Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney leads a double
life: assistant at an oxygen bar by day and member of London’s criminal
syndicate by night. Paige is a dreamwalker, walking the aether for one of the
city’s most vicious mime-lords. In 2059 London is controlled by Scion, a regime
that is savage in its persecution of unnaturals, and Paige’s mere existence is
an act of treason.
Captured by the government, she is sent to
Oxford, a city that has been removed from all maps serving as a penal colony
for voyants and ruled by the Rephaite. Drugged, tortured and brainwashed Paige
is claimed by the enigmatic Warden. Soon Paige learns that everything she
thought to be true was a lie and she finds herself at the heart of a
revolution. Torn between fear, trust and loyalty, Paige fights for her life.
Rumor has it Samantha Shannon was offered a
six-figure sum by Bloomsbury editors for her seven-book series. Deemed as the
“next J.K. Rowling” by the publishing house, Shannon had huge shoes to fill and
expectations to meet upon the release of The Bone Season in 2013. I think it’s
best to approach this book without the comparison in mind as Harry and Paige
don’t have much in common.
When I stumbled across this book it seemed like
everybody had already read it and I had missed out on something. The reviews
however were mixed: You either love or hate The Bone Season. And I love it!
Think of this book as “New Adult dystopian fantasy”. Is that a thing?
The first chapters are marked by, what others
call, info-dumping also known as world building. Shannon introduces the readers
to a whole new London, creating a tense and dark atmosphere as you imagine
yourself walking the streets of Covent Garden. The author also provides a lot
of information on clairvoyance and its order, introduces a number of characters
and generally explains the ins and outs of Scion. All of which takes a lot of
time and slows down the actual story. Shannon provides you with a glossary at
the back of the book but don’t make the mistake to keep looking up new terms. It’s
a complex world and it takes getting used to but once you’re fully emerged into
the story you’ll be thankful for the descriptions and flashbacks.
Paige reminds me of Katniss Everdeen (Hunger
Games) and Tris Prior (Divergent) in the sense that she’s a strong female lead
who is unaware of her capabilities and doubts herself. As a nineteen-year-old
she can be naïve and easily impressed but as she grows in physical strength she
also grows into a rebellious leader that you’ll root for. Warden is a dark,
mysterious character and full of secrets of his own. It takes a while to warm
up to him but you’ll get there. However you’ll be left with questions
concerning his motives and his very nature.
I really appreciate Shannon’s writing style as
it seems to be a bit more grown up and not as much YA. There is a bit of slang
involved and more than just the odd made up word. The pace always matches the
action of the story and the tone of the language fits perfectly. I also like
that Paige is noticeably older than most leads in dystopian novels, all the
other characters are adults and the story has the potential for more serious
themes in the upcoming books. This first book is a brilliant set up for the
series!
If you can make it through the first couple of
chapters this an original and captivating fantasy novel that you won’t be able
to put down.
Which book have you picked up recently?