An outstanding work. Shusterman really dives deep into the philosophy behind his novels, and I appreciate that. While there are certainly some standard YA tropes, he steers them with a deft hand into unexpected places. It looks like a sequel is inbound, but the ending is satisfying if another book never materializes. ( )

Fortunately, and unfortunately, I don't have all that much to say about this book. It was a quick read with a really interesting premise behind it. I was intrigued enough to keep moving through it but was never really invested or gripped by it.

I was hooked at the beginning by the idea that society had reached such a point that humans would live forever. The only way someone could pass was by being gleaned by a scythe. The scythes are selected for apprenticeships and go through a year-ish term learning from their mentor. Sounds cool right! Absolutely. However, at times it felt rushed, and others felt too long. Basically, the pacing seemed off. I don't mind a book that switches POVs, which this one seems to do, but it isn't always obvious from the start when the POVs switch.

I think the biggest issue for me was that I could not get invested in either of the two characters. As mentioned, the plot idea is great! pacing was off, but I can forgive a lot if I am invested in the characters. These two... I could take or leave. Supposedly there is a romantic theme that is supposed to be in there, but it seemed really forced and truly they were words not feeling to me.

The book was good enough for me to give the next book in the series a chance. It wasn't a bad book by any means, I just wanted more from a book that has so much promise! I did appreciate the ending though. It left me wondering where the plot line will go with plenty of questions needing to be answered. ( )

doppio apprendistato delle future falci Citra e Rowan ( )

This is one of the most interesting books I have read in recent years. I was absolutely hooked. It describes a world that has eliminated poverty and crime and humanity has achieved immortality. It shows a utopian world but it feels a lot like a dystopia. The story illustrates what humans lost through immortality and shows how dangerous and cruel unchecked power and corruption are. ( )

This young adult dystopian fiction tells the story of Rowan and Citra, apprenticed to be Scythes. Scythes kill at will, the only way to keep the population in check now an all powerful AI has made humanity effectively immortal.

I did have to lean into my suspension of disbelief a bit. I don't think a populace would accept random gleanings of healthy and successful young adults, or that they would generally show the fatalism and strength of character to go to their death without resisting. And the novel is so keen to end up with 'only one of Rowan and Citra can survive, and they luuurve each other' that it doesn't think too hard about the things it has to do to set up the situation.

But it is a gripping book, and the reflections on power, and the corruption that goes with it, are powerful. Maybe the whole book is an argument against virtue ethics and nepotism. If you just recruit people because one other person thought they would be a good person, how wrong can it go how fast? ( )