The Bone Season (Scion #1)

The Bone Season (Scion #1)
Age Range
16+
Release Date
August 20, 2013
ISBN
1408836424
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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.

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.

Editor reviews

2 reviews
The Wait!
Overall rating
 
4.3
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I'm very upset with this book. So angry, seeing red in my vision. That level of angry. It's like RED QUEEN all over again. Why? This book, THE BONE SEASON, is published in 2013. Its sequel, THE MIME ORDER, has been released in 2015. And! Just wait, just wait. There are five, yes, five more books coming after THE MIME ORDER. I'm tearing my hair out, and I'm seriously regretting my decision to read this book in the first place.

Why? Just why!?!

I don't know. It must be because I'm very stupid enough to actually put myself in this situation. Or maybe it is because I'm a masochist. First, RED QUEEN. Now this. But let's get to the story. I know that I'm sending my agony all over the web.

Paige Mahoney is a clairvoyant, specifically a dreamwalker. She uses her abilities illegally, and she knows fully well that if she is caught, she is dead. Working for an equivalent of a mob boss, she does interesting things that normal people wouldn't do. And boy, it is when she is caught when things start looking very dangerous for her. She has a strange relationship with her master, Warden, and she doesn't really trust him. It's a curious bond between the two of them, and I love it. (It is so delicious to read about; I'm not joking about that.) Seeing that trust build... It's so sweet.

The plot is spinned wonderfully, and I enjoy the plot twists here and there. It's a story I buckle up and read to. The world building is intriguing, but I wish that the author defines some terms in the middle of the dialogue or in the exposition. It isn't until the end of the book when I find the very helpful glossary. (I know, I know. I should have checked, but I never like accidentally reading the end of the book.)

The main villain of THE BONE SEASON needs some more development. Though her relationship with Warden hasn't been spotlighted yet, I'm hoping that she turns out to be more than that usual evildoer looking for world dominion. We'll see, of course. There are six more books in this series.

Overall, THE BONE SEASON is one agonizing story. Why? Because there is a very long wait, and I don't even know when the third book is coming out. I have come to the conclusion of severely regretting reading this book, not because of dislike, but because of how much I like this book. It heavily reminds me of UPROOTED.

Rating: Four out of Five
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User reviews

2 reviews
Overall rating
 
4.8
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5.0(2)
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4.5(2)
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5.0(2)
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A Must Read
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5.0
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Again I avoided this book because of the hype around it, but I regret not reading this book a lot sooner. It is very entertaining and so unique, I can't really think of any book to compare it to. I didn't like all of the characters, there were some I simply did not care a single thing about. The little glossary in the back was helpful because there are plenty of words that you will have no idea what they mean, but for me it didn't destroy my focus or take away from the story. I look forward to book two in this series.
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Don't miss this incredible debut novel
(Updated: August 25, 2013)
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4.7
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I knew writing a review for this book would be hard even before I started reading it. Just look at that long summary. I mean, how I am going to summarize everything that's been going on in a 480 pages long book? I'm going to try so bear with me.

Not everyone who picks up The Bone Season will love it. It has a lot of infodumping which I surprisingly didn't mind at all. It's set in England in 2059. But it's not your regular England. Everything changed 200 years ago when Rephaim arrived. People started living in a cross between Victorian era and the futuristic world where some have special powers.

Paige herself has a power. She can invade other people's minds and 'push' them out which essentially means, they would be dead. Her power is extremely rare so she had to find protection with choosing to join a gang filled with voyants (people with powers). One night she accidentally kills a man and is captured. She ends up a prisoner in a closed out city, serving Rephaim who use voyants to fight their battles for them.

Paige trains alongside Warden, who is one of the highest ranking Rephaim. Warden is trying to help Paige master her power. Wish we found out more about Warden's past, before Paige arrived. He's one of those strong, silent type of characters so it's hard to tell what's on his mind.

The only 'bad' thing I could say is that the romance was unnecessary. Shannon should've set it aside for the sequel. It came really late in the book without any noticeable bulidup. There was a lot of talk about trusting each other so their romantic feeling came out of nowhere. They should've remained friends so I could have the pleasure of reading about them falling in love later on.

If you love to read books where you can actually picture how the whole world runs then you CAN'T miss The Bone Season. It's one of the hottest books in 2013 and I can't wait to see it on one of my shelves.
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