The Final Chapter in Arc of a Scythe
I immensely enjoyed Neal Shusterman’s Scythe series and was so curious as to how he would wrap it all up in The Toll, book three in the trilogy. Unfortunately, I found myself pretty disappointed with this final installment.
A Spoiler-Lite Summary
After the dramatic events in Thunderhead, The Toll opens to the world facing Goddard’s rule. And with Citra, Rowan, and Endura all gone, the question remains: will anyone be able to stand against Goddard and his increasing influence over the Scythedom and the world?
It’s a pretty short summary, I admit, but it’s practically impossible to write anything that’s not loaded with spoilers.
Why The Toll Left Me Disappointed
I will try not to be too critical, but the fact of the matter is: I didn’t enjoy The Toll. With Scythe and Thunderhead, I found myself completely immersed in the story. I couldn’t wait to figure out what happened, and I was almost always surprised by how things played out.
But The Toll felt very different. Here’s why:
- Uneven Pacing: This book dragged. While the previous two were page-turners, I often found myself not wanting to pick this one up because nothing was happening. But then, a ton of stuff would happen all at once! And then it would stall again.
- Disjointed Plot: The Toll was all over the place. We jumped countries, timelines, and POVs like it was nothing. I often had to take a moment to re-orient myself to what was going on.
- Too Many New Characters: Shusterman dropped new characters into this plot like he was throwing confetti. Too harsh? Sorry. I was frustrated at how much time we spent with brand new characters in this third book, rather than the characters we’ve been learning about for the last two novels. In fact, there were many chapters that went by where we weren’t with Citra or Rowan at all. I kind of hated that.
- Unsatisfactory Ending: While within the realm of reason for the world of Scythe, the ending of The Toll felt… lackluster and dissatisfying. I wanted so much more for the story than I got.
- Unnecessary Exploration: While the last two novels were really intentional about what it was exploring theme-wise, The Toll was not. Instead, it felt like ideas and social/political commentary were dropped in left and right with no real purpose. This put a bad taste in my mouth. It’s not that I believe an author can’t/shouldn’t include that content in their books. On the contrary, it’s that I believe it should be purposeful and meaningful. Intentional. Here, it just felt really out of place. Like an afterthought that ultimately changed some characters for the worse.
Is There Anything I Liked?
Well, yes.
Overall, the story had the same ingenuity and originality of the previous books.
Shusterman is still a very talented writer with clever, witty prose.
Worth the Read?
If you’ve already invested time into the first two novels, then absolutely. Besides, just because I had qualms does not mean you will! It is still a high-quality book.
However, if The Toll had been the first book in the series and not the last, I personally wouldn’t have continued reading the rest. It was too messy.
Final Thoughts
It pains me to rate it only three stars, considering the last two got five from me. Alas, it is what it is.
The Toll was a disappointing conclusion to the Arc of a Scythe with its disjointed, scattered plot; uneven pacing; and too many characters/not enough time with the characters I was attached to.
Additionally, there was out-of-place social commentary and an increase in language/implied sexual content. I’m not sure I would want my teenager reading this final book for those reasons.
Content Rating: Moderate
for heavy themes, language, implied sexual content, and non-graphic violence
Copyright Neal Shusterman and Simon & Schuster. Image from Amazon.