The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Audio Length: 18 hours 31 minutes

Type: Series - Book 1 of 7

Genre(s): Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Similar Books: Red Queen, Six of Crows

SUMMARY

The Mollisher of a supernatural crime syndicate is forced to choose between living an average life or converting to the syndicate full-time. Before Paige can make her choice, she's held captive in a city run by immortal interdimensional beings who have their own plans for her gifts.

REVIEW

The version of the book I listened to was the 10th anniversary edition. It is the Author's choice, as she has gone through to reedit the series. I feel as though the book had a shaky start and could have use some more editing... but it evened out about halfway through. I think this is where the author really hit her stride. I can tell that this is a series that is going to be worth reading all the way through, so it looks like I'll be in it for the long haul.

There was a lot going on plot-wise. I won't lie by saying I understood where some of the plotlines meandered off too, because there were a few that didn't tie back into anything. I will have to admit that the premise of the book was well done in spite of this. I like a good strong lead with her own set of morals, and I like a few mysterious side characters lurking around the edges of the plot to keep things interesting. The format of this book follows the 2014-esque YA novel formats, but it has enough deviation to keep people's attention.. or at least, It held mine.

Who would have thought that ghosts, aliens, circus performances, and crime syndicates in a dystopian Oxford setting would have worked out so well? There's a lot going for this series, and I cannot wait to see where it leads next. I think we can all agree when I say I want to see more of Warden, maybe even parts from his POV? Wouldn't that be a treat!

Overall, not a bad start to a series. It takes a second to get going, but once it's going, you better be ready to jump on the train! ;)

Any predictions on who might become more important later on?

• Julian
• Ivy
• Nick
• Michael

04/26/2025