'The Mime Order'

'The Mime Order' by Samantha Shannon

Review by Laura

 

 

 

Summary:

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal penal colony of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the fugitives are still missing and she is the most wanted person in London. As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city’s gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take center stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.

Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on. 

Review:

There is no question over whether or not you should pick up The Mime Order. It is a MUST. In the sequel (to The Bone Season), Shannon’s story well and truly settles itself in your memory, gripping you, demanding a place on your ‘favourite’s shelf.

The Bone Season concluded with Paige escaping Sheol 1. The Mime Order immediately follows this so straight away, you're hauled in to Shannon's world until your gripping the page, white-knuckled. The first had a lot of information to take in but with The Mime Order you can slip right in and feel comfortable minus the info-dumps. 

I was a little concerned about how Shannon would keep the storyline running for her predicted seven books. The first is so jam-packed and fast-paced. I didn’t know how her ideas would stretch out for all those books. Now that I have read The Mime Order, I am not at all worried.. Seven books suddenly seems a lot more realistic now. I’m confident in Shannon’s amazing writing.

Also, SEVEN BOOKS! Looks like we won’t be saying goodbye to Paige for a while yet, yay!

In The Bone Season we got to experience the inside of Sheol 1 with only flashbacks and a little hint of the Cohort Districts, teasing you almost. The Mime Order introduces a whole new range of places in the Cohorts. Shannon’s world is so vivid and rich, everything is seen so easily and so, once you start the book, it’s very hard to pull yourself back into reality! The unique spin on a 2059 London combined with the idea of clairvoyants really sets Shannon’s book apart from anything I have ever read. That's what makes it so special and personal.

We get to know the other members of The Seven Seals a lot more which is great as there are some wonderfully imagined characters in the group.

Jaxon Hall is an especially brilliant character. He seems to walk the fine line of love and love-to-hate for me. Paige is very much cemented as one of my favourite heroines now. I have so much respect and love for her after this book. It’s wonderful to read about such an intelligent character, you never feel exasperated towards her for being naïve, for example.

The cover and chapter headers, of course, like the first, carry special meaning within the book, which is always fun to look out for.

If you like The Bone Season and maybe have trouble envisioning the characters, or if you just want to see some cool fanart, check out thefourthorder.tumblr.com and The Bone Season wiki. There are amazing drawings to gawk over. 

And boys and girls, I would prepare yourself for the ending of this book.

 

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

 

 

 

'The Bone Season'

'The Bone Season' by Samantha Shannon

Review by Laura

 

 

 

Summary:

EVEN A DREAMER CAN START A REVOLUTION

Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London. 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.

 

 

Review:

The Bone Season is the gripping, debut novel from Samantha Shannon. The pages really do turn themselves. You get swept up on page one and you're not released until you’re finished, where you’re left reeling and eager for the next ride.

Samantha has been named the next JK Rowling by some critics, which is enough for anyone to be encouraged to pick up this book. The subject of the book is very different to that of the Harry Potter series but Samantha’s talent for writing at such a young age in her first book promises amazing things to come. She has a beautiful writing style that is a joy to read. The book has a very British feel to it which I love. It feels great knowing that a young British woman has written this - not much older than me. She’s really carving a path for young, aspirational, female authors.

The world of The Bone Season is so vivid and feels real. You feel as though the world could really be like this in 50 years as she blends modernity with new, futuristic imagery. Samantha has clearly thought a great deal about the world, evident in the hierarchy of Clairvoyance, which are shown at the beginning of the book. What I like is that the detail is there for fans to enjoy and yet, it isn’t totally essential for the book. You don’t have to try to learn all the names and what they mean to read the book; you can enjoy it without them. It really helps to have that part of the book separate from the story as many readers don’t like to have information dumped on them heavily throughout. The very start does info-dump as it lays down the foundations but the odd thing you may not understand isn’t crucial to the storyline.

Any questions concerning the content of the story can be referenced in the Glossary at the back of the book which helps with the world-building. The storyline really sticks in your head due to its unique spin on the genre. It doesn’t feel like another overdone storyline but rather something fresh and new.

The main character, Paige, is very likeable and relatable, and you really get behind her on her journey. As the story evolves, you see more and more of her and as you see the layers peel back and the past dug up, you really admire her endurance and strength.

The growing love story between Warden and Paige is subtle, well-paced and doesn’t totally overshadow the actual storyline. You never think it unbelievable or too rushed, but just enjoy the ride. It isn’t a big romantic story, which it may grow to be, but the very start of what could develop into an epic love. 

The book series is supposed to be seven books, at the minute I don’t know how the story will last that long, but hopefully that promises an expanding storyline that we will encounter in the second book. 

I hope the sequel will bring alive the more secondary characters in the story as they feature more to develop the story and act as expendables who help develop Paige and Warden’s characters at the minute. I’m fairly certain this will happen with characters like Jaxon and Nick on the scene who have GREAT potential to become favourite characters. The spark is there. 

The end of the book leaves you with questions and whets your appetite for the next instalment, The Mime Order. I would highly recommend The Bone Season. It is a fantastic story with a promising future, and with the rights to a film having been picked up by Andy Serkis’s company, Imaginarium, you really need no excuse to grab this book now.

 

 

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★