In this book, the world building was quite extensive and that alone was already worth at least 4,5 stars. There is even a spin-off called "On the Merits of Unnaturalness" which further explains it.
Although I haven't read the spin-off I could reasonably follow the various 'voyants' classes that appear in the book.
I also liked Paige because, although she was IMO likable, she wasn't exactly a standard romantic heroine. She could be contradictory, seemed to be too cynical and suspicious sometimes and only at the end of the book, you could see all her layers. Perhaps she's not everybody's favorite type of main female character, but I found that really refreshing after so many perfect fictional girls out there. I also liked the flaws in all other characters, I think this contributed to give depth to the story.
I'll be surely following up this series to see how the story goes on.

I found the opening a little confusing at first, but everything quickly fell into place. As soon as I got a grip on Paige's world I was hooked. I already love Paige- she's strong, feisty and wise beyond her years. In just one short chapter, the story is already feeling fresh, fantastical, immersive, complex, intriguing, fast-paced and frankly, scary. I wasn't sure if this book would be for me beforehand but now I'm so excited to read the rest!

Full review will be posted on my blog rachiereads.wordpress.com as well as Goodreads, Tumblr, and Amazon.co.uk on Saturday September 10th.

My thoughts

I was really excited to finally get started on this book because of all the hype that’s been built up around it. I definitely had very very high expectations, and for the first few chapters it seemed all of my dreams had come true. But then…everything is ruined. Paige, the main character and a very powerful clairvoyant, is kidnapped and taken to a secret place for clairvoyants where another race, the Rephaim, are in charge and see the voyants as their slaves. The synopsis for this book is very misleading – it suggests that the story is about Paige hiding her power from her father, and that’s not it at all. In fact, he’s barely in it.

I had a lot of problems with this book, one of them being that slavery is used as a plot device and that, even worse, the slave falls in love with the master. Also, Warden, her master, is about 200 years old and Paige is 19. Why. Why. Why. Their romance is meant to be slow burn, I presume, but there’s nothing between them at all for most of the book until they accidentally become ~magically connected~ and then they decide they never want to be separated? Or something? I don’t even know.

The captured clairvoyants are stripped of their names and identities and given uniforms, and they are forced through training and tests of bravery and skill to prove that they are worthy of becoming “red jackets”. I might have been intrigued by the idea of training clairvoyants if it had actually happened in the book more than once. The entire middle section of the book revolved around Paige making friends in the camp who turn out to be completely irrelevant later on, and the whole book just d r a g s o n. There’s hardly any story until the last 100 or so pages, and by that point I was completely bored out of my mind and just wanted to finish so I could read something else.

None of the characters in this book have much of a personality. Paige herself is very dull – the only thing I found interesting about her was her power as a dreamwalker. (That’s another thing – it’s so difficult to follow what type of clairvoyants can do what, because it’s hardly explained at all.) Warden is about as exciting as a cardboard box and all he seems to do is say cryptic things to annoy Paige and then decide he loves her. Jaxon Hall is an awful character – he’s manipulative and sadistic and controlling and he views his employees as his possessions. Unfortunately Paige doesn’t realise this until the end of the book. Nashira and the other Rephs are meant to be evil but they’re boring and don’t do much. The other clairvoyants that Paige works with could have been so interesting to learn about, because they all have different abilities and backgrounds, but we never find out anything about them other than what we need to know for Paige’s story to make sense. Nick was a great character BUT his story infuriated me – at one point we find out that Paige is in love with him, and then it is revealed that he’s gay JUST to set up for Paige’s bitter disappointment and the development of her storyline. STOP USING QUEER SIDE CHARACTERS AS PLOT DEVICES JUST TO FURTHER THE PROTAGONIST’S STORY.

This book is so frustrating because Samantha Shannon set up this incredibly interesting, intricate world set in future London (known as Scion London, or SciLo), filled with crime and darkness and paranormal activity, and then she ripped it away from me and gave me a dull compound with a few buildings and a field. Y tho. I would love to read an entire book set just in London, and maybe that’s what the next few books are about, but this book completely depleted my interest in continuing with the series.

There was another aspect of life in Sheol I (the secret compound) that could have been very cool to explore, the Emim – a zombie-like race of creatures that are drawn to Sheol I like a beacon and try to attack every so often. We only encounter a couple of the creatures during the book, and it left me wondering why the author bothered with that plot at all. It serves as a bit of a backstory to why the Rephs are there, but honestly, this book would have been way more exciting if it was just clairvoyants vs. Emim, with no Rephs at all. As it was, the last few chapters ended up feeling like a weird mix of Mockingjay, Divergent, and Harry Potter. The idea of a “resistance” comes out of nowhere and I ended up wondering why I spent 300 pages reading Paige’s guilty thoughts about Warden and her dull meetings with irrelevant characters when the story should have been setting up for the big fight/escape. It was just weird.

Sadly this book was a huge disappointment for me after all the hype surrounding it, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be continuing with the series unless the ebook is free on Kindle, or I find it at the library. I won’t be spending any money on it – it’s unoriginal and dull and very very forgettable.

