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The Bone Season #4
The Mask Falling
Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion's downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim's puppet empire.
The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim-her former enemy-at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war.
As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them-and could end with them...
The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim-her former enemy-at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war.
As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them-and could end with them...
528 pages, Hardcover
First published January 26, 2021
1012 people are currently reading
42861 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Shannon
33 books29.8k 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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September 27, 2020Hi, Goodreads:
Thank you for your immense patience in waiting for the fourth book in the Bone Season series. The latter half of 2019 was very difficult for me for personal reasons, which slowed things down a little, but I'm thrilled to reveal that the title is The Mask Falling and it will be out in January 2021.
There's also something on its way this summer to break up the wait, as I know it's been a long one.
I absolutely love this book – it's my favourite in the series so far, and I really can't wait to share it with you. Just got my first glimpse of the cover and it's stunning. The Mask Falling is officially done now, off to the typesetter to be transformed from a manuscript to a book, so there should be no further delays.
This is the first instalment in the series that will have a character list. I've designed this to double up as a recap, so if it's been a while since you read the first three books, I hope this will be a big help.
On a cover-related note, Bloomsbury has decided to switch back to the classic hardbacks for the Bone Season series, so they'll all be in the old colour style. Not sure what's happening with the paperbacks yet, but I'll keep you informed as and when I can.
The Republic of Scion France looks forward to welcoming you soon . . .
Love,
Samantha
Edit, June 2020: Some news – The Mask Falling will have a mini-prequel, The Dawn Chorus, out 9 July 2020. I hope it helps break up the long wait.
Edit, August 2020: We have a cover! I hope you love it as much as I do.
Thank you for your immense patience in waiting for the fourth book in the Bone Season series. The latter half of 2019 was very difficult for me for personal reasons, which slowed things down a little, but I'm thrilled to reveal that the title is The Mask Falling and it will be out in January 2021.
There's also something on its way this summer to break up the wait, as I know it's been a long one.
I absolutely love this book – it's my favourite in the series so far, and I really can't wait to share it with you. Just got my first glimpse of the cover and it's stunning. The Mask Falling is officially done now, off to the typesetter to be transformed from a manuscript to a book, so there should be no further delays.
This is the first instalment in the series that will have a character list. I've designed this to double up as a recap, so if it's been a while since you read the first three books, I hope this will be a big help.
On a cover-related note, Bloomsbury has decided to switch back to the classic hardbacks for the Bone Season series, so they'll all be in the old colour style. Not sure what's happening with the paperbacks yet, but I'll keep you informed as and when I can.
The Republic of Scion France looks forward to welcoming you soon . . .
Love,
Samantha
Edit, June 2020: Some news – The Mask Falling will have a mini-prequel, The Dawn Chorus, out 9 July 2020. I hope it helps break up the long wait.
Edit, August 2020: We have a cover! I hope you love it as much as I do.
lost-interest
June 17, 2023
I have no interest in continuing this series, but I have something to say... It doesn't matter how long this takes to come out. It doesn't matter if before she writes and publishes this book, Samanta Shannon decides to go to the moon or mars with Elon Musk and Grimes, goes bungee jumping in every country in the world, and writes and publishes a series of vegan cookbooks before getting back to this series. It. Does. Not. Matter. You can be sad, you can be angry, but for the love of God, leave her the fuck alone, and leave other writers alone too. I've genuinely seen people saying 'Hmmm, well, she is on Twitter a lot.'
SO WHAT?
Let this woman live her life. Let George R.R. Martin live his life. You do not get to pretend an author is a bad, selfish, or entitled person for how much time they're on social media, what they're posting on Instagram (Wow why is she at the museum when she could be writing my precious book?!) or anything else they're doing!
Short of coming into your house in a burglar outfit in the middle of the night, poisoning all your houseplants, and punching your mom in the face, you do not get to have an opinion on how this woman, or any other writer or artist, spends their time.
Let humans be humans and try to have some damn understanding that:
1) Writing is hard, hard work.
2) People are people and not robots who can work 24 hours a day.
3) Art and writing are not typical work, some writers can approach it as such, but for most of us we require time to think and ponder and plan and live and glean inspiration and, you know, the will to even exist in this world, before we can pour all that into the page.
4) Samantha Shannon has been far more prolific than most authors (especially considering her books are huge) and has had a pretty damn impressive run so far. I've been waiting for a new Arthur Golden book for more than a decade and you don't see my ass online bullying him. (I'm aware this book is never coming - he got that sweet, sweet Memoirs of a Geisha money and BOUNCED, and good for him.)
5) A series this long is a huge undertaking and most writers would want a break to work on other projects here and there as a creative refresher. The skills gained from those works will be put back into this series, no doubt.
PLEASE STOP TORMENTING WRITERS OR AGITATING THEM FOR HAVING A LIFE AND INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF PLEASING YOU.
Seriously I have stuff I've wanted to write or publish for years, stuff that's partially done or in various stages of editing, instalments in series I'm holding back until I have multiple entries done, new editions of old books I've improved. I can't/won't publish it yet for tons of reasons, it's not that I don't want to, sometimes there's behind the scenes admin/logistics stuff that gets in the way, or you genuinely are Going Thru It (TM) and need time and space away from publishing, or you're writing for the first time in years and know publishing will open it up to the public and it will suffocate under the pressure and tension and then you'll go back to not writing at all...
Writers have such a complex and often painful and confusing job and industry to navigate and art is hard enough as it is without all that. Abusing authors because they're not rushing is not helping the books come faster.
Thank you, this has been a PSA. Now go plant some trees or Google which plants native to your area/region in particular are good for/attract WILD bee populations, and then go plant a bunch of them. We need them bees, y'all.
January 25, 2022
Ta książka zmiażdżyła mnie jakbym była niczym. Płakać mi się chce przez to zakończenie.
4,5/5
4,5/5
December 27, 2020
Everything hurts. Please bare with me through these trying times.
This book just blew this series onto a whole new level. Every page felt like a shift in the system as more was discovered, and I loved seeing the progression made. The combination of dystopian politics and spirit magic has always been my favourite thing, and this book really shows its strength in this aspect. Though introducing a lot of new power dynamics, mysteries, and problems to be confronted, not for a moment did it feel overwhelming. It's so easy to get pulled in, especially when you're this far into the series.
The characters will always remain some of my favourites, and again with the shift in situation showing a different side to them all, I can only say I fell more in love. I just want to give everyone a hug and one hell of a large coffee. Lord, do they need it.
I feel like there's not too much I can say, with this being the fourth in my favourite series, besides it really is an emotional rollercoaster that I didn't know whether to love, hate, or all of the above. I already know I'll be reading it in the next few months, and I'll love it even more when taking in the details for a second time. But for now I'm just in awe, and shock, and possibly a stage of recovery too.
CW: PTSD, Self Harm
This book just blew this series onto a whole new level. Every page felt like a shift in the system as more was discovered, and I loved seeing the progression made. The combination of dystopian politics and spirit magic has always been my favourite thing, and this book really shows its strength in this aspect. Though introducing a lot of new power dynamics, mysteries, and problems to be confronted, not for a moment did it feel overwhelming. It's so easy to get pulled in, especially when you're this far into the series.
The characters will always remain some of my favourites, and again with the shift in situation showing a different side to them all, I can only say I fell more in love. I just want to give everyone a hug and one hell of a large coffee. Lord, do they need it.
I feel like there's not too much I can say, with this being the fourth in my favourite series, besides it really is an emotional rollercoaster that I didn't know whether to love, hate, or all of the above. I already know I'll be reading it in the next few months, and I'll love it even more when taking in the details for a second time. But for now I'm just in awe, and shock, and possibly a stage of recovery too.
CW: PTSD, Self Harm
June 9, 2025
check out this rereading vlog i filmed in march 2025 in preparation for the dark mirror!! 🪞❤️🔥
(spoilers ahead)
LITERALLY WHAT THE FLYING FUCK
I'M SUING SAMANTHA SHANNON FOR DAMAGES
i cannot express to you the REACTION i had when all the shit started happening at the end like i was LYING ON MY FLOOR, SCREAMING AT THE SKY, NEAR TEARS, YELLING, and it just kept GETTING WORSE??? like the last 3-4 chapters i barely read any of the words i was just skimming trying to get to the end bc it was all over the place holy shit did i just run a marathon what even happened
me @ me: okay ma'am calm down and allow yourself to write some kind of review for this book
also me: *spongebob running around his brain screaming, everything's on fire*
OKAY OKAY WHEW DEEP BREATHS
i'm not kidding you i haven't had this kind of feeling about a book in like....months....years....ever? this is one of the CRUELEST endings i have ever read in my life and i don't know how i feel about that oh my god...this might be the worst cliffhanger i've ever read oh my god
ANYWAY
this is the fourth book in the series and we knew it was going to ramp things up but my god this is like...wow. there is SO MUCH expansion of the world - it's all about france and paris - but it also explores more of like...the rephs and a little more of jaxon and ALSO PAIGE PROCESSING TRAUMA anyway getting ahead of myself...
so objectively by the end of this like...i'm so mad at ms shannon. she literally crushed my heart in a million pieces. but also...this is the best book in this series. it's the funniest, the most romantic, the most heartening, the most adventurous....the growth in paige in this is just incredible. her relationship with warden is......*has war flashbacks* ....something else. i'm obsessed with this world and these characters and this has cemented this series for me. second half is going to be a goddamn BEAST and i for one cannot WAIT to see where all this is going holy cow
okay i DEFINITELY predicted that cade was a dreamwalker like she has that line where she goes "his aura feels familiar" and i was like HAHAHA unless? and then i forgot about it and THEN I WAS RIGHT?????
when warden got taken i screamed and laid on the floor for like ten minutes
and then when he got possessed i literally couldn't stop yelling at the top of my lungs it was the worst pain i've ever felt
and THEN when she kept calling him the blood-consort i couldn't even read i just skimmed like a whole chapter
AND THEN SAMANTHA HAD THE AUDACITY TO ALMOST BRING THEM TOGETHER AND THEN PAIGE IS GONNA FORGET EVERYTHING I SWEAR TO GOD
AND FUCKING JAXON AND HIS WHOLE MYSTERY LIKE WHAT THE HELL IS HE PLAYING AT
WHO IS CADE WORKING FOR OR WHO IS WORKING FOR HIM
AND OH MY GOD WHEN THAT REPH LET HER GO AFTER THREATENING HER WTF
AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHY THE FLOWER BLOOMED
AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW THE LAST CARD IN THE TAROT DECK
AND MICHAEL'S MISSING
AND THUBAN'S STILL OUT THERE WITHOUT AN EYE
can we talk about arcturus swinging those two opaline swords bc holy shit i ascended
THE SCENE WHERE HE TELLS HER TO LEAVE HIM AND SHE'S LIKE "BITCH I WANT THIS DO YOU" AND HE LITERALLY JUST HAULED HIMSELF UP BC HE LOVES HER SO MUCH
THE OATH! HOW COULD SHE EVER THINK HE'D BETRAY HER WHEN HE MADE THAT FUCKING OATH TO HER!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!!
CADE IS THE DEVIL? BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN
HOW DOES PROMETHEUS AND PANDORA FIT INTO THIS
guys i'm not okay this book broke me
how am i supposed to wait another year or two for the next one oh my god
AND WHO THE FUCK IS DOMINO! WHERE IS WARDEN! WHERE IS PAIGE GOING NEXT!
— jan 2021
(spoilers ahead)
LITERALLY WHAT THE FLYING FUCK
I'M SUING SAMANTHA SHANNON FOR DAMAGES
i cannot express to you the REACTION i had when all the shit started happening at the end like i was LYING ON MY FLOOR, SCREAMING AT THE SKY, NEAR TEARS, YELLING, and it just kept GETTING WORSE??? like the last 3-4 chapters i barely read any of the words i was just skimming trying to get to the end bc it was all over the place holy shit did i just run a marathon what even happened
me @ me: okay ma'am calm down and allow yourself to write some kind of review for this book
also me: *spongebob running around his brain screaming, everything's on fire*
OKAY OKAY WHEW DEEP BREATHS
i'm not kidding you i haven't had this kind of feeling about a book in like....months....years....ever? this is one of the CRUELEST endings i have ever read in my life and i don't know how i feel about that oh my god...this might be the worst cliffhanger i've ever read oh my god
ANYWAY
this is the fourth book in the series and we knew it was going to ramp things up but my god this is like...wow. there is SO MUCH expansion of the world - it's all about france and paris - but it also explores more of like...the rephs and a little more of jaxon and ALSO PAIGE PROCESSING TRAUMA anyway getting ahead of myself...
so objectively by the end of this like...i'm so mad at ms shannon. she literally crushed my heart in a million pieces. but also...this is the best book in this series. it's the funniest, the most romantic, the most heartening, the most adventurous....the growth in paige in this is just incredible. her relationship with warden is......*has war flashbacks* ....something else. i'm obsessed with this world and these characters and this has cemented this series for me. second half is going to be a goddamn BEAST and i for one cannot WAIT to see where all this is going holy cow
okay i DEFINITELY predicted that cade was a dreamwalker like she has that line where she goes "his aura feels familiar" and i was like HAHAHA unless? and then i forgot about it and THEN I WAS RIGHT?????
when warden got taken i screamed and laid on the floor for like ten minutes
and then when he got possessed i literally couldn't stop yelling at the top of my lungs it was the worst pain i've ever felt
and THEN when she kept calling him the blood-consort i couldn't even read i just skimmed like a whole chapter
AND THEN SAMANTHA HAD THE AUDACITY TO ALMOST BRING THEM TOGETHER AND THEN PAIGE IS GONNA FORGET EVERYTHING I SWEAR TO GOD
AND FUCKING JAXON AND HIS WHOLE MYSTERY LIKE WHAT THE HELL IS HE PLAYING AT
WHO IS CADE WORKING FOR OR WHO IS WORKING FOR HIM
AND OH MY GOD WHEN THAT REPH LET HER GO AFTER THREATENING HER WTF
AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHY THE FLOWER BLOOMED
AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW THE LAST CARD IN THE TAROT DECK
AND MICHAEL'S MISSING
AND THUBAN'S STILL OUT THERE WITHOUT AN EYE
can we talk about arcturus swinging those two opaline swords bc holy shit i ascended
THE SCENE WHERE HE TELLS HER TO LEAVE HIM AND SHE'S LIKE "BITCH I WANT THIS DO YOU" AND HE LITERALLY JUST HAULED HIMSELF UP BC HE LOVES HER SO MUCH
THE OATH! HOW COULD SHE EVER THINK HE'D BETRAY HER WHEN HE MADE THAT FUCKING OATH TO HER!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!!
CADE IS THE DEVIL? BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN
HOW DOES PROMETHEUS AND PANDORA FIT INTO THIS
guys i'm not okay this book broke me
how am i supposed to wait another year or two for the next one oh my god
AND WHO THE FUCK IS DOMINO! WHERE IS WARDEN! WHERE IS PAIGE GOING NEXT!
— jan 2021
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2021
What the actual fuck Samantha?!
May 18, 2021
i've got s o m a n y questions
December 8, 2024
samantha shannon you have no idea the extent to which i am inside your walls
Read my full review here
can confirm this hurts even more on the second read but at least i can immediately go read book 5
Literally, why bother saying I love you when you can instead subconsciously remodel your entire dreamscape after the place you first kissed, representative of the safety and trust you found with her and the proof of your unbound loyalty?
“but you were alone, paige” im literally never emotionally recovering from this
Bookstagram | Blog
Read my full review here
can confirm this hurts even more on the second read but at least i can immediately go read book 5
Literally, why bother saying I love you when you can instead subconsciously remodel your entire dreamscape after the place you first kissed, representative of the safety and trust you found with her and the proof of your unbound loyalty?
“but you were alone, paige” im literally never emotionally recovering from this
Bookstagram | Blog
February 9, 2021
The Bone Season series is one that continues to keep growing with every instalment and The Mask Falling was no exception. The world opened up, giving us a glimpse of another City crippled by Scion as Paige joins a covert network of spies trying to take down the government from the inside.
