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A review by hatterell
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 rounded up to 4*
Reading The Pale Dreamer (prequel novella) first made me excited for this book - particularly the gang dynamic and found family vibe. I liked the mission related to Anne and the Metyards - it was a good taste of the larger world.
The Bone Season strayed from these expectations. Very early in the novel, protagonist Paige is removed from the setting of London and thrust into a system that she had no idea existed. I think that this happened too soon and made it difficult to grasp Paige's feelings and intentions. I wasn't familiar enough with the London version of her life to sympathise when she missed it, but I also felt like the information we were given about Sheol set it up to be a temporary location (which it wasn't) and therefore made it hard to navigate.
As I'd heard, the first 150-200 pages were pure confusion, and it was a lot of work to keep up and appreciate the skill of Samantha Shannon's writing. Paige's flashbacks were my favourite part of the book, and gave me a fraction of the time that I had been craving with the Seven Seals.
The Sheol was interesting, but kept reminding me of an ACOTAR/Maas-esque world, which threw me off and disconnected me from the book at times. I don't think it helps that Warden is such a key part of the story, and I didn't care much for him.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but struggled as it felt like I was thrown in partway through a story, or as though I'd picked up the second book in a series without having read the first. That being said, I really appreciated the world Samantha Shannon was starting to build, I loved the characters of London, and I love how her writing is sprinkled with clues and beautiful words that I've never heard of before. Although I did find this book harder than expected, once I passed the 200 page mark, I flew through it. It was terribly difficult to put down.
Reading The Pale Dreamer (prequel novella) first made me excited for this book - particularly the gang dynamic and found family vibe. I liked the mission related to Anne and the Metyards - it was a good taste of the larger world.
The Bone Season strayed from these expectations. Very early in the novel, protagonist Paige is removed from the setting of London and thrust into a system that she had no idea existed. I think that this happened too soon and made it difficult to grasp Paige's feelings and intentions. I wasn't familiar enough with the London version of her life to sympathise when she missed it, but I also felt like the information we were given about Sheol set it up to be a temporary location (which it wasn't) and therefore made it hard to navigate.
As I'd heard, the first 150-200 pages were pure confusion, and it was a lot of work to keep up and appreciate the skill of Samantha Shannon's writing. Paige's flashbacks were my favourite part of the book, and gave me a fraction of the time that I had been craving with the Seven Seals.
The Sheol was interesting, but kept reminding me of an ACOTAR/Maas-esque world, which threw me off and disconnected me from the book at times. I don't think it helps that Warden is such a key part of the story, and I didn't care much for him.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but struggled as it felt like I was thrown in partway through a story, or as though I'd picked up the second book in a series without having read the first. That being said, I really appreciated the world Samantha Shannon was starting to build, I loved the characters of London, and I love how her writing is sprinkled with clues and beautiful words that I've never heard of before. Although I did find this book harder than expected, once I passed the 200 page mark, I flew through it. It was terribly difficult to put down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Sexual assault