Amazon.in:Customer reviews: Thunderhead: Arc of a Scythe

Reviewed in India on 8 May 2019

This is the second book in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy.. I read the first book and I completely fell in love with it. And am really excited to read this one. If you are a fan of sci-fi and dystopian then this is the perfect book for you. This is a thought provoking book and it really makes you to wonder on various topics regarding mortality and immortality etc . This is that kind of a book which I would recommend to anyone. As for the condition of the book.. The book came in perfect condition and all the pages were intact.

7 people found this helpful

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ivy

A great sequel.

Reviewed in India on 26 December 2021

Verified Purchase

!!!
Neal Shusterman has such a way to keep the readers, constantly, on the edge of their seats.
The world-building is amazing and so is the character development. Each and every character is so complex, one of them being Rand. The ending just hits you so hard and you barely have time to process it because so many things are happening at the same time.
Can't wait to read The Toll.

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Thinker Belle

And the series storms its way back into my favorites list

Reviewed in India on 7 January 2019

"Death must exist for life to have meaning"

Disclosure, I wasn't a huge fan of the first book. Scythe was enjoyable enough but I had issues with it. You can check my review on that to know more. So, I wasn't sure if I should read this. I picked this up for one reason only. It's named Thunderhead which meant this was definitely going to focus more on the benevolent AI (the lack of which was a sore point for me in book one). Having said that, I wasn't really expecting to be blown away. Boy, was I wrong.

This was a gripping read from start to finish. We get a lot more background and world building here. While the first book was mainly about the two apprentices, Citra and Rowan training to be chosen as scythes and going up against corrupt Scythe Goddard, this second installment has a far more complex plot with much higher stakes. Like the author zoomed out and we finally get to see the true scale of the story. There are multiple threads in progress and the author weaves them together brilliantly. The Thunderhead plays a huge part. It's ruminations on it's origins, humanity and it's role in current events were by far the highlight of the book. The Thunderhead knows all, sees all and when it can't see, because of self imposed limitations, it knows to bend the rules just enough to find out. How else will it save humanity from the terrors of it's own making? As the story progresses we see its thinking evolve. We get new characters plucked from obscurity that take center stage and become central to the plot. Don't worry, we still have our main characters, Citra and Rowan fighting for the greater good albeit in different ways. The romance is still there but takes a backseat to everything that is going on. Scythe Faraday meanwhile has codes to decipher and quests to go on. There's political intrigue and devious plotting. We get to visit the illuminating city of Endura and the whole sequence of events there will give you an adrenaline rush like none other. There are twists and turns and a deep sense of foreshadowing, that 'something-big-is-about-to-go-down' feeling which will make you just devour the pages. And THAT soul crushing ending, you guys. I need a moment.

This installment has redeemed the series in my mind. I am completely invested in this world and the characters. Book three is definitely going on my TBR.

Rating: 5 stars

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4 people found this helpful

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Melina L.

Book Review

Reviewed in India on 17 February 2020

Because rain is the closest thing I have to tears.
🦄🦄🦄
Rowan has gone M.I.A. after the Winter Conclave.
He is now known as 'Scythe Lucifer' gleaning corrupt scythes using the power of fire.
Scythe Anastasia is now a junior scythe to Scythe Curie who finds a way to communicate with the Thunderhead.
Their separate paths ultimately lead to one goal.
Get rid of the corruption in the Scythedom.
But will they be able to do do or will they find themselves at the wrong end of a bad decision.
🦄🦄🦄
Thunderhead by Neal Schusterman was one of my top 5 reads of 2019.
The second book of Arc of the Scythe introduces new main characters that liven up the novel.
The pace of the book is fast and keeps you in your toes.
The integration of the Thunderhead's thought were done very well and it kept its relevance at a balance during the whole book.
The ending had me shaken up and I have got the next book but haven't read it yet but I'm dying to see what happens after that phenomenal cliffhanger.
I loved this book a lot because it's one of those YA books that has something different with the artificial intelligence aspect of it.
Fingers crossed I hope The Toll will be as good as the first two books.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 100/100
Melina L.

One person found this helpful

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Quirky Opinions

It's perfect.

