Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Description:
“What if death was the only thing left to control?
In the not-too-distant future, humans have cured hunger, disease, war, crime – even death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end a life – and they are commanded to do so to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are both chosen to be apprentices to a scythe – something neither of them wants. Forced together, they must perfect the skill of taking a life, competing against each other for just one scythe position. But then it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to kill the loser….”
My review:
I am giving this book a rating of 5 out of 5.
**Please note: I am not the intended audience for this book (it’s written for a YA readership)!**
What a fantastic read. Despite not being the intended audience for this book (I picked it up as research initially), it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a YA novel this much!
While the topic is incredibly dark, the way it has been handled by the author is both respectful and fascinating. The narrative style was fascinating, too – while it can sometimes be challenging to navigate a story from multiple perspectives, it was handled so skilfully in this novel that the writing style actually enhanced the story. Additionally, the fast pace of the novel is a great way to keep readers wanting to turn the page.
The characters are incredibly well drawn, so much so that I couldn’t choose a favourite! Both main characters, Citra and Rowan, as well as their mentors, Faraday and Curie, are flawed enough to be relatable yet courageous enough to be inspiring to young readers. Something that didn’t quite hit the mark was the budding romance between Citra and Rowan – their chemistry seemed better suited to being best friends instead; it sort of felt like the author had been told that YA audiences like romance elements, so added that as an afterthought.
My least favourite character was Goddard, who seems to represent the type of person who should never be given any sort of power or responsibility, yet seems to end up with it anyway. I found High Blade Xenocrates spineless, so disliked him as well.
The setting was immersive and clearly well thought-out, though I don’t think a utopia would involve inhumane death (I’m not sure why scythes weren’t bound to rules of humane etiquette in their gleanings, given the expectations of them in other areas of their lives) – I won’t go into further detail, so as not to risk spoilers!
In terms of the story itself, I found the layers intelligently drawn and woven together seamlessly. While I noticed a few minor typos throughout, that only made this novel all the more inspiring – giving me confidence that perfectionism doesn’t necessarily lead to an excellent book, creating a brilliant story does.
I’d highly recommend this novel to readers aged 15 and older who enjoy sci-fi thrillers in utopian-dystopian settings, though I believe it’d appeal to action-adventure and mystery readers as well (just don’t expect this to be a ‘cosy’ read – it covers heavy subject matter!). However, I wouldn’t necessarily agree with the comment that this book is “the new Hunger Games” – personally, I found this story far easier to read and more focused on character development than the trials themselves.
As someone who avoids gore as much as possible, I found this book readable – though if you struggle with any form of violence, I’d take this as your trigger warning, given this book’s focus.
Read in: July 2026
Format: Paperback
I’m including the date and format in which I experienced this story for transparency, since whatever is going on in the world (and a reader’s private life) at the time of reading, along with a book’s reading format, can influence an individual’s enjoyment of a story.
Disclaimer: I purchased this book. All opinions expressed in this review are mine and have not been influenced by the author or publisher in any way. This book review does not contain affiliate links.