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The Bone Season
The Bone Season: Sneak Preview
An extract from The Bone Season, the first in an exciting new series from Samantha Shannon.
The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.
It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford - a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.
The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine and 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.
The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.
It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford - a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.
The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine and 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.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2013
9 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Shannon
34 books30k followersSamantha Shannon is the New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Bone Season series. From 2010 to 2013 she studied English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. Her fourth novel, The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019), was her first outside of the series. It has sold over a million copies in English alone, and was a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards 2020. Its standalone prequel, A Day of Fallen Night (2023), won the gold medal in the Fantasy category at the Ippy Awards 2024.
Samantha's work has been translated into twenty-seven languages. Her most recent book is The Dark Mirror (2025), the fifth instalment in the Bone Season series.
Samantha's work has been translated into twenty-seven languages. Her most recent book is The Dark Mirror (2025), the fifth instalment in the Bone Season series.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 22, 2017
I was sent the first chapter of this via netgalley.
Review of chapter 1:
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.
Review of chapter 1:
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.
July 24, 2017
I received this chapter sample from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I found the concept really interesting and very different from a lot of books in the same genre, I'm not sure if it was the formatting but it was difficult to orientate myself in the 'world' but I still want to buy the book and try it again because I think the idea is a good one.
I found the concept really interesting and very different from a lot of books in the same genre, I'm not sure if it was the formatting but it was difficult to orientate myself in the 'world' but I still want to buy the book and try it again because I think the idea is a good one.
March 1, 2025
4,5 ⭐️
Wow!!! This book was totally out of my comfort zone and proved I like dystopian sci-fi books.
The first few chapters weren't the easiest due to many groups' names and other info. But with each chapter, this book gripped me more and more.
Action-packed story, with amazing characters, and stressful moments. FMC a proper badass, which I adore.
Can't wait to read next book from the series.
Wow!!! This book was totally out of my comfort zone and proved I like dystopian sci-fi books.
The first few chapters weren't the easiest due to many groups' names and other info. But with each chapter, this book gripped me more and more.
Action-packed story, with amazing characters, and stressful moments. FMC a proper badass, which I adore.
Can't wait to read next book from the series.
December 31, 2024
Hands down my favourite book, the magic system/supernatural system is so intriguing and thought out. The characters are full and complex, and the romance is compelling. I'm so excited to read her remaster copy, and the rest of the series!
September 28, 2018
Absolutely love it, my favourite author
October 18, 2025
I wish I had not wasted one minute of my time. For my thoughts- read
October 15, 2014
I read this preview ages ago, I must have liked it as I had the full book on my to-read list, it was 99p on amazon at a time when I was trying to spend a couple of quid on my credit card, so a winner!
January 10, 2014
Promising...
April 11, 2014
Loved this book and it's part of a series. The next book doesn't come out until October2014. I may leave this series alone for awhile.
September 3, 2014
Loved it. Can't wait till the next book arrives!
October 18, 2021
Using this as a placeholder...reread the Mime Order
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews