Susan Sarnio made a choice, and will spend the rest of her life as the only female Death. Last year she was bullied and ostracized. Now, to her complete bewilderment, four Deaths vie for her affection. Yet, something is terribly wrong at the College of Deaths. When a ship carrying scythe metal is attacked, many blame the newly-freed Elementals, but Susan knows the Elementals are innocent.
Shadows from the distant past come to light. Dragons circle the horizon, blood spills, and nothing is what it seems. Susan and her friends struggle to stop a war. They search for the fabled First Scythe, hoping to sway the balance, but who is the true enemy?
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Review:
YA can get tiresome. Honestly it’s not my favorite genre but there are some that have won me over. I mean, Harry Potter was my favorite series for a long time. It has to have 3 simple rules.
#1 – No whiny heroines or heroes. Angst, has it’s place but it can’t be a running thing.
#2 – Meaty story with conflicts appropriate to the characters.
#3 – Awesome sidekicks. Dragons are a plus.
The Scythe Wielder series has all of these things and more. I was blown away how awesome this series is. I read both of the books back to back, which I highly recommend. The growth in the main character Susan is phenomenal. Imagine finding out you are not only the first female reaper in a million years, ripped from the only life you know and thrown into a boys only club at 13 years old? Yeah, well she deals with that plus a plot to over the World of Deaths in the first book. Now in the second book, Sword of Death, she is trying to prove another race called the Elementals are innocent along with the few allies she has made in this crazy dimension. Did I mention…Dragons?? I love dragons. In this book they are the enemy that always looms in the background, always making their presence known.
I can not stress more that I highly recommend this book if you have fantasy readers in the family. It’s not just for kids, it definitely covers all ages. The book doesn’t stop, it’s gripping. I am looking forward to the next book and I am going to put this on my daughter’s Kindle so we can read it together.
Book 1 is Available On:
Amazon | MuseIt (eBook) (Paperback) | B&N
Book A Million | ChristopherMannino.com
Thrust into a world of men, can a timid girl find bravery as the first female Death?
Thirteen-year-old Suzie Sarnio always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image of a skeleton with a scythe. Now, forced to enter the College of Deaths, she finds herself training to bring souls from the Living World to the Hereafter. The task is demanding enough, but as the only female in the all-male College, she quickly becomes a target. Attacked by both classmates and strangers, Suzie is alone in a world where even her teachers want her to fail.
Scythes hungry for souls, Deaths who enslave a race of mysterious magicians, and echoes of an ancient war with Dragons.
As her year progresses, Suzie suspects her presence isn’t an accident. She uncovers a plot to overthrow the World of Deaths. Now she must also discover the reason she’s been brought there: the first female Death in a million years.
Christopher Mannino’s life is best described as an unending creative outlet. He teaches high school theatre in Greenbelt, Maryland. In addition to his daily drama classes, he runs several after-school performance/production drama groups. He spends his summers writing and singing. Mannino holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Education from Catholic University, and has studied mythology and literature both in America and at Oxford University. His work with young people helped inspire him to write young adult fantasy, although it was his love of reading that truly brought his writing to life.
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