Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Toll

I am in awe. I really thought this book was on track to be the worst in the series, but I couldn't have been further from correct. In fact I enjoyed it the most out of all three. The story is long and convoluted yet every single thing happens for a reason. Each little detail is brought back and explained in a way that makes Neal Shusterman seem like a human on another level of existence. The mind he has to weave all of these details together is amazing. The ending filled my heart. I had grown to love each character so much I wanted the best for each of them. I am so glad he gave his creations the ending they deserved. Such a masterful balance of world-building, character arcs, and romance. Never was there a moment where I felt bored even when details were introduced that we wouldn't be able to comprehend for another 20 chapters or more.

I was particularly moved by the cutting off of the Thunderhead. It was such a beautiful and melancholy moment. I never thought I could have grown so fond of an AI. Also, I am so glad to see Scythe Rand, who I despised, come into her own in a way that did not compromise her character. She is cold and calculating yet her act to fix the mistake that was her killing Tyger and bringing Goddard to life made me love her.

Ranking of the books: The Toll, Scythe, Thunderhead

Song:

Glory and Gore - Lorde

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paracosim's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

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le3713's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was long and unwieldy, shifting between more POVs than I would have liked, but I'm not sure if the story could have been told with many fewer. Nevertheless, this book held my attention more than either of the first two. It was a satisfying resolution to the trilogy overall

although I had mixed feelings about both employing the fail safe and heading to space. I felt more invested in what happened on Earth, except that some fave characters were off in space

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lisa_m's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

This is a book that is so different to anything else I've ever read. It took me a while to get through it and I was a bit bored in the middle but the ending was amazing.
I am definitely going to keep think about this book and especially the ending for some time!

I wish I could give this book 5 stars but I was pretty bored in the middle (mostly because of all the politics but I get that that was necessary for the story..)

One thing Neal Shusterman is amazing at it writing endings. Every book in this series made me want to keep reading in the end. If only the whole books were as captivating as the last 150 pages!

I definitely liked the series and as I said the ending was unexpected and the best it could have been. I'm generally not a sci-fi fan though so I think if you are you will probably like these books even more than me.

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