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aksmith92 's review for:
The Mask Falling
by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
challenging
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
The Setup: Per usual, I will introduce this review with the fact that there may be spoilers because it is now the FOURTH installment in The Bone Season series.
Paige Mahoney, presumed dead, resurfaces in a safe house in Scion's Paris citadel, continuing to recover physically and mentally from her previous ordeals. With her fragile psyche as much at stake as the rebellion she leads, Paige must navigate PTSD, employment with a clandestine unit within the uprising, and the shifting political landscape of clairvoyant resistance.
As Scion's reach expands across Europe, Paige and Arcturus navigate both emotional intimacy and tactical resistance. They delve from Paris's perilous catacombs to the opulent halls of Versailles, forging alliances with the French clairvoyant syndicate while evading Scion's tightening grip. The tension escalates toward an explosive conclusion that leaves every alliance and identity dramatically redefined.
What I Loved: As mentioned in my Dawn Chorus review, Shannon did a great job not glossing over trauma for dramatic beats - Paige's PTSD was raw and impactful. Her fear of water, confined spaces, and darkness was deeply present throughout the narrative, giving emotional realism to her leadership and growth. Additionally, I loved how in each book, we get a world beyond London. The Song Rising was in Manchester and Edinburgh, and this one was set in Paris. I really felt the new geography. Shannon masterfully anchored reality in Parisian streets, catacombs, and street networks.
Although I was slightly confused about the inception, Paige's identity as the Black Moth was beautifully done here, especially when it intertwined with a mask as a metaphor. Shannon expertly explored how personas that empower can also suffocate, especially when they are born from survival rather than choice. This self-examination unfolded across the glitter and decay of Paris and Versailles. I thought it was well done!
I also THOROUGHLY enjoyed the deeper investigation of politicking in this. We had a lot more scheming, more mystery, and overall, just more strategy. There are many moving pieces - even comparing the world to a game of chess within the story, because at the end of the day, Samanatha Shannon (while I adore her writing) is a bit heavy-handed. But the pieces were engrossing. I couldn't put this book down. I also absolutely loved the big plot twist at the end - I did not see it coming and was not necessarily shocked, but most certainly surprised.
Why Not Five Stars? I've been trying to figure out how to articulate why I didn't give a five-star rating. I can't, really. I think at the end of the day, the ending of this, albeit surprising in a decent way, left me quite unsettled. Without spoiling anything, we had just witnessed a ton of character growth from Paige in this book, especially as she battled PTSD and a plethora of mental health challenges. Her choice to assume the worst during one event of this book felt like she took 10 steps back. Maybe that's the point. Perhaps the point is to share that Paige has constantly been deceived, betrayed, and abused, and it is in her nature to potentially resort to that mindset. However, it was the first time in the series where I felt a little bit too far ahead of Paige. I knew something she didn't, and while that doesn't necessarily have to bother me, it did here. Thankfully, it was relatively short-lived. With that said, overall, I think Paige acted a bit her age at 20 in this book. She doesn't annoy me a lot, but when she does, I tend to get frustrated while reading, and that happened in a couple of instances.
With that said, I loved the plot, the politics, the worldbuilding, and the magic system. I particularly loved the complicated relationship with Jaxon and Paige, and I loved even more the absolute beauty of a blossoming relationship between Paige and Arcturus. I loved the thread of the syndicate and that thread's importance to Paige. I loved the journeys through different European cities.
Overall, this series is sitting with me - I'm constantly reflecting on it, and I am grateful for that. I can't wait to finish the next book in the series, which, unfortunately, is the latest one out, and I won't be able to continue reading after that one until Shannon releases Book 6.
**
Paige Mahoney, presumed dead, resurfaces in a safe house in Scion's Paris citadel, continuing to recover physically and mentally from her previous ordeals. With her fragile psyche as much at stake as the rebellion she leads, Paige must navigate PTSD, employment with a clandestine unit within the uprising, and the shifting political landscape of clairvoyant resistance.
As Scion's reach expands across Europe, Paige and Arcturus navigate both emotional intimacy and tactical resistance. They delve from Paris's perilous catacombs to the opulent halls of Versailles, forging alliances with the French clairvoyant syndicate while evading Scion's tightening grip. The tension escalates toward an explosive conclusion that leaves every alliance and identity dramatically redefined.
