Dark and Magical, But It Didn't Live Up To The Hype // REVIEW: Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Title: Furyborn (Empirium #1)
Author: Claire Legrand
Publication Date: May 22nd 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1 on 3 of the Empirium Trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: Sourcebooks via NetGalley + I BOUGHT ONE!
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it.
When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.
A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.
As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other.

Furyborn was surrounded by ALL THE HYPE for MONTHS before it released. It was EVERYWHERE, and as a huge YA Fan, I knew I would have to read it, sooner rather than later.

Furyborn was essentially:

1)      A magnificent tale told across two millennia by two young girls

2)      One lives in a land surrounded my magic, and the other in a land where magic is a fairy-tale of the past and all they know is the Empire that conquers all

3)      One of these girls is an assassin and one is a temple acolyte

4)      A story surrounding a prophecy about these two girls – a Sun Queen and a Blood Queen, one with the power to destroy the world and the other with the power to save it.

5)      It has kingdoms, swoony princes, power, magical trials, angels and it’s just SUCH A GORGEOUS BOOK TO OWN!

MY THOUGHTS:

1)      I expected a LOT going into this book. A majority of the early reviews I read RAVED about this book, and I was very hopeful that I had found the NEXT THING I WOULD FALL HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH. Now, as I sit at the end of Furyborn, I find that while I ENJOYED it, for the most part, this story was predictable and kind of MEH, except for ONE TWIST on page 343.

2)      If I had to choose between Rielle and Eliana, I would definitely choose Rielle’s story. They were both a little predictable, but I definitely loved Rielle’s dark and twisty viewpoint better!

3)      Furyborn was QUITE a long book. I feel like a lot of it was running around, especially in Eliana’s story when she kept travelling from place X to place Y, and not much happened that we DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW?

4)      I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Audric and Rielle together, with their forbidden, best-friend romance.

Honestly, I liked Furyborn, but I didn’t fall in love with it. There was a lot of hype around it, and it just didn’t live up to all that hype for me. A 3.5 star novel, but I hope I will continue on with the series!

Claire Legrand used to be a musician until she realized she couldn't stop thinking about the stories in her head. A native Texan, she is now a writer and librarian living in central New Jersey.

Her first novel is THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, one of the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2012. She is also the author of THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, a ghost story for middle grade readers, WINTERSPELL, a young adult re-telling of The Nutcracker, and SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS, a middle grade story about mental illness, family secrets, and the power of storytelling. SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS is a 2017 Edgar Award nominee and one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2016. Her latest novel, FOXHEART, is a fast-paced fantasy-adventure and a 2016 Junior Library Guild selection. She is also one of the four authors behind THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, an anthology of dark middle grade short fiction that was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Bank Street Best Book, and among the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2014. 

Coming up for Claire is FURYBORN, the first book in the Empirium trilogy, due out May 22, 2018, followed by SAWKILL GIRLS in fall 2018, and THORNLIGHT, a companion novel to FOXHEART, coming in winter 2019.

Visit Claire at claire-legrand.com and at enterthecabinet.com.

Have you read Furyborn or any other of Claire Legrand's books? What did you think of them?

What are some of your FAVOURITE YA Fantasy novels that you've read recently?

I'm always looking for more recommendations!

 

A Slow Start, An Intriguing Finish // REVIEW: The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross

Title: The Queen's Rising
Author: Rebecca Ross
Publication Date: February 19th 2018
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/3 of the Queen's Rising Trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: HarperCollins India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Born out of wedlock, Brienna is cast off by her noble family and sent to Magnolia House - a boarding house for those looking to study the passions: art, music, dramatics, wit and knowledge. Brienna must discover her passion and train hard to perfect her skill, in the hope that she will one day graduate and be chosen by a wealthy patron, looking to support one of the `impassioned'. 
As Brienna gets closer to the eve of her graduation, she also grows closer to her smart (and handsome) tutor, Cartier. He can sense that she is hiding a secret, but Brienna chooses not to reveal that she is experiencing memories of her ancestors - memories uncovering the mysteries of the past that may have dangerous consequences in the present. A daring plot is brewing - to overthrow the usurper king and restore the rightful monarchy - and Brienna's memories hold the key to its success. Cartier desperately wants to help Brienna, but she must chose her friends wisely, keep her enemies close and trust no one if she is to save herself and her people.

