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shingekiyes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Samantha Shannon is a god. i worship at the altar of her writing. i will read anything she puts out—i’m honestly angry at myself for not reading this sooner.
The Bone Season does not apply to any of my tastes as a reader. i do not like paranormal. i do not like magical boarding school/training. i do not particularly likesize difference, immortal being + human mortal romances. i do not like overly British books. (lol) and yet, i fucking loved this book.
after 50 pages—the typical slow, world-building rising action that Shannon is known for—i was absolutely hooked. thank god for the glossary, because i had a lot of questions, but i probably still would have survived without it. the world is so intricate, complicated, and structured. there is room for expansion, twists & turns, but limited enough to feel secure as a new reader. i loved that in this book, the reader was thrown into the magic without feeling too vulnerable OR belittled by the text. Paige, though an expert in her own world, was new to Oxford and was the perfect stand-in for the audience as she learned more and more about the Rephs, the politics of Scion, and about her own power.
Paige is an extremely compelling protagonist. she’s almost morally gray in that she is driven by a need to survive and to protect her own circle, but is willing to do whatever it takes. i loved the balance of selfishness and selflessness she held within her. she is cunning, but not arrogant. she is determined, but not ambitious. she is willing to step outside her comfort zone/expertise to do what needed to be done. she felt very realistic to me—her immediate rage and reactionary actions, and her later slow and methodical examination of her feelings (and the facts). i love her and i cannot wait to see how thisescape from Oxford and severing of ties with Jaxon impacts her life in London.
one of my favorite things about Samantha Shannon is her research. god, this woman is smart. the interwoven threads about Ireland (mirroring actual historical events, i assume) and Paige’s identity as an Irish person were sooooo delicious and fascinating. the pain of her family and how it resonated within her was magnificently depicted, and i know for certain that all of the inclusion of the Molly Riots was very intentional. i am excited to see how she can channel this revolutionary spirit in the next books.
also… damn, this book must have been born from a deep dive into paranormal and occult practices. i loved the familiar details of the tarot cards, scrying, ley lines, and the different orders of psychics and -mancers. the numa were particularly intriguing to me, and again, i was grateful for the glossary AND for the inclusion of the excerpt from Jaxon’s pamphlet. for once in my ENTIRE life i was interested in the communication between spirits and the spirit realm.
speaking of Jaxon! what a character. he reminds me of Niclays from Priory—a tough pill to swallow, but believable and compelling all the same. i am lowkey obsessed with this horrible man, and i can only imagine how he will be a wrench in Paige’s future plans. between Nick and Jaxon, i feel we have a Magneto and Professor X situation on our hands. time will tell. (sidenote: the whole seven orders thing is CRAZY AS HELL and the propaganda element was so believable to human nature. i want the full pamphlet NOW!)
Liss, Julian, Nadine, Zeke, Eliza, and Terebell are probably some of my favorite characters so far. i am totally entranced when i see them on the page. i love their gifts and how they all vary so widely despite feeling very similar in real-world terms. again, i look forward to seeing what lies ahead for each of them.
finally, i must touch on my favorite character: Arcturus Mesarthim. Warden. my beloved. as soon as Paige called himterrible and beautiful i knew i was personally done for. beyond the Beauty and the Beast-type romantic sub-plot, he is absolutely fascinating as a character. scarred and haunted, uniquely gifted, curious, gentle, quietly dangerous. he is exactly my type. we only got to see a glimpse of what he is capable of, and i wonder how Shannon will further establish and expand his oneiromancy in the future. i honestly can’t stop thinking about him and his collared tunics and his gloves and his golden eyes and his gramophone…. ugh
overall, 10/10 read. i will be immediately starting the rest of the series in anticipation of The Dark Mirror’s release in February 2025. now that I know Paige and Arcturus, i will not be letting them go!!!
The Bone Season does not apply to any of my tastes as a reader. i do not like paranormal. i do not like magical boarding school/training. i do not particularly like
after 50 pages—the typical slow, world-building rising action that Shannon is known for—i was absolutely hooked. thank god for the glossary, because i had a lot of questions, but i probably still would have survived without it. the world is so intricate, complicated, and structured. there is room for expansion, twists & turns, but limited enough to feel secure as a new reader. i loved that in this book, the reader was thrown into the magic without feeling too vulnerable OR belittled by the text. Paige, though an expert in her own world, was new to Oxford and was the perfect stand-in for the audience as she learned more and more about the Rephs, the politics of Scion, and about her own power.
Paige is an extremely compelling protagonist. she’s almost morally gray in that she is driven by a need to survive and to protect her own circle, but is willing to do whatever it takes. i loved the balance of selfishness and selflessness she held within her. she is cunning, but not arrogant. she is determined, but not ambitious. she is willing to step outside her comfort zone/expertise to do what needed to be done. she felt very realistic to me—her immediate rage and reactionary actions, and her later slow and methodical examination of her feelings (and the facts). i love her and i cannot wait to see how this
one of my favorite things about Samantha Shannon is her research. god, this woman is smart. the interwoven threads about Ireland (mirroring actual historical events, i assume) and Paige’s identity as an Irish person were sooooo delicious and fascinating. the pain of her family and how it resonated within her was magnificently depicted, and i know for certain that all of the inclusion of the Molly Riots was very intentional. i am excited to see how she can channel this revolutionary spirit in the next books.
also… damn, this book must have been born from a deep dive into paranormal and occult practices. i loved the familiar details of the tarot cards, scrying, ley lines, and the different orders of psychics and -mancers. the numa were particularly intriguing to me, and again, i was grateful for the glossary AND for the inclusion of the excerpt from Jaxon’s pamphlet. for once in my ENTIRE life i was interested in the communication between spirits and the spirit realm.
speaking of Jaxon! what a character. he reminds me of Niclays from Priory—a tough pill to swallow, but believable and compelling all the same. i am lowkey obsessed with this horrible man, and i can only imagine how he will be a wrench in Paige’s future plans. between Nick and Jaxon, i feel we have a Magneto and Professor X situation on our hands. time will tell. (sidenote: the whole seven orders thing is CRAZY AS HELL and the propaganda element was so believable to human nature. i want the full pamphlet NOW!)
Liss, Julian, Nadine, Zeke, Eliza, and Terebell are probably some of my favorite characters so far. i am totally entranced when i see them on the page. i love their gifts and how they all vary so widely despite feeling very similar in real-world terms. again, i look forward to seeing what lies ahead for each of them.
finally, i must touch on my favorite character: Arcturus Mesarthim. Warden. my beloved. as soon as Paige called him
overall, 10/10 read. i will be immediately starting the rest of the series in anticipation of The Dark Mirror’s release in February 2025. now that I know Paige and Arcturus, i will not be letting them go!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Slavery, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury
gillian_aftanas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol
lamianoctalis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Fabelhafte, mitreißende Geschichte, die eine alternative Geschichte der Welt mithilfe liebevoll kreiierter, gut ausgearbeiteter Figuren erzählt.
Tolle Erzählerin
Empfehlung an alle Fantasy-/Mystery-Liebhaber
Tolle Erzählerin
Empfehlung an alle Fantasy-/Mystery-Liebhaber
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Classism
Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
faehistory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Excellent book, really enjoyed it and highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
chasinggrace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Wait because I’m so sad that I am giving this book a three star rating. I absolutely loved Priory, and I had such high hopes for the beginning of this series. However, it’s the writing that ruined the story for me. There was SO. MUCH. telling instead of showing. I also don’t think the first person POV worked to the story’s advantage here. Unfortunately, there were many obvious statements, convenient jumps back in time, and sloppy character-building. I think the magic system and world is so interesting, but the descriptors of what is what and who is who were not weaved into the story well. At many times, it felt like info dump after info dump.
Particularly, the jump from “I will lead this rebellion” to the Bicentennial or whatever was CRAZY. We spend 400 pages watching Paige suffer and fight against the system as a stubborn individual and are so ready to follow her through the intricate steps of sowing a rebellion amongst prisoners, just for the book to…skip 2 months of scheming? That would have been INTERESTING. Instead, I now have to read 20 pages of “a few weeks ago we did this, and Jules handled this, and I planted bombs here, and shoutout to the performers who helped me do this.” Like, I would have liked to SEE ALL OF THAT, not just be told about it. Or at least go over the plans through dialogue, not just Paige telling the reader everything that’s been done point-blank. The writing took me out of the story more times than I can count, which made me so frustrated because the story is interesting.
Other than the frustrating prose - and the choppy world/character building that went along with it - I was enamored by the story. I found the interactions and banter between Paige and Warden to actually be done quite well. His personality and speaking style was distinct, and their interactions kept me interested without them being overly obvious or corny.
As stubborn as she can be, I did enjoy how Paige’s past in the syndicate helped her in the lost city. She’s not a bulletproof FMC but she’s also not hopeless. Can she be dumb and rash? Yes. And a little too “let’s save everyone even though that’s illogical.” But overall, I was rooting for her and wanted to read about her more.
My favorite aspects of this story were the dialogue between Paige and Warden, the setting within Magdalen, and the relationships Paige had between the Seven Dials and the other humans in the lost city. I also loved the ending, but didn’t want it to be the end! It ends in a way that really makes you want to read the next book, despite this one’s flaws.
Other than the frustrating prose - and the choppy world/character building that went along with it - I was enamored by the story. I found the interactions and banter between Paige and Warden to actually be done quite well. His personality and speaking style was distinct, and their interactions kept me interested without them being overly obvious or corny.
As stubborn as she can be, I did enjoy how Paige’s past in the syndicate helped her in the lost city. She’s not a bulletproof FMC but she’s also not hopeless. Can she be dumb and rash? Yes. And a little too “let’s save everyone even though that’s illogical.” But overall, I was rooting for her and wanted to read about her more.
My favorite aspects of this story were the dialogue between Paige and Warden, the setting within Magdalen, and the relationships Paige had between the Seven Dials and the other humans in the lost city. I also loved the ending, but didn’t want it to be the end! It ends in a way that really makes you want to read the next book, despite this one’s flaws.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
seastheday's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I picked up this book, didn’t read the back & bought it. I just had some feeling that I was going to love this book & I did. The world is intricate and the premise is so different from any other books I’ve come across- and I’m a veteran reader, for my age at least. I have so many more questions and am looking forward to the future books. Now, I didn’t give it the full five stars because the love subplot really took me by surprise, in a way it shouldn’t have. There was not much foreshadowing. It didn’t even need to be in obvious (ex. Toes curled in my shoes). Like I thought the romantic interests were into other people!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death and Toxic friendship
Minor: Torture
charfield's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
**3.5 stars, rounded up
Will I read the next book: NO?
Half of this rating isn't the books fault. I picked up this book since it was on clearance, my friend and I had just finished buddy reading ADOFN and PotOT, and I figured, what the hell? We know we like Samantha Shannon, so might as well go for it. Anyone who pays particular attention to what I read knows that I almost NEVER read YA or romance books anymore. I just find that I'm over them and honestly, had I known Shannon's Bone Season series was a YA fantasy romance, I likely would have never picked it up.
Was the plot predictable? Yes. By the first couple of chapters, I knew And once you factor in those things, I've just explained like 80% of the plot of this book without having really needed to read any of it. Classic YA fantasy novel shit.
On the main character, I do have some qualms.
Despite all this complaining I'm doing, one of the things that I've always admired about Shannon is her ability to world build, and The Bone Season is no different. The reason it's rounded up is because it is truly one of the most unique hierarchical magic systems I've ever read, and I can practically feel the hours upon hours that went into developing everything that went into this. And despite the fact I was just complaining about Paige, the magic system is such that I don't feel like she's particularly overpowered.
Plus, this is her debut novel, and clearly she has only gotten better with the years. On a second, edited thought, I think I'm going to leave it here. YA and romance don't really jive with me anymore, and I don't really feel a need to see this through.
Will I read the next book: NO?
Half of this rating isn't the books fault. I picked up this book since it was on clearance, my friend and I had just finished buddy reading ADOFN and PotOT, and I figured, what the hell? We know we like Samantha Shannon, so might as well go for it. Anyone who pays particular attention to what I read knows that I almost NEVER read YA or romance books anymore. I just find that I'm over them and honestly, had I known Shannon's Bone Season series was a YA fantasy romance, I likely would have never picked it up.
Was the plot predictable? Yes. By the first couple of chapters, I knew
Spoiler
that Warden and Paige were going to end up in a romantic relationship by the end of it, and I didn't love that aspect of the book because it's very Stockholm, WILD age gap sort of activities I have given up on caring about. I knew that eventually they would force her to fight the syndicate. I knew from the moment Jaxon got screentime he was going to end up being an abusive asshole and everyone was going to turn on him, because he had too many controlling red flags going on.On the main character, I do have some qualms.
Spoiler
In a memory in chapter 25, we learn that Paige hesitates to speak up against Jaxon, and one of the characters even calls her a mouse and a coward. This is nothing like the Paige we have known, who, since arriving into Warden's arms, has been nothing but sassy and totally reckless with her opinion. I would have LOVED for the novel to develop Paige from that meek girl into the sassy woman that she is, because as of right now, I really don't think she does a lot of character developing, other than she learns to hold her tongue a little bit instead of mouthing off all the time. She also, towards the beginning especially, was giving off MS, 'I'm so special and not like other girls', although I do think this gets rectified.Despite all this complaining I'm doing, one of the things that I've always admired about Shannon is her ability to world build, and The Bone Season is no different. The reason it's rounded up is because it is truly one of the most unique hierarchical magic systems I've ever read, and I can practically feel the hours upon hours that went into developing everything that went into this. And despite the fact I was just complaining about Paige, the magic system is such that I don't feel like she's particularly overpowered.
Plus, this is her debut novel, and clearly she has only gotten better with the years. On a second, edited thought, I think I'm going to leave it here. YA and romance don't really jive with me anymore, and I don't really feel a need to see this through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
audelidou's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
4.0
C'est un livre qui a de gros défauts, mais qui reste une lecture très plaisante !
Je pense que je plus gros point négatif est la temporalité. Elle n'est pas très claire et ça m'a un peu mélangée au fil de ma lecture. Par exemple, Paige, le personnage principal, affirme que ça fait plusieurs jours, voire plusieurs semaines qu'elle est captive, mais l'écriture me donnait l'impression qu'elle l'était depuis peu. 3 jours au maximum. Puis elle parle de toutes ses séances d'entraînement avec Warden, des vestes qu'elle gagne, etc. mais on ne voit que comme 3-4 séances d'entraînement. Bref, il y a beaucoup de temps et d'action qui se passent sans que ça ne soit clair, ce que je trouve étrange. Aussi, plusieurs faits sont simplement dits sans être réellement expliqués, ce qui fait que le world building est moins cohérent, surtout en ce qui a trait au fonctionnement de la société rephaim et à la famille Sargas (qui sont les Sargas, vraiment ? Pourquoi sont-ils au pouvoir ? Combien sont-ils ? Pourquoi introduire le personnage de Kraz s'il meurt genre 2 pages plus loin et qu'il ne sert pas à grand chose dans l'histoire ? ) Je pense que Shannon voulait mettre trop d'informations, d'éléments et de rebondissements dans un tome, ce qui rend le tout un peu confus, mais prévisible. C'était assez facile d'anticiper ce qui allait se passer malgré tout.
Par contre, le système de magie / voyance est très intéressant ! Il est détaillé, bien construit et plutôt unique. Ça donne envie d'en découvrir plus et de plonger dans l'univers du livre et de la série. Les personnages sont intéressants eux aussi, humains avec leurs qualités et leurs défauts, leurs secrets et la confiance qu'ils s'accordent plus ou moins facilement. Ces éléments sont vraiment ce qui ont gardé mon intérêt tout au long de la lecture !
Je vais lire le deuxième tome, me disant que même si ce n'est pas la série du siècle, je vais passer un moment agréable à lire la suite.
Je pense que je plus gros point négatif est la temporalité. Elle n'est pas très claire et ça m'a un peu mélangée au fil de ma lecture. Par exemple, Paige, le personnage principal, affirme que ça fait plusieurs jours, voire plusieurs semaines qu'elle est captive, mais l'écriture me donnait l'impression qu'elle l'était depuis peu. 3 jours au maximum. Puis elle parle de toutes ses séances d'entraînement avec Warden, des vestes qu'elle gagne, etc. mais on ne voit que comme 3-4 séances d'entraînement. Bref, il y a beaucoup de temps et d'action qui se passent sans que ça ne soit clair, ce que je trouve étrange. Aussi, plusieurs faits sont simplement dits sans être réellement expliqués, ce qui fait que le world building est moins cohérent, surtout en ce qui a trait au fonctionnement de la société rephaim et à la famille Sargas (qui sont les Sargas, vraiment ? Pourquoi sont-ils au pouvoir ? Combien sont-ils ?
Par contre, le système de magie / voyance est très intéressant ! Il est détaillé, bien construit et plutôt unique. Ça donne envie d'en découvrir plus et de plonger dans l'univers du livre et de la série. Les personnages sont intéressants eux aussi, humains avec leurs qualités et leurs défauts, leurs secrets et la confiance qu'ils s'accordent plus ou moins facilement. Ces éléments sont vraiment ce qui ont gardé mon intérêt tout au long de la lecture !
Je vais lire le deuxième tome, me disant que même si ce n'est pas la série du siècle, je vais passer un moment agréable à lire la suite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
ceruleanshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
5.0
"Go to hell."
"I already exist on a level of hell."
"Exist on one that isn’t near mine."
this was lit. 2010s ya dystopian vibes of red queen + shatter me with early 1900s SOC + peaky blinders and some macabre fantasy horror elements and more intricate worldbuilding of the locked tomb.
i know throwing all those titles out there sounds like this might be a pale imitation of some of them or a trope-built book, but it's not. it firmly stands on its own feet.
But there was no normal. There never had been. Normal and natural were the greatest lies we had ever created – we humans, with our little minds.
while this is a bit slower paced and there can be some cumbersome worldbuilding, i found myself really intrigued and invested in paige's story and this world. there's an interesting blend of real history and cultural references into this, and i found the blending of the above mentioned elements to be very creative in making a unique setting.
i love the idea of the mime crime and i can't wait to see those politics play out more in the future, as well as the mysterious and elusive origins of the rephaim and their enemies, the emim.
and ARCTURUS. I NEED MORE ARCTURUS 😩
‘Run, little dreamer.’
this is the first time in a WHILE that i've gotten to get into an established series with 0 info or spoilers, and i'm definitely keeping it that way while i catch up. seeing as it's going to be 7 books i'm soooo excited to see what the overall journey for paige and this world will be!
"I want to remind them that if you leave one spark aglow, it can still burn everything down."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement and Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Gore, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
tomoshiekah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Violence