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zoiejanelle'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
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
literarydumpling's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
This is technically a reread, as I read the original copy back in 2017, however my memory is shocking so I'd largely forgotten some of the finer details, but I have REALLY enjoyed my reread.
The book is more polished, and the world is still as rich as ever. The map's glow-up is amazing, the little flower illustrations each chapter, perfect; and not to mention there is an extended section for a glossary, people of interest, and orders of clairvoyance that you can refer to throughout the book that (I think) doesn't give away any spoilers.
I was enthralled throughout this book. The pacing was perfect and I couldn't stop reading as each chapter had so much happening. There is, granted, a lot of world building initially but once you get through a large chunk of it, things start falling into place a lot more, and you can see the thought and care Samantha Shannon has put into the revised edition.
I really enjoy reading sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction and this is no different. What's better is that because the book is in a distant-slash-not-so-distant future, Paige has some KILLER lines and slang that you can understand and give you a bit of a laugh! She's unrelenting, she's sassy, she's all kinds of her own person, and you can see how this is an asset and a flaw to her.
Without going on and on, the fantastical elements are well-executed, and have engaging and curious characters that you want to keep track of. You can tell there is a greater and richer world beyond this first book and I cannot wait to read The Mime Order. After all, Scion: there's no safer place.
The book is more polished, and the world is still as rich as ever. The map's glow-up is amazing, the little flower illustrations each chapter, perfect; and not to mention there is an extended section for a glossary, people of interest, and orders of clairvoyance that you can refer to throughout the book that (I think) doesn't give away any spoilers.
I was enthralled throughout this book. The pacing was perfect and I couldn't stop reading as each chapter had so much happening. There is, granted, a lot of world building initially but once you get through a large chunk of it, things start falling into place a lot more, and you can see the thought and care Samantha Shannon has put into the revised edition.
I really enjoy reading sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction and this is no different. What's better is that because the book is in a distant-slash-not-so-distant future, Paige has some KILLER lines and slang that you can understand and give you a bit of a laugh! She's unrelenting, she's sassy, she's all kinds of her own person, and you can see how this is an asset and a flaw to her.
Without going on and on, the fantastical elements are well-executed, and have engaging and curious characters that you want to keep track of. You can tell there is a greater and richer world beyond this first book and I cannot wait to read The Mime Order. After all, Scion: there's no safer place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Confinement
hayreading's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.75
Another great work by Samantha Shannon. The middle was admittedly a bit slow, but I was always interested in what was happening. Very different from Priory, but a great read nonetheless. Can't wait to read the next book in the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
julienicole1106's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
katievallin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Trafficking, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Addiction, Torture, Vomit, and Death of parent
barda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
*This is a review of the 10th Anniversary Revised Edition*
I already liked the first book, but the revisions fix many of the mis-steps in the book to elevate it to something even better.
The Bone Season came out of nowhere to become one of my favourite book series, and the first book sets it on very strong foundations. The "magic" system is very interesting, being based around using spirits and the dead as opposed to being traditional magic. The setting of a dystopian England is a bit more out-of-focus in this book compared to the future books, but still has a great set-up of a hellish dictatorship. The Rephs are fascinating villians/allies, and the characters are very likeable.
One particular highlight of the book is, of course, Paige and Arcturus. It takes what is usually a very cliche (and problematic) female main character imprisoned but slowly falling for her captor and makes it better than it has any right to be. Arcturus subverts basically every trope of the male love interest in modern New Adult fantasy novels (apart from being ridiculously tall, but in this case his species is all very tall!). Paige is also a stand-out as the main character, she has realistic emotions while being brave and kind (and her insults are absolutely hilarious). I have not had a ship I shipped this hard in a long time.
It's still not a perfect book - I think it's let down a bit by the lack of development of some of the minor characters, and there's a bit too much of a timeskip in the middle of it where a lot of interesting things happen off-screen. However, these don't detract by how much of a joy this book was to read and by how much I adore Paige and Arcturus as characters.
I already liked the first book, but the revisions fix many of the mis-steps in the book to elevate it to something even better.
