2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Scythe, the first book in the Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman.

Pages: 435 pages

Length: 1 month (September)

Participants: SarahKat, Dominique, Billie-Jade

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

I’m excited to start this book with you, scythe has been on my TBR for so long now.

Me too! I have a hold at the library. It will probably be a few weeks before I get to this one.

I'll be joining this one. I read it many years ago, when it came out I believe. I really want to finish the series, but remember so little of the book except that I enjoyed it. I'm eager to start.

I have started the book and I’m on chapter 8. I’m really enjoying it so far

I have finished the book and really enjoyed it. I’m so glad I joined to read it together as it had been on my TBR for so long and I don’t think I would have read it but now I will be reading the rest of the series.

I started over the weekend and I'm through chapter 10. Really liking it!

(view spoiler)[I must remind myself with YA dystopian books that it's okay if the setup of the world doesn't make sense. Like, there are much easier ways to quell the overpopulation from not dying other than this. Such as only allowing people to "turn the corner" a certain number of times before disabling their healing nanites, or gleaning them then. I'm also positive not everyone actually does want to live forever so there would be at least a small percent of people willing to sign up to die at some point. Also, why stick with the percentages of deaths from the time or mortality? Why does that matter?

Anyway, other than my nitpicky brain, I do like this a lot. I like that to be a scythe you really shouldn't want to do it (much like being king or president). I like the kids and Scythe Faraday. These rogue scythes that are mass-gleaning are scary though. Are they within their rights or is there some kind of uprising within the system? (hide spoiler)]

Through Part 2 (chapter 17): (view spoiler)[I was very concerned for a minute about the kids having to glean the other one. I figured it wouldn't happen, assuming this rule won't stand if they have different mentors. I'm shocked that Faraday handled it by gleaning himself though, assuming he did and didn't get murdered!
Very concerned about Rowan's experience with Goddard. (hide spoiler)]

I've finished. I really enjoyed it! Short review most of which is a short synopsis for my memory.

Do we want to continue the series next month?

I have already skipped ahead and nearly finished the next book. I can’t believe I didn’t read the series sooner.

Will start soon. it's a re-read for me and really loved the series. It's a yes for me to continue.

I've added the next two books for October and November.

Billie-Jade feel free to add your thoughts under spoilers for the next books!

Are we also reading Gleanings?

I hadn't added it but I can!

SarahKat wrote: "I hadn't added it but I can!"

Billie-Jade, do you want to read it?

Finished. Still good a 2nd time.

(view spoiler)[ The concept of nerver dying and the system of reset was pretty interesting concept. Adding scythes to the mix still made people aware than they can get gleaned anytime.
Great characters, Citra and Rowan being separated. each had a different view of being a scythe.. Rowan geting the worst one.
You do feel that at one point Rowan was going to blow but the way that it happened was a brutal but in some way satisfying twist. Even though people told her not to speak to Rowanm she still went with her heart and mind and let him run (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to book 2 next month! I did add Gleanings to December as well.

SarahKat wrote: "Looking forward to book 2 next month! I did add Gleanings to December as well."

Great!!!

Sorry not replied for a while. I am in really enjoying this series