September Not First In A Series BOTM - Thunderhead, by Neal Shusterman

[Felicia]

Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.

Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?

[Charley Girl]

Part 1 and 2
(view spoiler)[ Well Sythe Rand isn't dead. Boo! Not sure what she is up to but it cannot be good.

Rowan is doing is own "good" by gleaning bad sythes. He is judge, jury and executor. Can't say that is a good idea.

I'm sort of annoyed that the adults are portrayed as being a bit stupid, not quite with it and the kids are the smart ones. I've always had issues with this with YA. (hide spoiler)]

Part 3
(view spoiler)[Graysen got bamboozled. Sucker punched. I'm waiting for Thunderhead to pull him out. What happened to Purity to make her so, well, bad? Tyger is an idiot. Sythe Currie needs to be the sythe she was in the first book. (hide spoiler)]

[Charley Girl]

Part 4
(view spoiler)[ Well, now Tyger is a dead idiot. Ick...looking at someone who has a different head but sounds and has mannerisms of someone else you know? Ick, ick, ick.

Rand is going to help Rowan....eventually and Graysen is going to be just fine in the end. I think. (hide spoiler)]

[Charley Girl]

Part 5 (view spoiler)[ Ah, Thunderhead. I really liked the first diary entry about people being mentally healthy. How can this be so when there is nothing to strive for?

Conclave...What a freak show, right? Wicked Goddard on poor naive Tyger's body.

Scythe Curie is driving me nuts because she isn't doing anything. It is like someone took half her brain. (hide spoiler)]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ LOVED IT! What a great ending! Suspense!

Did the little kid at the elevator wanting to kill make chills run down anyone else's back?

Grandslayers eaten...well, almost all of them. Citra and Rowan, in a bubble and Curie, FINALLY is the woman I liked in the first book. I'm very excited for the next book. :) (hide spoiler)]

[C.P.]

Glad you liked this, Charley! I love this series (and everything I've read by Shusterman). I really want the next book to be released already.

[Alaina]

I'm so hesitant to dive into this book because I thought the first one was just so meh.

[C.P.]

If you didn't like the first, you probably won't like the second. That's my thought at least.

[Jennifer]

Part One - (view spoiler)[ How is Rand alive? and whatever she wants with Tyger can't be good. (hide spoiler)]
Part Two - (view spoiler)[ I like hearing from the Thunderhead's musings. They are interesting. I like its relationship with Greyson too, though I wonder what will become of him now that he has broken the rules. (hide spoiler)]
Part Three - (view spoiler)[ Oh crap, Rowan! How could you let yourself be captured like that? Think Man! And especially now when Citra needs your help most. And poor Grayson is all on his own now that Trexler was gleaned - how did that happen?? Oh, and are we sure Constantine isn't in on this plot with Rand, whatever it is? (hide spoiler)]
Part Four - WTF!!! (view spoiler)[ HOW is that possible? I can't believe that Goddard is alive too. Rand took his head to salvage? that is is just messed up. Oh geez, and they just took Tyger's body? Poor guy! Please tell me that Rand really kept his head too, just in case?!? (hide spoiler)]
Part Five - (view spoiler)[ OK, anyone else disappointed with that conversation between Rowan and Thunderhead? That was THE chance for information to be exchanged and neither one of them made anything of it. Plus, I thought the synopsis of the book said that Citra would go deadish to talk to the Thunderhead. I'm still waiting for that to happen. Did I miss it? (hide spoiler)]
Finished - (view spoiler)[ OK, show of hands - who thought Goddard was smart enough to put together a plan to sink the whole damn island? Kill the Grand Slayers - sure, throw Rowan in front of them to make them vote his way - sure....but collect whatever engineers he didn't kill in the last book and make them work to sink the entire Scythe government - nope, didn't think he was capable of that many layers of planning.

How long do you think it will take for them to excavate Endura and find Citra and Rowan? Will Goddard be in charge of the whole Scythedom by then?

I was not expecting the Great Resonance to be what it was. Brillant way to make that tidbit come together!

I also thought that maybe this "thing" that Faraday was searching for this whole time would turn out to be the Great Fork that the tonist were looking for. I thought it might be a big bioweapon that would start killing people naturally or something. Or maybe an EMP to turn Thunderhead off - though, I don't see how that would be a failsafe if the Scythedom fell apart. More appropriate if the Thunderhead failed. (hide spoiler)]

Ah - I will be pondering this one for weeks! I hope the next one comes out in EARLY 2019. I'm going to have a hard time waiting for it.