Paige continues to remain true to her impulsive nature while also taking the time to process the events of the last year and rebuild relationships that have suffered as a result of the constant turmoil of her life.
The pacing in here is a well balanced mix of slow-burn character development & dynamic action scenes with shocking plot twists. The twist that this book ends on should honestly be a crime.
I loved getting closer to the truth of the Bone Season world throughout this instalment. 4 books deep and there are still a lot of mysteries to unravel and I enjoyed inching closer with every chapter.
Overall The Mask Falling just further cemented The Bone Season as one of my favourite series of all time and I am eagerly anticipating book 5.
Paige continues to remain true to her impulsive nature while also taking the time to process the events of the last year and rebuild relationships that have suffered as a result of the constant turmoil of her life.
The pacing in here is a well balanced mix of slow-burn character development & dynamic action scenes with shocking plot twists. The twist that this book ends on should honestly be a crime.
I loved getting closer to the truth of the Bone Season world throughout this instalment. 4 books deep and there are still a lot of mysteries to unravel and I enjoyed inching closer with every chapter.
Overall The Mask Falling just further cemented The Bone Season as one of my favourite series of all time and I am eagerly anticipating book 5.
December 18, 2022
Bloody love this series!!
Paige and Warden are in Paris, working for an undercover group called Domino. But Paige also has her own agenda, she is determined to find out more information to bring down Scion.
With all of the action we come to expect from the Bone Season series, with quite a few twists thrown in. I am hooked and I shall wait excitedly for the next book.
************************
Just bought myself a copy with my birthday book voucher 😊
**********************
Me: Now has this from the library and is desperately trying to reread the first three before it needs to be returned.
***********************
February next year release date!!! Hell yeah!!! Maybe I can fit in a reread of the series before it comes out?
Paige and Warden are in Paris, working for an undercover group called Domino. But Paige also has her own agenda, she is determined to find out more information to bring down Scion.
With all of the action we come to expect from the Bone Season series, with quite a few twists thrown in. I am hooked and I shall wait excitedly for the next book.
************************
Just bought myself a copy with my birthday book voucher 😊
**********************
Me: Now has this from the library and is desperately trying to reread the first three before it needs to be returned.
***********************
February next year release date!!! Hell yeah!!! Maybe I can fit in a reread of the series before it comes out?
March 2, 2021
Without doubt my favourite book in The Bone Season series so far! The twists and turns, the events that lead up to the ENDING OMFWJSKLFHSLD
Also, the setting of Paris is just so beautiful and a real nice change of pace for the series. Can't wait to discuss this one for Boneathon!
Also, the setting of Paris is just so beautiful and a real nice change of pace for the series. Can't wait to discuss this one for Boneathon!
June 2, 2021
100/10 for sure.
It's been a long time and process for me to feel even remotely ready to write this review because my emotions are still in such turmoil and excruciating pain after the ending of the book that I can barely go on. I'm sure I won't be able to make a lot of sense but I do want to give it a try and express all that this book meant to me, because it meant the stars and moon and so much more.
The Bone Season has been a wonderful series from the beginning but the way Shannon expands and amplifies everything with each book is a true marvel to witness. If I loved The Song Rising for its depth and emotional value as well as a wonderfully constructed world, well, The Mask Falling made a fall deeply in love and guaranteed that this is one of my favorite series.
A book of emotional distress and slow healing while still having incredible world-building and great action scenes I can never describe it as anything but breathtaking and incredibly enjoyable.
One of the first things that I want to point out is the fact that we pick up nearly immediately from the ending of the previous book. I say nearly because there is a small-time period of about a week in-between. A very important week where we can see more of the raw details and honestly told hard truths of Paige's start to healing. The good thing is that this time is not lost to be only mentioned but we can see it in The Dawn Chorus the novella that comes directly before this fourth book in the series.
I love it when novellas are very important and add to the story and that is exactly what that one did. I also think it was brilliant that the hardest, rawest, and more triggering part of the healing process was handled in a separate work, so if that is uncomfortable or triggering for you you can just skip it and you will not really miss anything.
The start of the book works perfectly and picks the flow neatly from where we were left off so it's very easy and comfortable to get back into the world. And we will still get to partake in the ramifications of the last book.
Shannon is, I think, a revolutionary in the way she has treated this dystopian world.
I am more than used to dystopias being very concentrated in a small part of the world and the very isolating feel that they have. The Bone Season, on the other hand, feels like a very open and big world that is very involved.
We have gotten to see the world already, and this new setting, the ever beautiful Paris, was a wonderful location for all the shadows and secrets, healing, and pain that we get involved with on this location.
Not just that, but the way that we continue to uncover just how big this whole thing is, just what we can expect of the world and the rules that we are playing with, well, it felt grand and like we are finally seeing the whole picture. With the domino pieces settling into place and the world being less unknown.
Paris, as a location, just added to the magic and mysteriousness of the whole ordeal. I can honestly not imagine a more perfect place for all of this to go down and feel as distinctive and alive and magical as it did in this wonderful city.
Add to that the fact of discovering the dynamics of the perdues and the Underground and we just have a very compelling and all-encompassing book.
It is, to a degree, a slower book.
We take a lot of time to explore the relationship between our two protagonists and that is just the one thing I had been craving desperately for a while, and it is all done in a way that makes perfect sense for them to have that kind of time.
It was the sweetest most perfect crescendo and resolution of a tightly coiled story ever. I swear, it's one of my favorite developed love stories because is so incredibly careful in the slow progression of it and the incredibly believable build-up of trust and closeness.
The amount of trust and devotion they both show each other is just so soul-touching. And it is something that they both need to have in the messed up world that they live in. That trust that the other can do what is necessary and they will be okay, but also that the other will be there for them if, when, they need it and be the rock to steady each other is just... I have no words to properly describe it, really. I just know that it steals my soul every single time.
It's romantic and tender and really sweet but it's also comfortable and breathable and strong. Just, the sort of relationship I would want to have.
Of course, I cannot forget that this is also an incredibly painful book. In more than one level.
Even before I started reading the book I knew it was not gonna be easy because there was no way that the events of the previous book did not take a toll on Paige and that we would have to deal with that.
That was handled beautifully and realistically through the whole book. Which I love because it's not something that can be done in a second or that wouldn't pop up in the most unexpected of times, and we do have plenty of unexpected - and other rather expected - times when we have to deal with it all. As well as the fact that Shannon took the time to process it all, or attempt to, and she did not shy away from any of it.
All of it was done respectfully and caringly but without sugar-coting the fact that is ever-present and hard and something that you need great courage to confront. It was a very beautiful thing to read and see.
Then we have the least expected ways that this book hurt me too. Well, maybe not so unexpected because I did see many warnings that a certain chapter was nothing but pain and misery, and I have to agree with it.
The way the story progressed and the places we went towards the end, well, let's just say that is one of the most painful cliffhangers/endings I have ever read. So incredibly wonderful and shocking.
Just the way that it opens the story for where we are gonna move from now and to draw lines in the sand is amazing and really rewarding and satisfying. Sure, maybe I could barely keep myself together and had expended the last bit of the book sobbing my eyes out, but it was all perfect.
All the characters were amazing, as expected, too.
Paige is such a determined and resilient character that I always find great pleasure in reading of her exploits but I must say that her development and the ways she has matured and grown are my favorite thing to witness in her. She's a badass but she also knows how to be emotional and care a lot. It's a fine line that I think she manages splendidly.
Arcturus is such a fun guy, really, that is also crazy wise and, on occasion, really dumb, it all just works together really well and ensures that I always have a blast seeing whatever he is up to. Seeing all the ways he has grown, too, is just so rewarding and satisfying that I can't help but feel incredibly proud of them.
The new characters that we are introduced to are all so varied and different that it can't help but be really fun. I liked them all for very different reasons each and every one of them, but the one thing they all had in common that I enjoy it's their shadiness and mysteriousness about anything to do more personally with them. Of course, it makes sense why each and everyone one of them is mysterious, which only enhances everything.
