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Marshmallow reviews Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

A few weeks ago Marshmallow read and reviewed Scythe, the first book in Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series. Today she shares with us her thoughts on Thunderhead, the second story in the series, originally published in 2018.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked Scythe, the first book in Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): At the end of Scythe, Citra Terranova was ordained as a scythe while Rowan Damisch fled from the scythedom. At the beginning of Thunderhead, their lives are going in two very different directions.

Citra chooses the name Scythe Anastasia (for the patron historic of Anastasia Romanov) and begins gleaning in a different way; this is poorly received by some and lauded by others. When she selects someone to be gleaned, she tells them a month in advance and gives them that time to prepare. Then they seek her out at the end and tell her how they would like to die (those who try to flee are killed by a location-triggered device she implanted in their arm). This is a very unconventional method of gleaning given that most kill their victims almost instantly—and that is generally deemed the most merciful manner of death. However, Scythe Anastasia finds her version of death to be more acceptable to her conscience.

Some scythes don’t really care about mercy at all though. One such scythe is Scythe Brahms who plays his patron historic’s lullaby each time he gleans, which is generally with bias. A new scythe, Scythe Lucifer, begins to take out corrupt scythes like Scythe Brahms, burning them so their bodies cannot be revived. Scythe Lucifer spares Brahms, but the endings of the many other corrupt scythes he did not begin to alert the scythedom to his presence. They call him a vigilante and soon realize that he is none other than Rowan Damisch.

After seeing the rise of the ‘new order’ (a movement within the scythedom that ignores the founding ideals of discipline and modesty in order to actively encourage bloodlust, self-indulgence, and corruption for scythes), Rowan has vowed to take as many bad scythes out of the equation as possible. Of course, this doesn’t go over well with the scythedom, even though some like Scythe Anastasia acknowledge that the scythes removed were undeserving of their roles.

While the scythedom reels with shock over Scythe Lucifer’s actions, the Thunderhead (the ambivalent, benevolent A.I. consciousness that rules over humanity as a guardian angel, running everything perfectly to create the perfect world) stays quiet. Scythes are not allowed to communicate with it—in order to create a separation between the two institutions—but they are puzzled by why it has not done anything to stop Rowan. The Thunderhead, it is revealed, worries that the new order will topple the balance that has kept their utopian world at peace for so long. And while the Thunderhead can’t do anything to stop the new order, it can hint certain things to a certain Grayson Tolliver, an ordinary man who was essentially raised by the Thunderhead after his serial parents left him (serial parents are people who spend their immortal lives starting families but never sticking around to raise them). Through Grayson, the Thunderhead saves Scythe Anastasia and her former mentor Scythe Curie from a murder attempt. This begins Grayson’s new life as the Thunderhead’s vessel for action, action it is technically not supposed to be taking.

Through the perspectives of Scythe Anastasia, Scythe Lucifer, Grayson, and the Thunderhead (though sometimes we witness another scythe’s life), we see the glitches in the system—both real and metaphorical—grow. The scythedom has protected their utopian world for centuries, but everything seems to be changing for the worse. This is the one thing the Thunderhead cannot fix; it cannot save humanity from the scythedom if it cannot save the scythedom.

Marshmallow is reading Thunderhead by Neal Schusterman. — Marshmallow is reading *Thunderhead* by Neal Shusterman.

Marshmallow’s Review: Thunderhead was an amazing book! I was absolutely fascinated by the first book and reading the second book has made me even more enveloped in the story. In Thunderhead, Shusterman shows how the characters we met earlier in Scythe have changed and how they have made new roles for themselves in their world. Furthermore, in this book, Grayson Tolliver is introduced and quickly becomes a central character. We get to witness his development and I am really, really curious to read more about him and how he will affect the plot.

The story line is ingenious and I found myself not even trying to predict what comes next. That was not out of a lack of interest; I was so enjoying the story that I was content to just continue reading to find out. After all, I didn’t really stop long enough to try to foretell the future. I am really excited to read the next book and find out what will happen.

Of course, both the third book and second book are irrelevant to someone who hasn’t read the first book. After reading Scythe, reading Thunderhead is the immediate instinct. Both books require the same reading level and maturity. Neither is particularly inappropriate and I think an eleven year old would find both intriguing. There is some violence and something sexual is implied at the end, but nothing is ever described in detail at all. This was perfect for me because I don’t mind those two things as long as I don’t have to read about it for more than a sentence! This was a good decision on Shusterman’s part because I think it makes the books more accessible and open to a broader audience.

