Latest Read: The Bone Season (Blog Tour + Review!) by Samantha Shannon

I am SO excited to be one of the blog tour stops for THE BONE SEASON by Samantha Shannon (Thank you Bloomsbury!). When I went to BEA in May, there was a lot of hype for this one and I knew I had to have it. And when I finally read it last month, I was blown away by the creativity and the detail. Plus if you're in the mood for a new book boyfriend, look no further. Just wait until you meet Warden!

Now onto the review >> 

Here are the basics ...
The Bone Season (#1) by Samantha Shannon
Publication date: Aug. 20, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Category: Young Adult - Dystopian / Fantasy
Source: Received book at BEA (Thanks!)

Summary: It is the year 2059 and 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. She scouts 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 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 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 & enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives. (Adapted goodreads.com)

My thoughts…

The good: How do I even begin to explain a book like The Bone Season? It is just.. fiercely imaginative. (Yes, fiercely!) Even a couple days since reading it, I still couldn't believe the level of detail and creativity that went into building this world. It's a lot to take in and to be honest, I don't have everything perfectly straight (luckily the author provides a handy chart and map to help with that!) but I was instantly intrigued by the plot, the characters and where it all was headed.

It's the 2059 and Paige Mahoney lives in what is known as Scion London, which is just one of several major cities controlled by the Scion security force who keep people like her in check. Paige is clairvoyant (known as voyants) but there are different kinds and she just happens to be one of the rarest - a dreamwalker. She secretly uses her gifts for a criminal group called the Seven Seals, who are led by mime-lord Jaxon Hall but then she's discovered and arrested by the Rephaim. These creatures capture and train worthy voyants to become soldiers in their army at their base in Oxford. Voyants are nothing more than fighters (or slaves) to them and Paige refuses to be another lackey even though she has no means to escape.

But seriously, that description barely scratches the surface.

What reeled me into the story first was Paige. She's so powerful but nowhere close to realizing her full potential and a big part of her journey (aside from escaping) is harnessing her gifts. She's strong but vulnerable, a "criminal" who always tries to do the right thing, loyal, feisty, distrustful and yet takes care of others easily. It's all these sometimes-contradicting qualities that made her so compelling. And my other reason for loving the book? Warden, the Rephaite who becomes Paige's keeper and mentor. From the moment their paths crossed, the plot really took off. He's mysterious and brooding but he's not cruel like the other Rephaite. He actually trains her and gets to know her. Neither of them know if they can trust the other but that's what made them so entertaining to read about. That constant push and pull. I didn't know where they (or the story) were headed but I had my hopes. And that was part of the fun.

(Potential) reservations: Keep in mind that for the first 40 pages or so, you will be thinking - what is going on? A lot gets thrown at you but it really comes together as the plot moves forward.

Do I recommend?: I do! It's so different from anything I've read in a while. It's a mix of dystopian, fantasy and paranormal and considering that it's only the first book (in a seven part series), I can't wait to see where Samantha Shannon takes it next. Hopefully there's more Warden.

Happy reading!