Scythe, by Neal Shusterman

Title: Scythe
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre/ issues: YA, dystopian.

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It’s no secret that I love a good dystopian fiction series. They’ve been hard to read lately though – life is too closely imitating art. I’ve had Scythe by Neal Shusterman for over a year now, and finally decided to read it this weekend. I’m so glad I did!
Humanity has eradicated death and disease, and as a result people can now basically live forever. To combat over-population, Scythes are recruited to “glean” a quota of people each year, to help maintain some sense of balance on the planet. When two apprentices are given the opportunity to earn the profession of scythe, they learn far more than they bargained for.
I really enjoyed this book. I know there are 2 more in the series, and I’m very much looking forward to reading them, but the end of book 1 felt extremely satisfying, in ways that I’m not really used to in a YA series. Often you get the nail-biting cliffhanger, and whilst there were certainly elements of “to be continued”, Scythe has a solid resolution. If you’re after a good YA dystopian novel to read, but aren’t sure if you want to commit to a series, this would be a great one to dive into – solid enough to stand on its own two feet, but with some more to come if you get hooked. And bonus – the rest of the series is already out, so no pesky waiting for release dates!

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 36/52

Happy reading,