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krumanda's review against another edition
3.0
Okay there are several problematic things
But I am fascinated and entertained and that’s all I want from a book these days
But I am fascinated and entertained and that’s all I want from a book these days
mim963's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
plumbeousredstart's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
annekdotes's review against another edition
I didn’t enjoy the writing and the story didn’t interest me enough.
aceinit's review against another edition
4.0
This review contains spoilers
I didn’t review this book when I initially read it because I was travelling and didn’t want to type up my thoughts on it on a mobile device. But, now that I am firmly entrenched in book 2 of the series, I suppose I should say something about the first volume.
I somehow missed the part where this book was YA lit. Those who know me know that I have an aversion to the genre. It tends to make me twitchy and angry and I have been known to rant about it to anyone who will listen. So, when I got far enough into this novel to figure out that it was, technically YA, I was a bit shocked. Because by that point, I was already hooked.
Which is not to say the book is perfect. Few books are. There is a decidedly overcomplicated vocabulary you have to learn to follow the story, and these new and largely unnecessary words (voyant, Floxy, mollisher, amaurotic….and mime-lords and mime-queens, which have nothing to do with actual mimes, thank god) get passed off as world-building. The world-building itself falls a bit flat once you realize this. Set in a not-too-distant version of London where clairvoyance and other psychic powers have manifested…and subsequently become outlawed, the novel wastes no time inundating us with its strange new vocabulary. And I will admit that when I picked up the print version of this book, I was ready to put it down by page 3.
Then I gave the audio version a try, and through the beautiful narration, I was quickly sucked into the story of Paige, a dream-walker who find out the hard way exactly what happens to all the clairvoyants captured by the city’s overlords. Sent to a penile colony or sorts and subjected to the cruel rule of mysterious inhuman, perhaps super-human captors, the Rephaim, Paige and her fellow voyants (clairvoyants) are forced to undergo training to fight an even greater otherworldly threat.
This is where the book falls a bit too hard into the YA tropes that usually make my skin crawl. Paige I suddenly elevated to quasi chosen-one status, when the handsomest and most mysterious of the Rephaim, Warden, taken her under his tutelage. Warden never takes humans under his tutelage, but he takes Paige. What follows is a carefully built relationship between the two that I’ve seen a lot of other reviews try to pass off as a love story, but which decidedly is not. It is a delicate dance of trust, and Shannon handles it well without it falling into angsty, over-emotional territory.
Warden, like any mysterious, powerful good-looking male lead (of sorts) worth his salt, is keeping secrets of his own, and it’s up to Paige to slowly unravel them, and perhaps find her freedom in the process.
I will admit that the Rephaim fascinated me. Vampiric-like beings who feed off the auras of voyants like Paige and her fellow captives, they are waging a war against the violent and deadly Emim and have come to our world under the supposed intention of protecting it from these horrific beings. But Shannon hints that the links between the Rephs and the Emim are stronger than the Rephs let on, and I really look forward to learning more about them in future volumes. But though they sell themselves as the protectors of humanity, there is no doubt that the Rephs themselves are an invading, parasitic species, which makes one wonder if they didn’t carefully cultivate our world to make sure they would need to arrive on it in order to “save” it. Given their plans to expand far beyond London, this seems likely.
The story unfolds at a brisk pace, and, though it follows a fairly predictable path since this is slightly-dystopian YA we’re talking about here, it kept me hooked all the way to the end. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger left me wanting more in a way a book hasn’t managed to do in a while, so I was glad that I found it less than two months before the second book in the series (the unfortunately named “The Mime Order”) hit shelves.
What worries me is what I’m going to do once I’m finished with it.
I didn’t review this book when I initially read it because I was travelling and didn’t want to type up my thoughts on it on a mobile device. But, now that I am firmly entrenched in book 2 of the series, I suppose I should say something about the first volume.
I somehow missed the part where this book was YA lit. Those who know me know that I have an aversion to the genre. It tends to make me twitchy and angry and I have been known to rant about it to anyone who will listen. So, when I got far enough into this novel to figure out that it was, technically YA, I was a bit shocked. Because by that point, I was already hooked.
Which is not to say the book is perfect. Few books are. There is a decidedly overcomplicated vocabulary you have to learn to follow the story, and these new and largely unnecessary words (voyant, Floxy, mollisher, amaurotic….and mime-lords and mime-queens, which have nothing to do with actual mimes, thank god) get passed off as world-building. The world-building itself falls a bit flat once you realize this. Set in a not-too-distant version of London where clairvoyance and other psychic powers have manifested…and subsequently become outlawed, the novel wastes no time inundating us with its strange new vocabulary. And I will admit that when I picked up the print version of this book, I was ready to put it down by page 3.
Then I gave the audio version a try, and through the beautiful narration, I was quickly sucked into the story of Paige, a dream-walker who find out the hard way exactly what happens to all the clairvoyants captured by the city’s overlords. Sent to a penile colony or sorts and subjected to the cruel rule of mysterious inhuman, perhaps super-human captors, the Rephaim, Paige and her fellow voyants (clairvoyants) are forced to undergo training to fight an even greater otherworldly threat.
This is where the book falls a bit too hard into the YA tropes that usually make my skin crawl. Paige I suddenly elevated to quasi chosen-one status, when the handsomest and most mysterious of the Rephaim, Warden, taken her under his tutelage. Warden never takes humans under his tutelage, but he takes Paige. What follows is a carefully built relationship between the two that I’ve seen a lot of other reviews try to pass off as a love story, but which decidedly is not. It is a delicate dance of trust, and Shannon handles it well without it falling into angsty, over-emotional territory.
Warden, like any mysterious, powerful good-looking male lead (of sorts) worth his salt, is keeping secrets of his own, and it’s up to Paige to slowly unravel them, and perhaps find her freedom in the process.
I will admit that the Rephaim fascinated me. Vampiric-like beings who feed off the auras of voyants like Paige and her fellow captives, they are waging a war against the violent and deadly Emim and have come to our world under the supposed intention of protecting it from these horrific beings. But Shannon hints that the links between the Rephs and the Emim are stronger than the Rephs let on, and I really look forward to learning more about them in future volumes. But though they sell themselves as the protectors of humanity, there is no doubt that the Rephs themselves are an invading, parasitic species, which makes one wonder if they didn’t carefully cultivate our world to make sure they would need to arrive on it in order to “save” it. Given their plans to expand far beyond London, this seems likely.
The story unfolds at a brisk pace, and, though it follows a fairly predictable path since this is slightly-dystopian YA we’re talking about here, it kept me hooked all the way to the end. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger left me wanting more in a way a book hasn’t managed to do in a while, so I was glad that I found it less than two months before the second book in the series (the unfortunately named “The Mime Order”) hit shelves.
What worries me is what I’m going to do once I’m finished with it.
s_casanova97's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
grayhyde0717's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sannaeriksson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
books_tea_and_fantasy's review against another edition
5.0
5 ⭐️
Characters: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Writing: 10
Plot: 10
Intrigue: 10
Logic: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Wow, the way Shannon managed to elevate this book and turn it into the perfect opener to my favourite series is unparalleled ❤️
Characters: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Writing: 10
Plot: 10
Intrigue: 10
Logic: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Wow, the way Shannon managed to elevate this book and turn it into the perfect opener to my favourite series is unparalleled ❤️
jesshubb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25