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The Bone Season

(The Bone Season #1)

Samantha Shannon (Goodreads Author)

3.77 · Rating details · 62,690 ratings · 8,478 reviews

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 chan ...more

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Paperback, 496 pages

Published April 24th 2014 by Bloomsbury UK (first published August 20th 2013)

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Dec 31, 2016 Sasha Alsberg rated it really liked it · review of another edition

At first, I found the world a little confusing but as I got more into the book it's became clearer. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was phenomenal! Great at accents!
3.65 stars!
...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Emily May rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, young-adult, fantasy, 2013

I really, really wanted to like this book. It sounds stupid but I actually feel slightly guilty at how disappointed I was with it and I think the main reason is because the author is a British student of the same age as me and, as soon as I learned that, I really wanted her to succeed. I really wanted Shannon to be the next J.K.Rowling, as some are calling her. I really wanted her debut to take me out of this world and leave me desperate to get my hands on the next installment. However, I just didn't think The Bone Season was anything special or original. In my opinion, it shows definite potential for Shannon's future as a writer but the story is a regurgitated version of one that has been told countless times.

The Bone Season is a story I feel like I've read before in various other fantasy-lite novels - the one that first came to mind being Shadow and Bone. The author takes this familiar story and, basically, complicates it. She stirs it in a pot with a bunch of new names for old things ("voyants" for those with clairvoyance, amongst other new terms), slang that left my head spinning even though myself and the author are British (I ended up having to consult my Welsh friend), and world-building that sounds unique and complex because of the fancy terms floating around... but really isn't. What this is, for me, is an example of taking light, easily digestible fantasy fiction that is filled with uncomplicated excitement and romance, and turning it into something long-winded and overly descriptive just so you can attempt to call it original.

There are apparently seven books in this series and I'm betting only three or four will really be needed. This first book felt soooo long because it was so fleshed out with lengthy descriptions and seemingly pointless information. Plus, there is so much tell and so little show. Particularly in the beginning it felt almost as if the protagonist (Paige) was reading me a textbook on the world, people's abilities and Floxy (flavoured oxygen). Huge chunks of this novel are dedicated to info-dumping and the execution of these sections feels really awkward, like a movie cutting off in the middle to bring up a page of text that gives you some background information. It wasn't smoothly incorporated into the story.

The plot follows Paige who is a dreamwalker in the year 2059. Paige, and other types of clairvoyants, commit a crime just by existing. When Paige accidentally uses her abilities and kills someone, she is sent to a voyant prison which is controlled by creatures called Rephaim who want to use the voyants abilities for their own gain. She is assigned to a keeper called simply "Warden", a mysterious and dangerous dude who stares at her from the day she arrives (guess what happens, go on, guess). I feel myself once again comparing this to Shadow and Bone and the way Alina's powers are discovered by the Grisha and she is forced into their world and taught to harness her powers. The glowering looks and sexiness of the Darkling are also present here but his name is Warden instead. The Bone Season isn't terrible but I find it very surprising that words like "original" are being thrown around when it feels like this story and these characters are recycled versions straight out of many other paranormal novels.

This book, in my opinion, is simply a glorified, overcomplicated retelling of any other light, fluffy fantasy. But the descriptions, info-dumping and general wordiness do not make this a deeper and more meaningful read, but rather they made the book dull and tiresome for me. As much as I wanted to like it, it was incredibly easy to find distractions and every time it was a struggle to come back to it. The romance goes down a predictable route, as does most of the book. I feel bad for saying it, but this just wasn't for me at all and I doubt I will read the rest of the series.

Notes on the slang
Paraffin is Kerosene (paraffin lamp, paraffin stove, etc.)
Cokum - Google will probably be useless to you on this one. It means cunning/shrewd. ...more

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Aug 20, 2013 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, sci-fi, glbt, uk, high-school, boring-main-character, try-hard, alternate-universe, aliens, why-do-i-hate-myself

In short: the publisher's overblown hype set this book up for judgment and failure, but the book itself provided the rope.

I hate hype. The thing about hype is that it---unfairly, at times---sets the bar up so high that there is really nowhere to go but down. This is true especially in the case of such a young author. You throw in the name Bloomsbury, and the "seven book series" bit, and the J.K. Rowling comparison surely comes. It certainly sets standards extremely high, unrealistically high, th ...more

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Jan 02, 2014 Carmen rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: No One

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, published2013, traditionally-published, she-says

ALL SPOILERS ARE HIDDEN

This book is disgusting. My skin was crawling with revulsion while I read it.

