Audiobook Review – Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, Book 2) by Neal Shusterman, Narrated by Greg Tremblay (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia
Length: 13 hours and 2 minutes
Publisher: Audible Studios
Release Date: January 09, 2018
ASIN: B078PRSNW3
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Arc of a Scythe series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

“The Thunderhead is the perfect ruler of a perfect world, but it has no control over the scythedom. A year has passed since Rowan had gone off grid. Since then, he has become an urban legend, a vigilante snuffing out corrupt scythes in a trial by fire. His story is told in whispers across the continent.

As Scythe Anastasia, Citra gleans with compassion and openly challenges the ideals of the “new order.” But when her life is threatened and her methods questioned, it becomes clear that not everyone is open to the change.

Old foes and new enemies converge, and as corruption within the Scythedom spreads, Rowan and Citra begin to lose hope. Will the Thunderhead intervene?

Or will it simply watch as this perfect world begins to unravel?”

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Arc of a Scythe series. I got this as an audiobook from Audible.com.

Audiobook Quality (5/5): I really enjoy listening to this series on audiobook. The Narrator does an amazing job and is an absolute joy to listen to. I would definitely recommend listening to this series on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

Story (5/5): Scythe Anastasia is trying her best to change the Scythedom from within. Meanwhile Rowan, as Scythe Lucifer, has gone off grid. We learn a lot more about the Thunderhead in this book since each chapter starts out with a section by the Thunderhead. With the reappearance of some old foes, the Thunderhead can only watch as the Scythedom slowly drags humanity back into the dark ages the Thunderhead avoided.

This story had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. At points the story gets so dire that it’s hard to listen to. This is one of those series where the second book really runs the characters through their paces and makes the reader ache for all the misery they go through. This was very well put together and completely engrossing….it was one of those audiobooks that had me taking a longer way home so I could listen just a bit longer!

Characters (5/5): I continue to love the Scythes in general and really enjoyed watching Citra and Rowan grow into their abilities and stations. Another main character is added to the story, Grayson, and I enjoyed him as well. We really get to see into the Thunderhead’s thoughts a lot more in this book and he is developed very nicely as a character; I love the Thunderhead.

Setting (5/5): The setting continues to be fascinating as we watch the Scythes versus the Thunderhead/humanity. It’s a very intriguing society and the world-building is detailed and incredibly well done. I love this world and the setting! This book was a special treat because we get to journey to Endura as well as some other secret places.

Writing Style (5/5): This is very well written and jumps between more POVs than the first book, the additional POVs worked really well for the story. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this and have no complaints.

Summary (5/5): Overall I loved this continuation of the Arc of a Scythe series. The story gains complexity and introduces some excellent new characters. It’s a fast paced story that is very hard to stop reading. Not only is it highly entertaining, but it continues to provide a lot of food for thought. Highly recommended!