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Arc of a Scythe #3
The Toll
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2019)It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.
In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.
In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.
625 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2019
About the author
Neal Shusterman
86 books27.5k followersAward-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
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Want to read
December 22, 2019um hello where is this book??????????
(y'all i posted this in january, i know when the book is coming out now lol)
(y'all i posted this in january, i know when the book is coming out now lol)
August 8, 2023
This wasn't a great conclusion to a good series.
It was too long, all over the place and an overall let down.
It was too long, all over the place and an overall let down.
August 2, 2023
Głowa mi wybuchła, a zaraz potem serce.
Nie pozbieram się chyba 🥹🥹🥹
Nie pozbieram się chyba 🥹🥹🥹
May 7, 2021
I have read my way through 315 books to bring you my Top 10 Books of the Year (video) .
Now you know that this one made the cut, check out my video review to see the others!
ok. Looks like they are REALLY serious about no spoilers... so I'll just say - this was everything.
Literally blown away, socks knocked off.
Everything.
My Review- now that the book is out
...can’t see why I should concern myself with humankind at all.Rowan and Citra were last seen three years ago, at the sinking of the Scythe island.
Nearly all of the scythes have passed away, and any witnesses know well enough what narrative they should follow.
Scythe Goddard is back (well, in a way) and despite the impulsiveness of his new body, he is bound and determined to expand the reaches of his power.
Meanwhile Grayson Tolliver is the only human on earth that the Thunderhead is willing to talk to and together they must combat Scythe Goddard's reach.
Except, the Thunderhead cannot work against a scythe, it must find a way to guide the unguideable.
And Scythe Farraday finds himself increasingly restless on an abandoned island (well, except for his assistant)...but that island won't be lonely for much longer.
There is a hint of change on the wind, and it's coming ever closer.
You can't expose a lie without first shattering the will to believe it. That is why leading people to truth is so much more effective than merely telling them.Ahhh. This book was SO dang good.
I really love how Shusterman wove together all of these competing storylines in such a way that I never wanted to speed through one of them to "get to the good part" - they were ALL good parts.
I especially loved Citra's arc - her character started off so different from where it ended but it all happened so naturally that I was in absolute love with her "grown-up" self.
I definitely think Rowan should've gotten a bit more screen-time. He's one of my favorites, and I would've loved to see him in more scenes. But ah, well. Can't have everything!
I do wish that the time-frame was a little clearer in this one.
I did struggle a bit to follow at first because we start at one time, jump around a bit, and eventually all the characters end up together. (Note: I don't mean time travel, just the one set is at present, another storyline is telling us what happened a year ago, etc).
It made sense in the end, but wow was I surprised the first time that happened!
Overall, I am incredibly pleased with this series - and that ending! I definitely didn't see it coming!!
With many thinks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Neal Shusterman for sending me a free, ARC in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from a published copy, NOT from my ARC.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
December 22, 2019
I really ought to give this book 1 star for Jeri alone. If you don’t know what "tokenism" is, you will understand this term after reading The Toll.
But let me get to the novel in general first, before I start ranting about Jeri specifically.
When I finished rereading Thunderhead a couple of days ago, I did so with trepidation and excitement. What will come out of the thrilling cliff-hangers, I thought? Where will Goddard lead his New Order? What is the future of the Scythedom? How will humanity handle the absence of the Thunderhead in its lives? What will the roles of Rowan and Citra be, if they do indeed survive? Will humanity reform itself in any kind of profound way? How will people handle the impending overpopulation problem, if left to their own devices?
What Shusterman delivered in The Toll, was a messy, overlong, boring, meandering novel that also tried to be a commentary on the present day American political climate, or so it seemed. It culminated in the ending that was both neatly predictable and satisfying and at the same time a total copout.
The pacing and plot structure needed more work. There was a ton of characters introduced that ultimately had no bearing on the story arc. They lived, they did some inconsequential busy work, they died, or whatever. Easily, 200 pages could have been trimmed away. The whole Toll story line while it dabbled in an interesting idea of how religions are born, was long and sucked a lot of oxygen out of the narrative. Citra and Rowan had minimal, and mostly thankless, roles of star-crossed lovers to play in this novel, and not much else.
But the most massive disappointment for me was by far the development of Goddard. I truly couldn't understand how he managed to consolidate his power, being a nonsensical tantrum-y psycho mass-killing villain that he was in The Toll. Granted, there hadn’t been much to his agenda in either Scythe or Thunderhead, but here, in The Toll was an opportunity for Goddard to be explained. Goddard had such a strong following, but why? There is a paragraph in this novel that actually could have been a great motivator for following someone like Goddard. What IS an immortal humanity without scythes, without the threat of death, the only thing that stirs the blood of people, the only limitation and the only fear? This is the question at the a core of this series, IMO, but the way Shusterman answered it in the end, was no answer at all. In fact, the resolution obliterated any justification for ever considering creating the Scythedom with its violent methods in the first place.
Also not explained were changes in the rules of this world with Goddard suddenly able to run economies and have new administrative powers? I think Shusterman’s desire to bring current events and current president into the story to draw parallels changed his original world building to something that makes no sense at all.
Now, Jeri. Oh, Jeri. Jeri is the only gender-fluid person ever introduced in this series, and, the way I saw it, this character's main role was to be a mouthpiece for this particular “issue” Shusterman had become suddenly and inexplicably interested in, and be objectified and used. You could literally tell Jeri was grafted on top of the narrative to deliver "the message", because there was nothing else for this character to do! That in this futuristic world, where people don’t die, can rejuvenate and reinvent themselves, have multiple families and lives and have an ample opportunity to explore everyone and everything, anyone would need a lecture on gender-fluidity, was absurd! I literally cringed in embarrassment for Shusterman while reading Jeri’s TED talks on the subject of the “gender fluid people are people too” variety. This is not The Handmaid’s Tale, for goodness’ sake, we all have already understood that all social constructs like class, gender, race were a thing of the past in this series. Even though, it must be said, Shusterman himself never brought up any other sexual identity other than cis in the previous installments. Which makes Jeri's character even more questionable. I am going to assume that Shusterman came to creating Jeri from a well-meaning place, but it sure turned into an awkward, earnest, exploitative disaster, if you ask me.
A letdown.
But let me get to the novel in general first, before I start ranting about Jeri specifically.
When I finished rereading Thunderhead a couple of days ago, I did so with trepidation and excitement. What will come out of the thrilling cliff-hangers, I thought? Where will Goddard lead his New Order? What is the future of the Scythedom? How will humanity handle the absence of the Thunderhead in its lives? What will the roles of Rowan and Citra be, if they do indeed survive? Will humanity reform itself in any kind of profound way? How will people handle the impending overpopulation problem, if left to their own devices?
What Shusterman delivered in The Toll, was a messy, overlong, boring, meandering novel that also tried to be a commentary on the present day American political climate, or so it seemed. It culminated in the ending that was both neatly predictable and satisfying and at the same time a total copout.
The pacing and plot structure needed more work. There was a ton of characters introduced that ultimately had no bearing on the story arc. They lived, they did some inconsequential busy work, they died, or whatever. Easily, 200 pages could have been trimmed away. The whole Toll story line while it dabbled in an interesting idea of how religions are born, was long and sucked a lot of oxygen out of the narrative. Citra and Rowan had minimal, and mostly thankless, roles of star-crossed lovers to play in this novel, and not much else.
But the most massive disappointment for me was by far the development of Goddard. I truly couldn't understand how he managed to consolidate his power, being a nonsensical tantrum-y psycho mass-killing villain that he was in The Toll. Granted, there hadn’t been much to his agenda in either Scythe or Thunderhead, but here, in The Toll was an opportunity for Goddard to be explained. Goddard had such a strong following, but why? There is a paragraph in this novel that actually could have been a great motivator for following someone like Goddard. What IS an immortal humanity without scythes, without the threat of death, the only thing that stirs the blood of people, the only limitation and the only fear? This is the question at the a core of this series, IMO, but the way Shusterman answered it in the end, was no answer at all. In fact, the resolution obliterated any justification for ever considering creating the Scythedom with its violent methods in the first place.
Also not explained were changes in the rules of this world with Goddard suddenly able to run economies and have new administrative powers? I think Shusterman’s desire to bring current events and current president into the story to draw parallels changed his original world building to something that makes no sense at all.
