Wednesday 6 November 2013

Book Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Well, I could write a book by the time I'm 22 if I actually ever wrote anymore.

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, kidnapped and drugged, 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 creature with dark honey skin and heavy-lidded yellow eyes. 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 is apparently the next big thing. Sadly, I think this likely to hurt it more than help it as a series. It's the first in the intended series of six books (we definitely getting two sequels anyway). Its a good book but not amazing. It's an interesting world being built. Technically, a dystopia, fantasy and petty sure a parallel time-line (there's like a different history from our one). It's 50 years in the future with technology stuff but also magic.

Our protagonist is Paige Mahoney who for some reason came from currently free Ireland to an imprison Britain (London, England specifically) when a child. Paige is a Dreamwalker which a rare type of clairvoyant. Since Clairvoyants are illegal, Paige finds herself in World of Crime. But where else are you going to find yourself next in line when only 18.

Anyway, while on the train Paige accidentally injuries two Scion Police thingies and that where the fun begins. BA BA BA, Paige finds herself in Oxford, which has been ripped off the maps because its home to the Rephaite; creatures from another dimension who feed off human life force. I want to imagine them as lizard people, they're not described that way. They actually look like humans I think, but taller. Maybe its the name, green blood or the yellow eyes but they're lizard people to me.

So Paige gets picked by Warden to be his human/trainee, which is special because he never picks humans ever. Dark motives at hand. Paige helps plans of rebel amongst the Clairvoyants but we won't be getting into any of that. If want to know more about the dark motives/rebel, read the book.

Characters are interesting lot and there is a lot of them. In fact, I've already forgot most of their names. I like Nick though and the evil head lizard lady.

Information is given at good pace and I never found myself just flicking through the pages bored (which does happen with me sometimes. I'm usually end three times at once or jumping from things). The ending is handle really well, has a proper ending but leaves with wanting to know what happens next.

In summary, an interesting and good novel. I will continue to read the series but honesty I would wait till it comes out in paperback. I give it 5/5 stars for missing body parts. Like it is really good, it just not amazing, knock the air out of you good. Potential there though and the writer's young so she possible she could learn/mature to be as the series goes on.

I  have now reviewed the next two books: The Mime Order and The Rising Song (soon).

I got this book off NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for Review.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Rachel, just a quick heads up to say you might want to check the December link up post for the British Books Challenge (http://www.feelingfictional.com/2013/12/2013-british-books-challenge-link-your.html) :o)

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