Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

66 reviews

jadejade's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

If you want Young Adult melodrama with interesting worldbuilding, this might be for you. It explores what a world would be like where humanity has conquered death but still needs to cull people to avoid overpopulation. Of course a pair of teenagers end up being in the centre of events that will reshape the world. Of course they end up being so highly skilled (and within a very short period) that they are able to deal with most people who get in their way: I think towards the end of the book, one the character is executing flips while doing so. There's an antagonist who may as well be twirling his moustache, and there's a scene near the end which I swear was inspired by Anakin's speech to Padme in Star Wars Episode II about the Tusken Raiders he slaughtered. Thunderhead is giving me the slightest vibes of Aiden from the Illuminae Files, which is also piquing my interest.

I didn't mind following our two main teenaged characters but they aren't interesting enough alone to make me want to follow their story. However, I found the different philosophies of the different Scythes, and the general population's response to a world where death is not inevitable, to be interesting enough that I think I will continue the series. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Fatphobia, Torture, Medical content, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Murder, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Grief

zsometimesreads's review

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide

Minor: Self harm and Blood

rightwhrleftme's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Genocide, Police brutality, Murder, Gore, Violence, Suicide, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Blood

kat_rowlen's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Loved this book so much! I was hooked from the beginning and the pages basically turned themselves. The ending is so satisfying. I literally got chills!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mass/school shootings, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, and Gaslighting

hales_1243's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Racism, Child death, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Body horror, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fatphobia

Minor: Vomit and Alcohol

katierucki's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The middle bit is a little slow and very important but once the ball gets fully rolling it doesn’t stop until the end. The characters were complex and had real moral dilemmas. Their situations and the way they handled them made me very reflective on my own life and the way I think about mortality. Some of the wording felt a little bit like showing off that the author knew big words. The plot was very interesting and the way they talked about past (now) and present (far in the future) was really interesting and a very good twist on the way people could interpret things happening now when they are centuries removed. Overall loved the book and am forcing my boyfriend to read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, and Suicide

adrienanthony's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fascinating world building and believable character interaction 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Suicide, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Grief, and Self harm

Moderate: Police brutality and Medical content

Minor: Torture and Genocide

giulianalb99's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4’5⭐️


<i>Los mandamientos de los segadores:

1. Matarás.
2. Matarás sin prejuicios, sesgos ni premeditación. 
3. Concederás un año de inmunidad a los seres queridos de aquellos que acepten tu llegada y a todo aquel que consideres digno de ello.
4. Matarás a los seres queridos de aquellos que se resistan. 
5. Servirás a la humanidad durante el resto de tus días y tu familia recibirá la inmunidad como recompensa durante toda tu vida. 
6. Llevarás una vida ejemplar, tanto de palabra como de obra, y escribirás un diario en el que dejarás constancia de lo acontecido cada día. 
7. No matarás a ningún segador, salvo a ti mismo.
8. No tendrás más posesiones terrenales que tu túnica, tu anillo y tu diario. 
9. No tomarás cónyuge ni engendrarás. 
10. No acatarás más leyes que estas.</i>


Este libro me ha gustado bastante. Aunque se publicó hace un tiempo y todo el mundo lo ha leído, yo siempre llego tarde y decidí leerlo antes de acabar el mes de mayo.
La verdad es que sabía que era una distopía pero no me esperaba para nada que fuera así. Todo el tema del Nimbo tampoco me ha parecido una locura considerando los tiempos que vivimos de que la tecnología está completamente transformando el mundo cada día más y más, y no me sorprendería para nada que llegase a pasar lo ocurrido en el libro. Entendiendo el punto de los segadores e incluso puedo  llegar a comprender su oficio y lo necesario que es. En esta “utopía” gobernada por el Nimbo aparecen, cómo no, problemas que ellos mismos van a tener que enfrentar: no sólo en cuanto a cribar, sino también entre los segadores.

El libro empieza con una de las protagonistas, Citra, recibiendo al que más tarde sería su mentor, el segador Faraday, en su casa. Después conocemos a Rowan, el otro protagonista, que conoce a Faraday después de que un compañero suyo de clase sea elegido para la criba y decida quedarse con él durante el proceso, haciéndose así el segundo novicio elegido por Faraday. Ambos protagonistas me han encantado, son los dos bastante diferentes el uno del otro: Citra es una chica decidida, fuerte, capaz de cualquier cosa, y nunca se rinde; Rowan es apodado “el lechuga” porque como él dice, siempre es al que menos le hacen caso la gente, el que no importa, el que sobra, pero su evolución como personaje es una brutalidad y la verdad es que le amo.  Aunque sea bastante leve, el autor introduce un pequeño romance (o afecto sería mejor) entre ambos y tengo bastante ganas de leer los siguientes para ver cómo evoluciona. Hay otros personajes (aunque aparecen nombrados los familiares de cada uno, no salen lo suficiente para poder dar una opinión concreta de cada uno), básicamente otros segadores, que tienen una ética moral bastante diferente de cada uno y está muy bien reflejado cómo impactan sus actos en el libro.

La verdad es que me ha encantado y la idea del libro me parece bestial, pero sí que es verdad que no deja de ser una introducción a todo el mundo de esta trilogía, y se nota que el segundo libro viene fuerte porque el final te deja con muchísimas ganas de seguir leyendo sin parar. En algunas ocasiones se me ha hecho un poco lento, pero es comprensible teniendo en cuenta que este tomo es básicamente cómo aprenden los protagonistas el arte de ser segador/de cribar. Le doy un 4,5 porque sé que el segundo libro me va a encantar y en este hay cosas que no me han acabado de convencer (aunque sean poquísimas, como ya he dicho).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Self harm

Minor: Grief, Torture, Abandonment, and Bullying

kellymeulenberg's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love the worldbuilding, the names and the (unspoken) ethical questions/discussions! So excited for part 2 and 3. 

The back cover says it's appropriate for ages 12 and up, which I disagree with. The content can be really intense, plus the philosophical side is much more interesting when you're (waaay) older than 12 and probably have some first-hand experience with grief.

Despite the heavy topics, reading it didn't feel heavy. It was my favorite book of the year when I picked it up (ca 2021?) and I'm so excited to delve into the rest of the trilogy now!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Blood, Violence, Death, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child death, Physical abuse, Fatphobia, and Suicide attempt

creativeworld's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child death, Blood, Grief, Murder, Body horror, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail