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The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3)
The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3)
10
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
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#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2656699288">Scythe</a>; - ★★★★★
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2998629500">Thunderhead</a>; - ★★★★★
#3 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3080800725">The Toll</a> - ★★★★★

<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Book-Review-Banner-20.png"/>;

And here is my review of The Toll. We have reached the end of the series, guys.

It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.

In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.

I don’t know how to even start this review, because I have so many emotions still! I am so in love with this series. With this finale. I am also so sad that the journey ends here and I have to part ways, re-visiting these books but never reading new ones. 

A wonderful world, where death is no more, and two scythe apprentices, with the willpower to be great - they stuck to me, and they grew on me, and they did capture my heart. 

<b><i>Rowan - a hero never understood.</i></b>

Fighting for the good in a bad way. Himself against the world, not afraid to give his life for the people he cares about. I salute you, Scythe Lucifer!

<b><i>Citra - a woman born to be a leader.</i></b>

A powerful force that moves the Earth she walks upon. A compassion and kindness mixed with the force of unfairness. Ready to stand up when no one else does and not afraid to do things differently. I salute you, Scythe Anastasia. 

And to all the rest of the characters, and believe me, there are so many that are just as important, I also bow to you. For fighting for what you believe in, for being better humans than most and for helping a person in need. You will never be forgotten. 

<b><i>Neal Shusterman, the hero of this book.</i></b>

The creator of wonderful worlds. I bow to you and I thank you for giving me a world worth remembering. For creating the Thunderhead to lead us into the future, and for giving us a glimpse of possibilities and opportunities of the “what might be”. I have endless love for your writing and will continue to be excited and read every new book you write. 

I have noticed, when I really love a book and want to shout about it to everyone I know, it is quite hard to do so without spilling any spoilers. How do you write a review of mentioning all the things you loved, without ruining the story for someone else?

<b><i>Let’s try it this way:</i></b>

Guys, have a look at my review of Scythe, the first book in the series. Then read the book. Then read my review of Thunderhead. Read that book as well. And then come here, read this blurb, finish the series and find me either here, or on Instagram and Twitter, so I can tell you all the spoilers! :)

No, honestly, if you love science-fiction with a twist of fantasy and dystopia, this will be a book you will cherish forever. 

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I will be the first to admit that I have not read all of the Song of Ice and Fire books. I just haven't done it. I have, however, watched all the episodes multiple times. So this book was still relevant to me.

I really really enjoyed this book. I love getting to see into the minds of the author's for the worlds they create. This is no different. Martin and his co authors did a fantastic job creating this world and giving real depth to it. I loved all the history of the seven kingdoms and all of Essos. It was phenomenal to see how far back they were willing to write. I think by having read this, I can understand the characters and their reasons for doing what they do by knowing their house backgrounds. We even get to know some of the history of Robert's Rebellion we don't get to see in the show.

I love the history of the Targaryens. They are my house, because dragons. I think my favorite member of the house is Danae (not only because she has the same name as me, I promise). She is a badass warrior princess who rode her dragon into battle and defied her brother husband because she wanted to be free. She is a force to be reckoned with and I would love to be her. Well, minus the brother husband thing because that is gross.

The art work in this book is gorgeous. I cannot get enough of it. I am definitely going to look to see if I can possibly buy some prints of the art because my walls are severely lacking Game of Thrones right now.

Overall, I thought this was a cool, in depth experience of the World of Ice and Fire. If you are a fan of the series (either book or television) you should check this out.
  
Danger and romance lie deep in the heart of Thornbeck Forest. Where a poacher's only desire is to feed the poor. The forester determined to catch the poacher. And a margrave who holds the future of all in his hands.

"Because love was the best reason of all!"

