Reviews

The character development in this one for Paige was great. She’s back in London and with the gang while there’s been a pretty gruesome murder - so this plot is essentially a murder mystery which I loved. Getting to see how Paige has grown since the beginning of book 1 was so good to see play out. I can definitely see her becoming one of my favourite characters in a few books time. This book does something that I love - having plot points that really affect character’s emotions. You can really see how Paige’s time in Oxford and how her other experiences play into how she acts at present.

I also loved the exploration of the rest of the gang that we only saw glimpses of in book 1 - especially Nick and Eliza because I love them both. And I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Paige and Jaxson play out with how it’s changed since book one and how Paige is less willing to put up with his BS (which I just loved seeing).

Moreover, the plot and world were so exciting. Being back in London, we get to learn about the whole underground network of clairvoyants (the syndicate) as well as other gangs and their crews. This world just feels so lived in and rich which is something I love about all the Samantha Shannon books I’ve read. Worldbuilding is one of my favourite aspects of fantasy books so it’s hard not to like a book when it’s got such good exploration of the world. The murder mystery was genuinely great and I loved how all the threads came to an end at the end of the book. And most importantly, I can’t wait to get to the next book!

leannesteph's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

chlocharlie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? No

4.25

owlsreads's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

First read: 7-10 June 2016
Reread: 10-12 June 2024

What has changed from 2016 to 2024?

I actually found the first half of the book to be so so interesting and engaging and the second half to drag on a little too long. Still very much enjoyed the developing world-building! The romance was okay; I didn't really miss Warden as a character much since so much of the focus was on Paige and her (excellent) journey.

Original review:
3.5 stars.

*

Words, my walker... words are everything. Words give wings even to those who have been stamped upon, broken beyond all hope of repair...

The Mime Order picked up right where The Bone Season left off, and it was a much smoother read than the first book. The world Shannon created was unique and absolutely fascinating, but this time around she didn’t get too caught up in the world-building and the complexity of this new universe. I think it helped a lot that I read the first book only a short while ago, so I didn’t have to play catch up to try and understand what was going on/remember all the complicated lingo. I could really focus on the characters and the story instead of trying to figure out how this world worked.

The first half of the book was kind of slow, and I found a little hard to get through it. After the halfway mark, though, the pace really sped up, and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. It was like all of the players were finally on the board, and it was exciting to see where they all fell as the story progressed.

We did get to learn more about the mime-lords and mime-queens, and how the gangs were organized. It was really interesting to see how Paige fit into all of it, especially after she came back from Sheol I, as well as learn more about the characters we got so little of in the previous installment.

The character development was also great. A lot of the side-characters that were introduced in The Bone Season were more focused on and had a little bit of their backstories revealed, some of which tied rather nicely with other parts of the plot. Paige also continued to grow as a character and work on her powers, and I liked seeing how what she went through in the first book changed her as a person and affected her actions.

The romance aspect was still a problem for me. I’m glad there wasn’t much focus on it, and instead the author really packed the last half of the book with action. There were so many plot twists and so many fight scenes, I felt like I’d run a marathon after finishing The Mime Order.

I’m really curious to see what the next installment will brings us, considering how things ended. There is much left to explore, and I’m sure Shannon will do a wonderful job of it. 

seriuzbiznus's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

blackaliss's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful 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

4.0

rihcochet's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5 arrondi parce que le début était un peu long mais c'était INCROYABLE
la dinguerie wow! les plot twist les personnages toussa toussa la romance wow
okay ines d'accord merci infiniment écoutez toujours ines elle a des goûts excellentissimes
pour commencer arcturus et paige étaient incroyables (en tant qu'alliés et qu'amants power duo) et deux personnages complexe et humains (bon rephaïm mais vous avez capté) leur relation était parfaite leur évolution aussi. les voir ensemble me donnait envie de tout brûler dans ma maison et franchement je suis là pour ça!
j'étais sur mes fesses pendant toute la fin du roman genre ok slay! samantha shannon sait conclure ses grosses briques de maçon avec brio i love herrrr
je trouve juste ça dommage que le roman mette autant de temps à s'installer même si on doit apprendre à connaître la pègre que c'était longgggg :/ nécessaire mais long
cependant les personnages étaient tous incroyables et attachants, les rebondissements et l'action et les relations je suis éberluée
michael et julian me manquent j'espère qu'ils vont bien.
je veux consacrer dans cette review un moment d'appréciation pour Paige Eva Mahoney qui bat les archétypes des personnages de fantasy qui sont soit A. Inutiles ou B. Forte et innaccesssible émotionnellement. Paige est forte et sensible et intelligente et emphatique et résiliente je l'aime tellement genre omg! i love irish people and blond girls actually
hâte de lire le tome 3, horrifiée à l'idée de lire le tome 4, (we will get that happy ending trust!) je me suis tellement attachée aux persos je m'y attendais pas
il est 2am42 actuellement et je suis à ça de commencer le tome 3 bref c'était parfait incroyable brillant du génie jamais fait auparavant unique showtopping never the same

lialisabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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? No

4.25

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