Book Reviews

10/10

WARNING: SPOILERS

Every once in a while, I read a book that makes me wish I’d written it myself. Scythe is exactly that kind of book. From the cover, to the intro, to the content inside, every little bit of Scythe kept me gripped and enthralled.

Scythe follows the story of a girl called Citra and a boy called Rowan who live fairly normal lives in a world where death and disease have been eradicated. This utopian world keeps its population down through the method of gleaning. Those who glean are called Scythes. When Citra and Rowan are both chosen as apprentices, they stumble on a world of intrigue.

Citra and Rowan are pitted against each other and, when things take a turn for the worse, it becomes apparent that whoever is chosen to be ordained as a scythe will need to glean the other.

To get around this, their scythe gleans himself – inadvertently making matters a whole lot worse for Citra and Rowan. The pair are forced to go their separate ways and train under other scythes. One of them will become a scythe – but at what cost?

What I loved…

The character depictions. The book is mainly dual-perspective, with different journal excerpts from other characters. The author’s remarkable ability to switch tone of voice was brilliant – making it easy to determine whose journal we were reading.

The concept. Truly original concepts are rare – but I feel this was one.

The world building. I love the utopian world Neal Shusterman has created and the way the most human of qualities, like resilience, greed and love, come to the fore even in a utopia.

The pace. I love books that get straight into the story – and this does exactly that. Throughout the book, I feel the pace is pitch-perfect.

What I didn’t love so much…

Absolutely nothing. There’s a reason why I gave Scythe a 10 out of 10. I’ve already ordered the other two in the trilogy from AbeBooks. If I’m being really picky, I would prefer Citra and Rowan to be just friends. Their love story doesn’t have enough development in this book and feels shoe-horned in at the end. I feel having the pair be just close friends would result in a stronger, slightly more plausible storyline.

I write Young Adult novels – but that also means I read a ton of them too! I grew up reading authors like Meg Cabot, Ally Carter, Sarah Dessen and more. And for me to stay up-to-date with popular market trends, it’s important I’m aware of what other YA authors are publishing. So here are a few of my recommendations that I think you’ll enjoy.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins.

10/10.

I find Suzanne Collins’ style exceptionally readable – even when she’s telling the backstory of one of the Hunger Games’ most disliked characters. Here we have the prequel we didn’t know we needed: the story of a young President Snow before he was ever president. The twist at the end wasn’t a huge surprise to me, but the whole story is told in an utterly engaging, riveting way so I will give it top marks. I absolutely can’t wait to see the film next month!

The Death House by Sarah Pinborough.

8/10.

The concept to this book fascinates me. The book is set in a house nicknamed Death House, where children and young adults are taken who are suspected to have a mysterious disease. Symptoms can appear without warning and, without giving too much away, you should expect to shed a few tears over this book. We are introduced to the two main characters, Toby and Clara, who, against all odds, find love in the face of death.

Spoiler (look away now!): I deducted points because the story doesn’t end as happily as I’d have liked.

The List by Siobhan Vivian.

9/10.

Every year, a list is posted naming the “prettiest” and “ugliest” girls in every class. This book follows the story of each of those girls and how being singled out this way affects every one of them. I love the original concept here – and, while having multiple perspectives telling the story could be confusing, Siobhan manages to develop every character really well. The twist at the end feels slightly forced to me, but it’s definitely worth a read.

Airhead by Meg Cabot.

10/10.

Okay, I loved The Princess Diaries. I really did. But somehow I loved the Airhead series even more. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, I loved the entire trilogy. The story centres around Em Watts, who discovers her brain has been transplanted into the head of New York’s most famous supermodel, Nikki Howard. Filled with fun characters, evil villains and the cutest dog ever, I’d definitely recommend reading this series.

Have you any YA book recommendations? I’d love to hear all about them. Let me know in the comments.