Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the chilling sequel to the Printz Honor Book Scythe from New York Times bestseller Neal Shusterman, author of the Unwind dystology. The Thunderhead cannot interfere in the affairs of the Scythedom. All it can do is observe–it does not like what it sees. A year has passed since Rowan had gone off … passed since Rowan had gone off grid. Since then, he has become an urban legend, a vigilante snuffing out corrupt scythes in a trial by fire. His story is told in whispers across the continent.
As Scythe Anastasia, Citra gleans with compassion and openly challenges the ideals of the “new order.” But when her life is threatened and her methods questioned, it becomes clear that not everyone is open to the change.
Will the Thunderhead intervene?
Or will it simply watch as this perfect world begins to unravel?more
I was on the edge of my seat for this second book in the series. I love that we pick right up where we left off, and now the Thunderhead is more of a narrator. I did not see the ending coming! I was listening to this with every chance I had, and it killed me when it was over. So, so good. Definitely pick this series up!
I may have originally purchased Thunderhead (and subsequently Scythe) to keep my kids (elementary school age and teens alike) entertained on long car rides. What I didn’t expect was a driving need to know what comes next, who did what, and where trouble was going to spring up. My entire family devoured these books will a greed I haven’t seen since Harry Potter.
Rowan and Citra are no longer “on the same side.” Everything has gone very, very wrong. The Scythedom is more arrogant than ever. The Thuneerhead can’t intervene and yet…it does.
This dystopian series is a fun and engaging story. I love the references to pop culture, the arts, and sciences. As an adult, I find myself smirking at many of the scythe names and others googling their significance. Definitely a full family experience, whether you are new order or old guard, you will be on the edge of your seat throughout The Thunderhead. Also if you find yourself speaking to the Thunderhead while listening, just know it thinks you are an unsavory- that’s why it won’t answer back!
I really enjoyed the first book except it was a bit slow paced for my taste. However I did not have that problem with this book. No, not at all this book was fast paced, nonstop, epic journey with more plot twists I thought possible.
This books starts off almost a year where we left of, which I liked since it gave the characters plenty of time to grow into their “new” roles.
In the beginning of the book it is almost as if Rowan and Citra switched roles, their stands and morale of Scythedom. I wasn’t sure about Rowan at first but the more we earned about him and his motives and so on I really came back around loving him.
Citra, man I loved her so much in this book. I loved how she changed things but never really saw the impact she is having and how she slowly uses that to her advantage.
We also meet Tyger again and to be honest I really never care about him and really didn’t see his purpose beyond filling some pages but man o man was I wrong and I did not see that coming. Nope not in a million years.
We meet some new people along the way and one of them is Greyson and I really enjoyed him, his vie, his history and his overall purpose.
We also learn a lot more about the Scythedom and the Thunderhead, which was also very interesting. But of course we are left with more questions yet.
I’m really curios to know what the deal with Texas is, why are there certain spots like Texas where the rules differ.
Overall this book was insane and just kept shucking me over and over again with twists and turns.
The end though was crazy and I did not see that coming, some of it I thought about other I had no idea. I can’t wait to see how things play out in the next book.
I rate this book a full 5
Holy crap nuggets! I love the Thunderhead! (The actual Thunderhead and the book)
I got my daughter hooked on SCYTHE, and she wanted to read THUNDERHEAD immediately after finishing it. We were supposed to buddy read, but Mom got tied up with release day junk and other things, so Littlest Demonling went on without me. She had the WORST book hangover when she finished in record time a day or two later. She kept nagging me. “Mom, did you start yet?” “Mom, when are you going to read?” “Mom, how far are you now?”
Needless to say, as soon as I finished with my own book release responsibilities, I jumped right into THUNDERHEAD full force. I listened on Audible every time I got in the car. I read on Kindle every quiet moment I could find. I finished it remarkably quick because I DID NOT WANT TO PUT IT DOWN!
THUNDERHEAD picks up where SCYTHE left off, but it went in directions I never expected it to go. There were plenty of twists and turns. BIG surprises. Alliances tested and pushed to the limit. Of course, there were the obligatory sad moments, which I knew would happen, but I didn’t know exactly WHAT those moments would entail or how strongly they’d affect me. Lots of great surprises!
