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You are here: Home / Archives for Book Series

Popular Book Series Arc of a Scythe Parallel the Last Decade with its Twists and Turns

December 24, 2019 by Nichole Harwood

By Nichole Harwood 

With the end of the year fast approaching, I stopped and looked at the many great book series coming to an end. Deciding to take a chance on a series I never read that was coming to an end in 2019 I jumped into the Arc of a Scythe book series by Young Adult Award-winning author Neal Shusterman. 

There are few things more satisfying for a reader than being able to read a new series from book one through to the last book without stopping. After picking up “Scythe” the first book in this series, I was hooked. The thrill only continued with the second book “Thunderhead,” and finally, after finishing the last book in the series “The Toll,” I have come to one conclusion. There could never be a better book series to reflect the last decade than this one. 

This last decade has been filled with ups and downs, twists, and turns no one could ever have predicted. There have been conclusions to many phenomenons, both politically-related and entertainment-related that have left many feeling the journey was bittersweet. 

“Sythe” the first of the series focuses on two main characters Citra and Rowan. Through these characters, we are introduced to a world that is for all intents and purposes a Utopia. Disease, war, and death are a thing of the past, and the world is run by a computer program known as the Thunderhead. Regardless of what other sci-fi books have thought would become of a culture dependent on a computer program, Thunderhead has not turned on humanity but instead runs a functional society that addresses the needs and wants of its people. The only part of society that reflects any darkness whatsoever is the scythes. You see, in a perfect world, the only problem left is overpopulation. In response to this problem, scythes monitor and end lives to keep the population under control.  Scythes are not monitored by Thunderhead, and Thunderhead isn’t allowed to interfere in their duties at all. Scythes exist because humans decided that only other humans should be in charge of who lives and who dies. And this is the primary writing point for all conflicts in the series. 

Our protagonists Citra and Rowan, are chosen to apprentice to a scythe. Together the two must learn about their society and find a solution to any corruptness within. The first book, “Scythe,” does a beautiful job setting up the world and characters. Both Citra and Rowan are amazing and have incredible layers to them. I found myself invested in both their fates. By the second book, “Thunderhead,” we have a third character added in Greyson, who is a refreshing addition as he is just an ordinary guy within this society that, by this point, we readers have begun worrying about. His personality sharply contrasts with the two protagonists, and his relationship with Thunderhead gives us more insight into the computer system than we ever had before. I found I could not stop reading the second book anymore; then, the first and words could not express my excitement to read the third. 

Then I read the third book, “The Toll,” and this was when the comparison between the series and the last decade came to mind. “The Toll” is by no means a bad book. There are many exciting parts to it, and the ending it gave to the character Greyson is by far one of my favorite character endings in literature. But the end it gave for both Rowan and Citra was…well more odd than necessarily bad. Twists in cinema and literature can often sweep us off our feet, making us jump up excited to know more. But in the same regard, a twist can also sweep us off our feet, leaving us lying on the ground, wondering what the heck happened and not wanting to see more because our head still hurts from hitting the ground. Certain twists in “The Toll” had me excited eager to see what happen next, and others made me do something I never had for the previous books in the series. 

Put it down. 

I came back, of course, because I needed to know the end, but I often found myself so thrown by decisions made by the author I was not in the mood to read more. 

I read both “Scythe” and “Thunderhead” in a day. It took me three to read “The Toll.” And that is what is so brilliant about this series. Shusterman created a world and series that I became so invested in that I found myself actively irritated by twists that I felt did not give the series justice. 

All in all, I do not regret picking up these books and highly encourage anyone with interest in a well developed and exciting fictional series of books to do the same. This last decade was a mixed bag, and so was this book, but I wouldn’t have wanted to miss either of them. It may not have had a satisfactory ending for every character, but covering that is just as important as covering the satisfying endings. 

To quote the first page of the series, “We are instructed to write down not just our deeds but our feelings because it must be known that we have feelings. Remorse. Regret. Sorrow to great to bear. Because if we didn’t feel those things, what monsters would we be?” – From the gleaning journal of H.S. Curie. 

