Arc of a Scythe #2
Thunderhead is the second book in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy by Neal Shusterman. It was a gripping, well-written sequel to Scythe.
Spoiler-Lite Summary
If you haven’t read Scythe or my review of it, I would recommend doing so before forging ahead. I will do my best to avoid spoilers!
After the events in Scythe, Citra — now Scythe Anastasia — has settled into her new life as a junior scythe. Meanwhile, Rowan has gone rogue. Off grid. Wholly intent on catching corrupt scythes and executing justice. Each of them are seeking ways to rid the scythedom of corruption and the danger “new-order” Scythes impose, and each find themselves threatened every direction they turn.
What I Liked About Thunderhead
What didn’t I like about Thunderhead? Shusterman is proving himself to be a new favorite author. Both his writing style and his ideas are simply phenomenal. Here are some highlights:
- Captivating, original plot: The ingenious concept of the perfect society under the all-knowing Thunderhead continues and expands.
- Unpredictable twists & turns: Just like in Scythe, I really wasn’t sure how the story would play out and never predicted it myself.
- Character growth: It was neat to see how Citra and Rowan’s characters grew as they faced more suffering, threats, and difficult experiences.
- Supporting characters: Side characters like Scythes Curie and Faraday continued to be highlights in the novel. Layered characters, they strengthened the narrative.
- Thunderhead musings: In Scythe, we read many entries from different scythes. In Thunderhead, we read musings from the Thunderhead itself, and I enjoyed this immensely and how it added to the world-building.
Content Warnings
Arc of a Scythe in general is a dark story. I mean, we’re talking about a perfect society where selected beings must glean to keep population under control. Thunderhead was just as gritty and heavy.
It also included:
- More frequent (minor) swearing
- Non-graphic, entirely closed-door, implied sexual interactions
Final Thoughts
Thunderhead is a five star read, for sure. It’s clever, well-paced, well-written, and engrossing. Despite the dark subject material, it’s a fairly easy read and draws the reader in. I read the 400+ novel in about twenty-four hours.
I definitely recommend it and can’t wait to finish book 3 (The Toll)!
Content Rating: Moderate
for subject matter, some swearing, and some implied sexual content
Copyright Neal Shusterman and Simon & Schuster. Image from Amazon.
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