I expected a LOT going into this book:

-- YA Fantasy is my pretty much my favourite genre and any book that IS YA fantasy makes me hope I’ve found the NEXT GREAT BOOK THAT WILL SHATTER MY SOUL.

-- THE COVER IS GORGEOUS (has nothing to do with the content inside the book, but I LOVE PRETTY BOOK COVERS)

-- MAGIC + QUEENS + WOMEN ON THE THRONE + FORBIDDEN ROMANCE + SPUNKY GIRL WHO SPECIALIZES IN BEING A ‘PASSION OF KNOWLEDGE’ – YES PLEASE

Unfortunately, The Queen’s Rising failed to live up to my expectations. It’s not that I HATED the book, but I simply wasn’t INVESTED in anything. Here’s why:

1)      THE CHARACTERS WERE SO BLAND. They were singular in purpose, fading into the background even as I read about them (which should tell you a LOT) and there wasn’t a single person I cared for

 

2)      THE DIALOGUE WAS SO AWKWARD. LIKE WHAT WAS EVEN HAPPENING? I felt like a bunch of pre-pubescent tweens were running across the page throwing phrases like “Master” and “Passion Daughter” and “Passion Father” around (it’s not incestuous IN ANY WAY, but it was still so AWKWARD to read)

3)      In a book filled with reclaiming thrones and sneaking into countries, WHERE WAS THE SNEAKY POLITICIAL INTRIGUE? The three lord headed rebellion SO EASILY TRUSTED A GIRL WHO CLAIMED SHE HAD VISIONS OF THE PAST SHE COULDN’T PLACE AND WITH NO PROOF, INVITED HER INTO THEIR HOME AND TOLD HER EVERYTHING (it’s really no wonder their rebellion failed, when you think about it) and then, ALLOWED THAT NEW GIRL TO PLAN THEIR ENTIRE STRATERGY WHILE THROWING AROUND THE TERM “Passion Daughter” (Please currently picture me cringing) (This Special Snowflake trope wasn’t even realistically done and just… UGH)

I was essentially on the verge of putting this book down, but since I’m a compulsive reader, I also just… couldn’t. I made a deal with myself – 50 more pages and if it doesn’t get better, I quit.

SURPRISINGLY, IT DID.

The dialogue got better, the characters stopped being awkward ducklings, the political intrigue and twists spring up from nowhere and the book I was expecting from page 1 materialized on page 300.

I really enjoyed the last 100+ pages of the book, I liked Merei, Sean and Cartier. I actually like what the basic plot was with the Queen's Canon and the Stone of Eventide, and I’m excited to see whether the writing, dialogue and characters improve in the sequel to this trilogy. 3 stars.

Rebecca Ross grew up in Georgia, where she continues to reside with her husband, lively dog and endless piles of books. She received her bachelor's degree in English from UGA. In the past she has worked at a Colorado dude ranch, as a school librarian, and as a live-time captionist for a college. 

Rebecca writes fantasy for young adult readers. Her debut novel, THE QUEEN'S RISING, will be out February 6, 2018 from HarperTeen.

THE QUEEN'S RISING is set to be translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Turkish, Bulgarian, Dutch, German, Hebrew and will be available in the UK.

What are some of your favourite YA Fantasy books?
What are some YA Fantasy Books/ Books you wished were better?
Have you read The Queen's Rising? What do you think of it?
I'd absolutely love to hear from you!

 

A Strong Female Cast // ARC Review: Girls Made of Snow And Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Title: Girls Made Of Snow And Glass
Author: Melissa Bashardoust
Publication Date: September 5th 2017
Publisher: Flatiron Books (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan  International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale
At sixteen, Mina's mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.
Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.
Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

Use the words ‘feminist,’ ‘fairy tale,’ and ‘retelling’ AND YOU KNOW THAT I WILL BE A READER OF THAT BOOK, REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING ELSE.

After Frozen (GO SISTER POWER!) the new Cinderella movie came out, I was so disappointed that it wasn’t more… feministic. I expected Disney to have seen the pure joy that women around the world faced when true love’s kiss didn’t mean Prince Charming’s and to have changed Cinderella, but it was the absolute same as before. *continues weeping*

In any case, it was after that that I began STRONGLY BELIEVING that all Fairy Tales SHOULD BE MORE FEMINISTIC so that little girls will grow up knowing how to be strong, independent women.

And so when I first read the description of Melissa Bashardoust’s Girls Made of Snow and Glass, I KNEW I WOULD HAVE TO READ IT. And when I got approved to read an advance reader copy, I was OVER THE MOON.

Surprisingly, this book took me a really long while to get through. The book was slow paced and filled with introspection and I found myself skipping the long LONG descriptions that came after a few exchanges between characters.

Let’s break this down:

THINGS I REALLY LIKED:

1.       A FEMINISM AND LGBT FILLED FAIRY TALE RETELLING: Did you get all of those words? A FEMINIST. LGBT. FAIRY TALE. RETELLING. Really, can you ask for more? I already read one Snow While retelling earlier this year, Forest of A Thousand Lanterns and I LOVED IT for its Asian cast and anti-heroine but this one WITH MAGICAL POWERS SOUNDED JUST AS GOOD. I was so happy that this book turned the traditional fairy tale into a feminist book because WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THAT?

2.       STRONG FEMALE CAST: Most of the book was centred around strong female characters trying to find their way or themselves, and I loved it. Mina (the Queen/ Stepmother), Lynet (the Princess) and even Nadia were all characters that were so well done.

THINGS THAT REALLY COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

1.       THE PACE: THIS BOOK WAS VERY SLOW. It took me days and days to get through it purely because of how utterly slow paced it was. Like I mentioned before – there just wasn’t much HAPPENING in the book and it was filled with introspection from both Lynet and Mina about the SAME THINGS.

I found myself skipping parts of the inner monologues as I got to the latter half of the book because they were the SAME and I wasn’t learning any new information from them

I honestly felt that if the pace of this book had been different, the book itself would have been so much more enjoyable.

2.       DID I ALREADY SAY THE PACE?

3.       T-H-E -- P-A-C-E:

And that’s it. I absolutely love what Melissa Bashardoust’s book did for feminism in fairy tales considering HOW MUCH we need it, but I would be giving this book a lot higher of a rating if the book was faster paced. 2.75 stars.

Melissa Bashardoust (pronounced BASH-ar-doost) received her degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, where she rediscovered her love for creative writing, children’s literature, and fairy tales and their retellings. She currently lives in Southern California with a cat named Alice and more copies of Jane Eyre than she probably needs. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is her first novel.

As much as I appreciate you all, I'm not active on Goodreads, so if you'd like to get in touch, please see the contact page on my website above. Thanks and happy reading!

Wow! My second Snow White Retelling Review this week! :O

What's your favourite fairy tale, and what's your favourite retelling of that fairy tale? 

Do you think that faity tales, especially ones with Princesses should have a more feminist touch to it?

I'd love to hear from all you lovelies! 

 

An Unpredictable, Diverse and Dark Fantasy // ARC Review: Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns by Julie C Dao

Title: Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress #1)

Author: Julie C Dao

Publication Date: October 10th 2017

Publisher: Philomel Books (Penguin Random House)

Part of a Series?: Yes, 1 on 2 of the Rise Of The Empress Duology

I Got A Copy Through: PRH International (THANK YOU!)

Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.
Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?
Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute. 

When I heard people raving about this Diverse Reads book on Twitter, and after reading the synopsis I IMMEDIATELY added to my wish list. Julie Dao is such a sweet person and it just made me want to immerse myself in her world more.

In A Few Words: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was a dark, lush fantasy that will make readers root for an anti-heroine that we grew up hating. It was gorgeous, powerful and filled with diversity. I couldn’t recommend it more.

Let’s break it down:

WRITING:

Julie Dao’s writing was impressive. While the beginning of the story was slow, it was the writing that kept me at it. It wasn’t overly complicated writing, but it still had this gorgeous flow that kept you hooked. In the more intense scenes (no spoilers) that come later in the book, it made me feel what Xifeng felt. Her hopes, her desperation, her need to be something better than everybody else.

It’s the kind of writing that makes you believe and it doesn’t get any better than that!

IDEA:

If you don’t know, this book is a reimagined re-telling of Snow White. I’m not going to spoil anything, but this book IS NOT the tale you heard as a child, hence the word RE-IMAGINED. It was a very dark and different perspective on the story, and since I’m a dark and twisty person always searching for the worst boy and most cunning girl in books, THIS WAS MY CUP OF TEA!

PLOT:

FOTL started off slowly. I put it down a few times, but I would recommend you to keep at it until Xifeng reaches the capital because THAT’S WHEN IT REALLY PICKS UP. After she enters the palace, and a world filled with romance, politics, betrayal and making it ahead is when the books really picks up. Xifeng is a classic manipulator, plotter both subtle and effective and it was SO GOOD.

I loved how destiny, ancient stories and otherworldly powerful beings played a role in this just as much as the Emperor, Empress and other members of the palace.

It was SO WELL plotted out, and I’m so excited for the second book.

CHARACTERS:

I initially didn’t get Xifeng. She seemed to be this oh-so-beautiful girl who wanted to be good and pious but was secretly conspiring to achieve a foretold destiny that would involve her being the OPPOSITE of good and pious.

But then, as she accepted that the girl she was trying to be couldn’t exist in the life she wanted to make, I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER. She was ruthless, unafraid to get what she wanted and yet cared so deep. She didn’t want to be just another name forgotten by the sands of time and I RESPECT THAT SO MUCH. I especially loved the ending of her story because GO ANTI HEROINES.

Since the whole story was told from Xifeng’s point of view, I didn’t get to know the other characters much but they were ALL stunning secondary characters. I liked Lady Sun’s evil machinations, the Empress and her kind heart and Emperor Jun’s ability to see both brains and beauty. I didn’t like Wei, but then I always knew I wouldn’t.

CONCLUSION:

If you’re looking for that unpredictable, diverse and dark fantasy book, go throw this book to the TOP of your TBRs and Wish lists. Forest of A Thousand Lanterns will have you spell bound with its intense writing, captivated by its ruthless main character and in love with the world you’ve been transported to. 

Julie C. Dao (www.juliedao.com) is a proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York. She studied medicine in college, but came to realize blood and needles were her Kryptonite. By day, she worked in science news and research; by night, she wrote books about heroines unafraid to fight for their dreams, which inspired her to follow her passion of becoming a published author. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is her debut novel. Julie lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes.

Julie is represented by Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency.

Who is your favourite Disney Princess and what are some of your favourite Non-Disney Fairytales?

Have you heard about Forest of a Thousand Lanterns or even had the chance to dive in?

What did you think of it?

I can't WAIT to hear from you!