The first part - the first three chapters - were already upsetting me. It's an alternate reality England. 200 years ago, some humans started becoming clairvoyant. It's unclear whether this was triggered by something or if it was something that always existed, hidden from the sight of amaurotics (her word for non-clairvoyants). Paige is a clairvoyant, and clairvoyants are hunted, tortured and kille ...more

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May 05, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

this was recommended to me after i finished reading the grishaverse books (as something similar), and honestly, i cant really agree with that comparison. but that doesnt mean this isnt entertaining in its own right.

i was a little overwhelmed at first - there is SO much world building, and so quickly, that it kind of feels like i was being thrown into the deep end with really no idea about what was going on. but eventually the story became easier to get into. the world is just so fascinating tha ...more

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May 06, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: People looking for a more complex novel with intricate world building

Recommended to Steph by: myself 'cause I'm awesome

Shelves: i-didn-t-see-that-coming, original-and-creative, 2013-release, fantasy, quit-fucking-with-my-mind, strong-heroine, smart-heroine, adult, cool-author, gave-away

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

The Bone Season is easily the most hyped book of 2013, surpassing even the conclusion of the Divergent series, Allegiant. As the first in a seven book series, it's already been optioned for a movie and did appear on the New York Times Bestsellers list its debut week. But when I heard the magical words "the next J.K. Rowling" my interest, along with many, was instantly piqued due to my severe lack of will-power. But like any book surrounded by a massive amount of hype, the ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: new-adult, enemies-to-lovers, 2020-reads, otp, owned-physical, sci-fi

reread update — May 2020:
I loved this even more the second time, and I can't wait to finally continue the series! ♥

“This was what my spirit longed to do, to wander in strange lands. It couldn't stand being trapped in one body all the time. It had wanderlust.”

original review — July 2017:
This was the Life & Lit book of the month for July, and while I honestly didn't know what to expect and wasn't feeling particularly enthusiastic about starting this series, I was shocked by how much I loved th ...more

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Mar 09, 2017 Mikee (ReadWithMikee) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

❝Knowledge is dangerous. Once you know something, you can't get rid of it. You have to carry it. Always.❞

Wellllll. This one is a bit tough to rate and review. It was a great book BUT it definitely had its "huh???" moments. Let me start off by saying that this world is DENSE. Holy crap. I cannot put a finger on this worldbuilding. It's like I get it, but I don't. You read it and you're like WHAT IS GOING ON, but it just flows anyways even with a big question mark floating above your head. It's really a lot to take in. One look at the reference page in the beginning of the book and you can already see how much of a pain it would be to piece together the worldbuilding and how things worked.

Worldbuilding aside, the concepts in this book are also super confusing and hard to grasp. I have NO idea what a dreamscape is. I don't even really understand what Paige is or does. Along with everybody else's abilities. I know NOTHING. I understand NOTHING. But I'm like, okay. Whatever. I'll go with it. I'm just hoping that things would make more sense or explained better in the the second book. Although I was ??? about the concepts and worldbuilding, I was still able to enjoy the storyline and how things unfolded.

The pacing, overall, is pretty slow. Even at the end when shit starts to go down, I wasn't fully invested in what was going on or blown away sitting at the edge of my seat. The story moves slow but it's actually surprisingly interesting. Usually the slow pacing plus confusing worldbuilding would kill the whole thing for me and I'll end up DNFing but the storyline really saved this book. There were a lot of times when I was like HOLY CRAP THIS IS SO GOOD.

I don't really have much to say about the book mostly because I'm still reeling and wondering what the heck I just read, and what EVEN was this worldbuilding. But overall, this was a pretty good start to what potentially could be one of my all-time favorite series. I could tell that Samantha Shannon has a lot more up her sleeve for her readers. And considering how this is a seven book series, I'm really curious as to how this story can span that many books. I mean, I'll almost be 30 by the time this series will be over lol!

The Bone Season is a bit slow here and there, and the worldbuilding can be a pain to follow but I think many people will really enjoy this series. Although sometimes the story moves slowly, there was no dull or boring moment. I highly recommend sticking through the tedious, info dumpy first book because I can already see this series greatly improving with the later books! I've heard good things about The Mime Order, and many have said that it's a MAJOR step up from The Bone Season so I'm really looking forward to that! ...more

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Jul 16, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Um . . . .

I can't even begin to explain the stuff in this book. You will have to read it or read some other review. But, I freaking loved it! How? I don't know, I'm weird that way. Note: There is a glossary in the back to help with the book. I should probably have studied it but it's all good!

Paige gets taken by these people things and is turned into a slave. She gets the better person thing as her master. His name is Arcturus but he's called Warden. I liked him. Yeah, he was a slave owner but ...more

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Aug 18, 2016 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, adult-fiction, 2016-reads

TW : Slavery

If I had to describe my relationship with The Bone Season in one gif :

① The narrative is choppy and bounces constantly between different subjects without transition. The author is young and it shows : the information about the world is shared rather clumsily through infodump and awkward flashbacks when it suits the author to do so. I didn't complain in the beginning, because I was interested in knowing more about the world. When it went on during the whole book, though? TOO MUCH. I ...more

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Oct 30, 2014 Kiki rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: never-call-me-again, lost-the-will-to-live, adult, lolwut, zombies

I nearly died trying to get through this. Even marking it as 'read' is a push, since I hardcore skimmed the last hundred pages.

