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Jul 24, 2018TEENREVIEWCREW rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Thunderhead is the second book in the Arc of the Scythe trilogy by Neal Shusterman. It is an excellent book, with a fascinating premise, and it questions the ideals and morals of society in a new way. The book is very fast-paced, and when a chapter, page, or even a sentence isn’t necessary to further the plot, they almost always provide an important insight to the characters and the world it is set in. The foreshadowing in this book is stunning, and through the alternating perspectives it seamlessly blends a certain character’s morals and beliefs from something empathetic and forgiving into something more sinister. The worldbuilding of this book is detailed, from what the years are called, to how and why imagination, art, and passion had diminished throughout the years. The only criticism I have for this amazing sequel is that the romance between the two main characters is completely unnecessary. The character’s relationship would have made much more sense and a deeper impact if it was platonic of familial. Overall, I would have to rate this book 5/5. @sideswipefirefight of the Hamilton Public Library Teen Review Board Thunderhead started slow. The pacing and intrigue just wasn’t there in the first 100 pages. I thought I’d be disappointed, and was sad to see another book fall to middle book syndrome. That was, until Shusterman came back with the ferocity that was “Scythe” and I finished reading the book breathless. This dystopian breaks the standards for any other book of the genre that I will ever read. Nothing can compare to the action-packed wild ride that Thunderhead takes you on. Citra has become Scythe Anastasia and chooses to glean with compassion, under her mentor Scythe Curie. Rowan has gone off-grid, the darker side we became acquainted with at the end of book 1 taking full flight and making him an extremely challenging character. While the previous book followed a pattern of gleaning journals before every chapter, this one gave perspective to the Thunderhead, the Artificial Intelligence that controls the world. Mere words can’t express the genius that Shusterman is; I will never get over this book, the cliffhanger, and the writing. The wait for book three is physically and mentally excruciating. Rating 4.5/5 Show less @jewelreader of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library