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chasinggrace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Corruption upon corruption upon corruption.
I went into this book understanding Shannon’s writing style, so it didn’t bother me as much as it did in the first book.
Let me tell you - yall want SLOW burn? A romance than burns so slowly you want to spoon our own eyes out??? This is the series for you. It’s frustrating as hell but so satisfying.
I wasn’t sure I’d continue with the series after book one, but the politics entranced me in book two. And of course, soft-spoken Warden <3 the banter between these two is so hilarious to me. And I absolutely love his little sayings to her. Yall want yearning?? Yall want slow burn???? Shannon gives you both in this story.
I went into this book understanding Shannon’s writing style, so it didn’t bother me as much as it did in the first book.
Let me tell you - yall want SLOW burn? A romance than burns so slowly you want to spoon our own eyes out??? This is the series for you. It’s frustrating as hell but so satisfying.
I wasn’t sure I’d continue with the series after book one, but the politics entranced me in book two. And of course, soft-spoken Warden <3 the banter between these two is so hilarious to me. And I absolutely love his little sayings to her. Yall want yearning?? Yall want slow burn???? Shannon gives you both in this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ceruleanshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
‘Hope is the lifeblood of revolution. Without it, we are nothing but ash, waiting for the wind to take us.’
even tho this was equally chonky as book 1, i found this to be a much faster read bc of the setting change and getting quite acquainted with the world in the previous book.
there was a faster pace to the actions as well, and i found myself very drawn in and intrigued by the mime crime rings and the underground world of the voyants in london.
‘Every revolution begins with breakfast, darling.’
i felt like this had very real challenges and downfalls this part of the story would lead to. there were some small twists and turns that i found surprising and interesting. in general, i think the worldbuilding of voyants and mimes is really what makes this series for me. it would be so cool to see how voyants are in "free worlds".
‘If I could choose anyone on Earth, it would still be you, Paige Mahoney.’
ARCTURUS MESARTHIM. YOU ARE EVERYTHING.
anyone who loves a good slowburn is going to die and wither away from the slow boil tension between him and paige. i love a mmc who recognizes a queen when he gets one
‘If I fear anything, it is not that I want you,’ he said quietly. ‘Only that I might want you too much. And for too long.’
‘You can never want too much. That’s how they silence us,’
i wasn't really as devastated by the end as i expected to be, but i'm not gonna lie i am scared for what might be coming in the next two books 😅
‘And words, my walker – well, words are everything. Words give wings even to those who have been stamped upon, broken beyond all hope of repair.’
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
magraymusic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism
luciiee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and War
unfiltered_fiction's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In this sequel to The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon shows a tangible improvement in the quality of her writing. Page's story opens up to the world of Scion London, giving the reader a vivid and compelling backdrop for the narrative. Shannon's worldbuilding is stronger in this novel than her first, and her characters remain excellent, although they don't develop a huge amount between the end of The Bone Season and the end of this book, with some even regressing a little.
Elements of the writing remain knotted - a couple of dialogue passages I had to read several times to be sure that I understood what the characters were implying to one another, which detracted from the pace of the writing. The plot is also a little lopsided, building up to a cliffhanger which is very easily predictable and therefore not very effective at all. It feels a little haphazard, as though Paige simply lurches from event to event rather than there being a strong arc with very little strategy for a long time. The story doesn't truly get going until the final section of the book, which is a little long to wait, especially when this is already a sequel.
However, there is an evident maturation of Shannon's world and her way of representing it. The politics of the syndicate are fascinating; fight scenes are written very, very well; it was fabulous to get to know the Dials better. Subplots were very compelling, and laid the foundations for some really exciting things later in the series. Despite its flaws, I really love this series. I think it's a fascinating world, an excellent concept, and a story that is truly epic - albeit with some faltering in the telling.
Elements of the writing remain knotted - a couple of dialogue passages I had to read several times to be sure that I understood what the characters were implying to one another, which detracted from the pace of the writing. The plot is also a little lopsided, building up to a cliffhanger which is very easily predictable and therefore not very effective at all. It feels a little haphazard, as though Paige simply lurches from event to event rather than there being a strong arc with very little strategy for a long time. The story doesn't truly get going until the final section of the book, which is a little long to wait, especially when this is already a sequel.
However, there is an evident maturation of Shannon's world and her way of representing it. The politics of the syndicate are fascinating; fight scenes are written very, very well; it was fabulous to get to know the Dials better. Subplots were very compelling, and laid the foundations for some really exciting things later in the series. Despite its flaws, I really love this series. I think it's a fascinating world, an excellent concept, and a story that is truly epic - albeit with some faltering in the telling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Suicide, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty and Confinement
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