That said, I felt his prose was slightly less flawless in Thunderhead. Certain sentences were worded a little strangely. Yet, this might have been a good thing overall because it made me feel like the book was from a future era, one you fall into when you start the first chapter.

Even though these books are set in a different time, the discussions about mercy, empathy, humanity, love, and what we owe to each other are relevant to everyone today. Thunderhead is very entertaining and interesting, but it also teaches values and morals that I think are crucial to a society hoping to reach utopia one day. As a whole, this book was absolutely amazing and I would completely recommend it to everyone.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Thunderhead* by Neal Shusterman 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Marshmallow starts off the new year for the book bunnies blog with a review of Scythe, a 2016 book by Neal Shusterman that she read during the winter break.

(The book bunnies got a hold of this book after Caramel had read and reviewed an earlier book, Full Tilt, by Shusterman and wanted to read more from him.)

Marshmallow reviews Scythe by Neal Shusterman. — Marshmallow reviews *Scythe* by Neal Shusterman.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like sci-fi books about fascinating futuristic possibilities, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Now, in this new future world, death no longer exists. The Thunderhead, an omniscient AI consciousness, runs the world; however, this is not a typically dystopian situation. The Thunderhead has a “purer” soul than any human and society is managed perfectly with everything running smoothly. Without death but with technology, humans are able to “turn the corner” (reverse their aging) whenever they wish. Revival centers are everywhere, so if there ever is a fatal accident, it is never truly fatal.

However, there is a catch. Without death, a population would grow unchecked; scythes serve in death’s place and must glean (accepted euphemism for taking the life of someone) a certain quota in the time between each Scythe Conclave (meeting). This keeps the fear of death alive to an extent, but in most people there is little more than a distant memory and a feeling of vague danger. At this point:

“The growth of civilization was complete […] there was no more left to learn. Nothing about our own existence to decipher. Which meant that no one person was more important than any other. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, everyone was equally useless.”

Most humans go through life, turning corners and reliving life yet again. Citra is at the actual beginning of her life, around sixteen. When Scythe Faraday (Scythes choose new names for themselves based on a ‘patron historic’) comes to Citra’s house and stays for dinner, she and her family presume he is there to glean someone. While most people try to kiss up to Scythes (hoping to avoid being gleaned), Citra doesn’t care. She thinks he will glean someone so he might as well make it clear without playing games with them. Her angry outburst impresses him and he reveals that he was just hungry and their neighbor—who wasn’t home yet—is the one he intends to glean. He leaves Citra’s family, but not without saying that Citra would make a good Scythe because she can “see through the facades of the world.”

Rowan is also like Citra. He was in proximity to one of Scythe Faraday’s gleanings. The victim this time was a popular football player, Kohl, at his high school, but no one was brave enough to stay with him when the end came…except for Rowan. Scythe Faraday notes that Rowan was the only one who was brave enough to face death in order to be there to comfort Kohl. That is not what other people think though. They think he was there so he could watch Kohl’s gleaning and perhaps was even the cause. Gleanings are supposed to be random, but Rowan knew there must be something else. Indeed, Scythe Faraday reveals during Kohl’s last moments that he was chosen because he is a teenager with a car who likes to drink and Scythe Faraday then chose randomly from that demographic. But no one else knows this and, by association with this morbid event, Rowan becomes a social pariah.

In other words, both Rowan and Citra find themselves in the wake of Scythe Faraday’s reaping, and eventually they are both selected by him to be mentored as Scythes in training. As they become more and more immersed in the Scythedom, they learn that there is politics in play everywhere. A new movement—led by a Scythe Goddard—of younger Scythes who commit massacres almost for fun and material enrichment begin pushing against the “old guard” Scythes, those who believe in mercy and dignity for those gleaned.

Scythe Faraday teaches Citra and Rowan his philosophies and ideals, those of the “old guard.” But eventually, through the orchestration of Scythe Goddard, it is declared that only one of Scythe Faraday’s apprentices will be allowed to join the Scythedom. The one selected will have to kill the one who is not. This was never Scythe Faraday’s intent when he selected them, but it seems that there is only one way out and someone’s blood will be spilled.