Now, Jeri. Oh, Jeri. Jeri is the only gender-fluid person ever introduced in this series, and, the way I saw it, this character's main role was to be a mouthpiece for this particular “issue” Shusterman had become suddenly and inexplicably interested in, and be objectified and used. You could literally tell Jeri was grafted on top of the narrative to deliver "the message", because there was nothing else for this character to do! That in this futuristic world, where people don’t die, can rejuvenate and reinvent themselves, have multiple families and lives and have an ample opportunity to explore everyone and everything, anyone would need a lecture on gender-fluidity, was absurd! I literally cringed in embarrassment for Shusterman while reading Jeri’s TED talks on the subject of the “gender fluid people are people too” variety. This is not The Handmaid’s Tale, for goodness’ sake, we all have already understood that all social constructs like class, gender, race were a thing of the past in this series. Even though, it must be said, Shusterman himself never brought up any other sexual identity other than cis in the previous installments. Which makes Jeri's character even more questionable. I am going to assume that Shusterman came to creating Jeri from a well-meaning place, but it sure turned into an awkward, earnest, exploitative disaster, if you ask me.
A letdown.
November 10, 2019
the best thing about this book is the storytelling/writing. without a doubt.
shusterman is a genius with how he weaves each of the characters, old and new, having their paths flirt with each other until they finally intertwine. there are so many moving parts to the conclusion of this series that it feels like the reader is watching a puzzle being completed, with each piece slowing finding its home until the final result is realised. its just so masterfully done that i cant help but praise the writing and how the story is told (so much so that i want to round up my rating).
that being said, i have finally become tired of the story itself (luckily, its now over). i just think the novelty wore off after the second book and this installment is much longer and drawn-out than it needs to be, in my opinion. it also doesnt help that the reason i loved this story to begin with (citra and rowen and how they interact with each other) is not present for 95% of this novel. its a personal pet peeve when stories separate the main characters, so i just wasnt enjoying that aspect of the plot.
i do appreciate how everything is resolved and i think many fans of the series will like the conclusion but, unfortunately, i just felt a little less invested in this than i was at the beginning of the series.
↠ 3.5 stars
shusterman is a genius with how he weaves each of the characters, old and new, having their paths flirt with each other until they finally intertwine. there are so many moving parts to the conclusion of this series that it feels like the reader is watching a puzzle being completed, with each piece slowing finding its home until the final result is realised. its just so masterfully done that i cant help but praise the writing and how the story is told (so much so that i want to round up my rating).
that being said, i have finally become tired of the story itself (luckily, its now over). i just think the novelty wore off after the second book and this installment is much longer and drawn-out than it needs to be, in my opinion. it also doesnt help that the reason i loved this story to begin with (citra and rowen and how they interact with each other) is not present for 95% of this novel. its a personal pet peeve when stories separate the main characters, so i just wasnt enjoying that aspect of the plot.
i do appreciate how everything is resolved and i think many fans of the series will like the conclusion but, unfortunately, i just felt a little less invested in this than i was at the beginning of the series.
↠ 3.5 stars
October 10, 2019
Edited 10/10/19:
neal, why?
(full review to come)
-----------
The Toll?
......The [Greyson] Toll-iver.
SAVE MY CINNAMON ROLLS.
neal, why?
(full review to come)
-----------
The Toll?
......The [Greyson] Toll-iver.
SAVE MY CINNAMON ROLLS.
December 4, 2020
I can hear Door’s lyrics playing in my head. “ This is the end my beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend”
All the good things need to end at someday. Even SPN after 15 freaking crazy ride seasons later has to end. This is the second emotional thing I had to endure. First one is saying goodbye to Winchester brothers and the second one is finishing this book, waving at those beautiful characters.
So I’m giving my full five gazillion shiny stars for the love of Scythedom, Rowan, Citra, Goddard, Anastasia, Jerico ( my favorite newcomer) and all those remarkable characters, fantastic word building, creatively visualized dystopian atmosphere, provocative political system criticism ( you may see all those reflections of The US’s political climate change which are intelligently inserted inside this book.)
I feel a little sad reading lesser parts about Rowan and Citra because they grow on me and they were easily likable characters. I feel like they were my nieces, slowly becoming mature, fighting against all those biggest challenges, obstacles and mostly defeating evil genius minds and their own securities. I wish the author may decide to write a new special sequel just for those lovely protagonists. But I found the decision not to see so much parts about them is necessary because I’m a big fan of apocalyptic stories that future of the entire world is depending only one person’s powers kind of heroism. It’s absurd, nonsense and only can be seen and turned into a box office hits at Michael Bay’s %0 rotten tomatoes pointed movies.
The ending was REMARKABLE, SO SATISFYING! I couldn’t think any better conclusion. That’s why Neal Shusterman is genius author who is always million steps ahead from the readers. You cannot walk to catch his brilliance. You have to run a marathon but it’s totally worth it!
I didn’t cry so much since Lost’s final episode ( not for missing the series, the ending was ridiculously absurd and painful, worse than GOT’s final)
I loved this series! I loved those characters! I loved every pieces of this author’s brain cells, his political ideas, his sarcastic criticism ( if he runs for presidency, I’ll definitely vote for him)
This series will be always on my mind like Georgia and they will be my all time favorite books!
All the good things need to end at someday. Even SPN after 15 freaking crazy ride seasons later has to end. This is the second emotional thing I had to endure. First one is saying goodbye to Winchester brothers and the second one is finishing this book, waving at those beautiful characters.
So I’m giving my full five gazillion shiny stars for the love of Scythedom, Rowan, Citra, Goddard, Anastasia, Jerico ( my favorite newcomer) and all those remarkable characters, fantastic word building, creatively visualized dystopian atmosphere, provocative political system criticism ( you may see all those reflections of The US’s political climate change which are intelligently inserted inside this book.)
I feel a little sad reading lesser parts about Rowan and Citra because they grow on me and they were easily likable characters. I feel like they were my nieces, slowly becoming mature, fighting against all those biggest challenges, obstacles and mostly defeating evil genius minds and their own securities. I wish the author may decide to write a new special sequel just for those lovely protagonists. But I found the decision not to see so much parts about them is necessary because I’m a big fan of apocalyptic stories that future of the entire world is depending only one person’s powers kind of heroism. It’s absurd, nonsense and only can be seen and turned into a box office hits at Michael Bay’s %0 rotten tomatoes pointed movies.
The ending was REMARKABLE, SO SATISFYING! I couldn’t think any better conclusion. That’s why Neal Shusterman is genius author who is always million steps ahead from the readers. You cannot walk to catch his brilliance. You have to run a marathon but it’s totally worth it!
I didn’t cry so much since Lost’s final episode ( not for missing the series, the ending was ridiculously absurd and painful, worse than GOT’s final)
I loved this series! I loved those characters! I loved every pieces of this author’s brain cells, his political ideas, his sarcastic criticism ( if he runs for presidency, I’ll definitely vote for him)
This series will be always on my mind like Georgia and they will be my all time favorite books!
June 21, 2021
"The human heart is rarely practical."
A solid ending for one of the best fantasy series I've come across. Although I loved the first two books, before diving in to The Toll, I was little agitated about how this would end. Considering how things progressed up to now, where it was continuously implied that population growth was a problem without a solution in the age of immortality, I thought this could end only one of two ways: either with with a lot of death (which would be depressing) or getting rid of Scythdom (which would be unrealistic). Turns out Shusterman had other, and much more satisfying, alternatives in mind.
"No one cared about a fail-safe until something failed."
If you loved the first two books, you're going to find everything that was good, are still here: interesting plotline, amazing characters, and the perfect pace. It does get substantially complex here, but when the complexity makes sense as it does with this, it transcends the reading experience. Even with the intended ending being implied around halfway, the author maintains enough variables to introduce odd turns right till the end. The number of parallel plot-lines have also being increased, and, all of them converges beautifully towards the ending. Shusterman has a perfect way of tying up loose ends.
"Important work often loses the spotlight to self-important people."
However, this is the first book I've given a 4-star rating in this series. I was compelled to give five stars to the first, entirely based on the unique plot line and that ending. The second one improved a lot compared to the first, and it was deserving of a perfect rating. But with this one, I'm taking out a single star out for two main reasons. Maintaining the timeline was somewhat difficult with this one. The rotation of POVs caused going back and forth in times, even years at a time, which was a little difficult to keep up with at times. The second reason is the ending of the villains: it could've been a little more satisfying.
"Rumors are like rain through an old roof. The effort of finding the source is greater than the cost of a new roof."
I still cannot believe how much I enjoyed this series. I was never a big fan of dystopia before, but I loved everything about this. Although this is the last book of Arc of a Scythe, I really hope there will be a spin-off series.
"The Toll doesn't like almonds."
