Scan barcode
recycled_personalities's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Gaslighting, Genocide, Abandonment, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Child death, Grief, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
nicnevin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This has challenged me greatly because I don't really know what to say. There are parts I like and some I don't. I couldn't care less about the romance and yet it is stitched together as vital to the plot. The world building is interesting but kinda vague and I want to discuss that a lot but I don't think this is the right place. It places a weird emphasis on race, like everyone really cares about their 23&Me results.
I guess I want to read the rest, mostly to try and pin down what the point the author is trying to make. It is both too obvious and too obscured. There are screeds about how life was better when death was a thing, actually even though death... Still is a thing?
Idk I need to parse this on my brain.
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Murder, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Child death, Medical content, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Mass/school shootings
mercurialbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In Scythe, the Thunderhead (amusing name progression from the Cloud) controls the world we get to see. The Cloud has achieved AI and now runs everything. Death by crime has been altogether stopped and the ability to bring people back from the dead, (resulting in them only being dead-ish) has meant overpopulation has become a scary reality.
As a result of this, Scythe's have been employed. These are people trained to kill others in order to keep the population level stable. They call it gleaning for the optics, but it is straight forward murder. Gleaning, by law, is a permanent death.
It is also against the law to not allow yourself to be gleaned once selected, if you resist or run, your whole family will also be gleaned. There are good Scythes, who make it quick and look after your family afterwards and 'bad' Scythes who are psychopathic and enjoy the fear and so choose instead to create massacres.
For me, dystopian fiction can be really successful if it feels possible. It is why Black Mirror does so well as a series, they all feel like future possibilities.
Scythe doesn't currently feel possible. For one significant reason.
I realise it might make for a boring story to not have all these weaponry options, but it seemed superfluous to me. Though I do accept that there should be both some weapon and physical training in order to tackle those that run or resist.
Now to the characters, I adored the older Scythes doing the training, they were interesting and I'd absolutely read a spin-off about their previous lives.
The two main characters, the apprentices Citra and Ronan were nice enough, not loveable, but tolerable as many teenage characters full of angst and drive are. I didn't feel Ronan's voice was as strong as Citra's voice. Her character traits are solidified in my head, Ronan is a work in progress, but again, that could be an age thing. Girls are often more emotionally mature at that age, Ronan still feel's like he doesn't quite know who he is yet through most of the book.
I didn't mind the trope that I see a lot of other reviewers dismissing.
The idea of quota's for the Scythes threw me a little and I think genuinely negates the whole premise of the world.
Despite all these questions I have, I genuinely enjoyed listening to this book and already have the rest of the series reserved. There are some twists, some mild to moderate threat for the main characters and an interesting political system within the Scythe community. The end promises for an exciting Book 2. But it isn't a true cliffhanger and this can be read as a standalone.
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, and Child death
rachrreads's review
- 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
Immediately you are thrust into the world. A world where death has been conquered. The only way to control the population growth is through the scythes— those chosen to glean at random with no bias or malice.
Citra and Rowan are chosen as apprentices to Scythe Faraday. Neither of them want this life, but is that not the very reason why they should be chosen?
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian novels. This book throughly impressed me and I devoured it. I was constantly being thrown off and unsure what was going to happen next. This book is eventful, but with a purpose.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Suicide, Self harm, Murder, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
readwithde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The main characters are likeable and grounded; they feel real and interesting in this crazy Scythdom world they've entered.
I often see twists coming, and I'm rarely truly surprised, but this book shocked me.
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Toxic friendship, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, and Suicide
friendlyneighborhoodidiot's review
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Violence