Hey guys. I know it’s been forever since I’ve written I book review. I wrote a bit about this book in my last blog. You can check here.
So far I’ve told you this:
“The first book, “Scythe,” introduces us to two remarkable teenagers, Rowan and Citra, who are apprentices to the esteemed Scythe Faraday. Set in a future where humanity has conquered even death itself, this book takes us on a thought-provoking journey. It’s intriguing to witness how these characters navigate a world without the concept of murder, where people are free from hunger, poverty, and the fear of mortality.
One particularly amusing moment occurs when Scythe Curie, whose Patron Historic is Marie Curie, explains the meaning of murder to Citra. Initially finding it funny because that’s what a flock of crows is called, Citra quickly realizes the significance of the term. It’s fascinating to observe these characters, so disconnected from the idea that people used to die when they were in their 80s or beyond (they live for a hundred years or so), as they grapple with the responsibility of ending lives as scythes. In this dystopian society, scythes are entrusted with the solemn duty of “gleaning” individuals, effectively functioning as arbiters of death. While most scythes follow compassionate principles, there are a few corrupt ones, led by Scythe Goddard, who wreak havoc with their mass killings.
As the plot unfolds, unexpected events transpire after Scythe Faraday’s untimely “gleaning.” Rowan finds himself under the mentorship of Scythe Goddard, while Citra becomes the apprentice of Scythe Curie, the granddame of death. And then a significant change leads up to Citra and Rowan vying for a chance to-” This is how I ended the story in my last blog. I’m going to continue from here.
So here’s what went down. Citra and Rowan are competing to become these grim reaper-like people called scythes. Before Scythe Faraday self gleans, this other scythe named Goddard suggests that Citra and Rowan battle it out for the chance to become a scythe. But here’s the catch – one of them has to end up gleaning the other, which means basically killing them. The problem is, Citra and Rowan have a thing for each other. So they both fail their first shot at becoming scythes, and then Scythe Faraday takes matters into his own hands and does the whole death thing. Fast forward a year to this big event called a ‘Conclave,’ where Citra and Rowan get another chance to become scythes.
Citra and Rowan have to fight, but they’re both trying their hardest to lose. In a crazy twist, Rowan comes up with a plan to make Citra really dislike him. So, he breaks her neck and she goes ‘deadish.’ (she’s not dead, she’s half dead) Yikes! Citra gets whisked away to a revival center for some urgent medical attention, while Rowan gets disqualified for playing dirty. So, basically, they both ended up losing in the end.
The next day, Goddard and his crew (including Rowan) go to a Tonist place for a mass gleaning (killing). Tonists are anti-scythe people. Goddard saves one Tonist for Rowan to glean. Instead Rowan beheads Goddard and kills the others. Then he burns the place so they can’t be revived.
At the same time, Citra is blamed for killing Scythe Faraday. Scythe Curie sends Citra from MidMerica to Amazonia. Citra follows the clues that she has found, leading to Scythe Faraday’s murder. She finds out that Scythe Faraday is still alive. He refuses to rejoin the Scythedome.
So, here’s the deal. The big event is about to go down, the next conclave! And let me tell you, it’s no walk in the park. Picture this: the first challenge is to prove you’ve got what it takes to have the compassion to kill someone. So the person that the apprentices have to kill is dead. Well, not really “dead” dead, but you know what I mean. ‘Deadish’ Anyway, our protagonist, Citra, ends up having to kill her own little brother. But don’t worry, it’s not as grim as it sounds because he gets whisked away to a revival center. Now, there were a couple of other contenders in the mix, but they wimp out. So now it’s down to Citra and Rowan. Interesting twist, though: Citra hears rumors that Rowan straight-up shoots his own mom without batting an eye. She’s convinced that Goddard, the big bad guy, has turned Rowan into a complete and total ruthless monster.
So, there’s this thing called the Scythedome, right? And before that, there are these two people, Citra and Rowan And guess what? The High Blade, tells Citra that she’s gonna be the new Scythe. And get this, she picks her fancy title as Honorable Scythe Anastasia, with Anastasia as her Patron Historic. And guess what’s her first gig? She’s gotta take out Rowan. And by that, I mean she has to glean him.
So, she punches him because he had broken her neck. But listen up, here’s the deal: if your DNA ends up on a scythe’s ring, you get a free pass for gleaning for a whole year. And guess what? Rowan’s blood ends up on Scythe Anastasia’s (aka Citra’s) ring. That means he’s immune now. Pretty calculated move, right? Citra lets Rowan escape and he hops into a car that no one can trace. And get this, the driver is none other than Scythe Faraday himself. Talk about a wild ride! In the epilogue, Scythe Anastasia writes about Scythe Lucifer. Scythe Lucifer is a scythe gone rogue who hunts down scythes that are abusing their power and he gleans them. Then she talks about how much she misses Rowan. And that the ‘Scythe Lucifer’ is none other than Rowan Damisch himself.
Aaradhyaa.blog 