A solid ending for one of the best fantasy series I've come across. Although I loved the first two books, before diving in to The Toll, I was little agitated about how this would end. Considering how things progressed up to now, where it was continuously implied that population growth was a problem without a solution in the age of immortality, I thought this could end only one of two ways: either with with a lot of death (which would be depressing) or getting rid of Scythdom (which would be unrealistic). Turns out Shusterman had other, and much more satisfying, alternatives in mind.
"No one cared about a fail-safe until something failed."
If you loved the first two books, you're going to find everything that was good, are still here: interesting plotline, amazing characters, and the perfect pace. It does get substantially complex here, but when the complexity makes sense as it does with this, it transcends the reading experience. Even with the intended ending being implied around halfway, the author maintains enough variables to introduce odd turns right till the end. The number of parallel plot-lines have also being increased, and, all of them converges beautifully towards the ending. Shusterman has a perfect way of tying up loose ends.
"Important work often loses the spotlight to self-important people."
However, this is the first book I've given a 4-star rating in this series. I was compelled to give five stars to the first, entirely based on the unique plot line and that ending. The second one improved a lot compared to the first, and it was deserving of a perfect rating. But with this one, I'm taking out a single star out for two main reasons. Maintaining the timeline was somewhat difficult with this one. The rotation of POVs caused going back and forth in times, even years at a time, which was a little difficult to keep up with at times. The second reason is the ending of the villains: it could've been a little more satisfying.
"Rumors are like rain through an old roof. The effort of finding the source is greater than the cost of a new roof."
I still cannot believe how much I enjoyed this series. I was never a big fan of dystopia before, but I loved everything about this. Although this is the last book of Arc of a Scythe, I really hope there will be a spin-off series.
"Credit where credit is due."
August 7, 2023
Byłam głupia myśląc, że to zakończenie Thunderheada mnie zmiażdżyło.
To było COŚ.
To było COŚ.
October 28, 2020
HANDS DOWN ONE OF MY FAVORITE SERIES EVER
I'm crying, I'm heartbroken and I can't believe that this is over. No more books about this wonderful world and about this amazing characters.
Go read this books everyone. Go read them because I assure you that it's an amazing series with a great story and plot twists that will leave you blown way.
I'm crying, I'm heartbroken and I can't believe that this is over. No more books about this wonderful world and about this amazing characters.
Go read this books everyone. Go read them because I assure you that it's an amazing series with a great story and plot twists that will leave you blown way.
March 28, 2020
I'm underwhelmed.
And I'm glad that this is now finally over.
I think I would've DNF'd it had I not formed such an attachment to the previous two books, which were 5-star reads for me.
I'm being generous with the 3-star rating is what I'm saying.
So much of this felt so unnecessary, so detailed for the sake of having detail and so crammed with information that did not need to be there. I haven't felt like I gained anything with the added characters, the added ramblings, politics and world building. It didn't feel concise like Scythe or Thunderhead did.
It dragged. I wanted more of Scythe Faraday, Rowan and Citra. And though I enjoyed some of the other additions, and rather then spending some time with them and developing their characteristics, we had more characters who’s perspective we had to read from, and really I would've been okay had I not known about some of the rest.
All in all, I ploughed through and it wasn't worth much in the end.
—————————————————
Fear not, glean not. We have a cover and a blurb, all hail!
—————————————————
But why do we not have a release date for this? A cover? Any kind of info whatsoever?
Are they purposely leaving us in the dark to mess with our heads?
Well, it's working, now give me some damn details that I can hold on to. I beggo!
And I'm glad that this is now finally over.
I think I would've DNF'd it had I not formed such an attachment to the previous two books, which were 5-star reads for me.
I'm being generous with the 3-star rating is what I'm saying.
So much of this felt so unnecessary, so detailed for the sake of having detail and so crammed with information that did not need to be there. I haven't felt like I gained anything with the added characters, the added ramblings, politics and world building. It didn't feel concise like Scythe or Thunderhead did.
It dragged. I wanted more of Scythe Faraday, Rowan and Citra. And though I enjoyed some of the other additions, and rather then spending some time with them and developing their characteristics, we had more characters who’s perspective we had to read from, and really I would've been okay had I not known about some of the rest.
All in all, I ploughed through and it wasn't worth much in the end.
—————————————————
Fear not, glean not. We have a cover and a blurb, all hail!
—————————————————
But why do we not have a release date for this? A cover? Any kind of info whatsoever?
Are they purposely leaving us in the dark to mess with our heads?
Well, it's working, now give me some damn details that I can hold on to. I beggo!
Want to read
December 22, 2019my skin is clear, my crops are thriving, I have 20/20 vision, my grades are up, the sun is shining, I feel so alive, world order has been restored
November 4, 2019
The saga is over!
This whole series is very good – 5 stars all the way and highly recommended to fans of YA Dystopian fiction. Book 2 (Thunderhead) is one of my favorite books of the last few years. So, I was very excited to get this ARC from Simon and Schuster to get a chance to finish this tell a bit ahead of time. I am pleased to get this review out on the eve of the book’s release and I hope it gets fans of the series excited to finish the journey.
I do have to say that book three was good but did not quite blow me away like the other two. While book 1 and 2 were both were easily 5 stars for me, The Toll is only 4 stars. Do not take this too hard if you have been looking forward to it - 4 stars is still very good! It is just that the first two built up so much and then hit me in the feels with such a powerful one-two punch that the third book needed to really bang the story home to get 5 stars. It ended up being a fine resolution, but had just slightly less urgency, emotion, shock, etc. etc. etc. than the first two books.
There is resolution for the characters we know. And, surprisingly enough in the last stages of this story, introduction of characters we don’t. Overall, it was a fun and interesting journey and I think in general people will be satisfied with where everyone ends up – even if it is not quite where you expected (and, for me, everything about this book ended up being totally unexpected, which is a very good thing!)
There is lots of commentary in this book on current social and political topics. Some of it is tongue in cheek, some of it is a bit more blatant. (i.e. at one point a character says something along the lines of “only idiots build walls to keep people out”) With Dystopian you expect this sort of commentary and I think throughout it has been fairly well balanced between commentary and story. But, if I had to give an opinion, the commentary was the heaviest in the third book.
Book three, as well as the whole series, has been unique and wonderful. It seems easy to get into a rut with a genre – especially the wildly popular YA Dystopia. Or, to make it so confusing that it isn’t even fun to read (I am looking at you Maze Runner series). But, nothing was wrong with this series – it was a delight and I am sad it is over. I have heard that Schusterman has some other great books out there and I will definitely be tracking them down!
This whole series is very good – 5 stars all the way and highly recommended to fans of YA Dystopian fiction. Book 2 (Thunderhead) is one of my favorite books of the last few years. So, I was very excited to get this ARC from Simon and Schuster to get a chance to finish this tell a bit ahead of time. I am pleased to get this review out on the eve of the book’s release and I hope it gets fans of the series excited to finish the journey.
I do have to say that book three was good but did not quite blow me away like the other two. While book 1 and 2 were both were easily 5 stars for me, The Toll is only 4 stars. Do not take this too hard if you have been looking forward to it - 4 stars is still very good! It is just that the first two built up so much and then hit me in the feels with such a powerful one-two punch that the third book needed to really bang the story home to get 5 stars. It ended up being a fine resolution, but had just slightly less urgency, emotion, shock, etc. etc. etc. than the first two books.
There is resolution for the characters we know. And, surprisingly enough in the last stages of this story, introduction of characters we don’t. Overall, it was a fun and interesting journey and I think in general people will be satisfied with where everyone ends up – even if it is not quite where you expected (and, for me, everything about this book ended up being totally unexpected, which is a very good thing!)
There is lots of commentary in this book on current social and political topics. Some of it is tongue in cheek, some of it is a bit more blatant. (i.e. at one point a character says something along the lines of “only idiots build walls to keep people out”) With Dystopian you expect this sort of commentary and I think throughout it has been fairly well balanced between commentary and story. But, if I had to give an opinion, the commentary was the heaviest in the third book.
Book three, as well as the whole series, has been unique and wonderful. It seems easy to get into a rut with a genre – especially the wildly popular YA Dystopia. Or, to make it so confusing that it isn’t even fun to read (I am looking at you Maze Runner series). But, nothing was wrong with this series – it was a delight and I am sad it is over. I have heard that Schusterman has some other great books out there and I will definitely be tracking them down!
June 21, 2020
"It is our nature to surpass nature."
I have had really good luck with YA novels lately. And this one was no exception. In spite of the fact that I was slightly pouty for not getting an ARC, I loved this conclusion with my entire heart.
At this point, It's been an entire year and a half since I read Scythe. That book holds a very special place in my heart. It marks the calm before the storm in my life. A week or two after reading Scythe, I read Thunderhead and then completely forgot about this series until a year later, this book came out.