I had only two beefs with this book, but they weren’t big enough to take away from my enjoyment of it. If you’re curious about what they are, you can read the spoilers on my Goodreads review. I won’t ruin the story for you here.
The most exciting part, was of course, the ending. (Again, spoilers are in my Goodreads review) I now understand why my Littlest Demonling had such a bad book hangover. I suffered the same fate. I cannot wait for the next book. This series should absolutely be made into a movie or television/Netflix show. So. Freaking. Awesome!
If you enjoy dystopian stories hidden under a shiny veneer of utopian Kumbaya, you MUST read these books. And if you can listen to Greg Tremblay’s narration, I recommend the audio version. I didn’t care for his voice at first, but now that I’ve listened to him do both books, I can’t imagine a more fitting voice. He’s great!
I would leave a long review but only three words describe this book … BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!
hell yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. this book was lit af.
OMG, what a book. And that cliffhanger?!?!?! This series has just been getting better and better. I cannot wait to reach for the next one.
Rowan and Citra have different ideas on how to fix the Scythedom. While Rowan prefers to wipe out the scythes who cheat the system, Citra prefers to work from the inside and influence scythes to follow the old ways. But both are earning a name for themselves and have enemies watching their every move. And if either of them lets down their guard, those same enemies won’t hesitate to end them. But the Thunderhead sees everything, even if it cannot interfere in Scythe affairs. But it can certainly use humans to navigate around the system parameters it was given. The only question is, is it too late?
The first book focused on building the world of the Scythes. Having readers learn the political atmosphere that surrounded them. In Thunderhead, readers’ views of the world are expanded by showing the strengths and weaknesses of the Thunderhead system that maintains the world. Instead of reading journals of the Scythes in between chapters, readers are allowed snippets of thoughts from the Thunderhead as it explains its actions based on its programming. And readers are shown that it might just have the capability for emotions. I found it fascinating how the Thunderhead operated and drew conclusions. And all the while there is that hint of humor bubbling beneath the surface.
Without having to lay down the foundations of world-building, the second book in Arc of the Scythe was faster paced. The narrative has expanded to include Scythes from previous novels along with Rowan and Citra. The story also takes a step further into showing the corruption that can occur despite the fact the world remains a near perfect place. The underbelly of human society is exposed. The Unsavories, people who have committed acts that have labeled them as trouble. And one such Unsavory, Greyson Tolliver, may be the only person who can save the Scythes.
As I read the last page of this book, I was speechless. The villainous arc that took place within these pages was disturbing and so anger inducing that I can’t wait to read the next. I need to know if justice will be served and what is going to happen to the characters. Neal Shusterman has effectively hooked me into this world of death and political upheaval.
I gave this novel four stars!
This book was a fun continuation of the series, though in my opinion it wasn’t quite as great as the first one was.
Continuing from where we left off, our characters continue their journeys. Rowan has become a vigilante of sorts, seeking out Scythes who abuse their power, while Citra tries to uphold morality in her scythely ways. But a threat looms, ready to test not just Citra and Rowan, but the entire scythehood. Can they figure out who is behind the sinister events that unfold, or are these the last days of the scythedom?
There were plenty of great things about this novel, albeit with their own drawbacks.
Overall, the character were pretty decent. Citra hands down took the spotlight and shined. She stayed true to herself and strived to uphold her ideals. With the events that occur in this book, I think she does a pretty good job at damage control, even though she does show her young age here and there. No one’s perfect, and her narrative showcased that.
Rowan’s POV was fun. I especially enjoyed following his vigilante adventures in the beginning. However, things change at a certain point and I didn’t have the best time. It was still mildly entertaining but I wasn’t wowed by the direction it went in.
We also have a new MC named Greyson, but overall I felt his narrative was a bit vanilla. He’s an average Joe kind of character that’s been coddled by the Thunderhead, but I never really liked him all that much. Yeah, he goes through plenty of things, but he just came across to me as a poser. His role in this book is important, yes, but I just didn’t get a real feel for him. He didn’t stand out.
