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recycled_personalities's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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
cool world, and like 2 decent characters. i think the societal structure is enough for me to recommend this book as i believe it is quite the ponder one can have.
Content Warnings
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 against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Picked this up because death is sexy.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
I came into this completely blind, I'd seen people had liked it on Tiktok and it became available on my library app as an audiobook. But plot-wise, I knew nothing.
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. Why do even the good Scythes choose lots of different methods to murder? Why doesn't everyone chosen for gleaning just get euthanised kindly? Instead of stabbed on the street or bashed to death etc etc. Society just wouldn't have allowed it when gentler options exist.
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 Insta-Love. Normally a massive no-go for me. But I have a tendency to accept it in close-proximity teen scenarios, love is easy to fall into when in a stressful environment, especially when it is a first-love. So I didn't question it.
The idea of quota's for the Scythes threw me a little and I think genuinely negates the whole premise of the world.
If someone young is a frequent drinker and also a new driver. This put's him in the probably crashing whilst DUI category. So the Scythe looks at his list and gleans the lad knowing those facts. But surely he'd still get dead-ish from DUI at some point, so why not just wait and let him go naturally? Why can't there just be a note on his record saying - if dies in car crash whilst DUI, do not regenerate? If people are being picked off for their activities and traits - why not just let those things kill them? If it were a painless death the Scythe was dishing out, that would be a kindness, but it often isn't.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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 against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
WOW. I’m so mad at myself for not reading this sooner. It’s been on my shelf for over a year and it was perfect in every way.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
I have nothing but good things to say about this incredible book. It is labeled as YA, but I feel like it's more NA in the reading. It's got something for everyone -- sci-fi, mystery, action, politics -- without being too overwhelming in any one area.
The main characters are likeable and grounded; they feel real and interesting in this crazy Scythdom world they've entered. While the beginning is a bit boring while they're together, it gets infinitely better as they're apart. They end up in vastly opposite circumstances, giving us a better view of what is happening in the world.
I often see twists coming, and I'm rarely truly surprised, but this book shocked me. I was certain Goddard and his cronies would be the series antagonists; their downfail was an unexpected and welcome surprise. As for Faraday, I saw that coming, but didn't expect him to be so out of the loop; I'm going we see more of both him and Curie.
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.
Content Warnings
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 against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
This book is fantastic, the worldbuilding and the characters are really incredible, and the concept is so original, I love how different the world is from other sci fi/dystopian novels I've read before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Violence
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