Thunderhead is a thrilling sequel to the bestselling novel, Scythe. After finishing Scythe this book was exactly what I was expecting: endless action with major moral conflicts. 

Thunderhead continues in the same setting. After the Winter Conclave, Rowan, a failed scythe apprentice, has gone rogue against the corrupt scythes. He takes the name Scythe Lucifer (a different name for the devil). The story also follows Citra Terranova, a junior scythe named Scythe Anastasia. Throughout the tale, Citra also battles corruption in the Scythedom politically. The only thing smart enough to fix these problems is the thunderhead, which is powerless to interfere with Scythes. 

I like how Shusterman writes with strong themes. He shows that Rowan and Citra have the same views yet deal with them in polar opposite ways. For example, Rowan and Citra are pushed apart by the story but yet pulled in by their emotions. They fall in love through situations in which they must be enemies. I like how Shusterman tries to push this idea to the reader, that just because you’re different than someone, doesn’t mean you can’t find common ground—or even love. 

Another interesting theme of the book is the lack of religion yet worshipping a higher being. Because of the thunderhead, no one can die, removing the need for faith. People see the thunderhead as their savior so they worship him. He provides them with all necessities and even gives them life advice, replacing parents in some cases.

Something that I dislike about the book is that it suddenly switches narrators between the three main characters, and the book can be all over the place and hard to comprehend. This Could be fixed by keeping one perspective for more than just a few pages. Also, Shusterman could help the reader understand who’s narrating the book by putting the context of the story in the first sentence. This would help the reader know what character is telling the story, right away.

I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys dystopian books, because of its in-depth themes of killing, religion, and its complex characters who illustrate the idea that opposites attract.