The Bone Season: A Novel

It's difficult to know where to start with [[ASIN:1620401398 The Bone Season]]. On one hand, publisher Bloomsbury has set a massive marketing campaign in motion, promoting the book as the best thing since [[ASIN:1451635621 Gone with the Wind]], or at least [[ASIN:0439023521 The Hunger Games]], and young author Samantha Shannon as the most talented and precocious young writer since Sylvia Plath or maybe David Foster Wallace. This makes any criticism of the book seem like a mean-spirited attack on a genius and her masterpiece. On the other hand, there's the book itself, which, although not bad for a first novel, is much better suited to a teen audience looking forward to early adulthood than to the older adult audience Bloomsbury is apparently seeking.

If you're reading this, you probably know that the book centers on 19-year-old Paige, a girl with supernatural powers who lives in an authoritarian future London where "voyants" like her are hunted, imprisoned, and executed. Most of the story takes place after Paige unintentionally kills two police, is captured, and is shipped off to a secret "penal colony" called "Sheol." Sheol is run by inhuman creatures from another dimension who make slaves and servants of the voyants sent to them by "Scion," the corporate regime that rules London. Like her fellow prisoners, Paige is given to a "Raphaite" master, and she must watch as her fellow prisoners are tortured, starved, killed, or, worse, turned into loyal proteges of the brutal Rephaites. Over the course of the novel, Paige must face a number of tough questions, including whether she's willing to fully develop her dangerous powers, how far she's willing to go in order protect her friends, who she should trust and how deeply, and whether she is fighting only for her personal freedom or for the good of all voyants ... and, ultimately, humanity.

Shannon keeps readers engaged by slowly but steadily revealing the secrets of the Raphaites and Scion and gradually building relationships between Paige, her peers, and her Raphaite master, the Warden. The pace will be too slow for some, and many readers will be disappointed at how little sustained action there is between the time of Paige's capture and the slam-bang finale, but these are not major weaknesses. Shannon keeps plenty of information to herself about the nature of Paige's world, but most readers will find the final resolution of "The Bone Season" satisfactory.

As for the debate about whether "The Bone Season" is an adult novel or a teen/young adult/"new adult" novel, my view is that Shannon's novel is too teen-focused and her perspectives too teen-like to satisfy many older adults. Adults are best able to enjoy books about children and young people, I think, when there are strong adult characters to comment on the young ones' behavior and impart the wisdom of the ages. In "David Copperfield," we have the adult David Copperfield looking back on his past. In the [[ASIN:0545162076 Harry Potter]] books, we have Dumbledore, McGonagall, and even Snape. In contrast to those works, the older characters in this book have very little to contribute. Paige's father is oblivious to her struggles and is almost entirely absent. Nick, Paige's 27-year-old best friend, is the nice but weak guy who placed her in the hands of a sociopathic crime lord who treats her like personal property. The obligatory immortal-but-ageless-in-appearance love interest (whose name I'll omit to avoid spoilers) might have been able to play this role, but (a) he's the strong-but-silent type, and (b) he's an old guy who makes out with a teenager.

Bottom line: If you enjoy dystopian teen/young adult novels like [[ASIN:0439023521 The Hunger Games]] or [[ASIN:0062024035 Divergent]], there's a good chance you'll like "The Bone Season," regardless of your age. If you're a fan of supernatural fantasy but the idea of reading a teen/young adult novel does not appeal to you, you can safely stay away; the "The Bone Season" is OK but it's not the thrilling and amazing masterpiece its publisher claims.

Paige Mahoney is a clairvoyant dream walker. Her government, Scion, does not approve of people like her so she is finds herself operating on the fringes of London's society, working for a crime boss called Jaxon Hall. One day, on her way home from work, she unintentionally kills two people. She manages to escape but is eventually captured at her home and taken to Sheol 1, a prison located in Oxford. There, she is turned into a "tenant" of one of the powerful overseers of the city, alternatively known as "The Warden". In order to survive, she is made to undergo various tests that will challenger her resolve and expose her to aspects of power that she could never have imagined in her previous life.

It is rare that I don't finish a book, maybe once every few years, but this book falls into the could not finish pile. After about two hundred pages of exposition upon exposition, I had to give up. I wanted to like this book, I really did, after all this author was being hailed as the next J.K Rowling but after slogging through page after page of back story, random slangs and a story that kept getting bogged down by it's pacing, I had to give up.

