BOOKS | Review: The Dark Mirror by Samantha Shannon

Name: The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season series #5)

Author: Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date published: February 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, dystopian  

Pages: 576

Rating: 5/5

This review contains minor spoilers.

Paige Mahoney is outside the Republic of Scion for the first time in more than a decade - but she has no idea how she got to the free world. Half a year has been wiped from her memory.
As she makes her way back to the revolution, her journey takes her to Venice, where she learns a dangerous secret - one that could change the face of the war between humans and immortals. Before she can return to London, she must help the Domino Programme unravel the sinister Operation Ventriloquist.
And it soon becomes clear that the one person who could recover her memories - Arcturus Mesarthim - might also hold the key to saving Italy. 

- From Goodreads.

This was an incredibly thrilling new installment in The Bone Season series. I was very nervous but excited to find out what would happen next and it definitely did not let me down with all the action and unexpected reveals! There really were so many plot twists I did not expect, and answers that I had not predicted at all, but plenty happened that left a lot of questions to be answered for the last two books. I can't believe we're moving towards the end of the series but I am looking forward to seeing how the different threads wrap up!

The world-building was still brilliant in this book, it was exciting to see more of the world and learn what it was like outside Scion. Samantha Shannon is amazing at detail and really immersing you in the setting. It is still such a fascinating concept for a dystopian story and it's always fascinating to see what will happen with Scion next.

Samantha Shannon is also always brilliant at characters. Paige is still such a wonderful character to follow and it's always incredible how she has to face so many scary and terrible things and manages to be brave and keep going through it all. The rest of the Seven Seals are all very interesting characters too and it was exciting (and surprising) to be reunited with so many previously seen characters in this book when in the last book we got to meet a lot of new characters. Cade is a very fascinating character, even if he can be quite terrible! So I'm curious if we'll see any more of him. I think one of my favourites in the series is definitely Jaxon though, you can never quite tell what he's up to and what he has up his sleeve, but it's always fun trying to understand him and his motivations, even when Paige is furious with him!

There's so much to think about and theorise with this book, so it will certainly be on my mind until the next book comes out. I'm attached to a lot of the characters so of course I am anxious to see what will be in store for them, but I will be intrigued to have more answers for all the mysteries still unresolved! This really was another great book in a very epic and page-turning adventure and I am always impressed with how Samantha Shannon creates it all.

BOOKS | Review: The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

Name: The Mask Falling (The Bone Season series #4)

Author: Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date published: January 2021

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, science fiction, dystopian, paranormal, urban fantasy

Pages: 528

Rating: 4/5

 

Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion's downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim's puppet empire.
The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim - her former enemy - at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war.
As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them - and could end with them...

- From Goodreads.

I really loved the descriptions of Paris in this book, it was a wonderful place to set the book and all the details were so well written and nicely placed in the story. I love it when a setting feels like a character in a book, London felt really alive in the previous books and Paris felt just as full of soul in this one too.

Sometimes it did feel like things were done to make the plot move forward, rather than because it made sense for the world or characters. For example, mostly I did agree with Paige's decisions, or at least understood them, but a couple of times it almost felt like she did things because the plot needed her to, and it did not match what she would do given her experience and what she had learnt in the previous books. But this only happened a small amount of times and it did not ruin my enjoyment of the story too much.

I liked that Paige felt the effects of the things that happened to her, both physically and mentally, how that was acknowledged and how she needed to take the time to recover and feel stronger again, and even when she felt better she was still affected by the memories of what had happened. I really felt all of her emotions around that and thought it was written very well.

The story continued to be unpredictable, as all the other books in the series have been so far. There were plot twists and surprises from beginning to end and it certainly kept me intrigued and trying to solve the mysteries all the way through. I liked that there were different layers to the story and different plot threads and storylines taking place at the same time, it was all woven together very intricately.

The ending of the book was especially well done, plot twist after plot twist, all completely surprising, with an epic finalé that suddenly appeared to leave you shocked and stunned. It was nothing I could have expected and it was thrilling to read.

Overall, even though there were a few small moments I had problems with, it was still an incredibly impressive book that answered so many questions that the previous books had asked while also setting up so many potential pathways for the rest of the series. I am so curious to see what will happen in the rest of the books and I am sure Samantha Shannon will continue to surprise me as she has already amazed me so much so far.

BOOKS | Review: The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

Name: The Song Rising (The Bone Season series #3)

Author: Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date published: March 2017 (this edition March 2018)

Genre: Fiction, adult, science fiction, fantasy, dystopia, urban fantasy, paranormal

Pages: 363

Rating: 4/5

A rebel who becomes a queen
The hotly anticipated third book in the bestselling Bone Season series—a ground-breaking, dystopian fantasy of extraordinary imagination following a bloody battle against foes on every side, Paige Mahoney has risen to the dangerous position of Underqueen, ruling over London's criminal population.
But, having turned her back on Jaxon Hall and with vengeful enemies still at large, the task of stabilising the fractured underworld has never seemed so challenging.
Little does Paige know that her reign may be cut short by the introduction of Senshield, a deadly technology that spells doom for the clairvoyant community and the world as they know it...