So, what's this book about
The Toll follows the main characters around three years after the ending of Thunderhead. Goddard has taken over. Scythe Anastatia and Scythe Lucifer are dead. The Thunderhead has gone silent and marked everyone unsavory. Basically, everything is forked, as is the norm in YA conclusions. And now, the heroes and heroines and saviors of both genders must save the world!
It probably would have been a good idea to re-read or skim the previous two books before diving into this but I am not good at looking before leaping so...
Fortunately, I have a surprisingly good memory and was able to figure out what was going on and re-remember all the characters in record time.
Once I was into this book, I was forking into it. I couldn't put it down. I don't want to spoil but all I can say is that this book moves fast. It keeps the reader hooked and has a brilliant, satisfying ending.
I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion.
Bottom Line:
5 Stars
Age Rating - [ R ]
Content Screening (Spoilers)
Educational Value (2/5) - [Ways to kill people... yikes...]
Positive Messages (3/5) - [Perserverance, Justice, Kindness]
Sex (0/0)
Langauge (0/0)
Drinking/Drugs (3/5) - [Alcohol consumption, Sedative Drugs, Medicinal Drugs, Recreational Drugs]
Trigger and Content Warnings - Loss of a loved one, Claustrophobia, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Disease, Death, Murder, Fire
Reps - [Genderfluidity]
Publication Date: November 5th, 2019
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA/Science Fiction
➵ Scythe (#1) - ★★★★☆
➵ Thunderhead (#2) - ★★★★★
➵ The Toll (#3) - ★★★★★
*************
IT WAS SOOOO GOOD
*************
AND SO IT BEGINSSSSSSSS
*************
Happy Pub Date!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*************
my request has been declined
*************
THE ARCS ARE BEING MAILED OUT
GIMMEGIMMEGIMME
*************
It's nearly 600 Pages long!!
*************
I am so surprised (and disappointed?) that this cover isn't blue. This book did not follow the YA cover rule! (Red, Blue, Green)
*************
We have a cover and it's f**king gorgeous but that's not the matter at hand.
APPARENTLY... THERE WERE MANUSCRIPTS AT BOOKCON
DID YOU HEAR ME?
MAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNUUUUUUUUSCCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPPPTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSS
i will trade any book or limb i own for a manuscript. Need a kidney? Hit me up
*************
November of 2019..
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February 9, 2020
3.5 estrellas.
Es el libro que menos me gustó de la trilogía, PERO no puedo negar una cosa: QUE TRILOGÍA TAN INCREÍBLE. WOW. 100% recomendada.
Es el libro que menos me gustó de la trilogía, PERO no puedo negar una cosa: QUE TRILOGÍA TAN INCREÍBLE. WOW. 100% recomendada.
October 6, 2020
”A successful lie is not fueled by the liar; it is fueled by the willingness of the listener to believe. You can’t expose a lie without first shattering the will to believe it.
I can’t believe it’s over but I can definitely say that I enjoyed every single moment of this journey! Three books and I read and reviewed them all in 9 months. Considering the fact that I’m a person who usually takes ages to finish a series this says A LOT about how deeply and thoroughly I got lost in this one! I loved all those books so much and every single one of them went in an entirely different direction and was something I didn’t expect.
Usually when you read a series you have some sort of golden thread that runs through it, but in this case every book was different, every plot was unexpected and something new and even up until the last book we get introduced to new and amazing characters. It never got boring and I never knew what to expect next! To say “Arc of a Scythe” was enthralling and surprising wouldn’t even come close to the truth. And if you ask me, Neal Shusterman did a more than just amazing job at tying up all the loose ends.
“The Toll” is the last and final book of this series and even though I never thought that I could be content with its ending I had to realize that I actually am?! I mean when it comes to the last book in a trilogy I always kind of tend to find a fly in the ointment and it’s pretty rare I like and accept an ending as it is. Well, not this time around. Neal Shusterman did a great job and the ending to this series was consistent and fitting. Was I happy with everything that happened? No. But it was realistic and it stood true to the critical essence of the series. So there’s that! But enough of my general opinion about “The Toll”, let’s get down to business and head directly to my characters section! XD
The characters:
Welcome back to my characters section, because if you read this you must have come back to read my review about the last book in this series. ;-P So I guess you know the drill! Lots of spoilers, lots of feels, lots of crying and ranting, and last but not least: lots of enthusiasm. Guess that about sums it up. ;-P
Scythe Anastasia:
”Meu anjo?” she said. “Sydney, I’m nobody’s angel.”
“Ah, but you are,” Possuelo said. “Because an angel is what the world needs if we are to ever bring Goddard down.”
It was so good to see that even after three years – EXCUSE ME THREE FREAKING YEARS!?? – in the deep blue sea Scythe Anastasia still didn’t change her attitude. There was so much to take in and she had to get used to so many changes that happened while she was deadish, but she still managed to process them and decided to do something about it. Her situation was very difficult because she was supposed to be dead and then woke up in a world that had nothing to do with the one she had left before she died. If I’d have woken up in a world in which Goddard is the leader I probably would have had a mental breakdown but Citra didn’t and that made all the difference. XD I guess to have friends like Scythe Possuelo, Jeri and Scythe Tenka at her side might have helped too, but I think it was mostly due to her own strength that she came out of this okay. Scythe Curie and Scythe Faraday were good teachers and it showed in every action Citra took. =) She’s a really great character and if anyone ever deserved a new start then it’s her and Rowan. <3
Rowan:
”He had died so many times, and in so many ways, he was used to it. It held no more terror for him than falling asleep – which was often worse, because when he slept, he had nightmares.”
*sighs deeply* Rowan, my precious and dear Rowan. I can’t even put into words how much it hurt to read what happened to him. I mean three years dead in the ocean, and then he wakes up in some sort of prison because everyone thinks he sunk Endura, then he ends up in Goddard’s clutches again only to get saved right before his execution just in order to be used as a pawn by the Scythes of Texas!! *takes a deep breath* AJLSDFKAJSDKFSA! And I didn’t even mention the part at the end of the book when he had to endure – wait for it – 117 FREAKING YEARS before he could be with Citra again!!! JESUS! Neal you did a number on my poor boy and I hated it!!! By the end of this series Rowan was so broken it killed me. T_T The only thing that makes me happy is the knowledge that he and Citra will be together forhopefully a thousand years now!!! *dies*
Greyson:
”It should have felt good to put the curate in his place, but it didn’t. Perhaps that was why the Thunderhead had chosen him over all others; while others were corrupted by power, Greyson didn’t even like the taste of it.”
When Greyson was introduced in the second book I never thought that I’d love him so much but I do. I really do! This boy is so pure and precious! He’s probably one of the most selfless characters I ever encountered and the way he managed to maintain his innocence is nothing but astounding. After everything he went through he’s still not corrupted by power, he still knows right from wrong, he still stands up for his ideals and does what is right for humanity. Yes, he was guided by the Thunderhead but he was still his own person and this boy was beautiful from the inside and outside. <3 I just love him! Period! XD
Jeri:
Jeri laughed. “Yes, it can be inconvenient, but I’ve gotten used to it – embraced it, even. That unpredictability has become part of who I am.”
JERICO SOBERANIS IS THE BEST!!! Gods!! How I wish Jeri would have been introduced way earlier in this series!!! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Jeri so damn much!! <333 How do I even talk about Jeri without mentioning that she/he is gender fluid?! The answer is easy: I don’t! Because it’s such an integral part of Jeri that I just have to speak about it! XD I think I was a goner the moment Jeri appeared on page and the more I read about her/him the more I adored her/him. It’s so rare, so damn rare to find an honourable, wise, beautiful, gentle and kind gender fluid MC in a book but Neal gave Jeri room to be who she/he truly is and I’ll always be thankful for that! In a lot of ways Jeri reminded me of myself – scratch the beautiful and wise part *lol* - so I was more than just happy to have Jeri in this book! XD I just ... I loved the way Jeri thought because it’s so similar to how I think and feel and I loved her/him even more for being so content with herself/himself. It’s like Shusterman got to know me and created a better version of myself on page. If that makes any sense? *lol* So yeah, Jeri’s presence alone would have made this an awesome book for me. ;-P
”One of the benefits of being Madagascan is that we see people as people. When it comes to attraction, gender is never part of the equation.”
Scythe Goddard:
”I want him gleaned just as much as you do. But gleaning should not be entertainment.”
To which Goddard said with an infuriating grin, “It’s entertaining to me.”