In reading this book, it reminds me of what the best authors are able to do well and seamlessly. While I think this author tried to communicate her vision, the way in which she did it came across as less than polished. I was never fully transported into this story, always aware that I was reading a story. In fact, sometimes when reading this, it felt almost like a text book where I was reading about all these technical terms without ever forming any emotional connection to the characters and their world. If the author had concentrated more on the characters, their individual stories as well as their interactions, rather than so much time being spent on throwing around slangs, made up terms and attempting a world building that was not altogether successful, then I could have engaged more with the story.

There are things that were well done. The author is great at describing Paige's environs. From her work in London to when she ends up in Sheol 1, I could very clearly picture both worlds and it almost felt like I could smell the air and touch the clothes of the passersby. I also really liked the character of "The Warden" and I liked that he was layered, being much more than he at first appears.

As a character, Paige starts off interesting but very quickly, I lost any emotional connection to her, making it harder to stay connected to the story. I didn't dislike her but I also did not find her memorable.

Unfortunately, I could not get through the rest of the book as it seemed like there would be very little pay off and the story would only continue to crawl to a conclusion that I would care very little for.

To say that this author is the next JK Rowling is like saying I'm the incarnation of Tolkien on steroid.

Brace yourself, this review is gonna be ugly. I wish the system had allowed me to rate a book lower than 1, because I don't simply 'not like it'. When I finished reading, I wonder if the people at Bloomsburry were on Floxy when they decided to publish this book. It is BORING. There is nothing new or ground-breaking here. It's just the same old ideas stuffed in a lackluster plot and contrived slang (which makes no sense by the way, I'll elaborate below)

-1 Star: info-dumping. Oh, dreaded info-dumping. Until now I still have no ideas how voyants power works or how different voyants works. I have to go through pages after pages after pages of nonsensical explanation and in the end nothing makes remote sense to me. Perhaps I'm to dumb to understand? I don't know. Brandon Sanderson's magic system is more interesting and much easier to understand.

-1 Star: stupid slang, unnecessary words. Excuse me, I'm NOT reading a textbook. I don't want to flip back and forth to the Glossary to understand what a certain word means while the author can totally use normal phrasing instead. Why call Earth 'meatspace'? why call guns irons'? why call money 'push'? Why does everything must be so freaking complicated?

-1 Star: flashback galore. Never since The Hunger Games that I want to throw a book into the wall that much. Note to aspiring authors: flashback serve NOTHING to push a plot forward. Unless you drop in some vital information that change the whole story Without it. In this book, flashback is intrusive and unnecessary.

-0.5 Star: poor prose. I've counted A LOT of italics and quite a few variation of "I have no choice, but...". Overall, I don't require anyone to write like Rachel Hartman. Not every author can be clever in writing. Fine, but again, back to the second point, everything is unnecessarily complicated by the sheer amount of slang which contribute nothing to the plot. In Harry Potter, I can totally immerse into JK Rowling's world because it is easy to understand. I understand British writing because I learn that in school. Stuffs like 'bloke', 'bloody hell' don't bother me. It bothers me when the author makes up words for no reason.

-1.5 Star: the next JK Rowling? Really? If they call this author the next Stephanie Meyers, I would be less offended. The plot is simplistic. I remember the first time I read Harry Potter and when I reached the end, I was blown away. I couldn't figure out the huge twist in the scene. I was amazed by how JK Rowling subtly dropped little hints here and there, then tie everything together. If you want to see the same thing in this book, you're sorely mistaken. The bad people are bad, the good people I can see miles away.

-1 Star: cliche galore: hmmm, a young girl with special power, a hot mysterious guy a few hundred years old and sucking blood, a love triangle with another hot guy. Where did I see that before?

-1 Star: calling this sci-fi is shaming the whole genre. There is ZERO science in here. We have a little glimpse of the future and that's it. This is exactly the same problem I have with YA sci-fi in the recent years. The authors invest no time in creating a world of tomorrow. Because it requires them to do ACTUAL research.

Overall: yes, it is a negative score but I can't rate it lower than 1 star, which is very very generous to this book. I do give new authors a chance but not to anyone who waste my time with a 500 pages book claiming to be the next JK Rowling. This book ISN'T. When you raise my expectation, you better fulfill it. If you just say this book is another YA paranormal, maybe I'll give a 3 for effort because it's not the worst.

Sorry, no, I'll never spend more time on this author because I see no hope in her style and the mind-boggling amount of info-dump. It's Christopher Paolini all over again. Praise young authors to heaven and they will think they can write like Tolkien.