Final thoughts

Rating: 1 star

Recommended for: I really didn’t enjoy this and I would recommend skipping it.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read a sample chapter of The Bone Season! The book, however, was not for me. The world was introduced too abruptly and with no easing into it. A clairvoyant criminal society seems like an interesting idea, but it didn't translate too well into an interesting world, in my opinion. I also didn't care much for the main character, Paige, or the others, and the language used during both narration and dialogue felt a bit off. I do see many people enjoying this book in other reviews, though, and I love that it's a sci-fi YA with such creative plot! I admire Samantha Shannon's imagination very much. So maybe it wasn't for me but that doesn't mean other readers wouldn't like it!

The first chapter of THE BONE SEASON was a good introduction to the world of the novel, told through the main character's first person POV. The ideas of clairvoyance and the regimented society Shannon created were interesting and I would be intrigued to find out more. However, it was let down by some slightly clunky phrasing and too much exposition. 3/5

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon is the first book in The Bone Season series. 

Samantha Shannon has created an alternative world in which for 200 years being any form of clairvoyant is illegal with the penalty of death. The UK Government have been telling people that being a clairvoyants is unnatural and it is an illness. 

The Book follows Paige a rare clairvoyant she has the ability for her spirit to leave her body and see into people dreamscape. To stay safe and to find out more about her gift she joined a crime syndicate and moved up the ladder and now is a high member. 

Paige life changes one night when she is caught and taken to a secret location. Paige find out that everything the Government has said is a lie, they send clairvoyant into slavery to a Race called the Rephaim. This is payment for the Rephaims killing creatures from the Aether that feast on Human and animal flesh. Paige keeper is called The Warden the Blood Consort to the Rephaim leader, he has never taken in a human before but Paige is a special case. Now all Paige is to escape from this living hell and on her journey she will have to find out who she can or can not trust, and how strong she really is. 

It's a very scary world that Samantha Shannon, she has turned UK into a country with no free movement. A world that is controlled by fear, manipulation and what people are willing to do to survive. It makes me question if I was in Paige positions how would I cope. 

This book is amazing heart racing book, a story that is muti layer in a vivid world. I never know what was going to happen next, which kept me engaged until the last word. 

Paige is fascinating character, by the end of the book I am so invested in her as a character that my heart broke slightly, with her interaction with the Warden. Paige has been broken down and is building herself back up and I am interested to see what happens in the next book The Mime Order.

This is the first book that I listen too, I did enjoy listening to the book as it helped me with the pronunciation with names and it felt like Paige was telling me her story personally. Although nothing can top the feeling of reading a book in bed. 

This book is for anyone that likes strong female character, a world with magic, a character fighting for their life against a corrupt Government, and the beginning of a revolution that will change the world. 

I give this book 5 out of 5

I am very intrigued by the first chapter of the Bone Season. Though there is a lot of information given in the first chapter, which makes it a bit difficult to wrap my mind around everything in this world. The chapter ends on a cliffhanger, which makes me want to continue on with the next chapter. I am interested to see more of our main character and how the events of the first chapter will play a part in the rest of the book. I will definitely pick up the whole book for myself.

I've only read the first chapter as only received a sample but so far this book looks to be a promising read. The world-building hits you instantly and keeps you gripped and I enjoy seeing London and places I know as a different London and find it interesting to view Paige and see where her journey will head. Paige already seems like a cool, strong character and I'm looking forward to getting to know her more.

The Bone Season is a book I’ve been seeing everywhere since 2013. In 2015 I bought a copy and still it sits somewhere on a bookcase in my home gathering dust. I saw it up for review on Netgalley and i couldn’t resist. It was only a click and an acceptance away… I could just … read. I wouldn’t have to find it. I could simply read it and people could stop bugging me to pick it up. I’m not going to lie to you, i’ve held off so long as i was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype. Seriously. I didn’t read it as others thought it was that good. *sighs*.

Almost five years after i bought my copy i finally picked it up. And i’m so happy i did. But i’m also happy I waited 5 years. Let me explain.

I was reminded when writing this review that ‘The Bone Season’ was heralded as the next Harry Potter. A fact i’d forgotten when i started. Ignore this fact. Its nothing like Harry Potter and shouldn’t be compared to such, in fact the phrases ‘next harry potter’ or ‘next hunger games’ is enough to make me run from a book screaming. It’s a cheap and insignificant review technique and one i’m afraid i don’t stand for. But five years is a long time, and i’d forgotten about that. I went in knowing one thing: that was my mate Tash LOVES THIS BOOK.

The next reason i’m pleased I waited until I was the ripe old age of 22 is that this books strengths lie in its world building. The book is set in London 2059 and then it moves to Oxford - A place I know very well and have been visiting since I was a child. And i loved it. I will admit the first few chapters were heavy and getting to grips with the world were like crawling through treacle. This leads me on to my second reason, I was a really lazy reader back then. I wouldn’t have kept going, but boy am i happy I did. Saying this, the world building is incredible and Paige’s world is fascinating, just be prepared to slug through the first chapters!

