The Procrastinators Book Club discussion

Welcome to the The Bone Season Buddy Read Discussion thread! This thread officially opens on November 1st and anyone can join at any time. Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days can be used to catch up!

Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 11/01
1st: chapters 1-5
2nd: chapters 6-10

Week of 11/03
3rd: chapters 11-15
4th: chapters 16-20
5th: chapters 21-25
6th: chapters 26-end

PARTICIPANTS
~Anushka
~Aikaterine

Just finished Chapter 5 and I got to admit I’m a bit overwhelmed with all the information. Especially in chapters 1 and 5. The story moved too fast from one place to another, and before I even really grasped this new world and the special terminologies I have to learn about a new city, with different rules? Ahhhh, I really have to concentrate for this one!

On the plus side, I really enjoyed chapters 2&3, because they had less info dump and more action. So hopefully once the action kicks in it will feel better!

I really agree with the above. It felt slow at the the first but the last 1/3 I really enjoyed.

Yes. I loved how fast paced and action heavy it was. This is one kickass FMC, no wilting flower and I love that. There's too much info, yes. I keep referring to the terms and names at the back to make sense of things. Are you reading the ten year special edition? That is slightly different from the original released one.

I also loved that the FMC is kickass, and yes I am reading the 10-year edition, I thought it was just a bit edited, but could it have different content as well?

Honestly, I am making slower progress than anticipated because of the new terms and the whole world, but good idea to actually check the terminology.

I don't know how different it is from the first edition but I'm glad we're reading the same one haha.
Slow and steady is fine because this one is quite different from other urban fantasy worlds I've read. I expected something of the sort because this author's other fantasy series that I've read (The Priory of the Orange Tree) is quite different as well. I enjoy that it's not the run of the mill, done a dozen times before, kind of fantasy.

I have my thoughts on romantic interests but I'm glad there's no insta love angle here. That gets a bit tedious sometimes.

Haha, oh gosh, good thing we're reading the same edition, for sure! I didn't even think about this potentially disturbing our BR :O

I feel it is urban fantasy, but barely urban and mostly fantasy. I've never read any other books by this author I think, so I'm pretty excited to see how this unfolds, and where the story takes us.

So far, I have 0 romantic interests I'm rooting for, haha. But, I am being too slow with this book, so maybe that's why xD
Tbh, for a moment there I thought it would be insta-lovey with Warden, but I'm glad that wasn't the case.

I know but the Oxford setup is making it a bit of Dark Academia meets gothic fantasy and I like that. And the magic system is very different which is good. The different tests to get a red jacket is giving the challenge trope that a lot of Y/A at that time used to follow but it's done well. More than anything I'm interested in the origin of the Rephs arrival on Earth and also the relationship between Warden and Suzerain. It's not human because they're not human but it's more than that. Are the Rephs maybe a matriarch society? And what is he a warden of? Their gate? Their prisoners..what?
You're right about no clear contenders for romantic interests, haha. But I think something more might come from Paige's past... her fellow Underworld gang members maybe.

That's right, I hadn't thought about the setting making it slightly Dark Academia! Love the Oxford setup btw, although it does feel a bit disconnected with the Oxford (and London) I know., due to the complicated magic and history of this world.

I had assumed he was a Warden of just Paige, haha. Hmmm... interesting question. He is growing on me, too.

I love that we got a bit of background on how she got recruited to the underworld syndicate, and I do hope we saw them in action, too.

Yes I love the syndicate and the gang characters we've met so far. I think they'll pop back up or else the author wouldn't go to such lengths describing that part of her life. Jaxon is a bit of a dictator and yet he gives me "Six of Crows" vibe iykwim? Haha. Definitely want to see more along that plotline. Her irish history is intriguing as well, gives her character more nuance.

I totally agree that Jaxon gives off SoC vibes. He definitely doesn’t sound to me like the evil gang boss I had imagined originally. I don’t know how far you are, but I just started Chapter 21 and I think something exciting is going to happen!!!

I love the Irish history, and that generally all the characters (the human ones at least) are multidimensional and multicultural!

Yes, the inclusivity is refreshing and doesn't at all feel forced which I'm happy about.
I'm a little ahead of you. Things are escalating at such a pace now that it was impossible to take it slow. Now that Paige is actively lying to the Suzerain and is on Warden's side... I feel a shift.

Also I don't want to accidentally spoil something but that pendant Warden gives Paige!? whooooaaaaa i didn't know such power was possible!? but in a way it's hilarious as well I mean who'd have thought that little thing could do that.
I'm at the part of the golden thread... you'll know when you reach it. It's... surprising to say the least. It's giving more fae and less alien vibe haha.

I just finished the book 🙈 I just binge-read almost the whole thing yesterday and this morning, haha.

When I read about the golden thread I thought it was turning into an insta-romantasy, haha.
I was so shocked over so many things near the end, it was unreal.

My final thoughts: (view spoiler)[I wish the pace in the first 30-40% was as quick as in the final 4-5 chapters. (I mean, we even skipped almost 2 months from July-September. If the rest of the book wasn't so slow, we could have a bit more detailed of a montage on what happened.) I am also not in a heavy fantasy mood, so that could be why it took me so long to get lured in.

Although I really liked Liss and her character, and was disappointed when she died after all the help she offered, I felt that they had insta-friendship with Paige, and it just didn't feel realistic to me for a good part of the beginning of their relationship.

I also wish we had seen a bit more of the gang. I thought the second book would be all about them, but now I'm not 100% sure.

All in all, I don't think I'm continuing with the series, at least right now, as I mostly enjoyed the fact that we were discussing the story together and not that I was actually reading it 😂 does that even make sense? 🤣

I hope you loved it, though! (hide spoiler)]

Yeah the golden thread was a bit of a shock and reminded me of fae fantasies hahah.
I'm used to slow start, strong finish fantasies so I didn't have a problem with it, especially because remembering all the names and numbers and who's a Reph and who's a red jacket was taking a lot of my brain cells lol.

The deaths at the end did shock me. I didn't think Liss would just be gone like that. The Suzerain's brother really was crazy powerful.
I think the second book would have the gang because most of them walked away with Paige after Jaxon's ultimatum but we'll get to see, I guess.

Haha it makes sense. I love book discussions as well. It definitely helps finishing books I'd have otherwise dnf'ed.

I did really like it. The end was a bit spotty. After Paige and Warden had shown so much restraint, for them to be overcome by their emotions like that felt stupid. The Warden at least should have acted like a centuries old being and not a teenager. They both were shown to have such a good head over their shoulders throughout the book even if Paige was impulsive. The end felt very out of character. But I'm too curious to stop I guess. Haha.

Lovely Buddy reading with you.

Haha, I totally get what you mean with the teenage-like behavior of Paige and Warden. And, then Paige emphasizing that she didn't love him, but throughout the kiss scene she was describing all these things she was feeling with Warden, but not with the other boy. I was like, girl, make up your mind, haha!

I think the second book will have the gang, but not exactly as they were? I wish we had seen a bit more of the gang in the underground London scene.

It was truly a lovely BR with you :)

Yess. She's a total teenager about her feelings for Nick and another random guy and Warden and that complicated relationship with Jaxon. Haha. I don't know if more would be added to the mix in Book 2.

Haha, totally! I think Warden will definitely make an appearance in Book 2. And, perhaps there will be some discussion with Nick about all that misunderstanding.

Yes. I'm excited on both fronts.

I wish you an amazing time with the rest of the series! I might join you in the future, too :D

yay. I'll let you know when I do and you can see if you're in the mood.

Awesome, thank you!!