Long story short: I probably won't touch any book in this series and from this author. 5 Days of hell is enough.

I received this novel from Bloomsbury's Australian marketing team a few months ahead of the official release date. They gifted the book to me so I could read and review it (and hopefully say something positive about it to my twitter following.)

Unfortunately, I find myself sorely disappointed, and I must confess that I feel terrible for posting this review. However, I promised I would review it, so here it is.

I understand that other people may love this book. Good for you. I love it when people love a book. However, I'm simply stating that this book WASN'T FOR ME. I am entitled to my opinion, as are you.

True, it really is a great accomplishment for Samantha to be published at age twenty-one. Congratulations to you. I can see that you put a lot of effort into your debut novel. However, I think it was a very big mistake for Bloomsbury's marketing team to pen you as 'The New J.K Rowling'. They also say things like: "The first of the Harry Potter Generation" and things like that. Now, this really irks me because I am a Harry Potter FANATIC. You know those crazy people who get tattoo's from Harry Potter? Yeah. That's me.

Samantha Shannon writes with none of the charm and intelligence of Ms. Rowling. Perhaps in time she will reach her level of witticism, but today is not that day.

The highlighted reviews say: "a seven-part series of dizzying imagination," but it's more like dizzying confusion.
This novel is crammed full of so much useless information. Honestly, I found myself overwhelmed within the first few pages. Made-up words, and references that are never explained. It's information overload. I had to keep checking the front of the book, or the page before to make sure I hadn't missed some vital piece of information. Some made-up words and phrases are never explained, leaving you confused. I'm still not entirely sure how clairvoyants work, or why.

The information-overload aside, I found the storyline to be slow paced and rather boring. It didn't feel unique. Not only that, but I found it hard to care for any of the characters. They were one dimensional. Sorry.

I thought that this novel was going to be jam packed full of science-fiction/fantasy (What with it being compared to J.K Rowling) but the fantasy/Sci-Fi aspect was really lacking in my opinion. It wasn't epic, or magical, or any of that stuff.
The Bone Season certainly wasn't a high-fantasy or epic sci-fi. In fact, it was quite mundane.

Around half way through the book I wanted to put it down and never pick it up again because I was bored out of my mind, and I wasn't quite sure how it was supposed to continue for another 6 books.

I remember reading Harry Potter for the first time when I was 10 years old. Once I'd finished reading it, I was left in a state of shock and awe for weeks afterwards. Perhaps my standards are too high. Or maybe I'm not 'smart enough' to understand The Bone Season. Regardless, I was bored. There was nothing new, shocking or exciting in this novel.

Sorry Samantha.

Were it not for all of the hype surrounding the publication of this book, I would probably not be as incensed as I am about having wasted my time reading it. However, that genie is out of the bottle now, so the best I can do is to warn you against making a similar mistake.

It's not a good book. It's not original, it's not thought provoking, it's not even particularly well edited. The Bone Season shamelessly rips off what made other books successful, and mushes them together:

Did you like the concept of possessing someone else's mind from "The Host"? Well, you'll love it when Paige learns how to do that too!

Was it reading about Paige battling Rephs, Bone-grubbers and Emims that enthralled you? "Hunger Games", my friend. Same struggles, better imagery.

And remember how the "Fifty Shades" trilogy started off as "Twilight" fan fiction? Luckily for us, the relationship between Paige and Warden is a flagrant rip-off of both books. Not only is Paige LITERALLY Warden's slave ("Fifty Shades"), his race needs to feed off of humans to survive ("Twilight"). Oh wait, his race doesn't just drink human blood, they also feed off of human auras. Completely different from any book that ever came before. My mistake.

And as for all the hype over this new, creative world that Samantha Shannon invented, may I present "A Clockwork Orange", "A Handmaid's Tale" and a host of other books that created dystopian realities that are far more interesting than the mess presented to us in "The Bone Season".

Again, I would not be so vocal about my dislike of this book were it not for the INCREDIBLE, INESCAPABLE hype surrounding it. I'm just hoping to save people from making the same mistake I did in expecting something new and interesting.

I honestly didn't know what to expect and wasn't feeling particularly enthusiastic about starting this series, but I was shocked by how much I loved this book! This was more of a 4.5 star read for me, but I didn't feel good about rounding down for this one.

Despite Paige sort of falling into the classic YA "chosen one" trope, she's a really enjoyable narrator. She develops a lot during the book, and by the end, she has come to this realization that a lot of her pre-Rephaim life was not what she thought it to be (no spoilers, don't worry). She did bug me a couple of times with her relentless sarcasm and cynicism, but it was nothing worth writing home about.

