Freshman Liam Bell recently finished reading “The Toll” by Neal Shusterman.
“I loved the intertwining plot lines between all three of the main cast,” Bell said. “All of their stories connected in some way and choices made by one would heavily impact the story for the others.”
“The Toll” is a 2019 dystopian fantasy novel and is the final book in the Scythe series. The story continues the journey of teenagers Citra and Rowan as they both ordain as scythes, people chosen to kill for population control.
“[‘The Toll’] was part of a series I was heavily interested in,” Bell said. “I was so invested, it was difficult to put down.”
Shusterman is an American writer of young adult fiction. He won the 2015 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for his “Challenger Deep.” His novel “Scythe” was a 2017 Michael L. Printz Honor book. He won the Margaret Edwards Award in 2024 to honor “his significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens.”
“People are going to want to read this story for the character development and large plot,” Bell said. “It’s compelling, it makes you think, and that ‘Aha!’ moments are incredibly satisfying.”
For those looking for a new dystopian, science fiction book look no further than starting the Scythe series and finishing with “The Toll.”