It was a chore: so boring I felt like a weary, dry husk as I laboured over every indecipherable page. It falls into exactly the same trap as Truthwitch, which is to wallop the worldbuilding at the reader, and just keep on walloping, info dump after info dump until it feels like reading a textbook - and yet still nothing is explained.

It was just impossible. The Scion, S I nearly died trying to get through this. Even marking it as 'read' is a push, since I hardcore skimmed the last hundred pages.

It was a chore: so boring I felt like a weary, dry husk as I laboured over every indecipherable page. It falls into exactly the same trap as Truthwitch, which is to wallop the worldbuilding at the reader, and just keep on walloping, info dump after info dump until it feels like reading a textbook - and yet still nothing is explained.

It was just impossible. The Scion, Seven Dials, I-4, dreamwalker thing, whatever it was, whatever, was confusing enough, but then you bung in the whole Sheol I setting with a race of creatures that... Look, I don't even know, dude. I can't make head nor tail of it. I like layered reads, and I love complex stories, and please give me more really deep and thoughtful world building, but just because I want to read a book that makes me think doesn't mean I want to come home from a night on the phones in a stuffy office and sit down to a book that makes my brain hurt. I want to come home and read something that grabs me. Something that cuts me with its hooks. This thing did cut me, but not in a good way.

The only character I was even marginally interested in was Warden, but even then he's the same old turgid hot immortal dude who trains a rookie heroine and falls hopelessly in love with her. He's basically Rowan from Heir of Fire or Shang from Mulan or Four from Divergent. Actually, this whole book reeked of Divergent, from the controlled building of an army to the character of Warden to the character of Nashira, who was basically Jeanine. (Did it bother anyone else that most of the evil characters had Arabic names? What was that all about?)

The absolute worst thing about this book was the introduction of Sheol I at all - pity, since the whole thing's set there - and the absolutely ridiculous Emim/Rephaim/Netherworld storyline. It all felt like smoke and mirrors, to be honest. It felt really silly, too, especially since every time the Netherworld was mentioned all I could think of was Minecraft, and how disjointed the whole thing seemed from the Scion in London (can we set UK books elsewhere please? Always bloody London, over and over again). Especially since the Rephaim thing totally negated the Scion threat. It made the Scion seem not only weak but also really pointless. And why are the Emim only concentrated around Oxford? Are they only going after the Rephaim? What is the Netherworld like? Why are the Rephaim training weak humans to combat this threat? Why did this book suddenly turn into a weird zombie/survivalist thing when it was clearly supposed to be a dystopia, then a fantasy, then a training montage, then a bunch of other things that just did not gel together? The fantasy aspect of this book was lost on me. I really did not get it. I didn't get the categories of psychics and because they were all coded so specifically with those codings never actually being explained, it was impossible to know who could do what and whether or not their abilities were even worth this whole (probably extremely expensive and certainly wasteful) charade. I didn't even fully understand what the hell Paige's power was. What the hell is a dreamwalker? I don't understand and I don't care to, either.

It took me forever to start reading this book - I bought it ages and ages ago and I don't know why. I think it was in the bargain bin when I was working at Indigo, so I got it for like $3, but still. I mean, for god's sake, the hype was ridiculous. But I'm not surprised that the hype train died for this. There was barely a peep around the release of the second book, The Mime Order. Which is a shame, but fuck, man. I'm not the only one who didn't understand what this book was even about.

When I started, I worried I'd be prejudiced against it, due to my growing hatred of first person, and how it closes off the story horribly. But the narration was the least of my troubles with this thing. It was okay, actually, with some good writing and a distinctive voice. But the heroine was bland to me, making dreadful decisions, wisping this way and that, pushing and pulling in whichever way the (thin, ineffectual) plot demanded. There was nothing organic about it. It was just Paige floating around being so amazingly special, putting other people in danger, wondering why her rash and frankly crazy actions ended in punishments for others and, inexplicably, praise for herself.

But I can't comment any more, because I don't feel like I know her. There are a lot of complaints about third person narration and how it places a barrier between the reader and the characters, but I've read loads of third person books whose characters completely captivated me. This, on the other hand, was cold, impersonal, and again, bewildering. Paige is a stranger to me, and not interesting enough to warrant my forcing myself to care about her. I just don't, and that's that.

Overall, this book felt totally pointless, like a random collection of words that may as well have been written in Coptic for how well I understood them. But I'm wondering about the author: she seems like a smart, cool, creative person. So where the hell did this come from? ...more

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Aug 05, 2017 Caz (littlebookowl) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

Really like the concept, such a fascinating world and characters. There were some times where a lot of information is given at once, but definitely enjoyed it.

