntarily shaking her head. And then she realized .. . he was doing this for her. So she wouldn't have to suffer alone through whatever punishment was in store. So she wouldn't feel she had fallen behind him. Although she still wanted to smack him, now it was for an entirely different reason.

i really loved the moral premise of this book. some parts got really interesting during the end— i wished we stayed with those crazier plots instead of returning back to the original. but overall, i really enjoyed!

Janet Akisanmi

Souhaila

The Arc of a Scythe #1

Falce. Trilogia della Falce

Amazing concept, I am curious about what will happen next

Aris 

I really enjoyed this utopian/dystopian fantasy story. Set in a world where no one dies because tech has made us almost immortal, the Scythes kill for population control. I enjoyed following Citra & Rowan through the webs of intrigue. Excited for the rest of the trilogy!

Amelia Hruby

Linara K.S

the phylosophical aspect of the book is uncomfortable. And the romance is not to my taste.

(3.5) Very cool concept and characters. There was a lot of emphasis on Citra but I wanted to see more of Rowan as well. Also, I wanted to see more of their relationship grow as well. Like how can you not see someone for 4 months then say "I love you."? What? I mean I get that she saved his life but maybe a thank you would suffice. I don't know. Anyway, I look forward to the rest of the series.

Kiran Aftab

2/19/23: It’s just going to get better every time I read this huh. 

12/9/20: Wow. Every time I thought that I could guess where things were going to go, I was proven wrong. There were so many plot twists and I was so stressed, but in a good way. I love the excerpts from the Scythe journals. It’s a fictional world that is dark and is just as dark as real life. I like drawing the parallels between the two.

tori 👻

oh my god i fucking LOVED this book, i have no words for now but i'll surely write a review on it soon
now on to book 2

kelsey

have not a hand in the blade with abandon.

arwen

Irina Nicula

** spoiler alert **
           This has been a great read, 3.5 stars. However! The reason for my rating is that I would have liked to see some more world building, to learn more about this supposed utopia. I would have liked to read some more justification for scythes and their ‘organisation’... why not birth control, why not limit the number of children per family or let people who want to die die? Why revive absolutely everyone? It would have been awesome if the author dug more into the reasons why scythes were considered the absolute decision makers into who dies and who lives and why there were no other measures to control population numbers.

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.

abby .˚｡⋆ ༊ .˚｡⋆

where to begin.. I LOVE me a good dystopian novel, and this book definitely was one of the best i’ve read. Scythe is such a wonderful (not so) hidden gem. This deserves way more hype.  I thought it was fantastic!! I loved the world building, the politics, & the characters. The evolution of the main characters were complex and as they go through all of these harrowing situations, it’s interesting to see how these events affect them in different ways. I also enjoyed the journal entries we see in every chapter & getting an insight into what the scythes are thinking. can’t wait to pick up book two!! (:

Luke Harkness

Full of wonderful ideas and twists and turns

About 10 chapters in, after introducing the whole idea of the lore, I wondered where and how the author would make this an interesting story, but he most certainly did that. 

He made two main characters who are truly likeable and a villain who is truly unlikeable and that's exactly what you need to route for the good-guys.

There's nothing mindblowing about the story but there's definitely intrigue and reasons to keep reading as you go along. Look forward to seeing where the sequel takes it!

james

enjoyed it. the latter parts are definitely more enjoyable. especially the rowan scenes. chef's kiss.

Christine

Annalissa Powner 

I listen to this on audio and I couldn’t stop listening to it, what I thought would a meh read to listen to while doing dishes or taking a walk turned into a story I couldn’t stop thinking about whenever I wasn’t listening.
The idea of a world with no government, immortality and no worries seemed boring, till you enter in this brilliant twist. 
This book made me more than once stop and question if a life without illness and death would really be a life worth living in.
Slow at times but for such great build up! Though im left with my questions I’m only a tiny bit upset by the ending and mostly fascinated to see what magic the next book holds.

