Description from Good Reads
It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.
But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.
Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.
The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine—a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.
My Review
The Bone Season is about a girl named Paige Mahoney. Paige is a dreamwalker, a type of clairvoyant, who makes money basically by breaking into people's minds. In her world, set in 2059, it is not only illegal to be a voyant, but it is extremely dangerous.
Paige works for a syndicate of seven other voyants, and is eventually taken to the city of Oxford (known as Sheol I), where it is actually legal to be a voyant, but you are essentially a slave. She is given to a Rephraim (another race that is described as mostly human but not) named Warden, for training.
There is a lot of information presented about Paige, the syndicate, Scion London (where she is from), and her life in the first several chapters. So much so that it was a little difficult for me to even get into the story. It was very, very descriptive. If that is something that puts you off a story, be weary of this one. I do tend to lose it a bit when an author is overly descriptive- I know what they're doing by trying to set a scene, but I wonder if I'm not losing out on the story because of the descriptions of the trees. (This is a huge reason why I'm still on page 100something of Lord of the Rings.) However, I have to say, Shannon kept me in the story by not only using her descriptions to her advantage (especially her descriptions of Scion London), but by continually moving the story along in the process.
Paige and Warden have an interesting relationship from the get go. To be honest, it's a little master/mistress for awhile. Not in a sexual way, but definitely in a controlling type of way. But Paige is strong-willed, and she does start to wear down Warden's defenses.
Warden is the betrothed to an extremely evil Rephraim Nashira. She basically wants to eliminate Paige and steal her voyancy.
As far as first books in a series go, this one is pretty good. I gave it four stars on Good Reads, because once I got into the author's way of telling the story, I was in it 100%. But I took off a star because it's not like I think it's a book I will read over and over again. It was just a very good story.
Shannon has a seven book deal for The Bone Season. I wonder in the next six books how this will play out. But I will definitely be checking out Book #2 when it comes out.
You can purchase this book for Kindle here, and the hardcover here.
FTC: I borrowed this book from my local library.
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