I HATE HIM WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND SUNS! *grrr* Like seriously, I couldn’t believe all those Scythes let him do what he did! He’s vain, he’s pretentious, blood-thirsty, cruel, and overall just a horrible, HORRIBLE person!!! Serves him right that he got totally paranoid and expected everyone to kill him in his sleep. The sheer nonchalance he showed when they discussed to eradicate entire ethnicities just because he didn’t like them?!! His arrogance and insolence! It’s outrageous!! I really thought I’d die when he launched those missiles at the spaceships and I was so damn glad Ayn stopped him. Boy, I don’t know what I would have done if he would have gotten away with this too. But Goddard is finally dead now and all I can say to that is: Good riddance! May he be tortured for eternity in hell.
The Thunderhead:
”And so night after night, the Thunderhead silently monitored Greyson in every way it could. Because monitoring was the closest it could come to embracing.”
I’m the first one to admit that I was wrong when it came to the Thunderhead. Yes, the Thunderhead had feelings for Greyson and loved him but despite everything it never lost its way. I was so scared that it would turn against humanity but it never happened and this was something I didn’t expect?! *lol* I was so ready for everything to go to hell and for the second voice to triumph over the Thunderhead but in fact the Thunderhead only made a better version of itself. It’s as pure as Greyson and I’m glad everyone who went into space has “Cirrus” now. Still, my heart broke so much for the Thunderhead at the ending. It would have deserved better than that, yet I still understand Greyson’s decision. T_T
The relationships & ships:
Citra and Rowan:
”No,” she said. “That’s what he does, Rowan; he draws us in, over and over – but now we have a chance to show the world not just that we don’t need the scythedom, but that we never did. This could have been our destiny, if the scythedom hadn’t prevented it – and it still can be.”
I really hoped that Neal Shusterman would be done with his star-crossed lovers trope but nopedy nope! He wasn’t! Citra and Rowan might not have had a lot of page time together in “The Toll” but the little they had made me so damn happy! I really wish they would have gotten even more time and I just wanted them to be happy, but alas Goddard had to find them and threw a monkey wrench in their plans. A HUGE one I may add. Gods, I think I died a thousand deaths with Rowan when Citra died in his arms and Cirrus told him that she would only be revived when they reached their final destination. 117 years without the person he loved and waited for his entire life. 117 freaking years... T_T That ending... Rowan’s words. I’m still a sobbing mess whenever I think about it. But they will be happy together now and to be honest that’s the only thing that makes me feel a little bit better about their cruel destiny. >_<
His smile broadens. Tears fill his eyes. They drop slowly, as if gravity itself has become less adamant, less demanding.
“When was that?” Citra asks.
“Only a moment ago,” Rowan tells her. “Only a moment ago.”
Scythe Anastasia & Jeri:
”You won’t tell me because there’s nothing I can do,” she said, anticipating the reasons Jeri would give, “and it would distract me from what I need to do.”
“Do you hate me for it?” Jeri asked.
I really adored their strong friendship!! There was so much mutual respect and understanding. Jeri guided Anastasia and helped her whenever she got lost on her way and there could have been no better friend at her side. I loved that Jeri chose to stay with Citra because she/he enjoyed her company and appreciated her as a person. She/he didn’t have to stay with her but she/he decided to do it nevertheless because Jeri could feel that Citra needed her/him. Citra needed a friend and Jeri was that friend! And that moment when Jeri died so Citra could live?!! That scene was everything! <3 Such a precious and noble soul! To see this duo on page made me happy and even though both of them went in different directions I’m pretty sure they left a mark on each other’s souls.
”For you, Honorable Scythe Anastasia, I would die a thousand deaths at my own hand. But one will be sufficient.”
Greyson & Jerico:
”I will never understand how you binaries are so attached to your birth plumbing. Why should it matter whether a person has ovaries, or testicles, or both?”
“It doesn’t,” Greyson said, feeling a little flustered. “I mean ... it does matter for some things ... doesn’t it?”
“You tell me.”
Okay, I know, the romance between those two was just implied but I LOVE THE IDEA OF THEM BECOMING A COUPLE!! <333 Those two would be so perfect for each other. Like seriously! There was a moment when I was about at the middle of the book and I thought: “Hey, I really wish those two would meet! I’m sure they would hit it off.” And hit it off they did. *lol* The conversations they had!! I was such a sucker for them. So playful and funny, but also serious and gentle. XD But hey, they held hands at the end of the book so I like to believe that they became a couple in the end. Ahh! I swear I’d read an entire book just about them and their relationship! XD
”I’m sorry,” Jeri said, trying to regain some semblance of composure. “Did I hurt you?”
Greyson offered his usual guileless grin. “Not nearly enough,” he said, which made Jeri laugh.
“My, but you do have a wicked side!”
Greyson & The Thunderhead:
”You are a terrible person,” the Thunderhead said. “You are a wonderful person.”
“Well, which is it?” Greyson demanded.
And the response, as faint as faint could be, came back to him – not as an answer, but as another question.
“Why can’t you see that the answer is both?”
Boy, to say the relationship between Greyson and the Thunderhead was complicated would be putting it mildly and I’m still not sure whether the Thunderhead loved Greyson like a mother/father or like a lover. I think the only one who could give us an answer to that would be Greyson and judging by how he reacted after the Thunderhead touched him as Jeri I think it’s safe to assume that its feelings were of a romantic nature. I mean it collapsed into his arms because it touched his cheek. Such a simple and pure gesture but all the feelings that came along with it... I could understand Jeri’s anger at being used by the Thunderhead and I could relate to Greyson’s feelings afterwards, but I still can’t help but feel devastated for the Thunderhead. And for Greyson... because no matter how right it was to cut that line, to stop being that one exception for the Thunderhead it still hurt so much! T_T Their connection was something special and because it was special they had to sever it. =( It still breaks my heart and fills me with grief. >_<
“I broke none of my laws...”
“No ... but you broke mine.”
A sudden surge of emotion welled up in Greyson. Tears began to could his eyes, reminding him how much the Thunderhead had meant, and still did mean, to him. But he could not let that stop him.
If there was anything he’d learned from the Thunderhead, it was that consequences could not be ignored.
“Therefore,” he said through his tears, “I can no longer speak to you. You are ... unsavory to me.”
Conclusion:
I might not have been happy with all the developments in this book but they were realistic and Neal Shusterman managed to write a great ending for an even greater series! I loved the diversity in this, all the different and new characters and everything they stood for and believed in. It was an amazing ride and I’m really sad this series is over! Let’s hope Neal will write another great series soon! XD
I can’t believe it’s over but I can definitely say that I enjoyed every single moment of this journey! Three books and I read and reviewed them all in 9 months. Considering the fact that I’m a person who usually takes ages to finish a series this says A LOT about how deeply and thoroughly I got lost in this one! I loved all those books so much and every single one of them went in an entirely different direction and was something I didn’t expect.
Usually when you read a series you have some sort of golden thread that runs through it, but in this case every book was different, every plot was unexpected and something new and even up until the last book we get introduced to new and amazing characters. It never got boring and I never knew what to expect next! To say “Arc of a Scythe” was enthralling and surprising wouldn’t even come close to the truth. And if you ask me, Neal Shusterman did a more than just amazing job at tying up all the loose ends.
“The Toll” is the last and final book of this series and even though I never thought that I could be content with its ending I had to realize that I actually am?! I mean when it comes to the last book in a trilogy I always kind of tend to find a fly in the ointment and it’s pretty rare I like and accept an ending as it is. Well, not this time around. Neal Shusterman did a great job and the ending to this series was consistent and fitting. Was I happy with everything that happened? No. But it was realistic and it stood true to the critical essence of the series. So there’s that! But enough of my general opinion about “The Toll”, let’s get down to business and head directly to my characters section! XD
The characters:
Welcome back to my characters section, because if you read this you must have come back to read my review about the last book in this series. ;-P So I guess you know the drill! Lots of spoilers, lots of feels, lots of crying and ranting, and last but not least: lots of enthusiasm. Guess that about sums it up. ;-P
Scythe Anastasia:
”Meu anjo?” she said. “Sydney, I’m nobody’s angel.”
“Ah, but you are,” Possuelo said. “Because an angel is what the world needs if we are to ever bring Goddard down.”
It was so good to see that even after three years – EXCUSE ME THREE FREAKING YEARS!?? – in the deep blue sea Scythe Anastasia still didn’t change her attitude. There was so much to take in and she had to get used to so many changes that happened while she was deadish, but she still managed to process them and decided to do something about it. Her situation was very difficult because she was supposed to be dead and then woke up in a world that had nothing to do with the one she had left before she died. If I’d have woken up in a world in which Goddard is the leader I probably would have had a mental breakdown but Citra didn’t and that made all the difference. XD I guess to have friends like Scythe Possuelo, Jeri and Scythe Tenka at her side might have helped too, but I think it was mostly due to her own strength that she came out of this okay. Scythe Curie and Scythe Faraday were good teachers and it showed in every action Citra took. =) She’s a really great character and if anyone ever deserved a new start then it’s her and Rowan. <3
Rowan:
”He had died so many times, and in so many ways, he was used to it. It held no more terror for him than falling asleep – which was often worse, because when he slept, he had nightmares.”
