Thunderhead

After the major cliffhanger at the end of SCYTHE, readers will be immediately satisfied by the opening of the second book in this series. Rowan has successfully escaped the scythes, and now wears his own black robes and refers to himself as “Scythe Lucifer.” His self-created mission is to kill off all of the corrupt scythes who are making the world a horrible place. Citra now goes by the title Scythe Anastasia and wears turquoise robes. She diligently and humanely completes her gleanings, and has a personal rule about giving people a month notice before she gleans them, which causes some controversy in the scythe world.

There is a new character introduced in THUNDERHEAD named Greyson. He was abandoned by his family when he was a kid, so he was raised by the Thunderhead instead. He is a kind, by-the-books boy who has never broken a rule and loves the Thunderhead. However, a chain of shocking events forces Greyson to break the rules for the first time, leading to his being marked “unsavory.” This is the closest thing to criminal a person can be in this world, and it also means Greyson can no longer communicate with the Thunderhead. He hates it at first, but doesn’t yet know it will be vital in saving Citra’s life later in the book.

THUNDERHEAD is the perfect example of a sequel that matches the amazingness and epicness of its predecessor. This sequel continues to expand the world and develop the characters without a dull moment. Rowan and Citra are older and have new motivations, and readers will find the wait for moments where the two can spend time together satisfyingly painful. The book is told in a lot more perspectives than the first book which provides more opportunity for expanding the story and learning more about the world. Each chapter is also preceded by dialogue from the Thunderhead where readers learn more about the world’s workings and history, similar to the scythe diaries in the first book.

This sequel continues to touch upon complex themes and will present new existential questions to readers who think seriously about the material in the book. There are a lot of intense and sad scenes, so don’t be surprised if you shed a tear or two while reading. Just like the first book, the ending scene is incredible and will leave you dying for the next book, which just so happens to be the final one in the series.