Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom 
through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.
Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?
The first book in this series, Scythe, floored me. Twists and turns I never saw coming, and it was one of my top reads that year. I bought Thunderhead the day it was released, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read it.
With power struggles, devious plans, and the internal thoughts of the Thunderhead, I found it difficult to put this book down. Rowan and Citra continue to be strong, intelligent protagonists and each encounters many obstacles – in Rowan’s case, pretty painful obstacles. As with Scythe, just when I thought I had something figured out – wrong again. And that ending! With my mouth hanging open and nearly in a state of shock over the last 15-20% of the book, nothing could have torn me away from it.
This is a series I’d recommend to all fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian readers, YA fans or not. Since The Toll is already out, I’m just glad I don’t have to wait long before diving back into this world again.
Books and Such 
I love when I come across books that I can’t put down! This sounds like a great fantasy series. One for me to keep an eye on, for sure ❤️. Great review!
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It’s worthy of adding to your TBR, Tessa. A friend in my book club just discovered the series last month, and she’s riveted. I’ve got to find time to work the last one into my reading schedule.
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Wow! Sounds like this one really hit the mark, especially with the ending. Great review, Teri.
And I love the name Rowan 🙂
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Thanks, Mae! I’ve loved the name Rowan since reading Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour, but it was the name of a female character in that book. With the way this one ended, I’m both excited and dreading the next book.
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This sounds even better than first book. Fantastic review!
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And that’s saying something, Yesha – that first book blew me away. It takes a lot to surprise me in books.
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I binge read the trilogy a while back. You’ll be even more surprised at the end of the trilogy. There’s a very sarcastic, and ironic piece at the end. I’ll look forward to see what you thought. My only complain was all the exclamation marks. I’m amazed the editor didn’t take them out.
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Now you’ve got me even more curious, Jina. That cliffhanger at the end of this one was unlike anything I’ve ever read, so I can’t imagine where the story goes in The Toll.
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Great review! This book was indeed so intruiging, could not put it down!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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Thanks, Evelyn – same here. I suspect the next one will be the same way.
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This sounds like a really different premise! Great review, Teri, I’ll have to check it out. Can they be read as standalones?
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I wouldn’t recommend reading them as standalones, Jacquie. Some of the plot points from the first book are mentioned in the second, but you’d miss a lot in world-building and be completely lost. Hope you give it a try!
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Thank you for sharing, Teri
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You’re welcome, John!
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I’ve seen Scythe rolling around on the review circuit and it looks so good. I’m glad to see the second is a hit. The covers are cool and the blurbs fascinating. And the fact that the next book is almost out cinches it. My kindle is bulging, Teri. You’re killing me. Lol. But here goes…
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Actually, the final book came out earlier this year – January maybe? I’m just that far behind. It’s a fantastic series and worthy of your TBR, Diana!
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I saw that it’s out as a box set. I purchased the first in the series. How could I resist after your review? I won’t get to it for a couple of months, but now I won’t forget. 🙂
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I can see you really enjoyed this book, Teri. I will be posting my review of Subject A-36 on my blog, Roberta Writes, later today.
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Thanks so much, Robbie! And yes, this is at the top of my favorite YA fantasy series – such a unique concept.
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You are single-handedly blowing my TBR pile out of proportion, Missy! I’ve now had to add Scythe to my list….
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Glad I could help, lol! Mine’s been out of control for longer than I can remember.
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Fab review! I definitely need to find time to start this series some time soon… xx
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Thanks, Yvonne! Fantastic characters and world-building with unexpected twists – all great reasons to read it.
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