Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

36 reviews

dragontomes2000's review

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

After that ending I'm not even entirely sure I to even write this review. Once again when I tell you that I inhaled the last like 150 pages, I literally mean inhaled them. I am emotionally wrecked, mentally destroyed, and searching for my soul because it has left my body. Samantha Shannon I adore dearly but Part 3 was just too much, way too much. I mean just rude, lol!

The Mask Falling, as some of us who have been following Samantha Shannon, knows that this is where the series is closing arc one, but also opening arc two. Which in a sense means Mask Falling is like a bridge book, I would agree to disagree with that statement. The Mask Falling is so much more, but to go into why that is would hinge on spoilers and I don't do spoilers. Just know that Samantha Shannon had a clear vision for how she wanted this story to go and she executed it flawlessly. I mean seriously from Paige's excellent character development, to shady new characters, gripping action sequences, and even high stake espionage and politics. This fourth novel had it all.

Paige is an extremely strong female protagonist, one of the best in an ongoing series by far. The Mask Falling showed her in such a fragile, yet vulnerable spotlight that was handled with utmost care. Again I don't want to dish out any spoilers, so I am going to be as vague as can be, but if you have read this series then you know exactly what I mean. Watching Paige grow and evolve from book to book is truly amazing and it is one of the biggest reasons I continue to be excited for this series. That is not to say Paige is the only reason because the story is dynamite as well.

The Mask Falling is an extraordinary follow up to The Song Rising and an incredible continuation to the Bone Season series. Definitely worth the 4/5 year wait. However, and this is for you Samantha Shannon, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT MAKE US WAIT THAT LONG FOR BOOK FIVE PLEASE!!!!
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tashayns's review

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adventurous 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? Yes

4.5

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rosadunnett's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jamieleepilk's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

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thebibliophilegirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book has been on TBR ever since I knew The Bone Season was going to be a seven-book series... So basically ever since the start. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of The Mask Falling, and as soon as I received it, I started reading it straight away. 

Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion's downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim's puppet empire.
The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim-her former enemy-at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war.
As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them-and could end with them.

The first thing that I'm going to say about this book is that it ruined me. It completely and utterly ruined me. I feel like that's all this review should be, because I'm trying to write this pretty much as soon as I've finished it, and I don't think that my brain can properly form words right now. So, if this review sounds like a mess, it's because I am.

 

"I am of the considered opinion that for every person, there exists a book that will sing to them."
- Samantha Shannon, The Mask Falling


 
The novel started off slow, setting the scene for when Paige and Warden arrive in Calais. But obviously, that was not going to stay like that for long. Paige just can't seem to stay still 😂, and we all know that when books start slow, it just means that shit is going to hit the fan later on.
One of the things that I absolutely love about this series is the characters. It was amazing to fall back in love with existing characters, but also to fall in love with new characters that made The Mask Falling my favourite book in the series. It's not just the characters though that made this book wonderful, Samantha Shannon's was truly brilliant, and I feel like this is her best writing yet.

 

"The only way to survive is to believe you always will."
- Samantha Shannon, The Mask Falling


 
ALSO. PARIS. I LOVE PARIS SO MUCH. Seeing Paige navigate her way through one of my favourite cities was breathtaking. Paris is a place that fits the aesthetic of the series so beautifully: it's a magical place that has dark, historical undercurrents. I hope we get to stay in Paris a little bit longer in the next book (which I kinda need right now 😅)
Samantha Shannon portrays Paige's PTSD in such a real, terrifying way. I do wish I had read The Dawn Chorus before I had read The Mask Falling though! So if you haven't read either of them yet, read the novella beforehand!

 

"Fear is a constant for us mortals... but so is the knowledge that no matter what happens, no matter how careful and afraid we are, life does not end. So you might as well take every shot you get."
- Samantha Shannon, The Mask Falling

 
 
I think I finished this book at about 4am? I really didn't want to stop reading it. There were so many revelations about the characters, so many heartbreaking moments, so many things that I wanted to throw the book across the room. It just made me feel SO MUCH! I had to stop when I had about 100 pages left because I had to try and wrap my mind around what I had just read... So, I went to the kitchen and got a snack.

I also genuinely thought that I had about 30/40 pages left, but then the story just... Stopped. And then there was a list of language/terms/characters. I flipped crazily though the book to see if there was anything that I had missed, but no. There wasn't. That was where the novel had ended, and I needed to know more. To be honest, I might just re-read the entire series again.

I just know that I'm going to have a book hangover...
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whatsheread's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I adore The Bone Season series. I have listened to or read the first book in the series at least three times and plan to do so again. There is something about the characters, the setting, and the story that have me coming back to it again and again. So it comes as no surprise that The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon is one of my most anticipated releases for 2021. I had high hopes for the latest in Paige Mahoney's war against Scion, and Ms. Shannon did not disappoint.
I love that Ms. Shannon does not gloss over the violence that comes with living on the streets and waging a guerilla war against a powerful enemy. Given how lovingly she describes Paige and Warden, I know she cares about her characters. However, because she is unafraid to show the darker side of life, I also know that she remains committed to authenticity. This means that she is careful with her stories and characters. She plots out every detail so that her fictional world is as realistic as the real one. Moreover, she ensures nothing is stagnant. Her characters grow and evolve. Situations get more complicated, and decisions become agonizing. If it weren't for the fact that the story involves otherworldly creatures and magic, the series itself could be contemporary fiction.

The Mask Falling was never going to be an easy book to read because it starts after Paige escapes from her torture at the hands of Scion. The damage they wrought on her body, mind, and spirit is immense, and Ms. Shannon includes the slow and arduous process of recovery Paige must endure. It isn't pretty, but every minor success Paige achieves after what she endured is a major victory.

Of particular joy is the opportunity to see Warden and Paige together again in a confined setting. Theirs has always been a complicated relationship, but in The Mask Falling, you see them overcome some of those complications to just be together. Their banter is outstanding, but it is in their genuine compassion for each other where their relationship shines. Together, they are everything I want them to be and more.

And then Ms. Shannon broke me. Following the highest of highs and a victory like no other, The Mask Falling takes a wicked and vicious turn that had me contemplating throwing my Kindle across the room in anger and despair. As one shock follows another, it was all I could do to contain my composure. I finished the book gutted, an emotional wreck.

Yet, I wouldn't want The Mask Falling to be any different. Paige's story has always been one step forward, two steps back. No victory comes without consequences, usually negative, and I don't see what happens at the end as any different. In fact, I love that with the highest of highs, she includes the lowest of lows. It is one more example of just how realistic the story is.

Ms. Shannon has the gift of storytelling. With The Mask Falling, she solidifies that statement. The characters are natural, the story fluid, and the descriptions luscious. She plays your emotions like a harp, delicately plucking each one until you don't know where Paige ends and you begin. It is going to be a long wait for the fifth book, but thankfully, this is a series that is just as rewarding on the third reread as it is on the first.
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