ARC Review: Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2)

About The Book:

  Title: Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2)

  Author: Neal Shusterman
  Pub. Date: January 9th, 2018
  Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
  Pages: 512

  Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia

  Rate: 5/5 stars 

Synopsis :

Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the second novel of the chilling New York Times bestselling series from Neal Shusterman, author of the Unwind dystology.

Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.

Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?

Review:

"Whoever holds the torch casts the darkest shadow." 

Thunderhead is Neal Shusterman's second installment of the Arc of a Scythe series, which looks at the consequences of an all-perfect world. If you haven't read Scythe yet, I HIGHLY encourage you to do so. Scythe was one of my favorite books I read last year, and Thunderhead sure won't disappoint either.

Thunderhead begins with Rowan on the run, taking on the role of Scythe Lucifer - gleaning and burning any scythe he feels to be using their power in an unjust way. Now Scythe Anastasia, we find out that Citra has an extremely high possibility of changing the world. But how can she do so when she has an anonymous threat on her life? New Order and Old Guard Scythes alike don't know how to take her innovative method of gleaning, in which she lets people choose their own method to die and gives them a month to say goodbyes and get affairs in order.

Usually, I find myself bored and inpatient with second books that just couldn't live up to my expectations after the first installment. Well, I loved Thunderhead more than Scythe - which is so rare when it comes to sequels. And c'mon guys, I know that I'm not the only one who finds second books falling short of the first book quality. Trust me when I say, the characters in Thunderhead transcend their first book selves. You will become so much more invested in their characters. Citra, Rowan, Curie, and Faraday are trying their best to do what they think is right, in spite of their flaws. We also see the Thunderhead taking a bigger role, risking the Separation of Scythe and State Laws in order to "better serve" the world. With action, intrigue, betrayal, and a touch of Rowan and Citra romance, Thunderhead is a sequel which trumps its predecessor. It's also jam-packed with interesting and new dynamic characters that will keep you captivated from page 1.

Not to mention - we see an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat (err.. or book?), and craving for the third book in the series (WHICH HAS NO NAME OR RELEASE DATE YET)! How will we survive?! Have you read Scythe yet? If not, definitely try to pick it up at a library, on amazon, or at your favorite independent book store! I know how us book lovers love bookish gift cards for holiday gifts. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with spending your gift card on this amazing series. But be sure to preorder Thunderhead - you will 100% want to dive right in after finishing Scythe.

- Jocelyn