Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Title: Scythe
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (November 22, 2016)
ISBN: 978-1442472426 
Genre: Science Fiction
Recommended Age Level: YA 13-18
Awards / Recognitions:

• ALA Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book
• ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults - Top Ten
• ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers​
• Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Winner

Personal Rating: 5 / 5
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Summary: In the future, humans have conquered death. No more dying, no more disease, no more crime, all thanks to the Thunderhead, an omniscient evolution of AI and "the cloud". Humans have handed the reigns for control and leadership of just about every facet of life over to the Thunderhead, from government to entertainment, from jobs to healthcare, and in exchange the Thunderhead has created a utopia, a literal heaven on earth, where humans can live out their lives in blissful paradise for as long as they please. In a world where people live indefinitely, overpopulation is the only concern, and the only facet of life that the Thunderhead does not control. Enter the Scythes, an organization of people feared, yet treated like celebrities, whose sole job is to "glean" people to keep the population in check. When someone is gleaned that is the only permanent and irreversible death that a human faces. When two teens, Citra and Rowan, are each paid a visit from a well-known Scythe, the last thing they expect and the last thing either of them wants, is to be offered an apprenticeship to become Scythes themselves. They are immediately thrown into a vastly different world, both competing against each other and having to rely on each other as they are trained to become masters of death. Their morals are tested as they come to find that the world of Scythes is far more complicated, and far more corrupt, than anyone on the outside can imagine. Citra and Rowan find themselves in the middle of a growing schism between two factions, and their training and apprenticeship end up becoming a major tipping point in the outcome of this play for power. Neal Shusterman, in this award-winning series opener, pushes boundaries and forces the reader to confront some deep philosophical questions about the roots of our own humanity. "In a world without death, what becomes of life? Instead of exploring the ways in which men are monsters, this book deals in what happens to men when there are no monsters. When our reach does not exceed our grasp, when comfort is more easily obtained than struggle, when our essential humanity doesn’t burn out but becomes slowly irrelevant, what becomes of us?" (Reagan, 2016)

Reagan, M. (2016, November 22). Where Lives Are Long and Death Is Gone: Neal Shusterman’s SCYTHE. Booklist. Retrieved from https://www.booklistreader.com/2016/11/22/books-and-authors/where-lives-are-long-and-death-is-gone-neal-shustermans-scythe/

Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads)
Unwind by Neal Shusterman (2007): The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman (2015): Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the worst thing she'd ever been through. That was before her planet was invaded. Now, with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra are forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating craft, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. But the warship could be the least of their problems. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their biggest threat; and nobody in charge will say what's really going on. As Kady plunges into a web of data hacking to get to the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: Ezra.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (1975): Doomed to - or blessed with - eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing that it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.

Below is my own personal book talk

Below is the official book trailer