What I Loved: As mentioned in my Dawn Chorus review, Shannon did a great job not glossing over trauma for dramatic beats - Paige's PTSD was raw and impactful. Her fear of water, confined spaces, and darkness was deeply present throughout the narrative, giving emotional realism to her leadership and growth. Additionally, I loved how in each book, we get a world beyond London. The Song Rising was in Manchester and Edinburgh, and this one was set in Paris. I really felt the new geography. Shannon masterfully anchored reality in Parisian streets, catacombs, and street networks.
Although I was slightly confused about the inception, Paige's identity as the Black Moth was beautifully done here, especially when it intertwined with a mask as a metaphor. Shannon expertly explored how personas that empower can also suffocate, especially when they are born from survival rather than choice. This self-examination unfolded across the glitter and decay of Paris and Versailles. I thought it was well done!
I also THOROUGHLY enjoyed the deeper investigation of politicking in this. We had a lot more scheming, more mystery, and overall, just more strategy. There are many moving pieces - even comparing the world to a game of chess within the story, because at the end of the day, Samanatha Shannon (while I adore her writing) is a bit heavy-handed. But the pieces were engrossing. I couldn't put this book down. I also absolutely loved the big plot twist at the end - I did not see it coming and was not necessarily shocked, but most certainly surprised.
Why Not Five Stars? I've been trying to figure out how to articulate why I didn't give a five-star rating. I can't, really. I think at the end of the day, the ending of this, albeit surprising in a decent way, left me quite unsettled. Without spoiling anything, we had just witnessed a ton of character growth from Paige in this book, especially as she battled PTSD and a plethora of mental health challenges. Her choice to assume the worst during one event of this book felt like she took 10 steps back. Maybe that's the point. Perhaps the point is to share that Paige has constantly been deceived, betrayed, and abused, and it is in her nature to potentially resort to that mindset. However, it was the first time in the series where I felt a little bit too far ahead of Paige. I knew something she didn't, and while that doesn't necessarily have to bother me, it did here. Thankfully, it was relatively short-lived. With that said, overall, I think Paige acted a bit her age at 20 in this book. She doesn't annoy me a lot, but when she does, I tend to get frustrated while reading, and that happened in a couple of instances.
With that said, I loved the plot, the politics, the worldbuilding, and the magic system. I particularly loved the complicated relationship with Jaxon and Paige, and I loved even more the absolute beauty of a blossoming relationship between Paige and Arcturus. I loved the thread of the syndicate and that thread's importance to Paige. I loved the journeys through different European cities.
Overall, this series is sitting with me - I'm constantly reflecting on it, and I am grateful for that. I can't wait to finish the next book in the series, which, unfortunately, is the latest one out, and I won't be able to continue reading after that one until Shannon releases Book 6.
**
"Paris." I cast my gaze over the river. "It's magnificent. So much of Scion is. Isn't that sick?" "It is a beautiful mask, but all masks fall. In the end."
"They broke me," I said. "In that fucking basement." The taste of salt filled my mouth. "I don't know how to get back to being who I was before." "You never can. That person is dead. So is the person you were yesterday," Arcturus said. "Death is not an ending. It is only a change of seasons. Passage from one state to another. Your new form is fragile, but in time, it will grow strong. Be patient with yourself."
"Something tells me they didn't mine this far just for limestone." "Maybe for gold. Or it could have been a siege tunnel." Without letting go of the rope, Malperdy blotted his face on his sleeve. "Or they were looking for another realm. We want that, I think. We crawl into the deepest caves, touch the bottom of the sea, try to reach the stars." He gestured upward. "We are forever looking for other worlds. Stranger ones."
"A mask allows a person to transcend the limits of one body, one face," he said. "I have built a reputation in Paris. It is inevitably disappointing to find that the subject of any legend is no more than a man. So while [they] showed their faces to our subjects, I became my mask, my costume, and it became me. I made them whisper. I made them wonder. And when you make people do that, they start to tell their own stories."
"I can't give all of myself to this war. I'll lose my mind," I whispered. "I am ready to fight to the end, but I need one thing - just one - that the revolution doesn't touch. That is not meant to further it. Not a scheme, or a tactic." A tremor raided my voice. "I want to show one person my true face. I want...just one place, one safe place, where I don't have to be Black Moth. Otherwise she will consume me."
"Fear is a constant for us mortals," I murmured, "but so is the knowledge that no matter what happens, no matter how careful and afraid we are, life does end. So you might as well take every shot you get."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Toxic relationship