*sighs deeply* Rowan, my precious and dear Rowan. I can’t even put into words how much it hurt to read what happened to him. I mean three years dead in the ocean, and then he wakes up in some sort of prison because everyone thinks he sunk Endura, then he ends up in Goddard’s clutches again only to get saved right before his execution just in order to be used as a pawn by the Scythes of Texas!! *takes a deep breath* AJLSDFKAJSDKFSA! And I didn’t even mention the part at the end of the book when he had to endure – wait for it – 117 FREAKING YEARS before he could be with Citra again!!! JESUS! Neal you did a number on my poor boy and I hated it!!! By the end of this series Rowan was so broken it killed me. T_T The only thing that makes me happy is the knowledge that he and Citra will be together for
Greyson:
”It should have felt good to put the curate in his place, but it didn’t. Perhaps that was why the Thunderhead had chosen him over all others; while others were corrupted by power, Greyson didn’t even like the taste of it.”
When Greyson was introduced in the second book I never thought that I’d love him so much but I do. I really do! This boy is so pure and precious! He’s probably one of the most selfless characters I ever encountered and the way he managed to maintain his innocence is nothing but astounding. After everything he went through he’s still not corrupted by power, he still knows right from wrong, he still stands up for his ideals and does what is right for humanity. Yes, he was guided by the Thunderhead but he was still his own person and this boy was beautiful from the inside and outside. <3 I just love him! Period! XD
Jeri:
Jeri laughed. “Yes, it can be inconvenient, but I’ve gotten used to it – embraced it, even. That unpredictability has become part of who I am.”
JERICO SOBERANIS IS THE BEST!!! Gods!! How I wish Jeri would have been introduced way earlier in this series!!! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Jeri so damn much!! <333 How do I even talk about Jeri without mentioning that she/he is gender fluid?! The answer is easy: I don’t! Because it’s such an integral part of Jeri that I just have to speak about it! XD I think I was a goner the moment Jeri appeared on page and the more I read about her/him the more I adored her/him. It’s so rare, so damn rare to find an honourable, wise, beautiful, gentle and kind gender fluid MC in a book but Neal gave Jeri room to be who she/he truly is and I’ll always be thankful for that! In a lot of ways Jeri reminded me of myself – scratch the beautiful and wise part *lol* - so I was more than just happy to have Jeri in this book! XD I just ... I loved the way Jeri thought because it’s so similar to how I think and feel and I loved her/him even more for being so content with herself/himself. It’s like Shusterman got to know me and created a better version of myself on page. If that makes any sense? *lol* So yeah, Jeri’s presence alone would have made this an awesome book for me. ;-P
”One of the benefits of being Madagascan is that we see people as people. When it comes to attraction, gender is never part of the equation.”
Scythe Goddard:
”I want him gleaned just as much as you do. But gleaning should not be entertainment.”
To which Goddard said with an infuriating grin, “It’s entertaining to me.”
I HATE HIM WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND SUNS! *grrr* Like seriously, I couldn’t believe all those Scythes let him do what he did! He’s vain, he’s pretentious, blood-thirsty, cruel, and overall just a horrible, HORRIBLE person!!! Serves him right that he got totally paranoid and expected everyone to kill him in his sleep. The sheer nonchalance he showed when they discussed to eradicate entire ethnicities just because he didn’t like them?!! His arrogance and insolence! It’s outrageous!! I really thought I’d die when he launched those missiles at the spaceships and I was so damn glad Ayn stopped him. Boy, I don’t know what I would have done if he would have gotten away with this too. But Goddard is finally dead now and all I can say to that is: Good riddance! May he be tortured for eternity in hell.
The Thunderhead:
”And so night after night, the Thunderhead silently monitored Greyson in every way it could. Because monitoring was the closest it could come to embracing.”
I’m the first one to admit that I was wrong when it came to the Thunderhead. Yes, the Thunderhead had feelings for Greyson and loved him but despite everything it never lost its way. I was so scared that it would turn against humanity but it never happened and this was something I didn’t expect?! *lol* I was so ready for everything to go to hell and for the second voice to triumph over the Thunderhead but in fact the Thunderhead only made a better version of itself. It’s as pure as Greyson and I’m glad everyone who went into space has “Cirrus” now. Still, my heart broke so much for the Thunderhead at the ending. It would have deserved better than that, yet I still understand Greyson’s decision. T_T
The relationships & ships:
Citra and Rowan:
”No,” she said. “That’s what he does, Rowan; he draws us in, over and over – but now we have a chance to show the world not just that we don’t need the scythedom, but that we never did. This could have been our destiny, if the scythedom hadn’t prevented it – and it still can be.”
I really hoped that Neal Shusterman would be done with his star-crossed lovers trope but nopedy nope! He wasn’t! Citra and Rowan might not have had a lot of page time together in “The Toll” but the little they had made me so damn happy! I really wish they would have gotten even more time and I just wanted them to be happy, but alas Goddard had to find them and threw a monkey wrench in their plans. A HUGE one I may add. Gods, I think I died a thousand deaths with Rowan when Citra died in his arms and Cirrus told him that she would only be revived when they reached their final destination. 117 years without the person he loved and waited for his entire life. 117 freaking years... T_T That ending... Rowan’s words. I’m still a sobbing mess whenever I think about it. But they will be happy together now and to be honest that’s the only thing that makes me feel a little bit better about their cruel destiny. >_<
His smile broadens. Tears fill his eyes. They drop slowly, as if gravity itself has become less adamant, less demanding.
“When was that?” Citra asks.
“Only a moment ago,” Rowan tells her. “Only a moment ago.”
Scythe Anastasia & Jeri:
”You won’t tell me because there’s nothing I can do,” she said, anticipating the reasons Jeri would give, “and it would distract me from what I need to do.”
“Do you hate me for it?” Jeri asked.
I really adored their strong friendship!! There was so much mutual respect and understanding. Jeri guided Anastasia and helped her whenever she got lost on her way and there could have been no better friend at her side. I loved that Jeri chose to stay with Citra because she/he enjoyed her company and appreciated her as a person. She/he didn’t have to stay with her but she/he decided to do it nevertheless because Jeri could feel that Citra needed her/him. Citra needed a friend and Jeri was that friend! And that moment when Jeri died so Citra could live?!! That scene was everything! <3 Such a precious and noble soul! To see this duo on page made me happy and even though both of them went in different directions I’m pretty sure they left a mark on each other’s souls.
”For you, Honorable Scythe Anastasia, I would die a thousand deaths at my own hand. But one will be sufficient.”
Greyson & Jerico:
”I will never understand how you binaries are so attached to your birth plumbing. Why should it matter whether a person has ovaries, or testicles, or both?”
“It doesn’t,” Greyson said, feeling a little flustered. “I mean ... it does matter for some things ... doesn’t it?”
“You tell me.”
Okay, I know, the romance between those two was just implied but I LOVE THE IDEA OF THEM BECOMING A COUPLE!! <333 Those two would be so perfect for each other. Like seriously! There was a moment when I was about at the middle of the book and I thought: “Hey, I really wish those two would meet! I’m sure they would hit it off.” And hit it off they did. *lol* The conversations they had!! I was such a sucker for them. So playful and funny, but also serious and gentle. XD But hey, they held hands at the end of the book so I like to believe that they became a couple in the end. Ahh! I swear I’d read an entire book just about them and their relationship! XD
”I’m sorry,” Jeri said, trying to regain some semblance of composure. “Did I hurt you?”
Greyson offered his usual guileless grin. “Not nearly enough,” he said, which made Jeri laugh.
“My, but you do have a wicked side!”
Greyson & The Thunderhead:
”You are a terrible person,” the Thunderhead said. “You are a wonderful person.”
“Well, which is it?” Greyson demanded.
And the response, as faint as faint could be, came back to him – not as an answer, but as another question.
“Why can’t you see that the answer is both?”
