It has been a month since I posted about a book, but, now that the Slice of Life Story Challenge is over, it is time to get back to the books. I might not have written about books in the last month, but I have certainly read many.
Just before the challenge began, I finished Scythe by Neal Shusterman.
Publisher’s Summary: A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
I avoided reading this book for a while for the same reason I put off reading The Hunger Games: I didn’t want to read about anything gory. But, like The Hunger Games, the book was too compelling to put down.
The story unfolds slowly, as Shusterman builds the dystopian setting of MidAmerica, introducing us to the characters, main and minor. Humor is woven into this dark tale of a world where one can live forever, but creativity and purpose have been lost. There are unexpected plot twists and difficult decisions must be made by Citra and Rowan, who you can’t help liking. Readers will find themselves pondering philosophical questions about life, death, and morality.
I stayed up way to late reading this one and will now have to wait until November 21st for its sequel, Thunderhead.
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