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Jan 06, 2017 Melanie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, dystopian, young-adult, read-in-2017

This book was so addicting, yet so unnecessarily long for me! Which is even more absurd to say, because so much of this world building was difficult to comprehend; you'd think that the extra length would be helpful, but it wasn't. Like, this chart saved my life:

You see this chart before chapter one, but you don't realize how much you actually need this chart until all these different clairvoyant names start getting thrown at you, and it is the only reference you have to help you not feel complet ...more

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May 28, 2018 Charlotte May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, dystopia, supernatural-paranormal, epic-fantasy, tear-jerker

“Bone used to mean good, or prosperous. From the French, bonne...that’s why they named it: the Good Season, the season of prospect. They see it as collecting their reward...Of course, the humans see it differently. To them Bone means that: bones, starvation. Death.”

What an incredible debut fantasy! The world building was so intricate, it took a while to make sense of everything, and even then new stuff was still being introduced throughout!

Paige is a clairvoyant, a member of an elite group of ...more

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May 15, 2013 Brandi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Curse you Samantha Shannon!!! You go and create this amazingly original book, and then make me wait for the rest?! I'm not going to make it. If you need me to *ahem* check the future books for...something...I'm more than willing. Jus'sayin. Now on to the book review!!

All clairvoyance was prohibited, of course, but the kind that made money was a downright sin. They had a special term for it: mime-crime.

This story is incredibly original (for me), and really intense! Though I real ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

First read in March 2015
Fantastic is an understatement.

The Bone Season absolutely blew me away. Such a fantastically written book, with a gripping plot, amazing characters and original setting and ideas. I flew through it, despite the rocky beginning - there’s quite a lot of information presented, which can make it difficult for the reader to connect, but once you get pass that, you will not want to put this book down. It’s imaginative, it presents a fresh setting and it’s a riveting read.

The ye First read in March 2015
Fantastic is an understatement.

The Bone Season absolutely blew me away. Such a fantastically written book, with a gripping plot, amazing characters and original setting and ideas. I flew through it, despite the rocky beginning - there’s quite a lot of information presented, which can make it difficult for the reader to connect, but once you get pass that, you will not want to put this book down. It’s imaginative, it presents a fresh setting and it’s a riveting read.

The year is 2059 and Paige Mahoney is living in London (an alternate reality London) and is part of a crime syndicate, composed of clairvoyants (which can be easiest defined as people who can see/influence spirits/ghosts and affect other people on a spiritual level) . After certain events unfold, Paige is captured and she ends up Oxford, under the rule of a race from another world. Thus begins Paige’s desperate attempt to gain her freedom and return home.

I loved, looooved the idea that sits at the basis of this book - the idea of people who can see spirits and influence them and other people who possess similar abilities. These people actually fight with each other using their powers and it was fascinating to read about it, because it’s not something you see in every book. I loved the world that Samantha has created, the laws that govern it, the slang, the culture, literally everything - it has become one of my all time favourite book worlds.

There’s also a huge character diversity, and while it may be difficult to follow so many characters at times, it’s refreshing to see such variety in terms of characters. I love Paige - she’s smart, determined, likable and she’s taken a place in my all time favourite female characters list. Jax has an allure that compels you, despite the fact that he’s kind of an asshole. Warden has mystery and I loved to see his relationship with Paige slowly develop. I was interested in all of them and that is a testament of Samantha’s writing ability - to make you care about the characters and their relationships.

I found it difficult to pinpoint a certain genre for this book, but that is in no way a bad thing. On the contrary, it means that people who prefer different genres can all find something to love here. It’s a mix of dystopian/paranormal/fantasy that works extremely well. Give it a try, you won’t regret it. It has become one of my favourite books of the year so far and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel - The Mime Order.

Favourite quotes:

“Knowledge is dangerous. Once you know something, you can’t get rid of it. You have to carry it. Always.”

“Don’t judge too quickly, little dreamer.”

★★★★★

To everyone who got this far, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day! Also, feel free to share your thoughts, comment or tell me anything :) ...more

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Jan 25, 2014 Maxwell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

Updated Review
After reading this for a 3rd time I have to raise my rating to 5 stars. It's such a great start to a series. It moves quickly but still develops the characters so well. It's exciting, emotional, intriguing. All around a great time and a series I will continue to return to again and again. Has to be 5 stars.

Original Review
"The Bone Season" is remarkable. It is unique. It is a work of an extremely talented young lady (she's only 22 years old! What?!). And it is the start to a series Updated Review
After reading this for a 3rd time I have to raise my rating to 5 stars. It's such a great start to a series. It moves quickly but still develops the characters so well. It's exciting, emotional, intriguing. All around a great time and a series I will continue to return to again and again. Has to be 5 stars.

Original Review
"The Bone Season" is remarkable. It is unique. It is a work of an extremely talented young lady (she's only 22 years old! What?!). And it is the start to a series that I am so glad to have found early on. At the same time, I now have to torturously wait for the following installments.