Complete Perfection // REVIEW: A Crown Of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

Title: A Crown of Wishes (The Star Touched Queen #2)

Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publication Date: March 28th 2017
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2/2 of the StarTouched Queen Series
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: An ancient mystery. An unlikely union. For one young princess in a state of peril, a dangerous wish could be the only answer…
She is the princess of Bharata—captured by her kingdom’s enemies, a prisoner of war. Now that she faces a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. But should she trust Vikram, the notoriously cunning prince of a neighboring land? He promises her freedom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together they can team up and win the Tournament of Wishes, a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor. It seems like a foolproof plan—until Gauri and Vikram arrive at the tournament and find that danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans, mischievous story birds, a feast of fears, and twisted fairy revels. New trials will test their devotion, strength, and wits. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.

“He’d built his life on wanting the impossible – true power, recognition, a future – and now magic had found him when he’d stopped looking.”

I bought myself a copy of Roshani Chokshi’s The Star Touched Queen last year, and immediately dove in. While the book started off absolutely brilliantly, in the middle, the writing and the magic fused to become a very vague thing which had me not loving it as much as I hoped I would.

I wasn’t sure if I would read A Crown of Wishes but Roshani with her One Line Wednesdays, all the bloggers saying it was amazing and also, THE COVER THAT IS TOO GORGEOUS FOR WORDS convinced me to put it on my Wish list, and then the LOVELY folks at Macmillan sent me a review copy! *sends happy hugs*

Truth be told, I’M SO SO SAD that this book is over because I LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT, and now I’m going to miss Gauri and Vikram SO much.

This book was BRILLIANT. I loved everything in it and everything it offered me. Let me break it down for you:

Image by Brittany's Book Rambles

1.       ROSHANI’S WRITING: If NOTHING else will make you believe in Magic, Roshani Chokshi’s writing style will. The way she crafts her words together, her descriptions about things both ordinary and extraordinary and just her general ability to bring everything alive on a page is unparalleled. I had at least four moments where I just sat back after a particularly well done scene and just MARVELLED AT THIS LADY’S SHEER TALENT.

2.       GAURI AND VIKRAM: I loved these two characters together, but even more than that, I LOVED THEM INDIVUDIALLY TOO. The fact that this story was told from both their points of view, and showed us how they thought, their dreams, hopes and desires separately and then slowly, how they wanted the other was EVERYTHING I was looking for.

I loved that there was no real distinction between general male and female roles. At no point was Gauri the weaker one or vice versa, and that the two of them needed each other equally. Their power, their wit and their courage was equally matched, which is just what all fantasies, contemporaries and real relationships need to be.

Image by Brittany's Book Rambles

3.       THE BANTER: Honestly, BEST. BANTER. EVER. I LOVED it. They were these two firecrackers being set off by and it was hilarious and filled with chemistry and made their relationship so much better. My heart exploded into feels in the last chapter of the book in the Ujjain gardens because AWWWWW. Seriously, best relationship development I’ve seen in a while.

4.       THE PLOT: The plot is only second-best to the magical writing and perfect characters in this book, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t GREAT anyway. I can’t describe it without spoiling the magical journey that Roshani’s journey will take you on, but suffice it to say that IT IS A VERY WELL CONSTRUCTED BOOK.

Undeniably magical and witty, A Crown of Wishes is a book shaped masterpiece. 

Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen and the upcoming A CROWN OF WISHES, releasing March 28, 2017. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. Her short story, "The Star Maiden," was longlisted for the British Fantasy Science Award.    Pinterested in A CROWN OF WISHES? Check it out here!  Pinterest

Have you gotten the chance to dive into Roshani Chokshi's books yet? What did you think of them? 

What are some of your favourite fantasy/ mythology filled books? 

HOW GORGEOUS ARE THESE COVERS ANYWAY? 

I can't wait to hear from you!

GIVE ME MORE // REVIEW: The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

Title: The Song Rising (The Bone Season #3)

Author: Samantha Shannon
Publication Date: March 30th 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 3/7 of The Bone Season Series
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || The BookDespository || Wordery || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Following a bloody battle against foes on every side, Paige Mahoney has risen to the dangerous position of Underqueen, ruling over London's criminal population.
But, having turned her back on Jaxon Hall and with vengeful enemies still at large, the task of stabilising the fractured underworld has never seemed so challenging.
Little does Paige know that her reign may be cut short by the introduction of Senshield, a deadly technology that spells doom for the clairvoyant community and the world as they know it...