"A humanidade venceu todas as barreiras: fome, doenças, guerras, miséria... Até mesmo a morte. Agora os ceifadores são os únicos que podem pôr fim a uma vida, impedindo que o crescimento populacional vá além do limite e a Terra deixe de comportar a população por toda a eternidade. Citra e Rowan são adolescentes escolhidos como aprendizes de ceifador - um papel que nenhum dos dois quer desempenhar. Para receberem o anel e o manto da Ceifa, os adolescentes precisam dominar a "arte" da coleta, ou seja, precisam aprender a matar. Porém, se falharem em sua missão - ou se a cumplicidade no treinamento se tornar algo mais -, podem colocar a própria vida em risco."--

O Ceifador

Ana Luiza

** spoiler alert **
           3,5⭐️ 

Achei esse livro muito interessante e recomendaria a leitura a qualquer um. Acho que minha nota só não foi maior porque esperava algo diferente da história. Não sei exatamente o que esperava, mas os primeiros capítulos me levaram a pensar que seria uma distopia/sci-fi, mas o livro me pareceu uma espécie de policial (que não é meu genero preferido...). Por causa disso, não fiquei totalmente presa a historia e não li o livro rapidamente, mas aproveitei a leitura e gostei bastante do rumo que a história tomou mais pro final. 
Não fiquei muito ligada aos personagens, o romance não faz a menor diferença, os ceifadores não foram bem desenvolvidos na minha opinião. Os personagens principais também não foram muito desenvolvidos na minha opinião, até a última página não conseguia me importar que ia virar ceifador no final ou se eles iam conseguir contornar essa regra.
O que mais gostei no livro foi o universo, sem dúvidas. Foi como ver uma utopia que se torna distópico e muito aterrorizante. Espero que nunca cheguemos nem perto de um futuro assim. 

Foi um livro bom mas não acho que bom o suficiente para dar continuidade a série.

gabby

4.5/5 
MY JAW WAS ON THE FLOOR. so many plot twists, i cant even count it on my hands!!

kayla 

A very poorly structured brain blurt review!

<spoiler> I have so many feelings towards this book. At times I found the plot too simplistic and almost cartoon like, but that links to a journal entry where life without death was compared to a cartoon.. which is amazing. I didn’t feel much for either Citra or Rowan throughout the entire book, I felt no emotional connection to them but I did enjoy watching their stories unfold.  The ending hit me quite hard, I adored the final line, “And if ever Scythe Lucifer comes my way, I hope he’ll see me as one of the good ones. As he once did.” it was incredibly powerful and left me thinking a lot. 

Scythe Farady, Curie and Volta were by far my favourite characters - they were all deeply misunderstood in different ways and I loved exploring their pasts and presents. 

The plot/twists were pretty predictable and they didn’t really shock me at all, but I was okay with that because I still enjoyed the story anyway. The world building is fascinating and I can’t wait to learn more. :3

I’m someone who actively avoids romance and I did roll my eyes at the beginning of Rowan and Citras ‘relationship’ but it developed in a way I found both enjoyable and surprising. If you’re a romance hater, read this book regardless. 🫵 I’m hoping it stays this way in the coming books, as I’ll definitely be reading them. :) </spoiler>

Huiting Lim

4.5 stars

World-building and concept about immortality was interesting. However, morality was quite split, characters were either “good” or “evil” and the book left little to be considered morally grey. Also, I pray you’re not here for the romance (but i was thankful it was practically non-existent anyways)

chloe rae

2020 reread:

I’ve been having the HARDEST TIME figuring out what to read so...when in doubt, pick up an old favorite! This book is still just as amazing as it was the first time! Couldn’t put it down!

2018 original review:
THIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE. 
Oh man. I’m so shook. That ending?! WHOA. Now I have to run out and buy the second one tomorrow (which I’m so stoked about)! Can’t wait to see where this series goes!

Mel 

Raquel 

this one just made its way into my favorites very easily! 

 

The world and characters that Neal created for Scythe was just something that fascinated me and kept me hooked to the pages from the very start. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! 

There is no doubt I'm going to read the rest of the series AND other books by Neal Shusterman, I honestly love his writing so so much. 

Please please please read it, you won't regret it! ❤️

Scythe Arc of a Scythe #1

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