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julienicole1106's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Cursing, Death, Confinement, Violence, Vomit, War, Physical abuse, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Classism, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
mollyelyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.75
WHAT DID I SAY? Every book is better than the last! This is a lot slower in pace, and needs to be to show Paige’s recovery and struggle with PTSD from the end of the previous instalment. It also allows time for the relationship between Paige and Warden (now ARCTURUS 😍) to blossom and develop into something truely beautiful. Their relationship is so tender and supportive, and they bounce off each other so beautifully. The lack of most of the supporting cast from the previous novels leaves time for their romance to blossom. However just because the romance is sweet, doesn’t mean the book isn’t heart-wrenching and devastating. The twists are immaculate as always, and a specific third act red herring moment made me SOB MY EYES OUT, as i briefly believed it to be true, as Paige did. I am especially excited to revisit this in May when the revised editions are released, as I rushed my reading as I was moving overseas and didnt want to bring the paperback with me just for the sake of the last 75 or so pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Drug use, Hate crime, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit
bennispizza's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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: Torture, War, Violence, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Gun violence
vendottie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
forthesanityof1's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
This book.
Holy shit.
This fucking book held me by the throat and made me beg for scraps of happiness. This book was so achingly, painfully raw and human it physically hurt me. I had to pause so many times to take a deep breath because I knew what was coming was going to hurt. Samantha Shannon is master at what she creates with this series. The prose was engaging and moving the entire time. The plot held my interest like a vice through the book with no pacing issues, even with the revelations at the last hundred or so pages (*cries*). It flowed well with the set up from the previous books and built Paige and Arcturus in exquisite ways that felt natural. The way Shannon illustrated the growth of the characters is something I'm still trying to put into words; the forward momentum is obvious in the best way-there is still potential to be wrought and revelations to be made. I literally don't know what to say because it was. Just. That. Good. This was already one of my favorite series that I push whenever someone asks for recommendations, but I will be SHOVING this series down everyone's throats whenever possible. Wow.
Holy shit.
This fucking book held me by the throat and made me beg for scraps of happiness. This book was so achingly, painfully raw and human it physically hurt me. I had to pause so many times to take a deep breath because I knew what was coming was going to hurt. Samantha Shannon is master at what she creates with this series. The prose was engaging and moving the entire time. The plot held my interest like a vice through the book with no pacing issues, even with the revelations at the last hundred or so pages (*cries*). It flowed well with the set up from the previous books and built Paige and Arcturus in exquisite ways that felt natural. The way Shannon illustrated the growth of the characters is something I'm still trying to put into words; the forward momentum is obvious in the best way-there is still potential to be wrought and revelations to be made. I literally don't know what to say because it was. Just. That. Good. This was already one of my favorite series that I push whenever someone asks for recommendations, but I will be SHOVING this series down everyone's throats whenever possible. Wow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
dragontomes2000's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
After that ending I'm not even entirely sure I to even write this review. Once again when I tell you that I inhaled the last like 150 pages, I literally mean inhaled them. I am emotionally wrecked, mentally destroyed, and searching for my soul because it has left my body. Samantha Shannon I adore dearly but Part 3 was just too much, way too much. I mean just rude, lol!
The Mask Falling, as some of us who have been following Samantha Shannon, knows that this is where the series is closing arc one, but also opening arc two. Which in a sense means Mask Falling is like a bridge book, I would agree to disagree with that statement. The Mask Falling is so much more, but to go into why that is would hinge on spoilers and I don't do spoilers. Just know that Samantha Shannon had a clear vision for how she wanted this story to go and she executed it flawlessly. I mean seriously from Paige's excellent character development, to shady new characters, gripping action sequences, and even high stake espionage and politics. This fourth novel had it all.
Paige is an extremely strong female protagonist, one of the best in an ongoing series by far. The Mask Falling showed her in such a fragile, yet vulnerable spotlight that was handled with utmost care. Again I don't want to dish out any spoilers, so I am going to be as vague as can be, but if you have read this series then you know exactly what I mean. Watching Paige grow and evolve from book to book is truly amazing and it is one of the biggest reasons I continue to be excited for this series. That is not to say Paige is the only reason because the story is dynamite as well.