Odette Menkels has a burning desire to help the orphans of Thornbeck. And the forest at her doorstep has an abundance of wild game. The only problem is that the game belongs to the king. Nevertheless, Odette braves the wrath of the margrave who is responsible for the Thornbeck forest. Every night she disguises herself, hunts the deer and feeds the poor. Her life is changed in an instant when she meets Jorgen Hartman, the forester, at the Midsummer festival. Jorgen has found evidence of a poacher and would like nothing better than to bring this poacher to justice. What will he do if he finds out that Odette is the poacher? Will Odette have everything stripped from her? There will be many confessions and consequences, but not all are bad...and some may even surprise you!

This is the first book I have read by Melanie Dickerson, but it won't be the last! I already have The Golden Braid on my list to read by the end of the year. I believe that writing medieval fairy tales for adults was a stroke of genius! The thrill of the chase. The excitement of the hunt. Balls and finery, sorrow and hunger, the desire to do good and the consequences of the laws of the land. The tragic circumstances of the day were portrayed very well. Life in 1363 was rough! But we are reminded that the bonds of love and family are not to be trifled with. Enter the forest of Thornbeck and be whisked through an incredible journey.
  
TG
The Good Kind of Bad
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Firstly I’d like to thank Netgalley and Rita Brassington for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

<b>3.5 stars!

<i>Secrets don't stay secret for long.</i></b>

This was definitely slow to start. After getting into my last read almost instantly <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1637742966">;(All The Ugly and Wonderful Things)</a> this one didn’t seem like it was going to be my cup of tea, but after I got to around the 20% mark things started getting a little more interesting. I did enjoy reading this book, it was a much lighter read than my previous so it was nice to not really feel anything… <b>I really do mean that in the nicest way possible btw!</b> For me, this book was an easy & quick read that was entertaining but just a little bit OTT. I think this book has a lot of cliches, all very predictable, things I guessed rather easily and so if it hadn’t been for that, this would have probably been rated higher, but I prefer books that challenge and shock me.

Another problem I had with this book was that I felt like there are whole chunks of time missing from the story that either really could have helped with character and plot development or could have been explained better so we realised it had disappeared before our eyes... <spoiler>eg. she runs to Nina’s apartment (which she says is only a short distance), see’s Nina die, then runs away to the police station, stays outside for a little bit pondering what she should do (and obviously she doesn’t choose the right thing) then ends up a cafe, only for Evan to walk in a claim she’s been gone hours? Like where the <i>heck</i> did all those hours go?</spoiler>

Everything in this book was <i>massively</i> over the top. I’ve said before in a review that books are supposed to take you away from everything and land you into something fictional and exciting. But there does get a point where things become too fictional. The crazy storyline wouldn’t have mattered so much if it wasn’t for the fact that all the characters were completely unrealistic people.

However the biggest downfall for this book was the characters. To love a book, you’ve got to love the characters, and I didn’t.

Our main lady (we never find out her first name) of the book was beyond irritating. I felt like every single little thing she did was the wrong thing. She faced some really awful stuff throughout the book and then went about sorting it out in all the wrongs ways! She wanted you to think she was a high class, intelligent, independant lady, but in actual fact she was airheaded, weak and damn right ridiculous. What annoyed me most about her was the fact that she was ready to believe <i>anyone.</i> She knew all the people in this book for 3 months tops and she always just believed what they said, no questions asked. <spoiler>Also no questions asked as to why Evan was calling her “honey” & “baby” all of a sudden!</spoiler>

As for Joe, it’s pretty obvious why you wouldn’t like him. He’s a cock from the start of the relationship, I don’t understand what she saw in him to begin with to be honest.

Then there’s Evan, the good guy cop who comes to save the damsel in distress… how predictable he is. He’s the easiest character to work out in the world of fictional characters. I mean c’mon, there was no mystery to him at all.

After all my complaining, this was still an enjoyable read for me. It wasn't one of those books I try and force myself to read just to finish it, I actually wanted to find out what was happening. I will say that I <b>hadn’t</b> predicted the <i>ending</i> ending. I had predicted most of what was going to happen but there were elements I hadn’t been expecting. That’s definitely what gave it the extra point 5 of a star, otherwise it would have just remained a mediocre 3 stars. I would recommend this to people who like fast paced thrillers. I think this is the perfect holiday book!
  
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