Its fair to say ‘The Bone Season’ isn’t a mindless read, its one which will lead you exhausted and needing to nap for 30 years. You’re immersed in the world of The Seven Dials, home of the underground crime syndicate. A place crawling in the secret world of Clairvoyants and those willing to use there gifts. You’re thrust into Paiges world as you’re also made learn about Paige as a character and what she can do with her gift of ‘Dreamwalker’ and how this sets her apart from other Clairvoyants.

That said, all this information comes at a price. It was slow paced, believe me i’m aware how frustrating this can be but - in this it worked. It built the anticipation for the ending sequence in a way i’m sure wouldn’t have been as effective had I sprinted through it as i have done with books of similar ilk. I was also never bored. Shannon creates a world you’re happy to live in. No matter how slow paced. But i lived for it for three days, snatching chapters between shifts, reading late into the night. Its addictive. And i loved it. This addiction came from the care of the world building. The detail the sheer originality that kept me leaping from page to page.

That leads me to another of the novels strengths the complexity of the characters. I’m going to start with the heroine - Paige. Undoubtedly smart, but she makes mistakes. A fact i was grateful for as its become routine now for heroines to have no flaws what so ever. She’s simply the saviour, or the chosen one (sound familiar?!) this can leave them feeling two dimensional. However Paige, unlike many characters in this genre felt real and complex. She led this story with less grace than others before her but with a presence which made me fascinated to see where she’d go next, she’d someone i understood and would stand by.

Warden, just. I like problematic people. Its an issue. And Warden ticked the boxes, i’m looking forward to continuing on with the story, developing his character and his and Paiges relationshop, I’m Trash.

Overall and enjoyed it but the biggest ‘thumbs up’ i can give this book is as follows - I gave it to my mum. I’ve done that 3 times. Whats more, she loved it.

Samantha Shannon is definitely a new favourite. In a genre i don’t read that much from, i’m now obsessed. Ive ordered the Mime Season and honestly. I’m excited.

Thank you Net Galley for this review copy.

This probably is a 3.5 but eh. I think the idea is really cool, but I don't necessarily like how it's written. I was really bored many times throughout the book. I feel like no action happened for most of it. Paige also annoys me a bit as a protagonist. She gets things done but a lot of the things she does just don't seem logical to me. One thing I really hate in general is when characters waste time doing unnecessary things when there's an urgent situation happening. I felt that at least twice from her.

The only character I really liked was Arcturus. We could tell from the very start he was trustworthy. Even that it was wise to trust him. But it took Paige so goddamn long. And maybe it was different from her POV than from the reader's, but her choices there didn't really make sense to me. She gets by on guts, not sense, but I have to give her some respect for it. I think it's maybe just a personal thing that I didn't like her that much.

Regardless of not liking this too much, I feel like the second book will be better. Hopefully I'm right. I won't be starting it immediately but I think I'll pick it up eventually.

It's just a sample chapter, but it was enough to make me buy the book! I'll be giving it a review once I've read the rest of it.

Great first chapter.

I actually didn't realise that's all we would get, but I'm definitely interested in more.

There were quite a few names and concepts that were a bit overwhelming at times but I'm sure given the full length novel it would be fine.

I loved the story concept and the notion around what they could see. The characters had depth too and I will definitely read the rest of the book.

I can't judge the book but the first chapter but I have a such a good feeling about this book. The first chapter already sets the pace with lots of action and many things going on. Witches, supernaturals meet Six of Crows. Dystopian world with a government that controls everything. The whole plot seems promising. I might actually get this book soon.

When it comes to writing I felt a bit lost with all here new terms and the world building but I am sure it gets better with next chapters. I feel like some kind of dictionary would be helpful.

I really liked the beginning of this book. I hope to read more of it so I'm keeping an eye out for this series.

Thank you for sending me the first chapter from The Bone Season. I've been intrigued by the concept of this book for a while and after reading the beginning I had to order a copy straight away. I can't wait to dig in to the series. I will do a full review as soon as I finish the first book.

Wow an excellent debut novel and an excellent start to a series. This gripped me and did not let me go. Can't wait to read the rest

It took a while to get used to the language and the world, the world building was fantastic and the characters were well thought out and interesting, this series started off really great and seems like it will just keep getting stronger and stronger.
Would definitely recommend if you like fantasy/dystopian etc.

The first chapter in a series, this was a taster to the rest of the book. It was an intriguing read and certainly captured my interest!

After reading this sample of the first chapter of Bone Season I would want to go on and read the full book. I felt I had started to get to know the main character of Paige. The story is well written and the narrative is easy to follow. The only thing I found was that there was a lot of information given her quickly and it was a lot to take in.

But I can't wait to read more!

I really enjoyed this but bloody hell was it hard to get into. It took me 3 goes to get into this, and I only read chapter one. I honestly don't know, had I been sent the entirety of the book, whether or not I would've made it even a quarter of the way through. Eventually, I had to get the audio because I couldn't even get through the first few pages. My lack of enjoyment for this book was probably because I'm currently in some of the most stressful weeks of the term at school, and just don't have the mind space for a new world or a 7 book series.

However, I will say this, I am intrigued and the ending of chapter 1 certianly tunred my tail up. I will probably pick this book up in a year or two, when I have more time to devote to it and more of the books are out.