Arcturus... what can I say? I joked with some friends that I was worried I was temporarily trading in my feminist card for how much I loved his character, despite his being portrayed as her "captor". I won't spoil the ending, but there's a lot more than meets the eye with this big teddy bear.

There are also a handful of really delightful side characters, like Julian, Liss, and Michael, all of which I just wanted to squeeze and hug and keep safe forever.

This was my first book by Samantha Shannon, of course, and I was really pleased by the writing in it. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but it definitely did the job for me. She uses a lot of words that are not ones you would find in everyday speech, but the physical book has a glossary in the back with definitions. I didn't find that I needed it more than three or four times, honestly.

The world itself is built pretty efficiently, and since it's a magical realism book, there isn't much to tell that isn't already the reader's basic knowledge (like locations, etc). I enjoyed how in-depth the world of voyants went, with references to a multitude of different varieties (dreamwalkers, soothsayers, oracles, etc). (Fun fact on the topic: the hadal zone, as referenced in this book, is also a term for the deepest parts of the ocean. I enjoyed that comparison!)

If you're familiar with the YA/NA dystopian genre, I really don't think this will be an earth-shattering read for you, but it is a fun story with a lot of enjoyable characters and action. If you absolutely hate the "master-turned-lover" trope, you may not be able to delve into this one much, but then again, this is a slightly atypical variation on that theme. There are definitely some cliche moments throughout it, but altogether, I found this a delightful read that kept me up late and craving more, and I will definitely be continuing the series!

Nothing makes me skeptical like the words "next Harry Potter." Usually it has less to do with charm or quality, and more to do with financial expectations.

So it was with caution that I approached "The Bone Season," the first book in a new urban sci-fantasy series by young author Samantha Shannon. And after reading it, I can assure the world -- this is not Harry Potter. Instead, it's an interesting but clumsily-handled story that needs a bit more editing to make it work.

It takes place in a dystopian Britain at the end of the 21st century. People with psychic powers (aka "voyants") have been outlawed by the evil government, forcing them to work secretly in criminal syndicates who compete against each other. Teenage Paige Mahoney (aka "The Pale Dreamer") is a dreamwalker, which is a rare type of clairvoyant.

And after a disastrous incident on a train, Paige ends up captured and dragged to Oxford, which is now controlled by the Rephaim, a mysterious, powerful race who want to use all voyants. Given to Warden Arcturus, the Rephaim want to use her talents for their own ends -- but Paige is determined to regain her freedom at all costs.

"The Bone Season" is very visibly a first novel. Samantha Shannon has an intriguing, mold-breaking idea for a world, with lots of psychics, mysterious other races, technology that can "read auras" and a seamless blend of fantasy and sci-fi. It's a complicated world, and she has a lot of intriguing ideas that she weaves into a plot that I haven't seen before.

The problem is the execution, which is rather clumsy. Shannon also seems to have taken "show, don't tell" to heart -- she shows us everything, but tells us little. Characters are plunked down as if we should know who they are, and she often doesn't explain what is going on. Showing is good, but a little telling is necessary to not confuse the audience.

She also has a somewhat mixed writing style. It's vivid and atmospheric, with powerful descriptions of everything that Paige experiences and feels -- and psychic powers are a difficult thing to pull off. However, her prose needs to be smoothed out. She uses words too long and complicated for the scenes she inserts them into ("Nuala had a permeable dreamscape") which just reminds you that you're reading a book. It's hard to lose yourself in it.

Paige is an interesting heroine as well -- she's strong but sometimes bratty, prickly but scrappy. She's got a lot of guts, and it's nice to see that kind of protagonist reentering the literary world after years of Bella Swans.

Samantha Shannon obviously has bright ideas and raw talent, but "The Bone Season" needed a bit more refinement before it sprang out into the world. All the same, keep an eye out for Paige's next adventure.

Sorry, publishers. If "The Bone Season" is meant to be the next "Harry Potter," it needs a few more seasons of work with a strong editor.

True, "The Bone Season," like "Harry Potter," takes place in an alternate, magic-filled Britain. Its protagonist Paige Mahoney is endowed with a mysterious power (in her case, she's a rare type of clairvoyant called a "dream walker"); this makes her heroic -- "chosen," if you will. Already an outsider because of her gift, Paige finds herself captured by evil, and forced to go to battle to fight her way out.