- From Goodreads.

As this is the third book in the series, I liked that the elements of the worldbuilding were changed up and new parts were introduced, each instalment seems to bring something different and unique which keeps it interesting and exciting. The characters were put into new situations and there was always something unpredictable happening. The world was expanded and we learnt so much more about what existed outside of the lives and communities that Paige and the characters around her had already known.

On the subject of characters, they continued to be really well written and fascinating. Paige is still a great main character to follow, and I am always on her side, hoping she will make it through and succeed. She went through a lot of difficult things in this book, and it was incredible to read how she persevered and survived, even through the worst. I also really like a lot of the side characters, especially Nick and Eliza. I hope we will see more of them both in future books in the series and hopefully there will be more development in Paige and Eliza's friendship. Nick and Paige's bond is already so strong it made my heart ache, I even cried at one scene between them towards the end of the book.

There were quite a few emotional moments in the book, and although not all of them made me cry like that one, they all got to me and really made me feel on behalf of Paige and the other characters involved.

The writing in the book was well done and balanced the emotional, poignant moments with dramatic and shocking ones, some calm ones, and even a few nice humourous moments. So while I was invested and felt the emotions of the story, I was not too overwhelmed and enjoyed the reading experience.

The only things that stopped me from giving it a full five stars were a few minor things, some character interactions where I did not feel the emotions or just did not connect with the moment, and a couple of moments where the exposition did not feel like it fitted as smoothly into the story as it could have done. Otherwise, I really liked this instalment in the series and am excited, if quite nervous, to move onto the next one!

BOOKS | Review: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Name: The Mime Order (The Bone Season series #2)

Author: Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date published: January 2015 (this edition February 2017)

Genre: Fiction, adult, science fiction, fantasy, dystopia, paranormal, urban fantasy

Pages: 501

Rating: 4/5

This review contains mild spoilers.

It is a dark time for clairvoyants. Scion is in league with the Rephaim, an extraordinarily powerful, otherworldly race that intends to make humans its slaves.

In an unprecedented feat of bravery, Paige Mahoney has succeeded in leading a mass break-out from the brutal camp, Sheol I, where she and other clairvoyants were systematically imprisoned.

Paige is desperate to reach the safety of the London underworld, but the ruthless leader of the Rephaim, Nashira Sargas, is not likely to let her escape so easily…

- From Goodreads.

I thought The Mime Order continued the series in a really exciting way, adding some really intriguing elements to the plot and expanding the world in more fascinating detail.

There was a lot of mystery to the story in this book which I found to be completely unpredictable, I really had no idea what was going to happen next and thought all the plot threads were woven together well. The extra twist at the end of the book also set up an extra layer to what I thought would be the plot of the next book, and makes me all the more eager to pick up the next in the series.

We were introduced to more characters in this book, all of them with interesting parts to play in the story, who felt real and created engaging character dynamics and interactions. One thing I would have liked to see more of was the escapees from Sheol I having a bigger part to play and seeing more of them in the book, since they were so involved in the first one I did feel like I missed them in this one. A few of them did get to play an important part, but I would have liked to see Paige have a connection to more of them and keep in more contact with them, since no one else really knew what she went through when she was captured. Of course she did interact with the rebel Rephaim in this book and although they were somewhat on her side, they still did not really understand her as the other captive voyants would have.

On a similar note, the main weakness of this book and the reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was because of Paige's romance with Warden. I still did not really feel their connection and thought I would have liked them more as reluctant allies or almost friends at this point instead of already developing a romance when I was still feeling the anger on behalf of Paige over how he treated her in the first book and still did not like some the ways he behaved in this one. I understood that he was Rephaim and would not act human but I could not excuse the things I did not like or understand Paige's feelings for him, but I might have liked it if it had happened later in the series.

However, since this was not the main plot of the book it did not ruin my enjoyment of the story and I still found plenty to enjoy about it. Paige continued to develop her skills with her clairvoyancy and we learnt more about the other types of clairvoyancy too in this book and I found that all fascinating and I think it still continues to be one of the most unique parts of this series.

Overall, this was a thrilling and riveting book that kept me wondering what would happen until the very end. It was all written in great detail with some really captivating character relationships and I am very excited to continue with the series and to see what happens next.

BOOKS | Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Name: The Bone Season (The Bone Season series #1)

Author: Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date published: August 2013

Genre: Fiction, adult, science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, dystopia

Pages: 466

Rating: 4/5

 

 

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant - and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.

It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

- From Goodreads.

I found The Bone Season to be a very inventive and exciting story that I did not want to put down. It had a few small problems but nothing that truly ruined my enjoyment and overall it was a great start to a series.

One of my favourite things about the book was the world it was set in. It is our world, but in a future with advanced technology, and with alternate history that diverged from our history 200 years back from where the book takes place. There is also clairvoyance added into this world, which makes it all a fascinating mix that I think was handled well. At first there was a strange mixture of a lot of explanation of the worldbuilding taking place at once, while at the same time not all of the names for everything where explained, but I managed to go along with it and still follow the story easily, and was soon enough very immersed in the story and its world.

