Book Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
A story about a girl, Paige, whose gift steers her life towards danger and brings her to the attention of important people when she prefers to stay in the shadows. The Bone Season is set in Future London or Scion London where clairvoyants, people with the power to connect with the aether are hunted and criminalised by the city officials. Paige is a Dreamwalker, a rare type of clairvoyant and belongs to one of the underground syndicates in London.
I can’t display my delight. I LOVE fantasy and magic and I’m always keen to follow a female protagonist. I was immediately attached to Paige and intrigued by the whole idea of the underground city of rogue clairvoyants. It reminded me of the Magicians Guild series which I inhale about once a month. (I love it!) And The Bone Season has a similar citadel type setting with good guys, bad guys, a beloved criminal group and a young gifted heroine in need of training.
Without giving too much away I want to talk about one of my favourite characters, Liss. She quickly befriends Paige and offers a safe haven amongst strange and potentially dangerous surroundings. I always felt safe with her.
Fighting is a great curiosity throughout the story, both physical and mental combat is great quality. The battles are picturesque and suitably violent, fluid from the first punch to the final blow, I found myself burning through the words, anxious to get to the end.
Hardly putting it down in two days, except to drive 200 miles south, The Bone Season kept me intrigued and excited throughout. I might have found my new series obsession. The ending didn’t really leave me enough time to think after a long and panic ridden finale. I had to close my eyes for 10 minutes afterwards to recover.
I can’t end this review without talking about the novel’s future. The film industry snaps up stories with potential like this one. It’s not perfect but it’s smart and is imaginative. It’s exactly what film-makers are looking for “the same, but different”. Which makes me worried. Paige, scrappy and independent might become overpaid and emotionless. And the delicate magic of clairvoyance might become dare I say, simplified and 3D. *nervous gulp*
I don’t want to taint what I thought was an enjoyable read with this but I can’t help it. I only hope that the characters remain strong (and grow stronger) and the story doesn’t get lost when it hits the world of cinema.
I will continue to recommend this book to everyone I see. For lovers of fantasy (Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Magicians Guild etc) it’s worth your time and thought. It’s going to be BIG!