Boy, to say the relationship between Greyson and the Thunderhead was complicated would be putting it mildly and I’m still not sure whether the Thunderhead loved Greyson like a mother/father or like a lover. I think the only one who could give us an answer to that would be Greyson and judging by how he reacted after the Thunderhead touched him as Jeri I think it’s safe to assume that its feelings were of a romantic nature. I mean it collapsed into his arms because it touched his cheek. Such a simple and pure gesture but all the feelings that came along with it... I could understand Jeri’s anger at being used by the Thunderhead and I could relate to Greyson’s feelings afterwards, but I still can’t help but feel devastated for the Thunderhead. And for Greyson... because no matter how right it was to cut that line, to stop being that one exception for the Thunderhead it still hurt so much! T_T Their connection was something special and because it was special they had to sever it. =( It still breaks my heart and fills me with grief. >_<
“I broke none of my laws...”
“No ... but you broke mine.”
A sudden surge of emotion welled up in Greyson. Tears began to could his eyes, reminding him how much the Thunderhead had meant, and still did mean, to him. But he could not let that stop him.
If there was anything he’d learned from the Thunderhead, it was that consequences could not be ignored.
“Therefore,” he said through his tears, “I can no longer speak to you. You are ... unsavory to me.”
Conclusion:
I might not have been happy with all the developments in this book but they were realistic and Neal Shusterman managed to write a great ending for an even greater series! I loved the diversity in this, all the different and new characters and everything they stood for and believed in. It was an amazing ride and I’m really sad this series is over! Let’s hope Neal will write another great series soon! XD
November 9, 2019
So that’s me done then.
I must confess I wanted more of Citra & Rowan, but that ending was great. Still, who am I kidding, I want a whole book of just Rowan & Citra, but I digress.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I must confess I wanted more of Citra & Rowan, but that ending was great. Still, who am I kidding, I want a whole book of just Rowan & Citra, but I digress.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Want to read
July 9, 2019Published 2019.
It better be after that cliffhanger!! I NEED TO KNOW!
It better be after that cliffhanger!! I NEED TO KNOW!
August 28, 2023
I need a minute I----
I am so upset
...
Okay I took a minute. Now we can talk about this.
I started this book pretty confused. There were snippets from a lot of different new characters, excerpts from other time periods, a couple of time skips spanning several years... Listening on audio, that was difficult to follow. I wasn't sure if I would give this book 5 stars like I gave the last two.
And The Toll certainly did not take the direction I was expecting. Looking back on where the story ends, it's a completely different place than where we started in Scythe.
But! I think Neal Shusterman put in the work to get us there. This series is less about individual character arcs and more about building an expansive vision of a possible future for humanity, told to us through a diverse set of characters from all angles.
I still managed to get overly attached to just a few of the characters:
- Grayson, who takes a Dune-esque trip into religious prophethood in this story, but is still a perfect sweet boy whom I love :)
- Rowan, who gets put through EVEN MORE MISERY in this book. Goddamn. Give this poor boy a break, has he not suffered enough??
- Jericho, the gender-fluid king who is just along for the ride in the best way possible
- Citra/Anastasia, who manages to make an impression on every single important person in this world, leading to several really funny encounters in which she meets famous people and is like "oh hey again" and everyone around them is like "YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?!
"
- and of course Faraday, our favorite deadbeat dad, going through a hermit phase while he works through all his feelings (SUPER relatable)
I loved the entirety of this series and would recommend it to literally everyone. Just be forewarned that it *will* break your heart.
I am so upset
...
Okay I took a minute. Now we can talk about this.
I started this book pretty confused. There were snippets from a lot of different new characters, excerpts from other time periods, a couple of time skips spanning several years... Listening on audio, that was difficult to follow. I wasn't sure if I would give this book 5 stars like I gave the last two.
And The Toll certainly did not take the direction I was expecting. Looking back on where the story ends, it's a completely different place than where we started in Scythe.
But! I think Neal Shusterman put in the work to get us there. This series is less about individual character arcs and more about building an expansive vision of a possible future for humanity, told to us through a diverse set of characters from all angles.
I still managed to get overly attached to just a few of the characters:
- Grayson, who takes a Dune-esque trip into religious prophethood in this story, but is still a perfect sweet boy whom I love :)
- Rowan, who gets put through EVEN MORE MISERY in this book. Goddamn. Give this poor boy a break, has he not suffered enough??
- Jericho, the gender-fluid king who is just along for the ride in the best way possible
- Citra/Anastasia, who manages to make an impression on every single important person in this world, leading to several really funny encounters in which she meets famous people and is like "oh hey again" and everyone around them is like "YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?!
"- and of course Faraday, our favorite deadbeat dad, going through a hermit phase while he works through all his feelings (SUPER relatable)
I loved the entirety of this series and would recommend it to literally everyone. Just be forewarned that it *will* break your heart.
Shelved as 'anticipated-releases'
January 5, 2018I THOUGHT THIS WAS A DUOLOGY WHAT IS HAPPENING
December 12, 2021
I have nothing but negative feelings towards this book. I can't remember the parts I actually enjoyed, since all the negatives overwhelm any positive aspects of the book. So here I am, now lowering my rating to 1 star because I hate this book (:
Upon further reflection, I have come to the conclusion that this book was just okay. It was not the satisfying conclusion I was looking for. I did not like the romance between Rowan and Citra. I thought it was too forced and would have liked them to just be friends. There was a buildup of this romance throughout the series, but even with that I could not get myself invested in it, and it really annoyed me in this book. It felt like the romance was more prominent in this one, which I thought was annoying and unnecessary.
Second of all, the first 250 pages or so was sloooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. Very put down able. Rowan and Citra narrated very few chapters which is ridiculous because they're supposed to be the main main characters of the series.
I also didn't like Greyson's story line at all. He really interested me in Thunderhead, but his story line took a flying leap off a cliff and it sucked. I didn't like all the newly introduced characters. There were too many points of view that I wasn't interested in. I'm good with many changing POVs like in the later Throne of Glass books as long as they're all enjoyable (Geez. Can't I get through a single review without mentioning Throne of Glass?)
It was honestly pretty forgettable. I can't remember the name of the character I really didn't like, so I'm not going to say anything about that one. I feel like this book just made a lot of the characters unlikeable. AND WHY THE ROMANCE BETWEEN ROWAN AND CITRA. THEY NEVER EVEN SAW EACH OTHER UNTIL LIKE THE LAST FEW PAGES.
Speaking of the last few pages, the ending. Oh. My. God. The ending. The ending was not satisfying. It was not what I wanted. And maybe this is all because of my high expectations after Thunderhead which I loved. I don't really care. I didn't like the ending.
Anyways, I'm not too eager to spend 30 bucks on this book. Luckily, I borrowed it for my friend so it's fine. I'm not going to go into what I actually liked because there's not a whole heck of a lot. This book was a whole lot of meh. I will just say that there were parts that I liked.
My brother just finished this book, and he does not understand that the ending sucks. The ending defeats the entire purpose of the Scythedom. If this thing existed all along, why not use it instead of having people to kill other people? It's so dumb. The existence of the "fail safe" defeats the entire purpose of the Scthedom because it shows that they did not have to exist in the first place. My brother keeps boasting about how he has the whole Scythe series and I don't and I informed him that I think this book sucks and am therefore never going to buy it because why would I waste my money on a book I will never read again.
Maybe I should stop reviewing books right after I read them. Maybe that's the reason that all my books are rated too easily.
1/5 stars I hate this book with a burning passion. (At least it's not as bad as Allegiant)
Scythe-4 stars
Thunderhead-5 stars
The Toll-1 stars
Overall Series Rating-3.3 stars
Upon further reflection, I have come to the conclusion that this book was just okay. It was not the satisfying conclusion I was looking for. I did not like the romance between Rowan and Citra. I thought it was too forced and would have liked them to just be friends. There was a buildup of this romance throughout the series, but even with that I could not get myself invested in it, and it really annoyed me in this book. It felt like the romance was more prominent in this one, which I thought was annoying and unnecessary.
Second of all, the first 250 pages or so was sloooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. Very put down able. Rowan and Citra narrated very few chapters which is ridiculous because they're supposed to be the main main characters of the series.
I also didn't like Greyson's story line at all. He really interested me in Thunderhead, but his story line took a flying leap off a cliff and it sucked. I didn't like all the newly introduced characters. There were too many points of view that I wasn't interested in. I'm good with many changing POVs like in the later Throne of Glass books as long as they're all enjoyable (Geez. Can't I get through a single review without mentioning Throne of Glass?)
It was honestly pretty forgettable. I can't remember the name of the character I really didn't like, so I'm not going to say anything about that one. I feel like this book just made a lot of the characters unlikeable. AND WHY THE ROMANCE BETWEEN ROWAN AND CITRA. THEY NEVER EVEN SAW EACH OTHER UNTIL LIKE THE LAST FEW PAGES.