My other favourite part of this book was Paige, the main character. I just completely loved her, I loved that she got angry, I loved that she was determined, and stood her ground, and I loved that despite everything and all the awful situations she had been in she still cared for other people and stood up for them too. Her particular type of clairvoyancy was very intriguing too and it was interesting to learn about it and see her develop her skills with it more over the course of the book.

I was not sure how I felt about the character of Warden. I definitely hated him at times as Paige justifiably did, and some of the things he did, if I was in Paige's position, I am not sure I would have been able to forgive him for. I did not like how her was forceful with her at times, and consequently as they became closer and formed a bond, I did not feel their connection as much as I would have liked. But I am still interested to see if or how his character develops or changes over the series and if that makes me like him and their relationship more.

All the other side characters were compelling and well-rounded and always added something to the scenes they were in. There were some of them I would definitely be excited to see more of in future books. 

Overall, it felt like a very unique book that always kept me curious to find out what would happen next and invested in the characters, particularly Paige. I will definitely be reading on with the rest of the series and I am excited to see what the next books bring.

BOOKS | Review: In The Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard

Name: In The Vanishers' Palace

Author: Aliette de Bodard

Publisher: JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.

Date published: October 2018

Genre: Fiction, fantasy, romance, science fiction, retellings

Pages: 198

Rating: 4/5

In a ruined, devastated world, where the earth is poisoned and beings of nightmares roam the land...
A woman, betrayed, terrified, sold into indenture to pay her village's debts and struggling to survive in a spirit world.
A dragon, among the last of her kind, cold and aloof but desperately trying to make a difference.
When failed scholar Yên is sold to Vu Côn, one of the last dragons walking the earth, she expects to be tortured or killed for Vu Côn's amusement.
But Vu Côn, it turns out, has a use for Yên: she needs a scholar to tutor her two unruly children. She takes Yên back to her home, a vast, vertiginous palace-prison where every door can lead to death. Vu Côn seems stern and unbending, but as the days pass Yên comes to see her kinder and caring side. She finds herself dangerously attracted to the dragon who is her master and jailer. In the end, Yên will have to decide where her own happiness lies—and whether it will survive the revelation of Vu Côn’s dark, unspeakable secrets...

- From Goodreads.

This was a surreal, unique, creative and inventive story that I very much enjoyed reading. It was quite difficult to grasp what was happening at times and some of the explanations could have been clearer, but overall it was very interesting and thought-provoking.

The writing style used was very complicated and descriptive, with language that at some points was very beautiful and added a lot of emotion to what was happening, but at some points just added a little too much confusion and simple language might have been preferable in those places to help with comprehension of what was happening.

The story had a very exciting plot with very clever foreshadowing that almost made me gasp out loud when I made the connection. It made for a very thrilling climax and I felt it had a very satisfying ending.

However some points in the plot seemed to happen suddenly with little build up. Perhaps a little slower pacing and more development in places could have been beneficial. Maybe if the book had been longer, more time could have been spent on build up and explaining the world of the story.

I loved the characters, they all felt real and had an important part to play, and I thought the tension and connection between Yên and Vu Côn was very well written.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable twist on the Beauty and the Beast tale, with very fascinating world buidling, a thrilling plot and a great romance. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a unique female/female love story, and I will certainly be reading it again.

BOOKS | Review: Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Name: Mirage
Author: Somaiya Daud
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Date published: 28th August 2018
Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, science fiction
Pages: 311
Rating: 4/5
Note: This review contains mild spoilers.

 In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.
But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.
As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death.

- From Goodreads. 

I was not certain how I felt about Mirage at the beginning, and for a while as I was reading it I thought I might give it 3/5 stars, but towards the end it began to pick up and I felt more positive about the story.
I thought the concept was certainly interesting, but in some places it could have been better executed. Sometimes I wondered if it was necessary for there to be a look-a-like at all and if the story could have just been told from Princess Maram's perspective, since she was certainly a complex character with the potential to learn and be redeemed from her mistakes, and it would not have been too difficult to write her falling for the love interest instead of Amani falling for him. But in the end I did enjoy the developing friendship between the two girls and I will be interested to see how their stories develop in the next book.
Apart from the growing friendship between the girls and Amani's relationship with Idris (which I thought was well written but I did not feel completely invested in it), I felt that not much changed throughout the story. By the end, Amani was pretty much where she had started, held hostage with little power to change anything. There were some difference and I can understand the story is not complete yet, but I think it might have been better if it had ended with Amani in a different place.
I think as well as the plot, the writing for the main character Amani could have been improved a little too. Sometimes she seemed so much more good and kindhearted than the princess and she was often worried about the consequences of her actions, but there were a few small moments where she slipped too easily into having to pretend to be the princess and did not seem to worry much about the people she was being cruel to. I often found myself wanting to root for her but there was something about her character that was a little too weak and ill-defined to completely understand.
Overall, although I have my criticisms of the story and felt it was a bit slow to get into despite it not being that long, I thought the action and excitement towards the end of the book really picked things up for me and made me more invesed. I am looking forward to the next book and I am hopeful that the good parts of this book, such as the setting and concepts, will continue into the next.