It was also fun to get to see a few old faces that I was not expecting to see again. They did blow my mind on more than one occasion.
I will always find it satisfying and great when a story connects neatly with its previous installments and I can't fail to mention just how happy it made me, seeing the connectivity working great in this work.
From just remembering something that happens a long time ago, because flashbacks are just really nice and I always enjoy them, as well as the fact that they refresh my memory when it sags.
We also had some of the things that we had been told early on explained and finally make sense and, well, I love how much sense it makes. The way the thread was right there but we were just not unable to really connect it or see it. And that happens on more than one occasion in the book. Blowing my mind every time.
Seeing again how of the threads that we have been following since the beginning just continues to have great importance and impact is really satisfying and nice to see, especially since at the beginning I had thought it wasn't that important, is nice to be proven so utterly wrong. I had theorized over it a bit but I must say that I wasn't expecting the route it ended up taking.
To say that I really loved this book is to be completely right because I practically lived with it through all the action and pain and calm moments. All of it weaving to create a beautiful piece of art.
It's a story that has quickly risen to be one of my all-time favorites and to occupy a very special place in my heart for its deeply and well-created characters to the amazing emotional connectivity and action-packed world-building.
__________________
That ending... I'll need forever to get over that ending. Honestly, a book ending hadn't chilled me so since Lord of Shadows.
My heart is in little pieces and I'm so anxious and shocked. The sole idea of having to wait years for the next book is making me suffer even more already. Like I wasn't in deep, agonizing pain already.
I'll need an eternity to get over this book.
RTC.
__________________
After the amazingness of The Dawn Chorus I've been super excited to finally be able to read this continuation, not that I wasn't excited before, and now it's finally here!!!!
I'm all here for the emotional rollercoaster this is gonna be and to get back into this very, very interesting world.
The fact that it takes place in Paris, and will probably give me an excuse to practice my French, is just a bonus that I'll take gladly and obsessed over for the foreseeable future.
“It is a beautiful mask, but all masks fall. In the end.”
It's been a long time and process for me to feel even remotely ready to write this review because my emotions are still in such turmoil and excruciating pain after the ending of the book that I can barely go on. I'm sure I won't be able to make a lot of sense but I do want to give it a try and express all that this book meant to me, because it meant the stars and moon and so much more.
The Bone Season has been a wonderful series from the beginning but the way Shannon expands and amplifies everything with each book is a true marvel to witness. If I loved The Song Rising for its depth and emotional value as well as a wonderfully constructed world, well, The Mask Falling made a fall deeply in love and guaranteed that this is one of my favorite series.
A book of emotional distress and slow healing while still having incredible world-building and great action scenes I can never describe it as anything but breathtaking and incredibly enjoyable.
“You never can [go back to being the person you were before] That person is dead. So is the person you were yesterday. Death is not an ending. It is only a change of seasons. Passage from one state to another. Your new form is fragile, but in time, it will grow strong. Be patient with yourself.”
One of the first things that I want to point out is the fact that we pick up nearly immediately from the ending of the previous book. I say nearly because there is a small-time period of about a week in-between. A very important week where we can see more of the raw details and honestly told hard truths of Paige's start to healing. The good thing is that this time is not lost to be only mentioned but we can see it in The Dawn Chorus the novella that comes directly before this fourth book in the series.
I love it when novellas are very important and add to the story and that is exactly what that one did. I also think it was brilliant that the hardest, rawest, and more triggering part of the healing process was handled in a separate work, so if that is uncomfortable or triggering for you you can just skip it and you will not really miss anything.
The start of the book works perfectly and picks the flow neatly from where we were left off so it's very easy and comfortable to get back into the world. And we will still get to partake in the ramifications of the last book.
“To disappear between shadow and stone. To walk the buried places of the world and still draw breath. To be everywhere and nowhere, seeing all, known and unknown. To rise from the depths, never seeking the sun. To live as one already dead, and with the dead beside.”
Shannon is, I think, a revolutionary in the way she has treated this dystopian world.
I am more than used to dystopias being very concentrated in a small part of the world and the very isolating feel that they have. The Bone Season, on the other hand, feels like a very open and big world that is very involved.
We have gotten to see the world already, and this new setting, the ever beautiful Paris, was a wonderful location for all the shadows and secrets, healing, and pain that we get involved with on this location.
Not just that, but the way that we continue to uncover just how big this whole thing is, just what we can expect of the world and the rules that we are playing with, well, it felt grand and like we are finally seeing the whole picture. With the domino pieces settling into place and the world being less unknown.
Paris, as a location, just added to the magic and mysteriousness of the whole ordeal. I can honestly not imagine a more perfect place for all of this to go down and feel as distinctive and alive and magical as it did in this wonderful city.
Add to that the fact of discovering the dynamics of the perdues and the Underground and we just have a very compelling and all-encompassing book.
“Let the aether bear witness. I will never keep from you what you should know. I will never conspire against you, nor betray you by word or thought or deed. I will never, by choice, abandon you to your enemies, nor forsake you in adversity. In body and spirit, I am bound to this oath. Seo í mo mhóid shollúinte.”
It is, to a degree, a slower book.
We take a lot of time to explore the relationship between our two protagonists and that is just the one thing I had been craving desperately for a while, and it is all done in a way that makes perfect sense for them to have that kind of time.
It was the sweetest most perfect crescendo and resolution of a tightly coiled story ever. I swear, it's one of my favorite developed love stories because is so incredibly careful in the slow progression of it and the incredibly believable build-up of trust and closeness.
The amount of trust and devotion they both show each other is just so soul-touching. And it is something that they both need to have in the messed up world that they live in. That trust that the other can do what is necessary and they will be okay, but also that the other will be there for them if, when, they need it and be the rock to steady each other is just... I have no words to properly describe it, really. I just know that it steals my soul every single time.
It's romantic and tender and really sweet but it's also comfortable and breathable and strong. Just, the sort of relationship I would want to have.
“I was six. I was stumbling over bodies and through lakes of blood. I was twenty and in hell and there was no escape. My past and present selves were side by side.”
Of course, I cannot forget that this is also an incredibly painful book. In more than one level.
Even before I started reading the book I knew it was not gonna be easy because there was no way that the events of the previous book did not take a toll on Paige and that we would have to deal with that.
That was handled beautifully and realistically through the whole book. Which I love because it's not something that can be done in a second or that wouldn't pop up in the most unexpected of times, and we do have plenty of unexpected - and other rather expected - times when we have to deal with it all. As well as the fact that Shannon took the time to process it all, or attempt to, and she did not shy away from any of it.
All of it was done respectfully and caringly but without sugar-coting the fact that is ever-present and hard and something that you need great courage to confront. It was a very beautiful thing to read and see.
Then we have the least expected ways that this book hurt me too. Well, maybe not so unexpected because I did see many warnings that a certain chapter was nothing but pain and misery, and I have to agree with it.
The way the story progressed and the places we went towards the end, well, let's just say that is one of the most painful cliffhangers/endings I have ever read. So incredibly wonderful and shocking.
Just the way that it opens the story for where we are gonna move from now and to draw lines in the sand is amazing and really rewarding and satisfying. Sure, maybe I could barely keep myself together and had expended the last bit of the book sobbing my eyes out, but it was all perfect.
“[…] I had to make him understand that this was real, that words spoken behind a mask were no less genuine.”
All the characters were amazing, as expected, too.
Paige is such a determined and resilient character that I always find great pleasure in reading of her exploits but I must say that her development and the ways she has matured and grown are my favorite thing to witness in her. She's a badass but she also knows how to be emotional and care a lot. It's a fine line that I think she manages splendidly.
Arcturus is such a fun guy, really, that is also crazy wise and, on occasion, really dumb, it all just works together really well and ensures that I always have a blast seeing whatever he is up to. Seeing all the ways he has grown, too, is just so rewarding and satisfying that I can't help but feel incredibly proud of them.
The new characters that we are introduced to are all so varied and different that it can't help but be really fun. I liked them all for very different reasons each and every one of them, but the one thing they all had in common that I enjoy it's their shadiness and mysteriousness about anything to do more personally with them. Of course, it makes sense why each and everyone one of them is mysterious, which only enhances everything.
