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July 31, 2017

Scythe 

Scythe

By: Neal Shusterman

What would you do in a world without hunger, disease, war or misery? Humanity has conquered everything, including death…or so it seems. Scythes are all-powerful, highly respected, understandably feared and are the only ones who can end a life. Their command is simple – control the population by making the ultimate life or death decisions.

A member of the “old guard”, Scythe Faraday, does the unthinkable and selects two apprentices, Citra and Rowan, to learn the craft of a scythe. His goal is simple; to make the world a better place and to bring order and rational thinking back to the scythedom. These teens must learn quickly and be just in their life-taking or immunity giving decisions. If they fail, their own lives (and their families) are at a grave risk of termination.

This book has it all. The author does a wonderful job with the storytelling, by giving the reader just enough information and backstory to allow the mind to wonder. The relationship that grows between the teacher and his students is powerful, only to take a back seat to the love/hate relationship between the two teens. If you are a fan of fantasy/sci-fi with a bit of suspense, mystery and romance than this book is for you. Five out of five stars.

Review By: Anders Arnold