Thunderhead

Citra is an 18-year-old newly-ordained junior scythe and one of the main protagonists in the Arc of a Scythe series. She operates under the alias “Scythe Anastasia,” named after her Patron Historic Anastasia Romanov. At the beginning of Thunderhead, Citra has been a scythe for almost a year, and she is garnering a lot of attention in the MidMerican scythe community for her unconventional gleaning methods. Throughout Thunderhead, Citra struggles to come to terms with her new identity as Scythe Anastasia. Although she loves Rowan, she feels torn between her loyalty for him and her desire to follow the honorable path laid out by her mentors, Scythes Faraday and Curie.

As a scythe, Citra believes in the power of compassion. While most scythes kill without a thought for the preferences of the gleaned person, Citra decides to give her gleaning subjects a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones and to choose their method of death. Although the method doubles her work and “[makes] for an incredibly exhausting life,” it also “help[s] her sleep at night” (30). Citra leads with kindness, but she is also strong in her resolve and doesn’t allow herself to be bullied by those who disagree with her.