Interesting Fact About Me #23: I started writing a YA dystopia novel last year.
Granted, I’ve let my writing dwindle exponentially since 2018…and if I look back on what I’ve created so far, it may cause a severe inner cringing, butt-clenching and double chin making reaction…
But it’s all to say that I have a serious soft spot for the dystopia genre and absolutely thrive on all the creative ways authors manufacture less-than-perfect universes. It’s fascinating, all of the crazy, messed up realities that can be constructed in one book!
Scythe is no exception and is FREAKIN’ FANTASTIC! It has gruesome, gory death, inner and outer turmoil, a deadly competition and a touch a mystery and romance. Basically all the ingredients for great discussion-making with my student Book Club! I’d go as far as to claim it’s up there with The Hunger Games for me (and that’s saying something).
Book Synopsis:
In the future, humanity has become so technologically and medically advanced that people have eradicated disease, crime, and developed a method of “resetting” a person whenever the individual deems it necessary (those who are actually 70 years old, can reset their bodily age to 30, etc.). Individuals who attempt to take their own lives (or in the case of some thrill seeking, adrenaline junkies, see how far they can push boundaries until is causes death), are brought back to life in a matter of days, regardless of whether they want to.
The only group allowed to determine who will be gleaned are known as the Scythes. They are a highly respected and feared entity, tasked with killing others in order to keep the population in check. They live by a set of commandments that demands they grant death unbiasedly until they fill a quota. However, just like any group with infinite power, there are those who seek loop holes in the rules…
Rowan and Citra find themselves in the midst of an apprenticeship for Scythedom that will test their strength and will. But a seemingly cut-and-dry competition develops into a fight to the death. As their adversarial relationship blossoms into a friendship (which turns into something more), they are forced to ask themselves who they are and what they are willing to do to stay alive.
A few things you should probably know if considering this book for a child in your life:
1. It is extremely violent. I mean, the premise of the book is about a group with a literal license to kill. It’s supposed to be jaw-dropping and inconceivable. From flamethrowers to a mass stabbing, the scenes are graphic and may be disturbing for some readers.
2. It does contain scenes about suicide. In this particular book, Shusterman talks about suicide not necessarily as a means for actually killing oneself, but as an emphasis on how life is taken for granted when living is almost guaranteed. If this is a trigger topic for a young reader, I would avoid this book.
All things considered, this was a spectacular read, 5 STARS, and I am very excited to read the second and third books of the series, Thunder Head and The Toll. Looking forward to gaining more inspiration for my own literary endeavors 🙂
Let me know what you think!
Happy & healthy reading!
Alexis
