A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end lifeāand they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
When we first meet Citra and Rowan it is clear that they are no ordinary teenagers. Their behaviour makes it clear that each has certain attributes that would make them a good scythe. Neither wants the role – and this is a good thing – but they are each taken on as apprentice to the indomitable Scythe Faraday (who I think has to go down as one of my favourite mentor figures in Literature).
It definitely makes for a better read to know little more than the information we are given prior to reading. We are quickly immersed in this futuristic setting, and also get a real sense of a microscope being held up to our contemporary world to scrutinise our own beliefs.
There is a lot of political intrigue behind the scenes, and it’s not giving anything away to tell you that after a series of unfortunate events Citra and Rowan end up pitted against each other in possibly the cruellest competition ever. There’s a truly wonderful cast of characters here, and though there is a lot of violence it is not out of place.
Personally, I cannot wait until book two is released…