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A review by pagesplotsandpints
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
4.0
Re-read Completed 6/29/24 | 4 stars
I decided to reread this when I found out that Samantha Shannon was rewriting this to create a "preferred text" for the 10th anniversary. I enjoyed my first read of it but I was left with some conflicting emotions about it and I had a hard time remembering what I did like. I'll say... I feel like I didn't even finish the book last time (I know I did) because I remember little to nothing that happened past the first 30% - 35%.
I really enjoyed my reread! I didn't remember enough to really have all of the different levels and orders and whatnot, but since I've already read it once, I wasn't afraid of spoilers and I was able to refer to the Wiki and the recap online because I wanted to really try to get into it and get a grip on some of the world-building! I think that really helped a lot -- and I also am assuming the way the book was re-written really helped with all of that too. Obviously I don't remember a lot about my first read so I can't say what was different, but it felt a little easier to follow and I felt much more connected to everything this go around.
My other experience was that I didn't like the romance the first time around and during my reread, there like... wasn't a romance? My lasting impression the first time was how much I didn't like it and honestly, it was one of the big reasons I didn't continue the series. I don't know if this was altered at all, but there really wasn't a romance so much as a connection with a closeness, and it really left me with an entirely different experience this time around.
Was my past self wrong about everything? Maybe. I did read this in print after not liking the audiobook (another opinion that changed, because I have no issues with Alanna Kerr Collins) so maybe that also affected things. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and maybe I just got used to a lot of audiobook things! I don't know why I found her so boring the first time.
So TL;DR, my reread went much better! I only increased the rating a half star, technically, but I have way more positive feelings about it and I definitely want to continue the series.
Initial Impressions 12/1/18 & review posted on The Book Addict's Guide 12/4/19: 3.5 stars but rounding up for the amount of interest I had
THE BONE SEASON is an incredibly interesting book and it's also very complicated. I had first started to read this via audio a few years ago and the audiobook narrator was just sooooo boring that I ended up returning it and I never came back to continue on until now. I'm definitely glad that I read this one and Samantha Shannon sure packed in a whole lot of new and exciting information!
The world-building was incredibly interesting and EXTREMELY detailed. So much so that it was a little hard to sort everything out in my head, even with a full chart in the front of all of the abilities. There were just a lot of new names with seven different abilities PLUS the whole concept of being a voyant in the first place and what the aether meant, and then all of the subcategories on top of it, and THEN being in a future world set in London with a whole SECRET world and another race of beings AND monsters. Whew. It's a lot. It was all so, so interesting but it was just a looooot of information so my biggest hang-up while reading the book was that I just couldn't dang remember it all. I had to get a grip on all of these new things and top that off with the fact that I wasn't expecting the book to take place where it did and take the direction it did, so it was just a lot for my brain to try to understand. Good, but complicated.
I... didn't love the romance. I saw it coming, was hoping it wouldn't be the case, and that was still the case anyway. SpoilerI just don't get the romance trope, which is apparently a thing, where the guy is an immortal who falls in love with a teenage or young girl. Ummm, why? I get that the girl is always the special *thing* but still. Someone who's hundreds of years old being attracted to a young girl and vice versa... that's not sexy. I actually DID like Warden and he has that mysterious appeal buuuuut. It's not sexy to be a million years old (dramatic, but you know).
This book didn't leave me with a WOW feeling but I really do want to see where it's going and what happens next. I was kind of hoping for more things to unfold in THE BONE SEASON, to be honest. There's a lot of set-up and it's enjoyable and I like Paige, but also I think more reveals could have happened here to pull the reader in more and get some more of that wow factor. I guess it probably also doesn't help that I read this book coming off a Mistborn re-read where things are just so well-structured and I love how those reveals are timed.
I definitely want to continue on in this series and I do have a pull to it. I wish more had happened to connect me in a few more ways, but it was still an enjoyable read and I never felt bored or like there was a lull. Things were still always happening even if it wasn't quite what I was looking for.