Paige Maloney is a dreamwalker, a type of clairvoyant that can invade the aether without any help from numen, and she is discovering her talent allows her to attack other's dreamscapes. Yeah, it's a whole lot to take in and understand. It is the first book of the series after all. The first 100 pages or so are quite confusing, because the world is new to you as the reader. But trust me, once you start to understand, you quickly are sucked into the world and won't stop reading until the book is over.

Essentially, Paige finds herself pulled into a mysteriously world that has been allegedly eradicated, the old city of Oxford, in England. There she finds a mysterious supernatural society, the Rephaim, who are utilizing clairvoyants to fight off strange monsters called Emim. (Yeah, I know what you're thinking, what the heck? But just trust me on this).

From there Paige is sort of struggling between her loyalty to her old mime-lord, Jaxon, and her new master, The Warden. She meets some interesting folk in Sheol I (the detainment city), and from there has to face the blood-sovereign, Nashira Sargas. Welcome to a sci-fi/fantasy book where there are strange names and lots of things to learn.

DON'T READ ON IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK. POSSIBLE SPOILERS/TOO MUCH INFORMATION BELOW:

Plot-wise: WOW. So intriguing. The world building is massive. Shannon really set herself up for an epic series. And I can't wait to see where it goes. So much potential for the future. The dilemmas are nothing new, but when they are set in this creative, new world, they become something more, and I really liked that.

Characters: I love Paige. She is strong and confident, but she has a history that haunts her, and you see into that in some very interesting and even terrifying flashbacks. She is really well-developed as a main character, and I think Shannon wrote her perfectly into the story. Warden is an enigma to me; I want to love him as a supporting character, and at times I do, but then other times I question where his loyalties lie. Eek!

Overall: Amazing. I know I am going to love this serious so much. Though it may not be for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed this reading experience. I couldn't put it down; I thought about it when I wasn't reading it; basically, the perfect example of what I like in a book. It was something totally original (from what I've read), and I am thrilled to see a young writer making her way in the literary world. ...more

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May 28, 2015 Sean Barrs rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, love-and-romance, 2-star-reads

There’s a lot wrong with this book

I heard lots of praise about this book prior to reading it. It is supposed to be some kind of novel that is representative of female fantasy novelists, and the rising popularity of them. Apparently this novel is leading the charge for women writers claiming the fantasy genre. Well if that was true, which it isn’t, then this charge is a lost cause because this novel is incredibly average. Not to mention the fact that the actual forerunner of female fantasy writi There’s a lot wrong with this book

I heard lots of praise about this book prior to reading it. It is supposed to be some kind of novel that is representative of female fantasy novelists, and the rising popularity of them. Apparently this novel is leading the charge for women writers claiming the fantasy genre. Well if that was true, which it isn’t, then this charge is a lost cause because this novel is incredibly average. Not to mention the fact that the actual forerunner of female fantasy writing has been writing books for over twenty years. By this I mean Robin Hobb. No doubt she is eternally indebted to Samantha Shannon for leading the charger for her. Whoever suggested such a thing was a complete moron.

Ignore the absurd label

It is an absolutely ridiculous label, so I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear about it that way I can review this sincerely, even if I didn’t like it very much. It is exciting in parts, but not very fulfilling overall. The novel begins with lots of awkward world building. The novelist throws a torrent of information about the world, the powers of the characters and the history of it at you in a horrible manner. She literally slams you with information before you’ve even began to picture the world it is set in. It bored me half to death an almost made me stop reading after a couple of chapters. However, I plodded on because the protagonist killed a couple of guards; this changed her life incredibly, which meant that the novel became marginally interesting.

The protagonist of the novel is called Paige Mahoney, a terrible name I know, she is thrown into a prison after killing the guards, but it is not an ordinary prison. It is a cell for those that have special powers; they are called the clairvoyant or voyants for short. The powers range from summoning poltergeists to being able to enter the Aether. I would explain to you what the Aether is, but I’m not entirely sure. There was some boring dictionary like explanation at the start of the book that I immediately forgot because it was so uninteresting. Later she realises that everything she thought she knew about the world is a lie, and it is in actual fact ruled by a race of humans called the Rheph.

Only one interesting character

This is where the novel redeems itself slightly. The voyants are taken under the wings of the Rheph to train them up in protecting the world against some mysterious entity that comes from the Aether that wishes to eat everybody (no joke). A Rheph called the Warden chooses Paige. He is a complex character that is clearly divided in his loyalties. He is in a difficult situation, which forces him to obey someone he hates. This gives him a dark brooding effect, which is quite compelling. He has an interesting history, and if he had some point of view chapters then the novel would have been a lot better. I do hope in later novel that he has some point of view chapters because the only point of view character at the moment is incredibly bland.

