I have seen Samantha Shannon’s name all over bookish social media for her duology The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night. I knew that there was a series she wrote before these books though, and with a little digging, I found The Bone Season. Upon picking it up, it had everything – and I mean everything – so I didn’t know what to expect from a book that was said to deliver it all.

The year is 2059. The Republic of Scion has led an oppressive campaign against unnaturalness in Europe since the mid-1800s. Paige Mahoney holds a high rank in the London criminal underworld as the right hand of the ruthless White Binder. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare and formidable kind of clairvoyant. Under Scion law, she commits treason simply by breathing. When Paige gets arrested, she meets the mysterious founders of Scion who have plans for her. If she is to survive, Paige must use every skill at her disposal – and put her trust in someone who ought to be her enemy.

The Bone Season is a dystopian sci-fi with a supernatural occult theme running throughout, focusing on spiritualism and various forms of fortune-telling and mysticism. I have read a book with such strong themes and characterisations in these areas, so it was eye-opening to see how these practices have been adapted to fit into the story. There are also, given the spiritualism and mysticism elements, paranormal themes and imagery within the book. Magical realism is a strong feature of the book, and there is a slow-burn romance in there that I am not sold on (reading the other books in the series may change my mind, but we’ll see about that). Did I mention the slight historical elements and feel of the book? Like I said, The Bone Season is dipping into several pots here. The overall story world is unique and multi-layered, but I did find it confusing at times.

The plot is a little busy but interesting and fresh; with the numerous genre elements involved, one expects the plot to be busy. What I will say is that in terms of pacing, the novel has a good flow and direction, and it doesn’t feel rushed in the sense of writing scenes. The scenes carry that sense of a timer counting down because there is one, but that leads the tension to follow in the same fashion, which is good. There are times when the tension and plot drop away a little, or scenes are repeated without a clear purpose or intention. These moments would make me feel detached from the plot and cut my immersion in the story. I like what Samantha Shannon has done weaving all the elements together as it helps keep the plot engaging and varied, but perhaps there is an idea or two too many in The Bone Season. This is just my take and I have yet to read The Mime Order, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Characters, especially ensembles, can feel underdeveloped when the scope of a story is so large. Several characters, such as Paige, Liss, and the Warden/Arcturus, feel fleshed out and authentic in their motives, purpose, personality, etc. Other characters, such as Jaxon and the Seven Seals, other clairvoyants brought to Oxford, the Red Jackets, and the Rephs feel slightly one-dimensional or at least dulled down in their characterisations. I understand that there is a sheep mentality as part of a dystopian setting that needs to be broken for the rebellion to take shape. However, these people have trained for years, and it would make more sense to me if their fighting skills and ability to stand up against the forces controlling them got them into more trouble.

The Bone Season takes a leap of faith and tries something that not many would attempt, and it does so with general success. I’m not sure how I feel about the book yet, so I will wait and see what The Mime Order and the rest of the series have to give. What I am certain of is this is one jam-packed novel teeming with characters and strong imagery. If that interests you, I highly recommend picking up a copy and seeing for yourself what you think about The Bone Season.