Content levels
Trigger warnings
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
*Thou shalt kill.* 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 life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own. (Description from GoodReads)
Is Scythe appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 14 and up.
Teens are trained as sanctioned killers in a post-mortality world. The book deals with death as a central theme (characters must kill to control population), though violence is not gratuitously graphic. Explores complex ethical questions about mortality, power, and what it means to be human.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include murder, death, and violence (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will be gripped by the high-stakes apprenticeship where failure means death and the fascinating dystopian world where humanity has conquered mortality.