The Bone Season came out of nowhere to become one of my favourite book series, and the first book sets it on very strong foundations. The "magic" system is very interesting, being based around using spirits and the dead as opposed to being traditional magic. The setting of a dystopian England is a bit more out-of-focus in this book compared to the future books, but still has a great set-up of a hellish dictatorship. The Rephs are fascinating villians/allies, and the characters are very likeable.
One particular highlight of the book is, of course, Paige and Arcturus. It takes what is usually a very cliche (and problematic) female main character imprisoned but slowly falling for her captor and makes it better than it has any right to be. Arcturus subverts basically every trope of the male love interest in modern New Adult fantasy novels (apart from being ridiculously tall, but in this case his species is all very tall!). Paige is also a stand-out as the main character, she has realistic emotions while being brave and kind (and her insults are absolutely hilarious). I have not had a ship I shipped this hard in a long time.
It's still not a perfect book - I think it's let down a bit by the lack of development of some of the minor characters, and there's a bit too much of a timeskip in the middle of it where a lot of interesting things happen off-screen. However, these don't detract by how much of a joy this book was to read and by how much I adore Paige and Arcturus as characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Drug use and Racism
bookishchef's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.25
Okay. So.
Up until about 60-70% of this book, I was ready to give it five stars.
I absolutely loved it.
But then it slowly but steadily started shitting the bed.
1. The gold cord plot point thing came out of nowhere and was never really explained. It just seemed like a convenient plot device that did not feel like it belonged in the grim world the author has created.
2. The rebound turned SA scene was completely unnecessary, and seemed like a weird attempt to bestow the main character with more trauma than she already had (and make her be pitied by Warden and the reader).
3. Loss of virginity being described as "an uppercut to the stomach". I hate this trope so much. No, having sex for the first time does not feel like dying. It might hurt (for many people it does not even do that). But it won't feel like being torn in half god dammit.
The average period cramp feels way way way worse unless you have a medical condition like vaginismus.
4. The main character falling in love with her captor/slave master does not sit quite right with me. Even if he treated her nicely, that is still a weird power inbalance that should never lead to a relationship.
5. Teenagers falling for century old creatures just makes me roll my eyes at this point. It weirds me out a bit, and it has been done so so so many times at this point.
Maybe I could deal with it if both characters seemed to be at the same level mentally, but Warden is practically a deity compared to Paige. Not immortal, but infinitely more intelligent and quite obviously so so so much older (and not to forget, her literal owner). From the way he behaves, to the way he speaks: it has middle aged man dating teenager vibes.
So yeah. This was a fun but very mixed bag. I ordered book 2 when I was about 60% into the book because I was sure I would love it at that point. But now that love has become a begrudging like.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, but some things cannot be unseen once you see them.
Up until about 60-70% of this book, I was ready to give it five stars.
I absolutely loved it.
But then it slowly but steadily started shitting the bed.
2. The rebound turned SA scene was completely unnecessary, and seemed like a weird attempt to bestow the main character with more trauma than she already had (and make her be pitied by Warden and the reader).
3. Loss of virginity being described as "an uppercut to the stomach". I hate this trope so much. No, having sex for the first time does not feel like dying. It might hurt (for many people it does not even do that). But it won't feel like being torn in half god dammit.
The average period cramp feels way way way worse unless you have a medical condition like vaginismus.
4. The main character falling in love with her captor/slave master does not sit quite right with me. Even if he treated her nicely, that is still a weird power inbalance that should never lead to a relationship.
5. Teenagers falling for century old creatures just makes me roll my eyes at this point. It weirds me out a bit, and it has been done so so so many times at this point.
Maybe I could deal with it if both characters seemed to be at the same level mentally, but Warden is practically a deity compared to Paige. Not immortal, but infinitely more intelligent and quite obviously so so so much older (and not to forget, her literal owner). From the way he behaves, to the way he speaks: it has middle aged man dating teenager vibes.
So yeah. This was a fun but very mixed bag. I ordered book 2 when I was about 60% into the book because I was sure I would love it at that point. But now that love has become a begrudging like.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, but some things cannot be unseen once you see them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Slavery, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Torture, and Police brutality
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