Paige is a very weak woman. Prior to being thrown into jail she was working for a crime syndicate that was blatantly exploiting her for her gifts. She is completely unaware to this obvious fact. Furthermore, when she is put in another situation that is similar to the first she almost develops a Stockholm syndrome effect. This was incredibly obvious that the novelist was going to go down this route, and I think it was an absolute terrible authorial decision to make.Moreover, a novelist who is supposed to be representative of female fantasy writers has written a terrible representation of women. She should have made her stronger. By doing this she has created a protagonist who seems to have only one redeemable quality, and that’s the power she is being used for. Indeed, she is flat, predictable and weak.

I will read the next book in the series for one reason: to find out what will happen to the Warden. However, the prospect of there being eight books in this series does not thrill me. If the next book is the same I will never read anything by this author again. Hopefully it will give me a reason to carry on reading the series because at the moment this book leaves me with few. ...more

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Dec 01, 2015 Christina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Original Read: January 1st - January 8th, 2016
Re-read: March 1st - March 19th, 2017

My original rating and thoughts still stand. This book starts out slow and confusing, even after my 2nd time reading this, it's still a bit confusing. But I love the world that Shannon has built in this series and I'm so excited to get to The Song Rising to see what else she has in store for this series.

On to book 2....

************************
Original Review:

4.5 Stars

**This will probably be long and confusi ...more

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Jan 26, 2018 Nina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

This was a great book and I really, really enjoyed reading it. The world Samantha Shannon has created is a very interesting one and I loved how it was a little more complex than your usual YA fantasy world. Once I'd gotten into the book, it was a very gripping and quick read and I quickly became fond of most of the main characters.
So overall, this was a really enjoyable read but especially towards the end of the novel, many parts felt like they were just a mixture of popular other YA books like ...more

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Aug 23, 2013 Jack Truong rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: pure-crap, young-adult

To say that this author is the next JK Rowling is like saying I'm the incarnation of Tolkien on steroid.

Brace yourself, this review is gonna be ugly. I wish the system had allowed me to rate a book lower than 1, because I don't simply 'not like it'. When I finished reading, I wonder if the people at Bloomsburry were on Floxy when they decided to publish this book. It is BORING. There is nothing new or ground-breaking here. It's just the same old ideas stuffed in a lackluster plot and contrived s To say that this author is the next JK Rowling is like saying I'm the incarnation of Tolkien on steroid.

Brace yourself, this review is gonna be ugly. I wish the system had allowed me to rate a book lower than 1, because I don't simply 'not like it'. When I finished reading, I wonder if the people at Bloomsburry were on Floxy when they decided to publish this book. It is BORING. There is nothing new or ground-breaking here. It's just the same old ideas stuffed in a lackluster plot and contrived slang (which makes no sense by the way, I'll elaborate below)

-1 Star: info-dumping. Oh, dreaded info-dumping. Until now I still have no ideas how voyants power works or how different voyants works. I have to go through pages after pages after pages of nonsensical explanation and in the end nothing makes remote sense to me. Perhaps I'm to dumb to understand? I don't know. Brandon Sanderson's magic system is more interesting and much easier to understand.

-1 Star: stupid slang, unnecessary words. Excuse me, I'm NOT reading a textbook. I don't want to flip back and forth to the Glossary to understand what a certain word means while the author can totally use normal phrasing instead. Why call Earth 'meatspace'? why call guns irons'? why call money 'push'? Why the hell everything must be so freaking complicated?

-1 Star: flashback galore. Never since The Hunger Games that I want to throw a book into the wall that much. Note to aspiring authors: flashback serve NOTHING to push a plot forward. Unless you drop in some vital information that change the whole story Without it. In this book, flashback is intrusive and unnecessary.

-0.5 Star: poor prose. I've counted A LOT of italics and quite a few variation of "I have no choice, but...". Overall, I don't require anyone to write like Rachel Hartman. Not every author can be clever in writing. Fine, but again, back to the second point, everything is unnecessarily complicated by the sheer amount of slang which contribute nothing to the plot. In Harry Potter, I can totally immerse into JK Rowling's world because it is easy to understand. I understand British writing because I learn that in school. Stuffs like 'bloke', 'bloody hell' don't bother me. It bothers me when the author makes up words for no reason.

-1.5 Star: the next JK Rowling? Really? If they call this author the next Stephanie Meyers, I would be less offended. The plot is simplistic. I remember the first time I read Harry Potter and when I reached the end, I was blown away. I couldn't figure out the huge twist in the scene. I was amazed by how JK Rowling subtly dropped little hints here and there, then tie everything together. If you want to see the same thing in this book, you're sorely mistaken. The bad people are bad, the good people I can see miles away.

-1 Star: cliche galore: hmmm, a young girl with special power, a hot mysterious guy a few hundred years old and sucking blood, a love triangle with another hot guy. Where did I see that before?

-1 Star: calling this sci-fi is shaming the whole genre. There is ZERO science in here. We have a little glimpse of the future and that's it. This is exactly the same problem I have with YA sci-fi in the recent years. The authors invest no time in creating a world of tomorrow. Because it requires them to do ACTUAL research.

