The Bone Season by: Samantha Shannon (Aug. 2013)
466 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Goodreads Summary: It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.
But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.
Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.
The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine—a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.
My Review
**This review may seem overly negative and I apologize for that. I want you to know that I did like The Bone Season but I just didn't love it and for some reason it's always easier to write about the things I don't like than the things I do like.
The only reason I picked up a copy of The Bone Season to begin with was because of all the hype. This book was even featured in Entertainment Weekly. I should have known better than to totally choose to read a book based on hype alone. It wasn’t a total loss, I did enjoy The Bone Season, but I wouldn’t call it the next big thing.
The only reason I picked up a copy of The Bone Season to begin with was because of all the hype. This book was even featured in Entertainment Weekly. I should have known better than to totally choose to read a book based on hype alone. It wasn’t a total loss, I did enjoy The Bone Season, but I wouldn’t call it the next big thing.
Honestly, in my opinion the beginning of The Bone Season was a confusing mess of an info dump. The Bone Season is one hell of a complex novel. Luckily there is a little chart at the beginning of the novel that explains all the different types of clairvoyant people. (Seriously there are a lot so it’s helpful.) So not only do the numerous amount of different clairvoyants make this book confusing, along with the info dump, but the fact that the author used old underground English literature along with all of the made up words makes it super confusing. Although you do catch on after a while. By the time I read the seventh book I’ll probably be a pro.
The Bone Season is certainly different than most of the books I’ve read, you know I always love finding a book that is unique. It is a little creepy and has a lot of cool things/items/stuff (like controlling ghosts and other crazy things) in it. The main character, Paige, is kind of stupid and that is never a quality I want in a heroine. She may be strong willed and pretty darn tough but man is she also pretty dumb. Oh and The Warden, her keeper and not shockingly her kind of love interest, has “secrets.” I use the quotes because he may have secrets but they are pretty darn obvious and it takes Paige way too long to figure them out. Not to mention that the romance wasn't anything special. BUT, the pacing (besides the info dumps) was pretty good and there are a lot of good action scenes.
If you are willing to look past the info dumps or info dumps just don’t bother you, then I think you will probably really enjoy The Bone Season. It has a really unique fantasy element to it and some great action scenes that would make it worth it. Plus there are seven books so if you love it you get many more of the story. A lot of people love this book so it may be that I wanted a relaxing read and ended up getting one I had to work at, so don't lose hope if you planned on reading this, you will probably like it.
MY RATING: 3.5/5 Stars
You're not alone Kay, I have seen mixed feelings for this book. I may give it a shot myself one day but it's not high on my priority list. I am curious about the fantasy element but not yet willing to overcome a slow and confusing start for it. Maybe if the other books are really good...
ReplyDeleteThe start of the book was just so freaking frustrating. I almost DNF the book to be honest, but I powered through and I think it was worth it. This is one I would wait to read until you are in the right mood and willing to work past the beginning. :) I'm just glad I'm not the only one that didn't love it since it did get so much hype/love.
DeleteI can totally understand how you feel. I really liked the book, but I will say that it is very intense in the language and terms department. I'm pretty use to heavy duty Science Fiction and Fantasy, but The Bone Season definitely had me taking notes. I loved the world building and characters, i just wished there had been an easier breakdown or preface to it. Thanks for your honest opinion and review! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I did enjoy the book and I will be reading the next one, it was just so confusing at first, because the author did create an amazing world, but I felt like didn't go about explaining it in the best way. So I do agree with you, and I'm thinking that maybe if I did read more books that are like this I wouldn't have struggled as much.
DeleteI'm definitely hesitant because of all the hype on this one. I mean before it even came out, we knew it was going to be a 7 book series -- 7 BOOKS! for a debut author! I don't think JK Rowling even got a 7 book deal from the beginning. To have this advertised as the start of such an epic series, expectations are incredibly high and I'm not sure the book can really live up to them.
ReplyDeleteI think I will at least give the first one a try to see for myself, but will keep your thoughts in mind and make sure I'm really ready to commit and have the time to do so when I pick it up.
Seven books for a debut author does seem crazy. I can't wait to see what you think of this one! I enjoyed it but struggled with that beginning part. I will be checking out the next once just because I want to see where the author is going.
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