Reviewed in India on 14 January 2018

At the end of Scythe, Citra becomes a Scythe while Rowan escapes with Scythe Faraday. That means the Scythedom is looking for him. And instead of lying low, it turns out that he’s decided to go rogue. He goes by Scythe Lucifer and ends corrupt Scythes (burns their bodies and everything). And before reading, I was afraid he’d had a psychotic break or something but no, he’s quite sane. But he loves the Scythedom too much to let the corrupt Scythes poison it. This is his way of helping. Citra is helping too. But she’s taken a diplomatic approach and introduces new ideals while being part of the system.

Then we have the Thunderhead, who’s a big part of the book. You know how in Scythe, we got excerpts from the journals of various Scythes? Well, in this book, the excerpts are from the Thunderhead. We get to know it a lot. Even the chapters highly feature the Thunderhead. And I freaking loved it. The Thunderhead is such an interesting addition. It’s an artificial intelligence that’s pretty-much perfect and all-knowing. It’s also concerned, most of all, with humanity’s welfare. It’s law-abiding but won’t hesitate to use a loophole or two for a good cause.

But, while it’s supposed to be perfect, I don’t trust it. I guess, after AIs like Skynet and Ultron, it’s difficult. But it’s different from them, it truly cares about people. Though that could also be a problem. We don’t know. And that’s the beauty of it.

There another character we’re introduced to. Greyson Tolliver. Love him too but I don’t wanna give everyone away so you’ll have to get to know him yourself. Basically, we have a lot of characters: Citra, Rowan, Scythe Curie, Scythe Faraday, Thunderhead, Greyson, and others. And they’re amazing. There’s not a single character that I’m supposed to like that I don’t (meaning villains don’t count). I didn’t even hate Rowan’s friend, who is too dumb for his own good.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, the character game in this novel is on point. So is the writing, Seriously, Neal Shusterman does such an amazing job of writing from each characters perspective. He balances the changes in tone perfectly to build tension and drops just the right amount of hints.

The pacing is also perfect, and faster than it was in Scythe. And I can’t talk enough about the world building and the story. We delve deeper into a world that I already love, and we out why things are the way they are, from the Thunderhead. And it’s all so believable and so <em>human. This series truly is a study in human nature and we can see how much effort the author has put into understanding people. The story is… so good. It’s fast and it’s clever, and so nerve-wracking that I spent the last 300 pages in ‘please tell me this isn’t really happening’ mode. And that ending! Oh my God!

Overall, I can safely say that this novel is perfect. It’s better than I could’ve imagined and I cannot wait to see how the series will conclude. If you loved Scythe, then you’re obviously reading this one. But even if you didn’t, please give it a shot. You won’t regret it.

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D. HUHN

good book

Reviewed in India on 12 February 2018

good follow up to Scythe.

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tonythereader

Improves so much from the first book... brilliant!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 April 2018

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As much as I loved the first book, I didn't think it was perfect. This took everything from the first book that I both liked and disliked and improved on it all. I didn't expect it to go the way it did - particularly with the ending, but I loved it. It was soooo good.

I said in my review of the previous book that I didn't think that it was as good as Shusterman's other series Unwind, but after reading this, I've completely changed my mind. It was great to see the world and characters develop. I also mentioned that the villains didn't seem that threatening in the first book; after reading this I can honestly say they are - with one in particular who I won't name - being absolutely terrifying. This book was much more fast paced than the first, and like Unwind, I loved the world that Shusterman has created.

There was a small romance between the two main characters, Ronan and Citra, in the first book, which I didn't really mind but wasn't crazy about either. In this book however, there is no romance at all as the two of them are only together for about twenty pages max. Both of their stories were really interesting, and it was great to see them both, particularly Citra, develop as a character. I also really enjoyed that we get small pieces of dialogue from the Thunderhead's point of view at the end of each chapter. New character, Grayson Tolliver, was written superbly and I can't wait to see how his story pans out in the next book.

I usually despise cliffhanger endings, but I loved the ending of Thunderhead. As annoyed as I am about having to wait a year for the next book, I thought it was written superbly. I really have no clue where the story is going to go next but I can't wait to find out.

