Series Wrap-Up: Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia
Pages: 435 + 504 + 625 = 1,564
Number of Books: 3
Published: 2016-2019
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Can be read as standalones? No

4.5 Stars

I’m gonna try to keep this short. I don’t have a lot to say that I haven’t mentioned in my individual reviews. The series is set in a future where death has been conquered. There’s no disease, war, starvation, or even old age. The world is as close to perfect as it can get. But to control the population, measures still need to be taken. Scythes are people who are responsible for choosing how many people die, who those people are, how they die, and then killing them. Our two protagonists, Citra and Rowan, have been selected as apprentices by a Scythe. But only one of them will get the job.

This is more a synopsis for the first book. There are a lot more scythedom politics, and morality, that come into play later on. They exist in the first book as well, but expand more in the next two. In fact, where the first book is grounded in Rowan and Citra as protagonists, I wouldn’t call them the protagonists of the next two books because the story becomes more about the world than certain individuals.

I loved the first two books. Thunderhead is my favourite. I really liked the third book as well, but it wasn’t as satisfying a conclusion as I’d have liked. I think Shusterman did a better job in concluding the Unwind Dystology.

I was initially in denial about not liking certain aspects of third book of this series, but I can admit it now. It just didn’t feel as well structured and paced as the other two, for one. But my biggest issue was definitely its treatment of one of the main characters. It felt like the author was shoving the character to the side now that they’d served their purpose. It was disrespectful, and I was offended on behalf of the character.

Overall, I do think this is a great series, just one that falters a little in the conclusion. I still recommend checking it out, but if endings can make or break a book for you, then read at your own risk.

Here are links to the individual reviews if you’re interested:

1. Scythe — 5 Stars
2. Thunderhead — 5 Stars
3. The Toll — 4.25 Stars

There’s also a short story collection, published after the series, but I haven’t read it yet. I’ll update the post once I have.