Speaking of the last few pages, the ending. Oh. My. God. The ending. The ending was not satisfying. It was not what I wanted. And maybe this is all because of my high expectations after Thunderhead which I loved. I don't really care. I didn't like the ending.
Anyways, I'm not too eager to spend 30 bucks on this book. Luckily, I borrowed it for my friend so it's fine. I'm not going to go into what I actually liked because there's not a whole heck of a lot. This book was a whole lot of meh. I will just say that there were parts that I liked.
My brother just finished this book, and he does not understand that the ending sucks. The ending defeats the entire purpose of the Scythedom. If this thing existed all along, why not use it instead of having people to kill other people? It's so dumb. The existence of the "fail safe" defeats the entire purpose of the Scthedom because it shows that they did not have to exist in the first place. My brother keeps boasting about how he has the whole Scythe series and I don't and I informed him that I think this book sucks and am therefore never going to buy it because why would I waste my money on a book I will never read again.
Maybe I should stop reviewing books right after I read them. Maybe that's the reason that all my books are rated too easily.
1/5 stars I hate this book with a burning passion. (At least it's not as bad as Allegiant)
Scythe-4 stars
Thunderhead-5 stars
The Toll-1 stars
Overall Series Rating-3.3 stars
February 18, 2018
I might have to glean myself if I have to wait this long!
March 31, 2020
What a beautiful end to a beautiful series !!! T _ T I <3 Neal Shusterman !!!
Before Reading
A WAIT OF ONE. WHOLE. YEAR. AT THE MINIMUM?!!
BRB
January 20, 2020
This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷
Scythe ★★★★ 1/4
Thunderhead ★★★★
The Toll ★★★ 1/2
★ I am mildly disappointed with this how ended. I don’t like when the first book in the series is the best one and that as the case here. I think I should have expected this after the ending of book 1. My main problem with this finale is that it tried too much and it expanded the story on a worldwide or a universal scale and sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing!
★ The writing itself is as good as usual! I found myself reading this quickly. My reading speed was higher while reading the first two books but I think the philosophical themes and questions that the book asks made me slow down a bit and try to absorb what I am exposed to. There are good quotes as usual but I think I am a bigger fan of the first two books in the series!
★ The first problem is that I like Rowan and Citra and that is a problem because they are literally not involved in the story until like 50% of the book and I am certain that 150-200 pages could have been cut out and improved the flow of the story. I was not a big fan of “Greyson’s Arc” from the last book and I think that is a major factor in deciding how much is this enjoyable to readers. This book focuses more on this arc and neglects the arc in book 1 that I liked more.
★ The second problem is the plot, I believe the author tried to take some bold choices in expanding it in a different direction and I did not see it coming when I first started this series. I respect those choices but I can’t say that I approve of them. I think book 1 was the peak of the story because the characters and plot were very well done, a thing I can’t say that I found here! I don’t know if making the scale of the plot on a worldwide level is a trope but I have read it a few times and I was never a fan of it. I think if you prefer book 1 to book 2 then you should lower your expectations going into this one, but if you loved book 2 and Greyson’s story then you will probably like this one!
★ The thing that I am in love with the most regarding this series is the flawless world-building, I guess this book can be used to teach world-building because I have not read many YA book with such a good world-building! Every book adds to the world more and more and it just gets more interesting without being overwhelming!
★ Summary: A kind of average finale that surely had more potential from what I have seen in the first two books! The writing is good as usual with the amazing world-building we are used to. The absence of the MC in addition to the philosophical plot made the ending rather anticlimactic than the epic ending it deserved. Still, a good book overall and I can recommend it as a good dystopian series!
You can get more books from Book Depository
“can’t see why I should concern myself with humankind at all.”
Scythe ★★★★ 1/4
Thunderhead ★★★★
The Toll ★★★ 1/2
★ I am mildly disappointed with this how ended. I don’t like when the first book in the series is the best one and that as the case here. I think I should have expected this after the ending of book 1. My main problem with this finale is that it tried too much and it expanded the story on a worldwide or a universal scale and sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing!
★ The writing itself is as good as usual! I found myself reading this quickly. My reading speed was higher while reading the first two books but I think the philosophical themes and questions that the book asks made me slow down a bit and try to absorb what I am exposed to. There are good quotes as usual but I think I am a bigger fan of the first two books in the series!
★ The first problem is that I like Rowan and Citra and that is a problem because they are literally not involved in the story until like 50% of the book and I am certain that 150-200 pages could have been cut out and improved the flow of the story. I was not a big fan of “Greyson’s Arc” from the last book and I think that is a major factor in deciding how much is this enjoyable to readers. This book focuses more on this arc and neglects the arc in book 1 that I liked more.
“We’re exploring the possibility of building a wall to stem the exodus.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Goddard said. “Only idiots build walls.”
★ The second problem is the plot, I believe the author tried to take some bold choices in expanding it in a different direction and I did not see it coming when I first started this series. I respect those choices but I can’t say that I approve of them. I think book 1 was the peak of the story because the characters and plot were very well done, a thing I can’t say that I found here! I don’t know if making the scale of the plot on a worldwide level is a trope but I have read it a few times and I was never a fan of it. I think if you prefer book 1 to book 2 then you should lower your expectations going into this one, but if you loved book 2 and Greyson’s story then you will probably like this one!
★ The thing that I am in love with the most regarding this series is the flawless world-building, I guess this book can be used to teach world-building because I have not read many YA book with such a good world-building! Every book adds to the world more and more and it just gets more interesting without being overwhelming!
“Better to be numb than plagued by longing for something that could never be.”
★ Summary: A kind of average finale that surely had more potential from what I have seen in the first two books! The writing is good as usual with the amazing world-building we are used to. The absence of the MC in addition to the philosophical plot made the ending rather anticlimactic than the epic ending it deserved. Still, a good book overall and I can recommend it as a good dystopian series!
You can get more books from Book Depository
August 3, 2020
“You are a terrible person.” The Thunderhead said. “You are a wonderful person.” “Well which is it?” And the response, as faint as faint could be, came back to him - not as an answer, but as another question. “Why can’t you see that the answer is both.”
What a wonderful conclusion!
I’ll admit at first I wasn’t sure about the introduction of all these other characters in the final book. It seemed at times almost like I was reading an entirely different book to Scythe and Thunderhead.
But as everything began to link together and we have the epic conclusion with all the characters I loved it!
I loved watching everything come together - Goddard and his New Order Scythe’s are slowly destroying civilisation with their violent gleanings. The tonist’s have themselves a prophet known as The Toll but who is it? Meanwhile Citra/Anastasia and Rowan (as per the end of book 2)
It’s all madness and craziness and I was absolutely there for it!
The ending was just the kind I was hoping for.
I’m sad that this series is over. I’m definitely going to check out some of Shusterman’s other books.
“It is the nature of life to fear its own end. This is how I know that we are truly alive.”
****************
Omg this is available to pick up from the library!!!!
I best hurry up and finish Thunderhead then
What a wonderful conclusion!
I’ll admit at first I wasn’t sure about the introduction of all these other characters in the final book. It seemed at times almost like I was reading an entirely different book to Scythe and Thunderhead.
But as everything began to link together and we have the epic conclusion with all the characters I loved it!
I loved watching everything come together - Goddard and his New Order Scythe’s are slowly destroying civilisation with their violent gleanings. The tonist’s have themselves a prophet known as The Toll but who is it? Meanwhile Citra/Anastasia and Rowan (as per the end of book 2)
It’s all madness and craziness and I was absolutely there for it!
The ending was just the kind I was hoping for.
I’m sad that this series is over. I’m definitely going to check out some of Shusterman’s other books.
“It is the nature of life to fear its own end. This is how I know that we are truly alive.”
****************
Omg this is available to pick up from the library!!!!
I best hurry up and finish Thunderhead then
December 4, 2020
I’m a bit sad🥺 ALL I WANTED WAS SOME MORE SCREEN TIME FOR MY BABIES TOGETHER IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK😭 Still love this series tho and that ending got me feeling some sort of way but I guess it could have been worse so I should just be grateful ❤️🙏🏽
April 14, 2020
I love this world, I love these character, I love Neal Shusterman's writing style, and I love this series. I really do. This book was so incredibly long and it took me months to get through it because it was quite slow and drawn out, which I was perfectly fine with because I love spending time in this world. But it was wrapped up so quickly and unexpectedly. I'm not satisfied with the ending, and although I loved reading this book, and I enjoyed the lengthy, drawn-out chapters, I just don't think that was enough of an ending. If there was scope for a continuation, I would give this book 5 stars but that ending... was underwhelming. I'm really disappointed because the first two books and the first 90% of this book are my favourites of all time.
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