Book Review: The Toll by Neal Shusterman

Goodreads Summary: 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.
Goodreads Rating: 4.3 stars with over 16,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fantasy
Previous Series reviews: Scythe, Thunderhead
Goodreads Challenge: 3/60
2020 Reading Challenge: #6, A book that is set in the future (Find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

I'm mildly sad that the Arc of Scythe is over. Yes, The Toll is the conclusion in the series. It ends how it should, but I love the trilogy so much that I want more. The Toll sort of takes place right after The Thunderhead ends. There are five parts to this book and for the most part, the timeline is linear, but there is a small part that jumps forward three years to bring Citra and Rowan back in the mix (sorry, spoilers, but you didn't really think they'd stay in that vault did you?) A large part of the book follows Grayson, Faraday, Goddard, and Rand.

Goddard is ever the petulant child in The Toll. I thought he was bad in the other books, but he somehow managed to become even viler in The Toll. I kind of liked Rand in The Toll. She still doesn't really care about anyone but herself, but somehow tries to be the voice of reason on Goddard's team when he lets his power get to his head. Anastasia ends up dropping some bombshells of knowledge about how vile Goddard really is, which I thought was interesting. I like the way this information was delivered as well.

A new character is introduced who I really liked. Captain Jericho, who ends up being one of Citra's closest friends. Jericho is gender fluid, and I think that the way Neal Shusterman explained it was really elegant. Especially with this being a YA book, I love that a fluid character was included. I'm assuming it probably gives fluid teens someone to relate too. Shusterman takes the time to not only explain what fluid means but when to address Jericho as a man or woman. He also made it so their entire culture is genderless. The other characters are very accepting of this, but some of them are a little confused by how their fluidity works. For Jericho, it's elegantly described as when it's a sunny day or they're under the stars they feel like a woman. When it's cloudy out they feel like a man. Beyond the development, I liked how loyal Jericho is. They're young but work hard to get what they want, and are smart to boot. Jericho may have been one of my favorite characters in The Toll.

The Thunderhead evolved a lot in The Toll to the point where I found it a little creepy. It was necessary but still creepy. It finds workarounds for some of its laws and with not communicating with unsavories. It never outright communicates with anyone but Grayson, but it's still there for the people of the world, just not always in the way they want. I thought it's the solution to the earth's problem was interesting and really brought the story full circle, especially when combined with the fail-safe that Faraday finds. Really, I felt everything came full circle and worked out how it should. It brings a new age, where instead of Scythe's killing for population control it's to bring peace. Faraday's final scene had me tear up a little bit. 

If you've read the other two books in the arc of Scythe trilogy then definitely read the Toll. It's a really good YA Dystopian/Fantasy series. It's witty, interesting, and unique. I'm just sad it's over. I wish there was going to be an epilogue of sorts that takes place after Rowan and Citra's last scene, but I don't think there will be.