Overall: yes, it is a negative score but I can't rate it lower than 1 star, which is very very generous to this book. I do give new authors a chance but not to anyone who waste my time with a 500 pages book claiming to be the next JK Rowling. This book ISN'T. When you raise my expectation, you better fulfill it. If you just say this book is another YA paranormal, maybe I'll give a 3 for effort because it's not the worst.

Sorry, no, I'll never spend more time on this author because I see no hope in her style and the mind-boggling amount of info-dump. It's Christopher Paolini all over again. Praise young authors to heaven and they will think they can write like Tolkien.

Long story short: I probably won't touch any book in this series and from this author. 5 Days of hell is enough. ...more

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Apr 23, 2016 Warda rated it it was amazing

Edit: So, it's only been a few days - I think just two days actually - and I can't stop thinking about this book. The characters. The world. So good. So damn good!

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK.

I went into this with no expectations at all and not knowing what it would be about, and I think that's definitely the best approach, and holy hell, I loved every minute of it! Books that I find difficult to put down or give me heart palpitations are always, of course, great and memorable reads for me.

Here's the ...more

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May 20, 2013 tthepageturner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, series-in-progress

The Bone Season is a highly original and engaging read.

The Bone Season has been classed as an ‘Adult’ book by the publisher, but it definitely has crossover appeal. It features characters that are 18+, touches on adult themes, and contains curse words (not much.) As someone who is over the age of 18 I would love to see more books like this, as it offers the best of both worlds – not YA, but not quite adult either. When I first heard the term 'New Adult' this is what I thought it would be. I was The Bone Season is a highly original and engaging read.

The Bone Season has been classed as an ‘Adult’ book by the publisher, but it definitely has crossover appeal. It features characters that are 18+, touches on adult themes, and contains curse words (not much.) As someone who is over the age of 18 I would love to see more books like this, as it offers the best of both worlds – not YA, but not quite adult either. When I first heard the term 'New Adult' this is what I thought it would be. I was hoping that it would cover a wide range of genres, not just contemporary as it does now.

There have been articles floating around the internet saying that Shannon is the next J.K. Rowling, and this of course is a lot of pressure to put on an author. To me, The Bone Season is stylistically very different to Harry Potter. I think that it's best to go into it without the comparison in mind, because in my opinion it’s amazing in its own right. The only similarity I found between the two is the book deal: 7 fantasy books to be published by Bloomsbury.

Before I start gushing about what I loved about The Bone Season, I must admit that I had some issues with the opening of the book. There is quite a bit of info-dumping, so many new terms were thrown in without explanation that at times it felt a bit awkward. However, once my initial confusion had somewhat lessened I could not put the book down. In all honestly the info-dumping didn't take away from my reading experience, I was still able to enjoy and appreciate the world Shannon had created, because info-dumping aside the world building was very thorough.

The amount of imagination and detail that has gone into the world building is stunning. This is a book that I think will require patience from the reader, because it takes a while to grasp some of the ideas, and just when you think you've grasped them something new is thrown in. However, when everything does eventually fall into place the complexity of it all will just blow you away.

The story is set in London, 2059. In this world there are two types of people: Clairvoyants and Amaurotics. Clairvoyants have been out-casted by society. They are treated like criminals, and this ironically enough has forced them to join the criminal underworld of Scion London. Paige Mahoney is a part of a syndicate known as the Seven Seals. She works for Jaxon Hall, a notorious mime-lord who uses her to scout for information by breaking into others’ minds. Being an unusual type of voyant, a dreamwalker, means that she commits treason just by breathing. So far, though, she has stayed hidden under the radar. That is until one fatal day she is forced to use her abilities to get out of a life threatening situation and is discovered by the Scion. Chased down and thrown into Sheol 1, a prison of sorts run by a race known as the Rephaim, Paige is determined to escape.

Paige was a likable protagonist, strong and intelligent she adapted quickly to new situations. Warden was an equally intriguing character; it was interesting getting to know him as the story progressed. I didn't know if there was going to be a romance, and was surprised towards the end when the inkling of one began to form. Shannon does a brilliant job of straying away from the usual clichés as the relationship between Warden and Paige is one that develops at a slow and natural pace. There was a build up of trust, respect, and friendship before the romance and I appreciated that. Another thing that the author excels at is creating tension, the chemistry, although subtle, had me glued to my Kindle.

The Bone Season is the kind of book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading it. Quite simply it is a riveting story, with complex characters and a richly crafted world.

This review also appears on my blog, The Page Turner. ...more

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Dec 12, 2015 Nanna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

GUYS!

WHAT A BOOK! ah, I still can't believe that something this awesome had escaped my knowledge!

this book is amazing and I am so jealous of the world that Shannon has created! truly, truly a masterpiece.

if you're a fan of awesome fantasies & glorious world building then this is the book for you!

seriously, read this book!

it's a bit hard to start but after 50 pages, you get it. and I would recommend listening to the audiobook because there were so many words that I would have mispronounced. l ...more

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Jun 10, 2015 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

WOW. So happy I finally picked up this book! It's sat on my shelf for a couple of years and I wish I'd read it sooner!

