I love a good sci-fi/dystopia story. Make it YA and add in a romance subplot, and I'm sold. The Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman checks all those boxes, so as soon as I heard about it, I knew I'd enjoy it.
In a world where practically all causes of death have been defeated and the world is run by an omniscient, omnipresent AI (artificial intelligence) called the Thunderhead, Scythes are tasked with the solemn duty of killing to curb population growth. The first book, Scythe, follows Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch who are chosen to apprentice under the honorable Scythe Faraday to learn the "art of killing" to become a Scythe. If they fail, they may find themselves on the wrong end of the other's blade. However, some of the supposed "honorable" Scythes enjoy "gleaning" (what they call killing) and believe that they should be allowed to kill whenever and however they want—and as many people as they want.
One of the most compelling things about the Scythe series is the questions it raises about humanity and mortality. If death is inconsequential, what is the point of life? And are humans really honorable and good enough to be in charge of killing? With everything happening in the world today—the COVID pandemic, inflation, the climate crisis, wars—the Scythe series gave me a lot to think about. On the one hand, it was disheartening to read about a world in which everyone was provided for and no one was denied life-saving medical care. On the other, it gave me hope for humanity's future—at least, technology-wise. Read the series and you'll understand why I hope we never have a "Sycthedom."
While I do enjoy a good romance, the one thing I didn't like about the series was that Citra and Rowan's relationship felt rushed to me. Perhaps that was because the second half of the first book and the following two books jumped between many different characters, and so it felt as though there wasn't as much time devoted to the two of them. By the time they shared their feelings with each other, I thought I might have missed something. Even so, I was quickly won over as the series progressed. It became clear that they cared for each other and I rooted for them during every hardship.
I rate the series as a whole 5/5 stars. The first book, Scythe, I rate 4/5 stars because of my opinion on Citra and Rowan's relationship. Fans of sci-fi/dystopia novels—especially The Hunger Games—will love Neal Shusterman's Arc of a Scythe series.
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