It was also fun to get to see a few old faces that I was not expecting to see again. They did blow my mind on more than one occasion.
“Voyants don’t dream. And in the Mime Order, we strive for more than petty treason. We act.”
I will always find it satisfying and great when a story connects neatly with its previous installments and I can't fail to mention just how happy it made me, seeing the connectivity working great in this work.
From just remembering something that happens a long time ago, because flashbacks are just really nice and I always enjoy them, as well as the fact that they refresh my memory when it sags.
We also had some of the things that we had been told early on explained and finally make sense and, well, I love how much sense it makes. The way the thread was right there but we were just not unable to really connect it or see it. And that happens on more than one occasion in the book. Blowing my mind every time.
Seeing again how of the threads that we have been following since the beginning just continues to have great importance and impact is really satisfying and nice to see, especially since at the beginning I had thought it wasn't that important, is nice to be proven so utterly wrong. I had theorized over it a bit but I must say that I wasn't expecting the route it ended up taking.
“You have risen from the ashes before, Arcturus had told me. The only way to survive is to believe you always will.”
To say that I really loved this book is to be completely right because I practically lived with it through all the action and pain and calm moments. All of it weaving to create a beautiful piece of art.
It's a story that has quickly risen to be one of my all-time favorites and to occupy a very special place in my heart for its deeply and well-created characters to the amazing emotional connectivity and action-packed world-building.
“Every moment, every breath, moved me closer to my end. There was no more time to waste. I had come so close to death again. Now I meant to live with abandon.”
__________________
That ending... I'll need forever to get over that ending. Honestly, a book ending hadn't chilled me so since Lord of Shadows.
My heart is in little pieces and I'm so anxious and shocked. The sole idea of having to wait years for the next book is making me suffer even more already. Like I wasn't in deep, agonizing pain already.
I'll need an eternity to get over this book.
RTC.
__________________
After the amazingness of The Dawn Chorus I've been super excited to finally be able to read this continuation, not that I wasn't excited before, and now it's finally here!!!!
I'm all here for the emotional rollercoaster this is gonna be and to get back into this very, very interesting world.
The fact that it takes place in Paris, and will probably give me an excuse to practice my French, is just a bonus that I'll take gladly and obsessed over for the foreseeable future.
December 12, 2024
There's a quote in The Mask Falling that perfectly describes not only my feelings towards this installment but the whole series in general so far; "I am of the considered opinion that for every person, there exists a book that will sing to them. I trust that you will find yours." I always say, with each new one that I read, how fond I am of this series, how incredible it is, how potent it is, how dear it is to my heart. But when I read that quote I realized, to sum it up, it truly is a series that sings to me.
This book it took me on this unforgettable and unputdownable journey that had me so intensely trapped that a theory I had since book one flew straight over my head because I was so caught in Paige's experiences, trauma, healing, and reactions. It says a lot about Shannon's writing that I didn't see, not only the ending coming, but also that twist even though it was something I had found myself wondering about for so long. I also had trouble figuring out which characters I could trust and which I couldn't trust, again attributed to Shannon's writing and myself being so caught in Paige's perspective, and also a major factor in what led that twist to flying straight over my head.
Paige has gone through so much leading up this point in the series and the accumulation of all of that was beautifully conveyed and written. I don't think I have ever read a book that has so perfectly showcased the effects of trauma in a character that has been through anything similar to what Paige went through. I cried with Paige, I cried when she didn't even cry. It was heartbreaking and then experiencing her growth and her slowly beginning to piece herself back together was so potent.
Arcturus/ Warden. The romance that has been slowly building since book one. I don't even want to really go into detail about this in my review because it was such a joy to experience first hand that I don't want to spoil that for anyone else. If he hadn't already stolen my heart he would have surely stolen it ten times over in The Mask Falling. How gentle he is with Paige, how supportive. I'll never be over it. He deserves the whole world and will always be my favorite.
As always I am also completely blown away by the continued growth and complexity of the world in these books and how far reaching it spreads between the different countries and different voyant syndicates. There is no other series I have read to date that has been able to achieve this as seamlessly as Shannon does in The Bone Season. I can't wait to see where the next book is going to take us after the events of this one.
I don't want to say much else beyond the fact that my emotions as still all over the place after that cliffhanger and I don't know what I'm going to do while I eagerly await TBS5. (Probably come up with a ton of new theories.) The Mask Falling was a journey that definitely left me on the edge of my seat and left a lot unknown about the future. Bring on book hangover mode as I try not to just reread the whole series over and over again! As always this book was completely worth the wait.
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4.20.2017
When it's been nearly two months since you read The Song Rising and all you can think about is how you really want TBS4 now. *wishes for a time machine*
8.8.2019
Finished rereading the whole series up to this point again. Is it 2020 yet!? I need this book. Dx
3.11.2020
YESSS! Finally a title and a blurb, now next a cover! I need it to be 2021 now please and thank you.
8.12.2020
WE HAVE A COVER AND IT’S GORGEOUS!! The excitement is building!! Is it February yet!?
This book it took me on this unforgettable and unputdownable journey that had me so intensely trapped that a theory I had since book one flew straight over my head because I was so caught in Paige's experiences, trauma, healing, and reactions. It says a lot about Shannon's writing that I didn't see, not only the ending coming, but also that twist even though it was something I had found myself wondering about for so long. I also had trouble figuring out which characters I could trust and which I couldn't trust, again attributed to Shannon's writing and myself being so caught in Paige's perspective, and also a major factor in what led that twist to flying straight over my head.
Paige has gone through so much leading up this point in the series and the accumulation of all of that was beautifully conveyed and written. I don't think I have ever read a book that has so perfectly showcased the effects of trauma in a character that has been through anything similar to what Paige went through. I cried with Paige, I cried when she didn't even cry. It was heartbreaking and then experiencing her growth and her slowly beginning to piece herself back together was so potent.
Arcturus/ Warden. The romance that has been slowly building since book one. I don't even want to really go into detail about this in my review because it was such a joy to experience first hand that I don't want to spoil that for anyone else. If he hadn't already stolen my heart he would have surely stolen it ten times over in The Mask Falling. How gentle he is with Paige, how supportive. I'll never be over it. He deserves the whole world and will always be my favorite.
As always I am also completely blown away by the continued growth and complexity of the world in these books and how far reaching it spreads between the different countries and different voyant syndicates. There is no other series I have read to date that has been able to achieve this as seamlessly as Shannon does in The Bone Season. I can't wait to see where the next book is going to take us after the events of this one.
I don't want to say much else beyond the fact that my emotions as still all over the place after that cliffhanger and I don't know what I'm going to do while I eagerly await TBS5. (Probably come up with a ton of new theories.) The Mask Falling was a journey that definitely left me on the edge of my seat and left a lot unknown about the future. Bring on book hangover mode as I try not to just reread the whole series over and over again! As always this book was completely worth the wait.
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4.20.2017
When it's been nearly two months since you read The Song Rising and all you can think about is how you really want TBS4 now. *wishes for a time machine*
8.8.2019
Finished rereading the whole series up to this point again. Is it 2020 yet!? I need this book. Dx
3.11.2020
YESSS! Finally a title and a blurb, now next a cover! I need it to be 2021 now please and thank you.
8.12.2020
WE HAVE A COVER AND IT’S GORGEOUS!! The excitement is building!! Is it February yet!?
February 28, 2025
5 stars! No thoughts and all the thoughts all at the same time! I CANNOT WAIT OVER A YEAR AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT BOOK! and an estimated 5 years until the series is complete... I may just die
January 29, 2021
For me, the soul of this series has always been the relationship between Paige and Arcturus. It’s apt that this book, the exact middle of the series and as Samantha Shannon describes it, its heart, spends so much time with this pair. The intensity and uniqueness of their bond really emerges as the shining jewel of this series.