I read this in 2 days. If that doesn't show how much I enjoyed it...

Being book one of a fantasy series (with lots of hard to pronounce names) it took me a little while to feel like I understood what was really happening. There were also a few parts where info was dumped pretty heavily, but it wasn't too bad. I'm really intrigued by this new world and I don't feel like I've ever r ...more

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Dec 13, 2020 Kai rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

The world building was clunky, the language a mess, the characters flat, but it wasn’t bad as such. I enjoyed some parts of it more than others, but mostly I read this because I know what the author can do. Priory of the Orange Tree was outstanding, so I’m hoping the story and this world develop and I’ll get to enjoy them more with every book.

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Jan 09, 2015 Robin (Bridge Four) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2.5 Stars

Buddy Read January 16, 2015 with Annette, Athena (Shardbearer), Michelle, Shandra, Kristen, Kerry, Jamie, Julie , and Andrew at Buddies Books and Baubles

I can definitely see why so many people have enjoyed this story. I enjoyed it too, not a huge 5 star kind of enjoy but enough that even though I’m giving it a 2.5 stars I am going to read the next book.

Now any other series starting with a 2 star I might not continue with but there is a ton of potential and this is her first book I expec 2.5 Stars

Buddy Read January 16, 2015 with Annette, Athena (Shardbearer), Michelle, Shandra, Kristen, Kerry, Jamie, Julie , and Andrew at Buddies Books and Baubles

I can definitely see why so many people have enjoyed this story. I enjoyed it too, not a huge 5 star kind of enjoy but enough that even though I’m giving it a 2.5 stars I am going to read the next book.

Now any other series starting with a 2 star I might not continue with but there is a ton of potential and this is her first book I expect her to really improve along the way. For YA the story moves really slowly with a ton of info-dumping. There was a lot of information on the world, classifications of all the clairvoyants, factions and history. It got a little distracting and cut into the forward momentum of the story. I also didn’t connect with the heroine for a long time. There is being a strong woman and then there is being a childish idiot and not picking the correct moments to rebel. Paige didn't seem to learn any lessens until pretty far into the book, I really didn't start to like her until the last fourth of the book.

BUT…..

The world once you get through it is interesting. Just to break it down there are people who have some type of clairvoyant power (controlling spirits, foretelling the future, telegraphing images to others….etc). Paige can leave her body and invade the dreams of others. She worked for a crime boss for and used her talent to mostly collect information for him. That is until during an altercation her power took on a defensive tactic and she killed a man. After that Paige is shipped off to a penal colony ran by a different species/alien/spirit something where clairvoyants are used as slaves and to fight against another species/alien/sprit something.

The story didn’t start to really pick up for me until Paige started some training and then I started to like it a lot more. Warden is the most interesting and complex character in the story. He is the fiancé to the ruler who took Paige into his home for training. He was an enigma as it seemed that he didn’t exactly behave like the other Raphaim and sometimes showed up with battle wounds of a sort.

This does have a few YA clichés and tropes but overall I can get a sense of the grand vision the author was trying to get across. I’m hoping that with some editing help and streamlining her next story doesn’t take as much time to get going.
...more

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Jun 13, 2014 Giselle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, 5-star, beautiful-covers, genre-dystopia, genre-fantasy, signed, from-gift, own, genre-romance-slow-burn, age-adult

Paige is an unnatural who works for one of the mimelords in the future where London is plagued with people who can hear, speak and converse with spirits. She is different from the rest and having that ability makes her valuable enough to be kidnapped. Her captors take her to a place where she didn't know existed and there she will find a world that she never knew existed.

I don't even know how I was going to write this review, but alas it was easier than I thought it would be. I found it refreshi ...more

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Jul 26, 2016 LT rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: series, dystopian, definitely-worth-rereading, paranormal, sci-fi, owns-a-physical-copy, favourites, one-hell-of-a-journey-grins, fantasy, young-adult

“Do you trust me now?”

“Should I?”

“I cannot tell you that. That is trust, Paige. Not knowing whether you should trust at all.”

“Then I trust you.”

Enjoyed this book thoroughly! Loved the world building :D Towards the end, Im fawning (and low-key going gaga) over this precious relationship between Paige and Arcturus ;)

Onwards to The Mime Order! #excited ...more

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Jun 30, 2020 Anca-Daniela Spataru rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars

Just waiting for the adaptation already 😃😃

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About Samantha Shannon

Samantha Shannon

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Samantha Shannon studied English Language and Literature at St. Anne’s College, Oxford. The Bone Season, the first in a seven-book series, was a New York Times bestseller and the inaugural Today Book Club selection.

Her next novel, The Priory of the Orange Tree, was published in February 2019 and became a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. Her work has been translated into twenty-six lang ...more