The Toll by Neal Shusterman

Hardcover, 625 pages           

Release Date: November 5, 2019
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Read from: November 8-16, 2019
Arc of a Scythe, #3
Source: Bought (Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edtion)
TW: Death, Violence
For fans of: Science Fiction, Dystopian,  Series enders, 


     From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes the thrilling conclusion to the Printz Honor–winning series Arc of a Scythe.
     It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.
     In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.

*MY THOUGHTS*

     I loved this series from the very first one. So of course there was nothing stopping me from getting my hands on this last one. And although I’m sad its over, I still really enjoyed reading this series. 
“Anyone can speak to the Thunderhead,” Greyson pointed out, “I’m just the one it still talks back to.

pg. 8

     Three years ago Rowan and Citra disappeared, Scythe Goddard became the Overblade, and since the Thunderhead marked everyone Unsavory. All of this equals a scary present and an even scarier future. 
“Everything the Thunderhead did was always, and in every instance, the right thing to do. But rarely was the right thing the easy thing.

pg. 10

     The best thing about this was of course the writing style. I loved how he wrote journal entries and redacted interviews that ended up being very important to the story. I didn’t know it at the time, but pay attention to all of that because it all ties in together. 
“That which was perfect will not remain so for long.

pg. 32

     As for the ending, I was a bit disappointed. Especially after the ending of The Thunderhead. After experiencing the ending to THAT story, I just KNEW that there was going to be something in The Toll just as crazy. Sadly, that wasn’t it. It had it’s crazy moments, but it wasn’t anywhere near where the other one was. And after 600+ pages, I just expected more. 
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Goddard said. “Only idiots build walls.

pg. 370

     With that being said, it wasn’t a crazy ending, but it was still a good one. It tied up all the loose ends and answered all the questions I had. It was a great place to end the series. Granted I do want to see what happens to a certain someone, but I’m also happy with the way things happened at the end of the book.
“In spite of what you may think, dead enemies are harder to fight than live ones.”

pg. 371

     And I also loved the characters. I loved seeing the old friends and metting the new ones. And the new characters brought some diversity to the story. I thought it helped give the story a fresh take. And I was pleased to see the romance that stemmed from it as well. I wish I had been able to see what stemmed from that. 
“We are imperfect beings,” Munira said. “How could we ever fit in a perfect world.

pg. 591

     I don’t know how to say anything about this without telling the plot, so I will just say that although I liked it, I felt that there was something missing. I hate to say it, but I wanted a bigger finale. Overall, it was a good ending to a series. 
Overall, I give this
Real rating 3.5 

One thought on “The Toll by Neal Shusterman

  1. I love this series so much! I put The Toll on my Christmas list, so I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll get to read it. The library waitlist is way too long for me.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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