It’s clear that Samantha Shannon was intentional about putting Arcturus and Paige on equal footing for the first time in The Mask Falling. She manages the power dynamic between them with such attention and nuance, reversing their roles often and fluidly escaping gender roles. The protector role comes naturally to Arcturus, given his immortal strength and anxiety about losing Paige (it’s even part of the etymology of their names), but for much of The Mask Falling he is her silent shadow, trailing behind her and supporting her quietly. They negotiate their differences with refreshing candor and in good faith, their arguments free from ego. “My fear is not your cage,” Arcturus tells her. “I will never ask you to mold yourself to it.” His affection for her is empowering, supportive, never constrictive or diminishing. Paige herself is markedly independent, doing the bulk of her fighting and plotting on her own. When she does seek support from Arcturus, there is no sense of her own strength being diminished, and as often as he rescues her, she turns around and rescues him just as easily.
Indeed, while Arcturus is the immortal god, it is Paige’s power that really shines in this book. Her incredible ingenuity and strength is on full display, getting her out of certain-death scenarios at such a gripping pace I had to cover the pages with my hands to avoid glancing ahead. She couples her incredible powers with extraordinary mental fortitude and an acute conscience; each of her escapades has a satisfying emotional resonance that breathes life into her political quest. Whereas many YA heroines possessed of supernatural power oscillate between immobilizing moral anxiety and moral bankruptcy, Paige tempers her impulsiveness with reason (most of the time) and a powerful motive for justice. It’s clear that she has yet to access the full extent of her abilities, and I’m eager to see what roles she’ll play in the fight to take down Scion.
While previous installments show Arcturus/Warden on various levels of guardedness, The Mask Falling gives us time and space in excess to see his true character. I was struck by his compassion, his hopefulness despite all that he has endured. He is often reassuring and comforting Paige, his optimism clear-eyed and measured. The contrast is especially stark with his persona in The Bone Season, where he appears cold and calculating, morally gray at best. In this book, he is almost unbearably kind, devastatingly sweet and thoughtful. As Paige remarks, “there was nothing terrible before me now.” The almost unimaginable beauty of his character is achieved with such a soft touch; the books are not about Arcturus being the the epitome of goodness - he simply is.
A central thread of tension of this book follows Paige and Arcturus negotiating their relationship and coming to terms with their mutual attraction. Samantha Shannon manages this tension beautifully, carrying it forward constantly with poignant moments of intimacy interspersed with Paige’s honest internal dialogue. The smallest interactions and gestures between them felt so heightened. There are all the classic scenes - getting drunk and saying too much, jealousy spirals about past relationships, almost-kiss scenes interrupted, near-death confessions - all building up to a beautiful and satisfying climax.
Samantha Shannon writes intimacy incredibly well. The love scenes feel specific to the characters, managing to be both meaningful and erotic. Romances between an immortal man and a mortal woman in particular tend to translate the man’s primal instincts and extreme physical strength into a voracious sexual appetite that leaves little room for gentleness and consideration. Arcturus really breaks the mold in this respect. He is so reverent, so sincere, so generous with Paige in a way few male characters with female partners approximate. Rather than relying on an imbalance of power in order to convey eroticism, the sexiness of Arcturus and Paige’s dynamic derives from the equality of their relationship. It’s so difficult to create a heterosexual romance unsullied by patriarchy, and Samantha Shannon gets close to that here.
I wonder if it is Arcturus’ immortal nature that makes him such a uniquely engaging character. Samantha Shannon really commits to that aspect of him - he’s not just a hot teenager. The best word I can think of to describe him is mature. He is so beyond the petty concerns of YA love interests, so ego-less and self-reliant. One of my favorite ways he diverges from human men - and traditional male love interests - is his lack of fixation on Paige’s physical appearance. This book has several of the classic moments that would typically elicit a remark or a look from the love interest on the heroine’s appearance, often framed as a cute romantic moment. Yet when Paige dresses up, or dyes her hair - even when she asks him outright - he never comments on the way she looks. “A human might have whispered in my ear, told me I was beautiful or perfect, but not him.” I love that. I’ve never found that lustful, almost predatory demeanor in male love interests nearly as sexy as the author would like it to be, and it always rubs me the wrong way when the man telling the woman she’s beautiful is framed as the epitome of romance. It strikes me as a very lazy way to convey attraction, for one thing, and it reeks of benevolent sexism. Arcturus never plays into those supposedly romantic tropes of disparaging other women in favor of the heroine or being selectively kind. His love for Paige is so pure.
I continue to be impressed by the sheer scale of worldbuilding in this series. Many books attempt to create fictional tyrannical governments, but few succeed in building one as convincing and elaborate as Scion. The Mask Falling peels back even more layers of this complex world, bringing to fruition seeds planted in the very first book. Although the basic plot leans on some familiar tropes, Samantha Shannon always manages to add an additional twist of the screw. The complexity of this series is truly extraordinary, drawing on etymology and mythology, dropping mysteries and complicating loyalties with incredible dexterity. (I will be eagerly spinning out my theories on my Tumblr if anyone cares to join!)
This was the kind of book that captivated me immediately, left me lying awake at night and had me eating energy bars for dinner so I could keep reading. It was such a visceral, immersive experience, the kind where returning to the physical reality is almost physically disorienting. It’s been two days since I finished it and I’m still clinging to that fictional world, wishing I didn’t have to leave. Books like these are rare for me, and I’m still marveling at the miracle of finding that book that in Arcturus’ words, exists for everyone: “a book that will sing to them.”
August 31, 2024
‘Paris.’ I cast my gaze over the river. ‘It’s magnificent. So much of Scion is. Isn’t that sick?’
‘It is a beautiful mask, but all masks fall. In the end.’
THAT ENDING SAMANTHA SHANNON WTF I AM IN YOUR WALLS OMG WTF 😭😭😭😭😭😭
silly me... thought i could guess what was coming.... i didn't stand a chance.
anyways, this solidified samantha shannon as one of my new fav all time authors while simultaneously blindsiding and emotionally devastating me 😄
BOOK FIVE I NEED YOU NOW!!!
‘Morals, Paige, are for the lucky ones. Conscience is for those who have the luxury of choice.’
‘I want to show one person my true face. I want … just one place, one safe place, where I don’t have to be Black Moth. Otherwise she will consume me.’
‘I can offer you nothing,’ he said. ‘Only a song in the shadows.’
‘Sing it to me,’ I whispered back.
_____________________
𖡼𖤣𖥧 preread 𖥧𖤣𖡼
i'm SO stoked to see what happens in this (and scared 😅)
‘It is a beautiful mask, but all masks fall. In the end.’
THAT ENDING SAMANTHA SHANNON WTF I AM IN YOUR WALLS OMG WTF 😭😭😭😭😭😭
silly me... thought i could guess what was coming.... i didn't stand a chance.
anyways, this solidified samantha shannon as one of my new fav all time authors while simultaneously blindsiding and emotionally devastating me 😄
BOOK FIVE I NEED YOU NOW!!!
‘Morals, Paige, are for the lucky ones. Conscience is for those who have the luxury of choice.’
‘I want to show one person my true face. I want … just one place, one safe place, where I don’t have to be Black Moth. Otherwise she will consume me.’
‘I can offer you nothing,’ he said. ‘Only a song in the shadows.’
‘Sing it to me,’ I whispered back.
_____________________
𖡼𖤣𖥧 preread 𖥧𖤣𖡼
i'm SO stoked to see what happens in this (and scared 😅)
June 4, 2021
"It is a beautiful mask, but all masks fall. In the end."
1) The bone season ★★★★☆
2) The mime order ★★★★★
3) The song rising ★★★★★
nobody talk to me i want to cry in peace
1) The bone season ★★★★☆
2) The mime order ★★★★★
3) The song rising ★★★★★
nobody talk to me i want to cry in peace
May 11, 2025
3⭐️
I don't know what it is about this series, but it's overall just okay. Like I don't love it, but I definitely don't hate it. It's kind of just floating around in the middle for me.