Filed Under: Around the web, Art, Featured, Magazine Tagged With: Albuquerque, Arc of a Scythe, Book, Book Review, Book Series, dystopia, Fantasy, Fiction, Neal Shusterman, New Mexico, Read More, review, Scythe, The Toll, Thunderhead, YA Novel

Reticence: A Beautiful Farewell

October 18, 2019 by Nichole Harwood

By Nichole Harwood 

Saying goodbye to a favorite book series is not so different from saying farewell to a dear friend. You know there is a chance you will see each other again but you are also faced with the reality that the relationship you held dear for many years is now moving on. Gail Carriger’s Reticence, the fourth book in the Custard Protocol series and seemingly final chapter in the beautiful world that began with Soulless, was released August 6th, closing a final chapter on a world that was just as remarkably witty as it was creative. 

The intelligent and slightly antisocial Percival Tunstell (“Percy” to his friends) takes the reins in the final book, giving us an interesting view of how the world Carriger built looks to one of her less sociable main characters. Unlike his charming sister Primrose and her overly charismatic best friend Prudence (a favorite of mine in the series) Percy is simply not the adventure type. His character hearkens to one that is born into extraordinary circumstances but would rather embrace the ordinary in life. 

While we are told by other main characters that Percy truly belongs among the cast on the Spotted Custard we have never really seen him embrace his place among them. This book finally allows us to see Percy embrace his place and prove that he is a truly valuable member of the Spotted Custard. 

The book begins with Dr. Arsenic Ruthven, a doctor who while brilliant has to often fight for her place among her colleagues due to her gender. The lady doctor strikes gold when she is interviewed by the crew of the Spotted Custard who immediately take a liking to her and quickly hire her as the doctor of their vessel. From the very beginning of the book, there is an attraction between Arsenic and our main character Percy, and the book does a very elegant job of portraying the relationship from both points of view. But while a romance exists in this book it would be a mistake to file the final book of this series under romance. Quite early on we are thrown into a collection of interesting and strange situations ranging from a wedding where the bride’s grandmother is promptly thrown into a fountain (don’t worry she deserved it) to a request for the crew to journey to Japan. Along the way, Carriger introduces a range of characters from past series to new faces that only seem to expand the world she built. When we actually arrive in Japan and are given the conflict of saving a dying fox shifter or not, we as readers are already well invested in the ending of the series. 

As the writing shifts from Percy to Arsenic, readers are given two very different perspectives that I believe shape this book as not just a thrilling conclusion to a beloved series, but a proper stand-alone read on it’s own. Percy serves as the eyes of seasoned readers, who know all the characters introduced, while Arsenic serves as the eyes of new readers who are being introduced to these characters for the first time. 

This book seems to serve two purposes: the first is wrapping up the entirety of the series by allowing us to say goodbye to a cast we have come to love, and the second is solidifying one of the younger cast member’s place in the series. Showing readers both old and new that there is so much more still left to explore in the world Carriger created. 

The parts of the book that stood out to me were the ones that truly dived into Percy’s character. What I really love about his character is how similar he and his mother Ivy are from a reader’s perspective. I don’t mean personality-wise, as the two could not be farther apart in attitude or character, but rather how easily overlooked they are. Ivy is introduced in the first book as the main character Alexia Tarabotti’s best friend, and Percy is the brother of this series main character Prudence’s best friend. Both Ivy and Percy are often wildly underestimated by their peers and yet both end up being integral to the plotlines of their respective series. 

There are two endings to this book: the first is Percy’s ending which gives readers hope as his last lines are perhaps one of my favorite in the book.  

“Percy realized that perhaps he hadn’t estimated properly and that they may not quite make it to Hong Kong, but he had no doubt at all, that they would make it somewhere. 

They would make it happen. 

They would make all of it happen, together. 

And it would be glorious.” (Percy, Reticence the fourth book in the Custard Protocol Series)  

The second ending is a farewell from one character that has been a constant throughout the series, Lord Akeldama. While his letter is beautiful I will admit that one line sticks out to me the most and I think it is the best line to end this review on as it encapsulates not just Carriger’s characters but also a large chunk of humanity. 

“Never discount humans. They try so very hard. Sometimes they become something wonderful.” (Lord Akeldama, Reticence the fourth book in the Custard Protocol Series) 

Banner Courtesy of @gailcarrigerllc via Facebook

Filed Under: Art, Featured, Magazine Tagged With: abq live, Albuquerque, Available, Book Review, Book Series, Gail Carriger, New Book, New Mexico, Read Now, Reticence

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