The Mime Order

Author: Samantha Shannon

Pages: 508

ISBN: 978-1-4088-5742-7

Series: The Bone Season #2

Genre: Fantasy

After escaping from Sheol I with a group of clairvoyants, Paige now returns to London hoping to find allies in the war against the Rephaim. Having left Arcturus (the actual name of Warden) behind, she has to hope that he made it out safely as well as he worked against the others to help her.

Even with their connection, Paige is not able to feel him now and when she hears news that he is a prisoner of another mime-lord, she makes her way to rescue him. She can go do this as she, compared to the others coming back from their prison in Oxford, still has a home in the midst of Jaxon Hall’s gang. On top of finding Warden, the pale dreamer has to find a safe place for her companions to survive.

In this process, she and her newly formed group of allies also want to spread the news about this other race that held them and so many others captive. A side effect of this plan is the discovery of some uncomfortable truths about Scion and its connection with the Rephaim.

As the members of Scion are reluctant to work against the enemy, she has to take matters into her own hands, especially because she is being followed by her own kind and dark creatures from the Rephaim world. In order to accomplish her mission, the pale dreamer also has to ally with a group of Rephaim, the Ranthen, who also want to destroy the rule of the evil Nashira Sargas. But even with their help she might not have another option than to challenge the rulers of Scion to make her voice heard. This could be working in her favour or everything she had to endure was for nothing.

Review

I could not wait for this book to be delivered to me after finishing the first. Thankfully my wait was not that long so I could start only a few days after the first instalment. And my hopes were not disappointed.

Everything that made me love the first book was there again. The challenging language, the elaborate glossary, the detailed world building and description of situations and the chapter names (Somebody put thought into this, sublime!). Sometimes the in depth descriptions where sowing the plot advancement but I knew that from the first book and expected it to be like this here too and to be honest, I did not mind at all.

What I find irritating and inappropriate in some other books I read is that the one moment that the plot and the characters were heading for is handled within one chapter of, let’s say, 20 pages. This is so sad because mostly this point deserves way more attention than so many other redundant passages. But Samantha Shannon spends a great amount of time on her climax, just the time it is worthy of. This gives the impression that much thought has been put into writing and the story is well-conceived.

I also love the way the story goes. Paige does many things right and somehow she always finds a way but there are equally many situations where she has to overcome her fears or issues in order to help her friends. And she would not be able to do all this without her friends and allies, more often than not she would not make it as far as she does. On the other hand, Paige is no saint, she can use her abilities relentlessly against those who hurt her or her friends.

Having started the relationship with Warden in the first book, Paige now tells us more about her feelings. She know that this will not last and she cannot and will not ever forget what Arcturus did to her and others. Yet, she feels somewhat connected to him and enjoys his presence and his touch. I think it is great that we get a perspective on her feelings as the initial concept of this relationship can appear a little bit strange. The way I see it, because Warden helps Paige uncover her true potential more and more and the time together in their respective dreamscapes gives rise to their connection. Yet even though Arcturus and others are always trying to support the pale dreamer, she is struggling the more she learns what she is capable of. She does not discover a new feature of her power and immediately masters it which makes her so much more believable and human.

I am excited for the fact that there will be another 5 books not only because I love the writing style and the story but because this means that fighting against the Rephaim will take more time that just 3 or 4 books in total. Yes, that's more realistic. I can’t wait for the world to be expanded further and the characters having to overcome crisis and I believe there will be a few as Miss Shannon did not recoil from doing so in the first two books.

More from Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season

Author: Samantha Shannon

Pages: 463

ISBN: 978-1-4088-3643-9

Series: The Bone Season #1

Genre: Fantasy

In an alternate world in the year 2059, Paige Mahoney, working for a criminal mastermind, is thrown into her greatest adventure yet. She is the 19-year old daughter of a scientist who is working for the government. Her problem, she has special abilities and people like her are hunted by people like her father.

Paige’s powers are somewhat special as she is one of a kind so her standing in the organisation she is working for leaves her with more privileges. Among the other clairvoyants she is known as the pale dreamer, mollisher of the mime-lord Jaxon Hall. One night, she believes she has been discovered by the government and flees from her followers. What she does not know that even darker creatures are on her tail and when they finally kidnap and drug her, she wakes up in Oxford.

There, Paige has to face the fact that she might never return home to London. Among other clairvoyants, she has been selected by the Rephaim to be trained as their servant. But clearly, she wants out. Everyone tells her that no one has ever escaped before yet she is determined to try.

Even though not everyone is reluctant to be there, she can make friends that attempt to aid her in her goal. And then there is her trainer, who does not seem to be like the others but well, in a way, he is. Paige has been led to her greatest and most deadly adventure yet where there might not be an escape.

Review

I love different and I definitely got that! In a fabulous way.

I know this book is not perfect and I get that there are some things that might not necessarily add up, especially when your first impression is rather negative. You then find small parts that seem overly constructed, cannot feel any connection with the characters or have a general problem with the way the story goes. I have read books like that and felt this way so I get it.

I started and practically immediately fell in love. The thing that annoyed a lot of people actually drew me in. The amount of information and the glossary, it was great. I felt a refreshing challenge reading the book as English is not my mother tongue and yes, it was hard to get into it at first. But after a few chapters I was captivated and did not want to leave reading for anything (including food or sleep). I also like the fact that it is only told from Paige’s perspective, there are so many books with multiple narrators that don’t necessarily need them. And, oh yeah, there are actual chapter names not just boring numbers!

I truly loved the premise, a totally different world where maybe things don’t work like we are used to. Yet isn’t that the point of a made up world, that not everything makes sense at first because we are lacking information that is hopefully provided later?! It leaves the reader with some thinking to do. Other themes in the book include torture and slavery which are not light-hearted topics to read about. And as such, the characters are put trough some certainly cruel and disgusting situations yet being part of this made up word everything should be seen in this context.

I probably could have done without the romance, especially because of the characters involved and because there was so much potential for it to be not there. It is sad that so little YA books I read can do without this (Yes, I know, it’s YA so what am I expecting but a story does not unavoidably need this…). I see that it could end up being an essential plotline though. Taking all this into consideration, I liked the pace it was developed at so let’s see what the following books will bring.

What else was there for me?

The length, whereby when I think about it, no, it was definitely too short. I did not want it to end and I felt lucky for picking up the first book when the second one was already out so my craving for the second book was not all too long.

The action. And the progression of the story was going at exactly the right pace to give descriptions and feelings and information the room for unfolding.

Just all in all almost everything. Maybe less that there are 7 books planned and I have to wait for so long to know the overall ending. But then that is a good point so I will be able to enjoy so much more of this world and the characters and the language and the action and the scenery and everything.

More from Samantha Shannon