The Toll by Neal Shusterman is an excellent rollercoaster of a conclusion to his 3 book dystopian series; Scythe. In this final book in the series, the stakes ramp up along with the immoral actions of the antagonist Scythe Goddard to create wild plot twists and a page-turning read. Protagonists Citra and Rowan are faced with ever more difficult decisions as readers are forced to consider the morality of humankind. In this world where death has been conquered and a near-omniscient AI leads humanity into its bright future, one man stands as a blockade to the progress of humanity. Scythes are trained in killing in order to stop humans from overrunning the earth, these people and their job is the one thing outside of the jurisdiction of the “Thunderhead” (Futuristic AI). The Thunderhead is humanity's incorruptible leader, and thus only outside of its jurisdiction does corruption spread. Scythe Goddard abuses his power to take control and The Thunderhead is unable to interfere, it is up to other Scythes to stop him. Shusterman shows what happens when the ethics of individual humans are put to the test, he asks if we are really capable of leading ourselves into the brightest future. Despite the advancements in technology present in this world, there are those who are greedy for more and there are those who would be happy for less. As a reader, this theme translated well into the real world as there are many examples of corrupt leaders and organizations that will hurt others for their own desires. It was fascinating how the unrealistic, perfect Thunderhead contrasted with both protagonists and antagonists in the novel as well as world leaders in our life. The premise of the book was very enjoyable and it is easy to root for the heroes. There were unexpected plot twists that kept me turning pages. Two complaints I have for the book are that I wished that the characters had been a little more fleshed out, while not boring or perfect I would have liked to learn more about them. Also, the book felt a little directionless at times with plot twists, perspective changes, and many different events unfolding. It is also likely that the ending may leave readers unsatisfied, though
it is a fitting conclusion for the book, it is melancholy and leaves a few loose ends. Overall, I definitely recommend reading this book and series, there are many unique ideas written down by the author combined with a riveting story and interesting characters, my complaints are far overshadowed by the enjoyment I got from every turning of the page in this thrilling novel.
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