Just like every other book in this series, I really enjoyed the characters and I really think Paige, our FMC, has grown tenfold since the first book. This girl is seriously badass and I can't describe her any other way. This girl is something else, even if some of her actions are questionable. She's very much a "don't even think of telling me what to do or I'm going to do the complete opposite." And that can be good thing at times, but others I'm just like girl, for the love of- DO YOU LISTEN AT ALL? 😭
The side characters really stand out in this book too. There are clear enemies and clear allies but it's the ones in the middle; the betrayal's of those you don't expect that keep this so interesting. Warden plays a huge role in this book, but I just kinda of found him to be mid. There's nothing particularly unique or different about him he's just kind of there.
This series is my absolute go to when it comes to revolutions and war and politics. This book has entirely a war plot. I really enjoy that aspect of it, but after reading this, it kinda felt like we were going in circles. I mean that in both just this book and the series as a whole. I didn't find anything special really that set this apart from the others. It was interesting and fun, but I found it to be pretty repetitive.
The writing itself takes some getting used to and if you're not paying close attention to what's being said and described it can be very easy to miss an important part of the plot. Definitely a book that takes close attention and remembering little details. This can be draining at times and you'll need to read it when you're ready to be fully invested.
Overall, this series isn't the greatest thing ever but it has plenty of good moments. I wish it had me on the edge of my seat more but something about this book just doesn't completely draw me in. I could be found bored at times and just wish something more exciting would happen. The ending though? Amazing. The end really came through when some of the rest of the book didn't. There's currently only one more released in this series and then I'll be caught up but I'm excited to see where it picks up from how this left off.
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➼𝒫𝓇𝑒-ℛ𝑒𝒶𝒹:
I'm so close to finishing all the released books in this series and I've heard such good things about this one so I'm excited 🙂↕️
I don't know what it is about this series, but it's overall just okay. Like I don't love it, but I definitely don't hate it. It's kind of just floating around in the middle for me.
Just like every other book in this series, I really enjoyed the characters and I really think Paige, our FMC, has grown tenfold since the first book. This girl is seriously badass and I can't describe her any other way. This girl is something else, even if some of her actions are questionable. She's very much a "don't even think of telling me what to do or I'm going to do the complete opposite." And that can be good thing at times, but others I'm just like girl, for the love of- DO YOU LISTEN AT ALL? 😭
The side characters really stand out in this book too. There are clear enemies and clear allies but it's the ones in the middle; the betrayal's of those you don't expect that keep this so interesting. Warden plays a huge role in this book, but I just kinda of found him to be mid. There's nothing particularly unique or different about him he's just kind of there.
This series is my absolute go to when it comes to revolutions and war and politics. This book has entirely a war plot. I really enjoy that aspect of it, but after reading this, it kinda felt like we were going in circles. I mean that in both just this book and the series as a whole. I didn't find anything special really that set this apart from the others. It was interesting and fun, but I found it to be pretty repetitive.
The writing itself takes some getting used to and if you're not paying close attention to what's being said and described it can be very easy to miss an important part of the plot. Definitely a book that takes close attention and remembering little details. This can be draining at times and you'll need to read it when you're ready to be fully invested.
Overall, this series isn't the greatest thing ever but it has plenty of good moments. I wish it had me on the edge of my seat more but something about this book just doesn't completely draw me in. I could be found bored at times and just wish something more exciting would happen. The ending though? Amazing. The end really came through when some of the rest of the book didn't. There's currently only one more released in this series and then I'll be caught up but I'm excited to see where it picks up from how this left off.
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➼𝒫𝓇𝑒-ℛ𝑒𝒶𝒹:
I'm so close to finishing all the released books in this series and I've heard such good things about this one so I'm excited 🙂↕️
January 28, 2021
Unlike pretty much all of the positive review here, I paid for this book and I am not a literary critic. Just a normal person who fell in love the The Bone Season many years ago.
I am finished with this book and I will say I am disappointed. The story line and activity is redundant and there is minimal character development and growth. The central activity, (i.e. Paige fights things) feels very similar to the other books... there is lots of running and jumping and fighting and crawling through tunnels and bleeding etc. The settings themselves are very familiar, underground tunnels, safe houses, and places Paige snuck into. This would be overlooked if not for the same central themes being redundant... Are they together or not? Is Paige capable of leading a revolution or not? Can Paige heal her wounds (internal and external) or not? Can Paige trust the people around her or not? Will Paige survive this self sacrifice or not? Who is Jaxon Hall working for? I mean literally these are the same questions/themes in the previous two novels. Also, for having been at the revolution/leadership game for awhile everything is still happening on such a small scale. I have trouble accepting that Paige is really leading a revolution when we are talking about 2 communities within 2 cities out of all the Scion held countries. She needs to grow and expand her horizons and push for real leadership with scale to make this storyline plausible.
I feel like I am reading the 2nd/3rd installation all over again but it takes place in France and there is some fancy French dialogue and pretty imagery. The first book in this series was original and had a storyline that felt like it was constantly developing. I feel that this series has been more or less the same for the last several books and that the author really is not putting her creativity to this series anymore.
Don't get me wrong, there are one or two new plot twists, but they are OBVIOUS to everyone except the main characters. Unfortunately, after waiting so long for this book I was just hoping for so much more than we get here.
I am finished with this book and I will say I am disappointed. The story line and activity is redundant and there is minimal character development and growth. The central activity, (i.e. Paige fights things) feels very similar to the other books... there is lots of running and jumping and fighting and crawling through tunnels and bleeding etc. The settings themselves are very familiar, underground tunnels, safe houses, and places Paige snuck into. This would be overlooked if not for the same central themes being redundant... Are they together or not? Is Paige capable of leading a revolution or not? Can Paige heal her wounds (internal and external) or not? Can Paige trust the people around her or not? Will Paige survive this self sacrifice or not? Who is Jaxon Hall working for? I mean literally these are the same questions/themes in the previous two novels. Also, for having been at the revolution/leadership game for awhile everything is still happening on such a small scale. I have trouble accepting that Paige is really leading a revolution when we are talking about 2 communities within 2 cities out of all the Scion held countries. She needs to grow and expand her horizons and push for real leadership with scale to make this storyline plausible.
I feel like I am reading the 2nd/3rd installation all over again but it takes place in France and there is some fancy French dialogue and pretty imagery. The first book in this series was original and had a storyline that felt like it was constantly developing. I feel that this series has been more or less the same for the last several books and that the author really is not putting her creativity to this series anymore.
Don't get me wrong, there are one or two new plot twists, but they are OBVIOUS to everyone except the main characters. Unfortunately, after waiting so long for this book I was just hoping for so much more than we get here.
May 29, 2022
Every time I re read this I love it just a bit more <3
November 19, 2020
[4 stars]
Thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me an early copy of this for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed in this review are solely mine.
Longer review to come closer to publication date. I think I might even read this one again in January before it comes out so I can give more proper thoughts. But boy oh boy is this a heck of an installment in the series.
Thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me an early copy of this for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed in this review are solely mine.
Longer review to come closer to publication date. I think I might even read this one again in January before it comes out so I can give more proper thoughts. But boy oh boy is this a heck of an installment in the series.
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June 18, 2025jestem tak confused, że nie wiem jak to ocenić i mam nadzieję, że Samantha jeszcze ogarnia te wszystkie zawiłości i zdrady, bo ja już przestaje…
July 21, 2021
I struggled with this one. As so many authors do, Ms Shannon is badly in need of a competent editor, as this book is far too long for what it is. Like Sarah Maas, George RR Martin and others, early success seems to lead to over indulgence. This also marred Ms Shannon's previous tome, The Priory of the Orange Tree, it was just too long for the story it told.
Having said that, this is still an impressive fourth installment in the enthralling Bone Season series. It's failings noted, it is still a most enjoyable journey. I give it 3.5 stars, done up to four just for Paige and Arcturus if no one else.
Having said that, this is still an impressive fourth installment in the enthralling Bone Season series. It's failings noted, it is still a most enjoyable journey. I give it 3.5 stars, done up to four just for Paige and Arcturus if no one else.
March 13, 2021
What an enormously frustrating read. Since it has been a few years since the last book, I marathoned the previous installments before diving into this one, and a very distinctive pattern emerged that made this book more tedious than enjoyable.
