Thunderhead

Scythe was very good; Thunderhead was great.

Scythe could have worked well as a standalone novel, but Thunderhead—for better or worse—has massive cliffhangers on several fronts. Looking forward to seeing how this all plays out in book 3.

“I have yet to come across a living vibration, but if I do, I will certainly have many things to ask it. Although I expect its responses may be, well, monotonous.”

Some of the major plot twists are really goofy and undermine the tension that should be building. Citra and Rowan continue to have no romantic leanings, but it's stated they exchanged “I love yous” between books. I strongly believe Neal Shusterman's agent or publisher said he had to include a romantic pairing or it wouldn't sell. So he added a few sentences and called it a day.

Instead of Scythe journal entries, the Thunderhead itself waxes philosophical between every chapter. I enjoyed the AI perspective for the most part. A few new characters are introduced, one of which is totally dedicated to the Thunderhead, so we get a new perspective on the all powerful system that the characters couldn't interact with in the first book.