I decided to reread this when I found out that Samantha Shannon was rewriting this to create a "preferred text" for the 10th anniversary. I enjoyed my first read of it but I was left with some conflicting emotions about it and I had a hard time remembering what I did like. I'll say... I feel like I didn't even finish the book last time (I know I did) because I remember little to nothing that happened past the first 30% - 35%.
I really enjoyed my reread! I didn't remember enough to really have all of the different levels and orders and whatnot, but since I've already read it once, I wasn't afraid of spoilers and I was able to refer to the Wiki and the recap online because I wanted to really try to get into it and get a grip on some of the world-building! I think that really helped a lot -- and I also am assuming the way the book was re-written really helped with all of that too. Obviously I don't remember a lot about my first read so I can't say what was different, but it felt a little easier to follow and I felt much more connected to everything this go around.
My other experience was that I didn't like the romance the first time around and during my reread, there like... wasn't a romance? My lasting impression the first time was how much I didn't like it and honestly, it was one of the big reasons I didn't continue the series. I don't know if this was altered at all, but there really wasn't a romance so much as a connection with a closeness, and it really left me with an entirely different experience this time around.
Was my past self wrong about everything? Maybe. I did read this in print after not liking the audiobook (another opinion that changed, because I have no issues with Alanna Kerr Collins) so maybe that also affected things. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and maybe I just got used to a lot of audiobook things! I don't know why I found her so boring the first time.
So TL;DR, my reread went much better! I only increased the rating a half star, technically, but I have way more positive feelings about it and I definitely want to continue the series.
Initial Impressions 12/1/18 & review posted on The Book Addict's Guide 12/4/19: 3.5 stars but rounding up for the amount of interest I had
THE BONE SEASON is an incredibly interesting book and it's also very complicated. I had first started to read this via audio a few years ago and the audiobook narrator was just sooooo boring that I ended up returning it and I never came back to continue on until now. I'm definitely glad that I read this one and Samantha Shannon sure packed in a whole lot of new and exciting information!
The world-building was incredibly interesting and EXTREMELY detailed. So much so that it was a little hard to sort everything out in my head, even with a full chart in the front of all of the abilities. There were just a lot of new names with seven different abilities PLUS the whole concept of being a voyant in the first place and what the aether meant, and then all of the subcategories on top of it, and THEN being in a future world set in London with a whole SECRET world and another race of beings AND monsters. Whew. It's a lot. It was all so, so interesting but it was just a looooot of information so my biggest hang-up while reading the book was that I just couldn't dang remember it all. I had to get a grip on all of these new things and top that off with the fact that I wasn't expecting the book to take place where it did and take the direction it did, so it was just a lot for my brain to try to understand. Good, but complicated.
I... didn't love the romance. I saw it coming, was hoping it wouldn't be the case, and that was still the case anyway. SpoilerI just don't get the romance trope, which is apparently a thing, where the guy is an immortal who falls in love with a teenage or young girl. Ummm, why? I get that the girl is always the special *thing* but still. Someone who's hundreds of years old being attracted to a young girl and vice versa... that's not sexy. I actually DID like Warden and he has that mysterious appeal buuuuut. It's not sexy to be a million years old (dramatic, but you know).
This book didn't leave me with a WOW feeling but I really do want to see where it's going and what happens next. I was kind of hoping for more things to unfold in THE BONE SEASON, to be honest. There's a lot of set-up and it's enjoyable and I like Paige, but also I think more reveals could have happened here to pull the reader in more and get some more of that wow factor. I guess it probably also doesn't help that I read this book coming off a Mistborn re-read where things are just so well-structured and I love how those reveals are timed.
I definitely want to continue on in this series and I do have a pull to it. I wish more had happened to connect me in a few more ways, but it was still an enjoyable read and I never felt bored or like there was a lull. Things were still always happening even if it wasn't quite what I was looking for.