The plot was overall entertaining. It took a while for things to pick up (with the exception of Rowan), but once they did I really enjoyed it. We got some added immersion into this universe, and I liked all the added history and information on the scythes we were given. That being said, I wasn’t the happiest about the events near the end. I’m not 100% convinced of what happened was all that realistic given the dystopian world they live in, but it was still a bunch of fun, and I’m curious to see where things go after the climax. I have a bad feeling!
Overall, this was a solid adventure and continuation of the series. It wasn’t perfect, but it delivered an exciting journey filled with heartache, action, and ever-increasing stakes. Can’t wait to read the next one!
🙂
I had high hopes for this story because Scythe was so good. This read did NOT disappoint. There is so much mystery and suspense and I was constantly guessing as I read. Thunderhead keeps you on your toes throughout. This book deserves hearty applause. I was thoroughly entertained. Bravo.
Thunderhead is the sequel to Scythe, a dystopian fantasy novel (YA) about a future society where everyone lives forever—until they are randomly chosen to be culled.
I want to start by saying I love this series. I love the world building, and the main characters. It’s hard to put the books down. A new character is introduced Grayson in this one and he has a very interesting arc and he’s one of the more entertaining parts of this books. He connects us to Thunderhead on a more personal level. We knew he was running the planet but didn’t really see how that affected people on a personal level until now.
Thunderhead has control over everyone’s lives and the Scythe’s control their deaths. But they are not even allowed to talk to each other, and Thunderhead has no power over what the Scythes do at all. And you know right off the bat that’s going to be a problem. Humans with absolute power over death and no one to control them? Yep.
In book one we saw Scythe Citra initiated when she passes her apprenticeship. Her companion Rowan fails because only one of them can win and he wants it to be her. She goes on to become a successful Skythe—honorably and with morals. Rowan chooses a different path. With a ring he stole he calls himself Scythe Lucifer and he goes after those Scythes who are taking advantage of their power to glean (kill) for bad intents.
I loved this! I love Rowan’s decision to do this because it finally gives them checks and balances. I also love Citra’s moral struggles over how to handle Rowan. He is doing illegal things. He’s killing Scythes, and she knows she should stop him except…he’s right there are too many of their kind abusing their power.
Things get tense when there are attempts on Citra’s life and an upcoming change in Scythe government puts her and her mentor Scythe Curie in deep trouble and takes them to an unexpected location. Rowan and Citra have to work together again to survive but…
The book ends on a cliff hanger so there is a lot left unresolved at the end. Loved the book, loved the characters. There was a lot going on, a lot of new and returning character to keep track of but I had no trouble with the shifting perspectives because each character was so compelling.
The one thing I didn’t care for was that I found the pages of Thunderheads thoughts between every single chapter a bit much. I feel like that could have been condensed to less frequent inserts and it got repetitive after a while hearing a giant computer comment about how perfect he was and how he couldn’t make mistakes.
Intriguing sequel and unique world
The second book in the Scythe trilogy was very well done. It was a little more informational and political based as opposed to the story plight delivered in book one, so I didn’t enjoy it as much. However, Schusterman is a genious and I can’t say enough about what a gifted writer and storyteller he is. This world is so original and spellbinding, you can’t help but love the characters, even the ones you hate. I look foward to the third book in this trilogy and recommend the series to everyone who enjoys thought provoking young adult fiction in a dystopian/science fiction genre with social issues addressed in a non-confrontational platform.
Great follow up to Scythe, and the end blows my mind!
So good. See my review on book one.
Another really great story. Though this is the middle book in the series it still felt complete, but it sure opened the door for the final book. I enjoyed the story a lot. I feel like this book was exactly what I needed. I liked the story that it told and how it told it. I did read/listen through Audible. The performance was fantastic.
Great continuation in the series. Looking forward to the final one.
This book is as amazing as the first, It made me cry and laugh. Thunder Head and Scythe is my favorite book series ever.
After reading Scythe, I jumped to read the sequel to the gripping dystopian novel. I’m so glad I did because I could not put this book down. So many good twists and turns in a novel that challenges the growth of technology and what it really means to be human. I would recommend this series to anyone and look forward to the next one to find out the resolution to an exciting cliffhanger ending.
A book that provides a science fiction world with an incredibly real sense human nature.