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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
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
I don’t want to leave a huge spoiler in my review, so I’ll just say I have mixed thoughts about the solution the Thunderhead creates to the problem the scythedom created. But even with those mixed thoughts, I loved this book and this whole trilogy. The characters were well developed and true to themselves throughout the series. There were sooo many dynamics with the scythes, the Thunderhead, the tonists, and just this futuristic society and I felt all dynamics were well explored. Finishing this book did feel a bit like saying goodbye.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Toll, the final book in Neal Shusterman's Arc of a Scythe trilogy, is an absolutely gripping conclusion to a series that has me hooked from the very first page. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a young adult series this much; in fact, it feels more like a compelling sci-fi epic than a typical YA story. The only thing that truly makes it "young adult" are its incredible protagonists.
This book, and the series as a whole, excels at the coming-of-age theme. The main characters, Rowan and Citra, go through immense growth. Rowan starts as a compassionate young man who becomes blinded by his hatred for a broken system, leading him on a path that he can't fully control. Citra, on the other hand, is intelligent and competent, a young woman far ahead of her time who finds herself hunted because of her influence. These characters, along with a host of other new heroes who want nothing to do with being heroes, desperately try to change their world.
The pacing is constant and captivating, making it impossible to put the books down. The characters are so well-developed and the world-building is so detailed and amazing that you feel completely immersed. And of course, you can't talk about this series without mentioning the Thunderhead, a compassionate AI that cares deeply for humanity. This trilogy's concepts and themes are unique and beautifully executed. This series is going straight to my favourites shelf, and it's one I would recommend to any sci-fi lover.
This book, and the series as a whole, excels at the coming-of-age theme. The main characters, Rowan and Citra, go through immense growth. Rowan starts as a compassionate young man who becomes blinded by his hatred for a broken system, leading him on a path that he can't fully control. Citra, on the other hand, is intelligent and competent, a young woman far ahead of her time who finds herself hunted because of her influence. These characters, along with a host of other new heroes who want nothing to do with being heroes, desperately try to change their world.
The pacing is constant and captivating, making it impossible to put the books down. The characters are so well-developed and the world-building is so detailed and amazing that you feel completely immersed. And of course, you can't talk about this series without mentioning the Thunderhead, a compassionate AI that cares deeply for humanity. This trilogy's concepts and themes are unique and beautifully executed. This series is going straight to my favourites shelf, and it's one I would recommend to any sci-fi lover.
I held my breath the entire time I read the books. No character deserved what happened to them. The villain was definitely being a villain. It was really hard to see Rowan and Citra together. Rowan didn’t deserve all the horrible things that happened to him, and the author showed no mercy on us. Each page felt like a slap or a stressful situation. By the last quarter of the book, things started to feel strange, with so much to process. I know this chaotic review is just my normal state of review, and it has to be. I wasn’t expecting the ending. Heroes usually save the world, but I understand what happened by the end. The rise of the Toll had a lot of meaning—deep meaning. This whole series was so exhausting that I can’t imagine diving into another series like it because I have no energy left. I loved every character, whether they were good or bad. They played their roles well. And I’m all for turning this series into an animated show; it would be amazing.
What more can I say? not much romance—but it was so much more than that. Pure science fiction, yet it hit me in ways I didn’t expect. The idea of an AI trying to explain emotions, only to be captured by them, was breathtaking. And the way people took life for granted, only to be shaken to their core when faced with the world as it once was—it felt like a wake-up call. Memories. Memories upon memories, weaving the very fabric of who we are. They were everything. Without them, could we even exist? The story made me question everything: is a person still a person without their past? Without the pieces that make them whole?
And then there’s the complexity of humanity—an enigma so profound that neither we, nor the most advanced AI, could ever truly comprehend it. We’re beautifully contradictory: predictable in so many ways, yet wildly unpredictable in others. That’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us alive.
What more can I say? not much romance—but it was so much more than that. Pure science fiction, yet it hit me in ways I didn’t expect. The idea of an AI trying to explain emotions, only to be captured by them, was breathtaking. And the way people took life for granted, only to be shaken to their core when faced with the world as it once was—it felt like a wake-up call. Memories. Memories upon memories, weaving the very fabric of who we are. They were everything. Without them, could we even exist? The story made me question everything: is a person still a person without their past? Without the pieces that make them whole?
And then there’s the complexity of humanity—an enigma so profound that neither we, nor the most advanced AI, could ever truly comprehend it. We’re beautifully contradictory: predictable in so many ways, yet wildly unpredictable in others. That’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us alive.
What a fantastic end to the series.
I really appreciated all of the literary devices used. It made the hunt for the plot so satisfying.
Overall, I LOVED this series and highly recommend.
I really appreciated all of the literary devices used. It made the hunt for the plot so satisfying.
Overall, I LOVED this series and highly recommend.
The Toll should stand as an example to all authors on how you wrap up a trilogy.
Every character we’ve run into gets an ending and there are so many twists and turns that keep you turning pages.
What a fantastic ending to a fantastic trilogy.
Every character we’ve run into gets an ending and there are so many twists and turns that keep you turning pages.
What a fantastic ending to a fantastic trilogy.
adventurous
challenging
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:
Yes