Marshmallow is reading Scythe by Neal Shusterman. — Marshmallow is reading *Scythe* by Neal Shusterman.

Marshmallow’s Review: Scythe is an amazing book! The philosophical nature of it made it extremely intellectually stimulating and the plot was engrossing. I read this at the same time that Sprinkles and Caramel were reading it and we kept fighting who got to the read first. When we all finished, we immediately wanted to read the second book!

The world imagined by Schusterman is a bit of a utopian version of our world, with things running more smoothly. Yet life has become rather artificial and everyone is essentially immortal. Purpose is rather absent from humans’ lives, except for the Scythes who have to take on a traumatizing role that shapes them forever. Once a Scythe, always a Scythe. Citra and Rowan learn that Scythes all glean in different ways, yet as Scythe Faraday says: there is no right way to glean, but there are definitely wrong ways. In this imaginary world, Schusterman sets up a struggle for power between Scythes and places Citra and Rowan in the midst of the chaos.

Honestly, Scythe was one of the most fascinating and engrossing books I have read. I really want to read the next book! The ending was very satisfying but it also leaves some things untold. The story does continue (I think there are three books in total in the series, Arc of a Scythe) and I am excited to read more!

Scythe is a really well written book and I think it is amazingly stimulating. It does force one to consider what life without purpose would be like and how mortality affects humanity. It also makes you appreciate life a lot more and makes you look for purpose in your own life. I would highly recommend reading this book. There is some violence, so I would not share it with bunnies younger than twelve. But this is an amazing book and I would completely recommend reading it for anyone else!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Scythe by Neal Shusterman 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Scythe* by Neal Shusterman 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Fearful by Lauren Roberts

Marshmallow has already read and reviewed the three main books of Lauren Roberts’s Powerless trilogy: Powerless, Reckless, and Fearless. She has also reviewed the novella Powerful, set in the same world as the books of the trilogy, and placed in between the first two books chronologically. Today she reviews a brand new addition to this series: Fearful, a novella published just last week that retells some of the events of Fearless from a different perspective.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked Lauren Roberts’ previous books Powerless, Reckless, and Fearless, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Mara is the personification of Death. Her job is to essentially bring all the souls of the dead to a place called the Mors, what seems to be another dimension with a hungry earth, mist, and lots of grey trees. In the Mors, she leaves the souls alone, desperate to escape, and many eventually go insane. It is implied this is for people who did bad things in their lives.

Mara is summoned whenever a person is about to die and needs her to pass into the realm of death. So when the new king of Ilya, Kitt, takes a dose of the deadly Plague in an effort to become more powerful, she feels called to him. However, for reasons not explained, she feels a special connection to the young king–despite the fact that she promised never to set foot in Ilya ever again (again, for reasons left unexplained). By taking the Plague, Kitt is now doomed to die, though he does not yet believe it.

Mara starts wandering around his castle while she waits for his death, and she starts to take an interest in the relationship between an Imperial named Lenny and Blair (who killed Paedyn’s best friend in a previous book). Though they are extremely combative, Mara looks at their souls and sees that they are bonded. As their relationship starts to bring them closer, Kitt gets closer to his end. Mara and Kitt start talking at some point and they too start to have feelings for each other. Mara teaches Kitt how to die and Kitt teaches Mara how to live.

The author insinuates that Mara had a past life and was human, becoming Death itself somehow; the details and actual explanations are not given. As the book progresses, Kitt’s illness gets worse and worse. Ultimately, the end is not unexpected, but it is heart-breaking nonetheless: Kitt faces Death. The question is whether Death will greet him kindly or not.

Marshmallow is reading Fearful by Lauren Roberts. — Marshmallow is reading *Fearful* by Lauren Roberts.

Marshmallow’s Review: Lauren Roberts enjoys torturing her readers. All but a few characters end up with horrible endings and this book leaves so many unanswered questions. I hope Roberts will write another book that explains half of this book.

That said, I did like Fearful. It was very interesting to hear Roberts’ explanation of Death, the afterlife, and other fantastical aspects of this world. I was very unsatisfied by her lack of explanation about Mara though. I think she is probably setting up another book specifically about her.

I did like how Fearful focused on Kitt, who was always like a third wheel in the Paedyn-Kai storyline. I thought a lot of what is said in this book was described briefly in the previous stories, especially the third book of the main trilogy, but this one added a lot more.

