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julienicole1106's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Confinement, Kidnapping, Death, Child death, Classism, Grief, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Murder, Sexual assault, and War
katievallin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, War, Physical abuse, Slavery, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Blood, Bullying, Drug use, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Medical content, and Trafficking
Minor: Vomit, Torture, Addiction, and Death of parent
tlaynejones's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, Murder, Classism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse
risaleel's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Torture, Kidnapping, Classism, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Violence, Death, Slavery, and Gore
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
martinatan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Didn’t think I could end up disliking a book so much almost entirely due to its last 100 pages.
I didn’t have too much interest in the plot setup in the first place, was mostly interested in how the world building would turn out. Evidently, worldbuilding still depends on interesting and complex character motivations to feel realistic and satisfying, and this story does not have such characters. I’m disappointed that the protagonist’s relationships with male characters could be so predictable and hollow.
The wrap-up of this book was a rushed mess. I found myself so uninterested in the final showdown because it felt breezed over, and had no satisfying emotional climaxes concerning the protagonist’s relationships with any others. The progressions of some of these relationships made very little sense and mainly seeking to fulfill tropes and set the stage for -dramatic and unnecessarily sarcastic dialogue.
The romantic subplots were on the whole lacking in depth and developed poorly, I feel likethe interspecies relationship could have been at least explored by acknowledging the taboo of it. Maybe it was left unsaid on purpose. Maybe this whole series was set up as a kink fulfillment for the author. Anyway it’s not the kind of fulfillment I was looking for. I wish the world could be explored in some other story where societal relationships and combat/technology are more integrated with the magic system.
I didn’t have too much interest in the plot setup in the first place, was mostly interested in how the world building would turn out. Evidently, worldbuilding still depends on interesting and complex character motivations to feel realistic and satisfying, and this story does not have such characters. I’m disappointed that the protagonist’s relationships with male characters could be so predictable and hollow.
The wrap-up of this book was a rushed mess. I found myself so uninterested in the final showdown because it felt breezed over, and had no satisfying emotional climaxes concerning the protagonist’s relationships with any others. The progressions of some of these relationships made very little sense and mainly seeking to fulfill tropes and set the stage for -dramatic and unnecessarily sarcastic dialogue.
The romantic subplots were on the whole lacking in depth and developed poorly, I feel like
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, and Death
agentsofromanov's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, and Slavery
alexa1804's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Diversity: An #ownvoices book with notable diversity, given that the main character is queer and Irish (although her queerness has not been explicitly revealed in this book of the series), and two major characters are gay. Additionally, the series so far as book four has also included a Deaf signing character, a character who uses they/them pronouns, strong LOTE (language other than English) inclusion, and an increasingly ethnically diverse range of characters. The author has publicly identified as a queer person with a disability.
Paige is a rare type of clairvoyant, living under a repressive regime that actively hunts down people like her, with special abilities stemming from an intimate connection with the aether. For protection, she has joined a criminal underworld of clairvoyants and has worked her way up to being the heir of a powerful mime lord, Jaxon Hall. A simple ride on the London underground leads to her being detected by night vigiles, and soon she is captured and sent off to a concentration camp in the abandoned city of Oxford. Her captivity leads to discoveries about the true nature of Scion, and the otherworldly race that lingers in the shadows. Her escape becomes contingent on a rebellion.
I first bought this book as a signed copy when it was first released in stores as a paperback, drawn in by its vibrant cover and its promise of a fast-paced fantasy adventure. I was living at home at the time, and my mum had called my teenage self out on my slobby housework in my room. True to the nature of a strict parent, I was not going to be in her good graces until it was clean. My ADHD brain rebelled, and all I know is come sunset, I was turning the last pages of a book I'd started early that morning to avoid cleaning (the room wasn't cleaned that day, go figure). Paige, the clairvoyant criminal underworld, the strange futuristic London she lived in, and diving into a mystery that was fanning the flames of a rebellion had swept me away and left me reeling. I may have been sucked in for a day, but I would have to wait two years for the next book, a few more for the next two, and the wait continues.