First off, nothing substantially new happens here. TMF takes the best bits of books 2 and 3, smooshes them together, and makes it happen in France:
Must frustratingly, Paige continues a very notable trend of making bad decisions due to her tendency to absolutely 100% trust everything everyone tells her (even people she knows are the bad guys), and take it at face value. She then goes immediately into reactionary mode and doesn't consult anyone about her next actions or give herself time to analyze the information, because she absolutely must act on it right away Or Else. This leads to her creating a clusterfuck of a situation that could have been avoided with some thought or outside consultations, and subsequently getting herself and her allies badly hurt in the process. She then has to spend the rest of the book unfucking her bad decisions.
She never pauses to question things until it is too late, and then realizes she has been an fool who misunderstood everything. Over and over again.
One such misunderstanding sets the stage for the next installment. Previously, on social media, Shannon had said that Paige's reaction her recent trauma makes her drastically misunderstand a situation in this book and, given how things end, it's pretty obvious what that situation is. And, yet again, if she had took thirty seconds to actually think, she would have realized what was up. All of the evidence was right in front of her.
After reading all four volumes back-to-back and noticing this very distinctive pattern, and her utter inability to learn from it, I have come to the conclusion that, for me at least, Paige is exhausting. Warden/Arcturus is an absolute Saint for putting up with her incessantly bad decisions. I, however, am not, and am honestly not sure if I will be continuing with what was once a unique and promising series.
First off, nothing substantially new happens here. TMF takes the best bits of books 2 and 3, smooshes them together, and makes it happen in France:
Must frustratingly, Paige continues a very notable trend of making bad decisions due to her tendency to absolutely 100% trust everything everyone tells her (even people she knows are the bad guys), and take it at face value. She then goes immediately into reactionary mode and doesn't consult anyone about her next actions or give herself time to analyze the information, because she absolutely must act on it right away Or Else. This leads to her creating a clusterfuck of a situation that could have been avoided with some thought or outside consultations, and subsequently getting herself and her allies badly hurt in the process. She then has to spend the rest of the book unfucking her bad decisions.
She never pauses to question things until it is too late, and then realizes she has been an fool who misunderstood everything. Over and over again.
One such misunderstanding sets the stage for the next installment. Previously, on social media, Shannon had said that Paige's reaction her recent trauma makes her drastically misunderstand a situation in this book and, given how things end, it's pretty obvious what that situation is. And, yet again, if she had took thirty seconds to actually think, she would have realized what was up. All of the evidence was right in front of her.
After reading all four volumes back-to-back and noticing this very distinctive pattern, and her utter inability to learn from it, I have come to the conclusion that, for me at least, Paige is exhausting. Warden/Arcturus is an absolute Saint for putting up with her incessantly bad decisions. I, however, am not, and am honestly not sure if I will be continuing with what was once a unique and promising series.
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July 3, 2022So I might not be able to prove this with mathematics or geometry or whatever, but this cover is so aesthetically perfect it just changed the centre of gravity to my life. I’m actually falling sideways.
Or maybe that’s just me fainting. Interesting.
Okay, wait a sec I think I can prove it *picks up ruller and golden ratio*
Companions
Book series playlist: Spotify URL
Books in series:
⤷ The Bone Season (The Bone Season, #1) ★★★☆☆
⤷ The Pale Dreamer (The Bone Season, #0.5) ★★★★☆
⤷ The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2) ★★★★✯
⤷ The Song Rising (The Bone Season, #3) ★★★★★
⤷ The Dawn Chorus (The Bone Season, #3.5) ★★★★★
⤷ The Mask Falling (The Bone Season, #4) ☆☆☆☆☆
Or maybe that’s just me fainting. Interesting.
Okay, wait a sec I think I can prove it *picks up ruller and golden ratio*
Companions
Book series playlist: Spotify URL
Books in series:
⤷ The Bone Season (The Bone Season, #1) ★★★☆☆
⤷ The Pale Dreamer (The Bone Season, #0.5) ★★★★☆
⤷ The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2) ★★★★✯
⤷ The Song Rising (The Bone Season, #3) ★★★★★
⤷ The Dawn Chorus (The Bone Season, #3.5) ★★★★★
⤷ The Mask Falling (The Bone Season, #4) ☆☆☆☆☆
July 11, 2021
Poryczałam się, a jak zrozumiałam, że dopiero za kilka lat dowiem się, do będzie dalej, to poryczałam się jeszcze bardziej. Rany, co to było. Brak słów.
August 1, 2021
POTRZEBUJE KOLEJNEGO TOMU TERAZ
CO TO BYŁO ZAKOŃCZENIE
NIGDY ŻADNE ZAKOŃCZENIE MNIE TAK NIE ZMIOTŁO
CO TO BYŁO ZAKOŃCZENIE
NIGDY ŻADNE ZAKOŃCZENIE MNIE TAK NIE ZMIOTŁO
June 25, 2025
1. The Bone Season ★★★
2. The Mime Order ★★★★
3. The Song Rising ★★★★
2. The Mime Order ★★★★
3. The Song Rising ★★★★
“With this, whenever you desire, you can conceal Paige Mahoney—all her fears, all her sorrow, all her rage—and inhabit Black Moth. You can write her story. You can sing it to the streets of Paris. And I promise you, this citadel will call eternally for more.”
As you might know, The Bone Season septology is one of my favourite series. After reading The Song Rising as soon as it came out back in 2017, I have been patiently waiting and highly anticipating the publication of this fourth installment. And let me tell you, my experience reading The Mask Falling has been quite a roller-coaster. The first time I read it, four years ago, I didn’t love the first two-thirds as much as I had loved The Mime Order and The Song Rising. But then, the last third of the book happened and it completely blew me away. This time I enjoyed the whole book, although I maintain that the final stretch is what makes this installment shine.
Dealing with the aftermath of the previous book, Paige arrives to the Scion Citadel of Paris. She knows the clairvoyance cause needs more allies and, in order to accomplish that, she decides to explore the Parisian underground with the goal of finding its syndicate, also known as Le Nouveau Régime. At the same time, the mysterious Domino Programme and its network of spies are expecting Paige to carry out a mission that can get both parties the answers they need in order to take Scion down.
I have to say that some aspects happen too quickly and very easily, with some revelations being pretty much convenient. Furthermore, and for the first time while reading this series, Paige got on my nerves. I just couldn’t understand a couple of very reckless and crucial decisions she makes in The Mask Falling. That being said, I absolutely loved the last part. There are so many insane plot-twists, shocking revelations and heart-wrenching scenes. It has been more than a day since I finished this book and I’m still thinking about everything that takes place in that last part. Samantha Shannon is a genius. A sadist genius. There is absolutely nothing that could have prepared me for those intense last chapters.
“Fear is a constant for us mortals,” I said, “but so is the knowledge that no matter how careful and afraid we are, life does end. So you might as well take every shot you get.”
As always, I really enjoyed the scenes between Paige and Warden. This book truly delivers in that sense, since it’s the one that has more scenes of these two together. Their relationship is so pure, complex, beautiful and angsty. I also liked how this book is so focused on how Paige deals with PTSD and aquaphobia, something we already got a glimpse of in The Dawn Chorus, a novella that takes place between the third and four installment and that I highly recommend to every fan of the series because of how it focuses on mental and physical health—and because of the foreshadowing that includes.
Overall, and even though my start with The Mask Falling wasn’t as promising as I hoped for, I ended up loving this installment. And I never thought an ending could have shocked me as much as Golden Son did, but Samantha Shannon just proved me wrong and managed to achieve the impossible. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, I really don’t know what are you waiting for.
“Paige,” Kornephoros said again, spinning out the syllable. “An archaic word for a messenger or servant, as I understand it. Incongruous, since you appear to resist authority. Or perhaps you were named for a leaf of paper, blank, its tale yet to be written. Which is it?”
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 31, 2021
Perhaps it wasn't the best moment to listen to this installment, or maybe the story somehow lost its pull. One way or the other, I didn't care about it. The third star is for the audio, apart from the content - performed superbly.
Want to read
June 10, 2021I really need to finish this soon but... I'm scared of the pain 😂
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