I thought the writing was extremely good. Towards the end of the book, as Kitt approaches Death and starts suffering memory loss as a side effect of the Plague, the writing really helps show his mind and emotions. I did not like the ending at all though and was very confused.

I would still recommend reading Fearful. I just really would like Roberts to write a follow-up that finishes it up fully!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates Fearful by Lauren Roberts 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Fearful* by Lauren Roberts 95%.

Marshmallow reviews Fearless by Lauren Roberts

Last year Marshmallow reviewed Powerless and Reckless by Lauren Roberts, the first two books of her Powerless trilogy. Then earlier this year, she reviewed Powerful, a novella that recounts events taking place in the same story world as the trilogy, involving some of the same characters that we met in those first two books. Today she is finally ready to talk about Fearless, the third and last book of the trilogy that was published just this April.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked Lauren Roberts’ previous books in her Powerless series, then this is definitely the book for you—though probably you had already been waiting for it!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): [For most of the background, readers should probably begin with my review of the first book, Powerless, and my review of the second book, Reckless.]

At the end of Reckless, Paedyn Gray returns to Ilya as a prisoner believing she is approaching her own execution. Her captor is none other than her beloved Kai, who is bound by duty to bring her to his brother Kitt. However, it turns out that Kitt wanted Paedyn brought back to Ilya so he could propose to her. This is a shocking turn of events since she had killed their father—the king of Ilya—in the first book. (She did have a valid justification of self-defense.) After a while though, Kai has forgiven her. Kitt, on the other hand, seems to be stuck somewhere entirely different from the spectrum of forgiveness and hate.

Paedyn accepts Kitt’s proposal because she believes it will help bring equality in Ilya between the Ordinaries and the Elites. But even though she is now engaged to Kitt, Paedyn finds herself still pining for Kai. Once again, their love seems impossible. But they separately start to realize two things: first, Kitt has changed and no longer seems like himself, and secondly, they cannot be apart. Luckily for them, Kitt has arranged new Trials for Paedyn in order for her to prove herself as an Ordinary to the Elites of Ilya. She must retrieve ancient artifacts, gain the trust of foreign kingdoms, and make the ultimate sacrifice.

I won’t spoil more. But if you thought Roberts’ plot was complex in the first two books, you will be happy to know that the story ends in a most satisfactory way, though with many twists and turns along the way that I never saw coming. Will Paedyn, Kai, and Kitt all make it to their happy ending? Or will one or more get lost along the way?

Marshmallow is reading Fearless by Lauren Roberts. — Marshmallow is reading *Fearless* by Lauren Roberts.

Marshmallow’s Review: Fearless is a really complicated book that adds a lot of depth to the original story, the fictional world, Ilya’s history, the characters, and the series. Ultimately, the ending is bittersweet, but I can say that things are resolved pretty well. I was not disappointed with the end and I felt like this is probably the best way for the series to end without leaving a majority of the readers bawling with tears in their eyes. That said, it is still touching and emotional. In Fearless, Roberts reveals many layers of Ilya and the entire world that had been previously unseen. These revelations make the end an even more satisfying one because the story becomes a lot richer with detail.

I will say though that I did notice some things were a little too similar to the Hunger Games series to be coincidental. The Purging Trials of Ilya are almost carbon copies of Panem’s Hunger Games, and Paedyn in many aspects seems like a reflection of Katniss. I know a lot of readers are disappointed by these striking parallels. Many have pointed to several other books that Roberts seems to have “taken inspiration from.” I haven’t read all of the books they list, but I can see why some say that some aspects of Roberts’ work are a little suspiciously close to other peoples’ work. However, I found the plot twists in this book unique and these make all the difference. The twists in this third installment were so unexpected yet so well-executed that I could not put the book down till it was done.

I’m a little sad the series is over, and I do wonder if this emotional journey with Paedyn has been beneficial to me. (The series is rough on the tear ducts!) But overall, this was a very well-done conclusion for a very well-done series! Not all fans will be happy, but when have we readers ever agreed on an ending? Overall, I would recommend this third book because I really appreciate how, despite all the darkness in the previous books, it ends on a hopeful note.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Fearless by Lauren Roberts 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Fearless* by Lauren Roberts 100%.