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

I have spent the better part of two weeks reading EVERYTHING that has been released about Paige Mahoney and her world and now I have no idea what to do with myself. I’ve been stalking and screenshotting EVERYTHING Samantha Shannon has been saying about book 4 because I NEED IT LIKE I NEED LIFE (and apparently it’s full of #Paiden ANGST and we LEARN MORE ABOUT WARDEN AND HELLO? *Throws money at it*)

The Song Rising picks up right after the ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING REVELATION at the end of The Mime Order (WHY CERTAIN CHARACTER WHY?) with Paige reeling from the truth, conflicted about her feelings about Warden and trying to understand her new role in the Syndicate.

Let’s get down to it:

1.       THE BEGINNING AND THE END WERE ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT: You couldn’t imagine a more perfect start to this book – it was all adrenaline, all power and a whole new order in the Criminal Syndicate of London, AND THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING. The Ending pretty much wrecked me. I read over 150 pages this morning, ignoring EVERYTHING else around me and AAAH.  No spoilers, but AAAAH.

2.       THIS IS MORE POLITICAL THAT THE REST OF IT: I suppose you could call this book the beginning of a political revolution, moving away from London and to Manchester and Scotland and the ending takes all our favourite characters out of the heart of the Scion Empire and into the rest of Europe. It was highly political in the way that Paige met different leaders of the Voyant network in different cities, the MILITARY came in as did military strategy and there were so many mind games being played. I liked it, but it did take some getting used to.

3.       THE MIDDLE SORT OF DRAGGED: I think when Paige was in Edinburgh, for the FIRST TIME EVER, this series sort of dragged a little. I felt like there were too many new characters, almost all of them SO SO STUBBORN. It was JUST a little, and picked up again twenty to thirty pages in, but it was still there.

4.       PAIDEN WILL FOREVER BE MY OTP: HANDS DOWN, BEST. FICTIONAL. COUPLE. EVER. Or you know, not a couple but seriously, I ADORE HOW THE BOTH OF THEM WORK TOGETHER and how intensely they feel for each other and how their different powers work in sync when they’re together and AAH. I love their ability to just GET one another and the fact that Warden said that Terebell USED to be his mate because…

5.       THIS SERIES IS ONLY THE BEST-EST OUT THERE: Hands down, NO OTHER SERIES has such BRILLIANT Worldbuilding and characters and POWER like this one does. I love the brutality in this dystopian/ fantasy world as well as the chemistry. This book shows you SO MUCH World and Character Development that it feels SO SO REAL AND CAN I HAVE MORE PLEASE?

I want nothing more than to dive into the next book in the series, and it kills me that I have to wait!

A heart wrenching, addicting, intense series with some of the best characters in a world that keeps getting better. I can’t wait for everything that is to come in this series, and I could not recommend it enough!

A MUST READ FOR ALL DYSTOPIAN FANS – this series is everything you never knew you were waiting for.

Samantha Shannon was born and raised in West London. She started writing in abundance when she was twelve, started her first novel when she was fifteen, and studied English Language and Literature at St Anne's College, Oxford, from 2010 – 2013, graduating with a 2:1. 

In 2013, she published The Bone Season, the internationally bestselling first installment in a seven-book series of fantasy novels. Its first sequel, The Mime Order, was published in 2015, and she's currently editing the third book in the series, The Song Rising. She is also working on a high fantasy novel. Film rights to the Bone Season are held by the Imaginarium Studios, Chernin Entertainment and 20th Century Fox. 

Have you gotten a chance to dive into The Bone Season Series yet? What did you think of it?