“The Bone Season”, Samantha Shannon
Author’s Preferred Text • Republished August 22, 2023 • Book 1 of The Bone Season
The year is 2059. For two centuries, the Republic of Scion has led an oppressive campaign against unnaturalness in Europe.
In London, Paige Mahoney holds a high rank in the criminal underworld. The right hand of the ruthless White Binder, Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare and formidable kind of clairvoyant. Under Scion law, she commits treason simply by breathing.
When Paige is arrested for murder, she meets the mysterious founders of Scion, who have designs on her uncommon abilities. If she is to survive and escape, Paige must use every skill at her disposal – and put her trust in someone who ought to be her enemy.
“You cannot kill death. What fire can scald the sun? Who can drown the ocean?”
I ignored this book (and series) for a full decade, convinced it was going to be dense, intimidating, high fantasy that would take me three months and a personal glossary to get through. (I was wrong—it was actually The Priory of the Orange Tree that was all that.)
Christmas 2023 rolled around, I caved, and bought the gorgeous hardcover—along with said Priory book—as a sort of “let’s see if I can survive this” reading challenge. Honestly, I was surprised at how quickly I fell into the story. It’s not nearly as heavy or inaccessible as I’d imagined. Instead, it’s an imaginative, fast-paced blend of dystopian fantasy, supernatural intrigue, with a dash of forbidden romance that kept me hooked.
Paige Mahoney is an immediately compelling protagonist. She’s resourceful and stubborn, navigating a world where people with abilities like hers are both feared and exploited. Shannon’s worldbuilding is rich but approachable, pulling you into a future London full of danger, strange politics, and otherworldly forces without drowning in exposition. While there are definitely high-concept elements, the story’s pace and character-driven focus make this book easily readable. I even preordered the rest of the series as soon as the author announced them. Now…the challenge is to get through my TBR so I can get to these books.
Content Warnings
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of content and trigger warnings.
slavery • sexual assault • physical abuse
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Owned: Target hardcover