It goes without saying that a book (or series) that has held my attention (poor as it often is) for almost a decade and counting would sit amongst my favourites. Naturally, it seemed a wonderful choice for fulfilling one of the prompts for the Reading Women Challenge 2021 to "reread a favourite", and the reread of this and the second and third instalments proved to be vital revision for the release of book four earlier this year. I personally love it. I've been sitting here working myself into a headache trying to decide its flaws so that I can write a balanced review, but based on my experience, I reckon its bloody perfect. With that said, I gave a copy of this book to one of my closest bookish friends, and she's almost finished it. I asked for her impression to aid with the writing of this review, and she felt that it is worth noting that the world building and characters are quite complicated, and the set up required at the start to explain everything from the authoritarian republic of Scion and its history, the underworld, the orders of clairvoyance, and Sheol I are substantial. I would agree with this assessment. If the reader is able to be patient as this information is revealed, and hold onto these different threads as the story unfolds, it will come together. It does, however, remove it as a candidate for relaxing and breezy fantastical fiction lists. Another warning is that this book, and increasingly so in the series, is quite violent, and I have advised of a number of content warnings. Overall, as a dystopian fantasy novel set in real world locations and from an author becoming increasingly comfortable expressing her queer identity in her writing, The Bone Season is a highly original and excellently written contribution to the genre. It will have you cheering, holding your breath, crying, and screaming through a roller coaster ride of a mystery where nothing will turn out quite as you expect.
Recommended for: Dystopian lovers, those who want an inventive alternative to tired fantasy tropes, readers on board for an unpredictable adventure, and older teens and adults who value a queer-friendly story set-up.
Paige is a rare type of clairvoyant, living under a repressive regime that actively hunts down people like her, with special abilities stemming from an intimate connection with the aether. For protection, she has joined a criminal underworld of clairvoyants and has worked her way up to being the heir of a powerful mime lord, Jaxon Hall. A simple ride on the London underground leads to her being detected by night vigiles, and soon she is captured and sent off to a concentration camp in the abandoned city of Oxford. Her captivity leads to discoveries about the true nature of Scion, and the otherworldly race that lingers in the shadows. Her escape becomes contingent on a rebellion.
I first bought this book as a signed copy when it was first released in stores as a paperback, drawn in by its vibrant cover and its promise of a fast-paced fantasy adventure. I was living at home at the time, and my mum had called my teenage self out on my slobby housework in my room. True to the nature of a strict parent, I was not going to be in her good graces until it was clean. My ADHD brain rebelled, and all I know is come sunset, I was turning the last pages of a book I'd started early that morning to avoid cleaning (the room wasn't cleaned that day, go figure). Paige, the clairvoyant criminal underworld, the strange futuristic London she lived in, and diving into a mystery that was fanning the flames of a rebellion had swept me away and left me reeling. I may have been sucked in for a day, but I would have to wait two years for the next book, a few more for the next two, and the wait continues.
It goes without saying that a book (or series) that has held my attention (poor as it often is) for almost a decade and counting would sit amongst my favourites. Naturally, it seemed a wonderful choice for fulfilling one of the prompts for the Reading Women Challenge 2021 to "reread a favourite", and the reread of this and the second and third instalments proved to be vital revision for the release of book four earlier this year. I personally love it. I've been sitting here working myself into a headache trying to decide its flaws so that I can write a balanced review, but based on my experience, I reckon its bloody perfect. With that said, I gave a copy of this book to one of my closest bookish friends, and she's almost finished it. I asked for her impression to aid with the writing of this review, and she felt that it is worth noting that the world building and characters are quite complicated, and the set up required at the start to explain everything from the authoritarian republic of Scion and its history, the underworld, the orders of clairvoyance, and Sheol I are substantial. I would agree with this assessment. If the reader is able to be patient as this information is revealed, and hold onto these different threads as the story unfolds, it will come together. It does, however, remove it as a candidate for relaxing and breezy fantastical fiction lists. Another warning is that this book, and increasingly so in the series, is quite violent, and I have advised of a number of content warnings. Overall, as a dystopian fantasy novel set in real world locations and from an author becoming increasingly comfortable expressing her queer identity in her writing, The Bone Season is a highly original and excellently written contribution to the genre. It will have you cheering, holding your breath, crying, and screaming through a roller coaster ride of a mystery where nothing will turn out quite as you expect.
Recommended for: Dystopian lovers, those who want an inventive alternative to tired fantasy tropes, readers on board for an unpredictable adventure, and older teens and adults who value a queer-friendly story set-up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Physical abuse, War, Trafficking, and Slavery
Minor: Genocide
cleo_wylde's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Kidnapping, Police brutality, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual content
toerien_kayrie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation
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