The Bone Season
Books | Fiction / General
4
(670)
Samantha Shannon
The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford - a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine and also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.
High Fantasy
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More Details:
Author
Samantha Shannon
Pages
466
Publisher
A&C Black
Published Date
2013-01-01
ISBN
1408836424 9781408836422
Community ReviewsSee all
"This has been on my radar for a long time but when I realized the same author wrote Priory of the Orange Tree I dove right in. Unsurprisingly this story had gorgeous world-building and plenty of character growth. Let's not forget the unique magic system as well. There was also way too much information. Luckily an index is located in the back yet, I was determined. Of course, it gets easier as you go along. For me, the depth made the world more alive even if, in the end, it was more work.
Also, there was just the right amount of secrets and intrigue to keep me plowing forward. The Warden, being dark and mysterious, spurred me to read even faster. I will say though you get that hopeless feeling when your character is out of their depth.
This author is just on another level. Her worlds feel real. There is so much thought put into them and the characters too. It is a bit of work but worth it for me. Well, unfortunately, I am writing this review after trying to read book three so in the end not worth it. See book one was perfect even if you are left in the dark you know you will get answers. Not so. The author gives out scraps at such small intervals I have finally had enough. I have felt helpless for two and a half books now and I don't think I can take anymore.
My reaction to this book: *sigh* i love this *sigh* *cheeks warm* wow this is interesting *sigh* so cozy"
"*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. Was the MC sometimes a M.S. and just sooo so special? Yes.
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."
C C
Charlie Coward
"I found this really dull and hard to understand"
R T
Rebekah Travis
"In the London of the near future, those with psychic powers are either controlled by the government, or outlawed. Paige Mahoney is of the latter variety, and works for a gang run by Jaxon Hall... until she's caught. At that point, she's shipped off to an internment camp for clairvoyants, because, you know, when you're frightened of something, out of sight is out of mind, and at least you know someone else is taking care of it. Except this internment camp is really more slavery than rehabilitation. And there's more to this whole thing than meets even her critical eye. <br/><br/>I listened to the audio book of The Bone Season, and I think my only critique of the reader is that she didn't really ever let her voice get 'excited' about anything. <br/><br/>You know, it's strange. I hear that this book got a lot of hype -- and I read a lot of book review sites, and I poke my nose into an awful lot of places on reddit that you'd think I wouldn't, and I think the only place I really heard about this book was on the Tor.com upcoming books for the month post. I read the synopsis, stuck it on my to-read list, and didn't really return to it for a while, as happens when you have a to-read list as immense as I do. But in returning to it, I was richly rewarded. <br/><br/>I have also heard that this book has been compared to J.K. Rowling. That -- that's so patently unfair it's hard for me to even address. If the publisher is responsible for it, they should be ashamed; if it's readers... I dunno what kind of books by J.K. Rowling you were reading, but it certainly was not Harry Potter. This story starts out dark, and there's nowhere to go but darker.<br/><br/>The world building was rich and complex, and I really enjoyed Paige as a lead character. She was strong, intelligent and resourceful when approaching situations that I simply would wilt in the face of, and she recruits allies and friends from places you would not expect, even while wielding a gift that she would call anything but.<br/><br/>In any case, I'm certainly looking forward to the next books."
"Page turner and a unique dystopia. "
M S
Molly Smith