3 people found this helpful

C.L Hughes

SHOOK

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 May 2018

Verified Purchase

As I was drawing to the end I was going to give this book 4 stars but the ending had me so shook and it filled me with so much adrenaline and I literally slammed the book down and finally breathed a breath that I didn't know I was holding in, and now I will slam my hands down on the table repeatedly demanding MORE SCYTHE MORE SCYTHE.

The 2nd edition of Scythe was great It felt like a little history book of the Scythe world and it was so deeply interesting. The politics were a tad boring and had me skimming it a bit but I understand it was necessary. But a part of me is so tired of the politics parts of books and I wish that people wouldn't dedicate so much of the plot on it because it leaves me so utterly bored. It made me take almost a month to finish this book because to be honest I wasn't as amused with it as the first one and found myself more bored but I've already become so attatched to the characters I demanded more. I'm also so in love with this world and unique concept I'm glad I pushed on because to be honest it is such a wonderful series and I love this world so much and could happily read it over and over again

Tom Turner

A good follow up. I just have one issue

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2020

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I liked this second book in the trilogy, and it took directions I didn't expect.

My main issue, and the reason I have tasted it one less star than the first book is the villain. While most of the characters are fairly nuanced, the main villain here is definitely not, and borders on the pantomime. This a shame as the concepts this series is dealing with are intriguing and complex, and while the consequences of the villain's actions produce interesting and results that get the mind juices going, it's a shame that they have to do it while twiddling thier metaphorical moustache, let's hope they get more nuanced in the third book. Some how I don't see that happening.

Arkham Reviews

Very much a Middle Novel...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2018

Verified Purchase

Before I begin, I just thought that I should note that Thunderhead carries on closely where Scythe left off. If you want to fully appreciate this series, I would certainly recommend reading Scythe first. If you don't, I think a lot of the terminology used and significance of certain characters will go flying over your head.

In some ways, Thunderhead's world building felt a lot stronger than that of Scythe. The focus is not so fixed on the Scythe order this time. We learn a lot more about the lay of the land, the nature (and limitations) of Thunderhead, and even a brief glimpse of the events that brought about an end to the Age of Mortality. And this blew me away. The world of Thunderhead is vast and enthralling, completely original and eager to suck the reader in.

However the plot itself was, in this reader's opinion, a little weaker than that of the first. Thunderhead is very long for a young adult novel and its plot felt as though it lacked focus. There were a number of threads this time, following Citra, Rowan, Faraday and newcomers - Munira and Greyson. Yet, for the most part, these threads were unconnected. The only two that really collided were Citra and Rowan's, and this was not until the climax of the story. Really, it felt more like an extended build up to what looks to be a explosive final novel.

Despite Thunderhead's length, I never got bored. While the book certainly shared some of Scythe's flaws - such as the tendency towards exposition - and annoyingly glossed over certain early plot points like Tyger's fate, its tension kept me turning the page. It was clear that something terrible was building from the first attempt at Citra and Scythe Curie's life, but it wasn't until the final few chapters when the true horror of the villain's plan became clear. This terrible twist was completely unpredictable, and makes me very excited to find out what will happen next.

In terms of character, the book was once again very strong. Citra, in particular, has an excellent character arc in this book. I liked the way that the author flipped between calling her Citra and Anastasia, depending on what occurred on stage. The awkward thanksgiving dinner with her family and way that the young scythes flock to her also served to empathise how far she had come.

While Rowan received less development in this novel, his spell as Scythe Lucifer raised some interesting moral questions. While it was hard not to root for him his methods - murdering murderers - certainly left a lot of room for ethical debates. I also liked the way that his actions in Scythe came back to haunt him. So much of this book could have been avoided if he had not targeted his enemies so viciously in Scythe...

The newcomers - Munira and Greyson - were also set up well in this novel. While they unfortunately did not have a lot to do this time around, they were set up nicely as strong and well-rounded individuals. While I would have liked to have seen more of Munira in particular, I am incredibly curious to see what role they will play in the next instalment.

All in all, Thunderhead was a bit of a middle novel. While it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read, its plot and character arcs just felt a little weaker than those of Scythe. Still, I'm very eager to see this series through to the end and look forward to reading what will happen next.

5 star		83%
4 star		12%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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