The Toll by Neal Shusterman
Rating – 4.1 out of 5
Three years after the Toll has sounded, the world is still in disarray. Humanity has to adjust to the new normal with the Thunderhead no longer speaking to them. Goddard is leading the North American Scythedom and continues to fight for power with the Tonists. The world is having a crisis of leadership. All this comes to a head as tensions show the true natures of the Scythedom and the Thunderhead.
Favorite Quote
“You can’t expose a lie without first shattering the will to believe it. That is why leading people to truth is so much more effective than merely telling them.” ― Neal Shusterman, The Toll
Why I liked The Toll by Neal Shusterman
I deeply enjoyed the first two books in this series Scythe and Thunderhead. The book’s commentary on the nature of death and what it means to take someone’s life allowed me to think. The Toll takes a different turn though, and one with more action. Throughout the book, I was held in suspense wondering how this was going to end, but knowing that I would enjoy the ending either way. There was more at stake in this book given that it was an end of an era. I felt like all the characters gave a good fight and ended their stories well.
I did in the end, enjoy how it was wrapped up. The only complaint I had was I wanted more exposition of the inner thoughts of Goddard and his cronies. I felt that we easily saw the brutality of the Scythedom. But we could have also seen some of the inner workings of their mindset. I am endlessly fascinated by what twists inside of someone to be that cruel and power-hungry. It might b be enough to say that Goddard was consumed by power and what that could bring him. He wouldn’t be the first and certainly won’t be the last to have that arc.
I enjoyed this series. It challenged me to think about life and death from a new perspective and gave a fantastic storyline along the way. I highly recommend this whole series.
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