The Mask Falling is an extraordinary follow up to The Song Rising and an incredible continuation to the Bone Season series. Definitely worth the 4/5 year wait. However, and this is for you Samantha Shannon, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT MAKE US WAIT THAT LONG FOR BOOK FIVE PLEASE!!!!
The Mask Falling, as some of us who have been following Samantha Shannon, knows that this is where the series is closing arc one, but also opening arc two. Which in a sense means Mask Falling is like a bridge book, I would agree to disagree with that statement. The Mask Falling is so much more, but to go into why that is would hinge on spoilers and I don't do spoilers. Just know that Samantha Shannon had a clear vision for how she wanted this story to go and she executed it flawlessly. I mean seriously from Paige's excellent character development, to shady new characters, gripping action sequences, and even high stake espionage and politics. This fourth novel had it all.
Paige is an extremely strong female protagonist, one of the best in an ongoing series by far. The Mask Falling showed her in such a fragile, yet vulnerable spotlight that was handled with utmost care. Again I don't want to dish out any spoilers, so I am going to be as vague as can be, but if you have read this series then you know exactly what I mean. Watching Paige grow and evolve from book to book is truly amazing and it is one of the biggest reasons I continue to be excited for this series. That is not to say Paige is the only reason because the story is dynamite as well.
The Mask Falling is an extraordinary follow up to The Song Rising and an incredible continuation to the Bone Season series. Definitely worth the 4/5 year wait. However, and this is for you Samantha Shannon, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT MAKE US WAIT THAT LONG FOR BOOK FIVE PLEASE!!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Violence
tashayns's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, and Torture
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, and Vomit
whatsheread's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I adore The Bone Season series. I have listened to or read the first book in the series at least three times and plan to do so again. There is something about the characters, the setting, and the story that have me coming back to it again and again. So it comes as no surprise that The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon is one of my most anticipated releases for 2021. I had high hopes for the latest in Paige Mahoney's war against Scion, and Ms. Shannon did not disappoint.
I love that Ms. Shannon does not gloss over the violence that comes with living on the streets and waging a guerilla war against a powerful enemy. Given how lovingly she describes Paige and Warden, I know she cares about her characters. However, because she is unafraid to show the darker side of life, I also know that she remains committed to authenticity. This means that she is careful with her stories and characters. She plots out every detail so that her fictional world is as realistic as the real one. Moreover, she ensures nothing is stagnant. Her characters grow and evolve. Situations get more complicated, and decisions become agonizing. If it weren't for the fact that the story involves otherworldly creatures and magic, the series itself could be contemporary fiction.
The Mask Falling was never going to be an easy book to read because it starts after Paige escapes from her torture at the hands of Scion. The damage they wrought on her body, mind, and spirit is immense, and Ms. Shannon includes the slow and arduous process of recovery Paige must endure. It isn't pretty, but every minor success Paige achieves after what she endured is a major victory.
Of particular joy is the opportunity to see Warden and Paige together again in a confined setting. Theirs has always been a complicated relationship, but in The Mask Falling, you see them overcome some of those complications to just be together. Their banter is outstanding, but it is in their genuine compassion for each other where their relationship shines. Together, they are everything I want them to be and more.
And then Ms. Shannon broke me. Following the highest of highs and a victory like no other, The Mask Falling takes a wicked and vicious turn that had me contemplating throwing my Kindle across the room in anger and despair. As one shock follows another, it was all I could do to contain my composure. I finished the book gutted, an emotional wreck.
Yet, I wouldn't want The Mask Falling to be any different. Paige's story has always been one step forward, two steps back. No victory comes without consequences, usually negative, and I don't see what happens at the end as any different. In fact, I love that with the highest of highs, she includes the lowest of lows. It is one more example of just how realistic the story is.
Ms. Shannon has the gift of storytelling. With The Mask Falling, she solidifies that statement. The characters are natural, the story fluid, and the descriptions luscious. She plays your emotions like a harp, delicately plucking each one until you don't know where Paige ends and you begin. It is going to be a long wait for the fifth book, but thankfully, this is a series that is just as rewarding on the third reread as it is on the first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Grief, and Blood
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