So, shades of "Harry Potter" right? But there the resemblance ends. Lacking J.K. Rowling's charm, unexpected twists and relatable characters, "The Bone Season" was truly heavy lifting for this reader.

There wasn't a character I cared about, including Paige (sadly). She was too one-note, too heroic and in a way, far too predictable. The language was thick with impenetrable slang ("mollisher," "mime-lord," "glym jack," "flatches," etc.); I found it annoying to constantly flip to a glossary when reading a fast-paced tale. And as for the preposterous names for its evildoers: Aludra Chertan. Pleione Sualocin. Nashira Sargas blood-sovereign of the Race of Rephaim, and her blood-consort Arcturus, Warden of the Mesarthim. Puh-lease!

Meanwhile, the story swung from dystopian science fiction to cringe-worthy bodice ripper and back again. And about those battle scenes? Most of the time, I simply had no idea what was going on.

I believe this series has promise; if anything, it suffers from almost too many big ideas. But sadly, after plowing through endless pages of exposition, confusion and ridiculous romance, I won't be continuing with it.

I will keep this short, because I feel others have commented well on the substance of the story. I thought this was one of the most poorly edited books I have read in my life, and one of the best examples of how editors/publishers are forcing their authors to "dumb down" their writing. During my quick reading of it, I found numerous grammatical errors ("these ones", "faster than me", etc.) as well as incongruent facts ("I sat down in a corner" - next paragraph - "I looked for a place to sit down"). I was disgusted, at best. I am going to give the benefit of the doubt to Samantha, but I ask the editors to please realize that not everyone who reads books these days is an idiot. Even assuming some of their readers are the grammatical morons they believe us all to be, why not teach them a few things about proper writing? Don't you realize that you are stripping away some of the strength for which you want your writers to be known, by assuming that we, the readers, are not mentally competent enough to understand their best writing? Sad.

I've been oblivious to super hyped up books this year. Apparently, Samantha Shannon was touted as the "next J.K. Rowling."

While the this series may also be a 7-parter (!!!), the similarities between this book and the Harry Potter series stop there. Where the Harry Potter books immersed you into a world of wonder and magic, The Bone Season throws readers into a dark, big-brotherish world where possessing magical abilities is a punishable offense.

I enjoyed The Bone Season for being unique and dark and thrilling.

But, there are two things I'd warn new readers about, which are:

1. Things are explained quickly and in rapid succession right away. - There is a very high learning curve in The Bone Season. There is English street slang to learn as well as tons of terms related to voyants (clairvoyants) and their underground world as well as the system that keeps magical abilities under wraps (Scion). PLUS, within the voyant world, there are tons of different types of voyants and different names for spirits.

Pro tip: E-book users - Use the glossary at the end of the book. I didn't know it was there until I'd finished (doh!). It will help you keep the barrage of new information somewhat straight in your head.

2. Things get pretty brutal. - I've read more descriptive and violent acts in other books, but I think the sheer volume of things that happen in the book surprised me. It fits with the world - it's a no-tolerance place for voyants, so people like Paige have to keep their noses down and senses on high alert.

Don't be shocked by the amount of brutality in The Bone Season.

After initially getting used to the above-mentioned quirks, I sunk into the book very quickly. Paige is a scrappy 20 something who works for Jaxon Hall, one of the most feared Mime Lords in London. Mime Lord is a fancy name for voyant gang leader or mobster. She helps him find other voyants because of her unique ability to escape her consciousness for brief moments of time and enter another's conscious, or dreamscape.

The intricacy of voyants and their abilities was something I loved. It was complicated but rich. Plus, it allows for so many variations and lots of surprises. This element of The Bone Season really took it from fantasy-esque to hardcore high fantasy. It was refreshing for me because not many YA fantasy books are that developed and epic (Falling Kingdoms and The Girl of Fire and Thorns come to mind).

I found myself liking Paige but being afraid of her at the same time. She's resilient to a fault and very, very stubborn. But, she's loyal and true, like most strong heros.

Even though the romance is a bit predictable, it's hot. Very hot. Lots of tension and build-up. Certainly no instalove around these parts.

OVERALL:

If you can set the hype aside and focus on the fascinating premise of the hardcore fantasy world, I think you'll really enjoy this book. Although, be warned, it's an investment of time (7 books), and the beginning may have your head spinning with an onslaught of info. I found The Bone Season to be a strong debut and truly love the complex world of voyants and the non-magical loving Scion.