The Thunderhead

SYNOPSIS:

Everything else besides death is out of human control, managed by the Thunderhead. It's a perfect system - until it isn't. It's been a year since Rowan went off-grid. Hunted by the Scythedom, he has become an urban legend, a vigilante snuffing out corrupt scythes in a trial by fire. Citra, meanwhile, is forging her path as Scythe Anastasia, gleaning with compassion. However, conflict within the Scythedom is growing by the day, and when Citra's life is threatened, it becomes clear that there is a truly terrifying plot afoot. The Thunderhead observes everything, and it does not like what it sees. Will it intervene? Or will it simply watch as this perfect world begins to unravel?

REVIEW

(4.5 STARS)

Even though I prefer to read book series instead of stand-alone books, I'm often terrified because I always get disappointed. I'm sure you know what I mean since it certainly happened to you too.

However, 'The Thunderhead' surpassed my expectations. This book was everything this series needed, and then some. The first thing that appealed to me was the Thunderhead's POV. Not only were these moments deep and philosophical, but they also allowed us to get to know him better. I've never read a book in which the AI is good and isn't trying to kill humanity. This one was my first. I felt empathy for this being, compassion for his solitude and admiration for his mission. Shusterman made us feel closer to an AI than to our entire race. He gave it feelings (or at least, an understanding of these) and dressed him up in godlike clothes. And I almost wished The Thunderhead to life.

Its cogitations touched me and made me meditate about humanity's certain doom - if an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient being can't save us, then there's no salvation in sight. We're all going to die, and it's not going to be pretty.

Besides The Thunderhead, the other crucial part of this wonderous book was Greyson Tolliver. I think I enjoyed his storyline more than Rowan's or Citra's. I feel like he's the only one who experiences a complete arc: blind trust turned into slight disappointment and abandonment turn again into a full realization that, even though he likes the being that raised him, he can live with its absence.

He's a breath of fresh air, compared to Rowan (who keeps on being the anti-villain we all need) and Citra (who's still the perfect flavourless girl who wants to make things her way because that's the only right way).

Without Tolliver and the magnificent AI, I think I wouldn't have enjoyed this book as much.

As I said, Rowan is living a nomadic life of crime, and even though I love him and appreciate his work, it got a bit predictable after a while.

Citra was never my cup of tea. She's still pretentious and always knows what's best. I only enjoyed her chapters because I got to see Marie.

Faraday was also a sight for sore eyes. I adore his chapters, and I liked Munira and their joint mission.

Plotwise, this book was divine, maybe even better than the first. There were so many twists and turns, I was glued to my seat. And nothing would've been the same without Shusterman's sense of humour - it is so subtle and unexpected, it's the perfect tension breaker.

And can we just take a moment to appreciate the ending? WOW! Nothing could've prepared me for it! I'm already reading the last book of this trilogy that I can't recommend enough. If you like to seat on the edge of your imagination picturing what the apocalypse would be like, rest assured someone has already painted that picture for you. His name is Neal Shusterman, and I invite you to read his work.