Last year I had the pleasure of reading The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. I was immediately blown away with her world building, creativity and writing ability. I have fallen hopelessly in love with her characters-their journey has become my own as I read how it unfolds. I am so pleased to be able to share my review of the second novel in this series, The Mime Order.

In Samantha Shannon’s world anyone with a clairvoyance falls within a certain order which can be determinded by the ability and also the color of aura the person exudes. Taken from Samantha Shannon’s website:

If you could see auras this is how I would appear

I. Soothsayers – Purple – Require ritual objects called numa to connect with the æther
II. Augurs – Blue – Use organic matter, or elements, to connect with the æther
III. Mediums – Green – Connect with the æther through spiritual possession
IV. Sensors – Yellow – Privy to the æther on a sensory and linguistic level
V.  Guardians – Orange – Have a higher degree of control over spirits
VI.  Furies – Orange-red – Subject to internal change when connecting with the aether
VII. Jumpers – Red – Able to affect the aether outside their own physical limits

 My Review of The Mime Order

The Mime Order
By: Samantha Shannon
Release Date: January 27th 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Print ARC
Source: Publisher

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating:

Summary:
Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal penal colony of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the fugitives are still missing and she is the most wanted person in London.

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city’s gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take center stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.

Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on.

The Story:
What can I say about the storyline for this book and series? I’ll start here- it is fabulous, incredibly complex, detailed and intriguing. I absolutely love the world Shannon has created and her ability to add to it with each book. I felt that The Mime Order was a great sequel to The Bone Season because it gave me more insight into how the Seven Dials ran and also more about the mime-lords and queens. I’m really blown away with the level of depth and creativity shown in this series thus far.

I felt that the first section of this book was slow paced but I adore Shannon’s writing so I didn’t mind. The stakes weren’t all that high and my favorite character, Warden, was absent for the first part of the book. The Mime Order focused many, many pages on Paige reentering her old gang life and how the gangs were run. Once the action picks up the stakes get much higher and I felt the pacing was faster and smoother going.

Be aware, this series is considered to be an adult fiction–the content itself doesn’t seem overly adult themed but the pacing is very much slower than your typical young adult book. Knowing this about the series should help you enjoy the ride and slow burn of these books. These are long books but the payoff is so worth it. If you are like me and appreciate a slow burn then you’ll love this series.

The Characters:
I’m a huge fan of Paige and really all the main cast of characters. Shannon gives them their own internal dilemmas and they are all shrouded in a level of mystery that the reader slowly gets to see through. As with the first book Paige was driven, brave and overall kick-ass. She doesn’t wait for someone else to dictate her future but took things into her own hands. I enjoyed her as much in this book as the last.

As mentioned, Warden was my favorite character. Though he was vastly absent from this book he was still true to his character and wonderful. I loved getting to learn more about him and each of the few scenes with him and Paige were perfection.

The Mime Order spends a good amount of time with Jaxon. He was such an intense and complex character you can’t help but be intrigued with his storyline and motivations. I still can’t get a handle on his allegiance completely and I love that he alluded me.

Final Thoughts:
The Mime Order was a satisfying sequel though the pacing was slow for the first section of the book but once the action picks up you’ll not be able to stop reading. For me, Shannon’s writing was beautifully done and a pleasure to read even in the quieter moments. Though Warden and Paige don’t have that many scenes together the ones they do have count. I highly recommend this series to reader that want a complex world populated with intense characters.

Giveaway:

The lovely folks at Bloomsbury have been nice enough to provide a hardcover of The Mime Order for a lucky reader. This is US only. Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Extras:

• Audio sample from The Mime Order audiobook which will release January 27th:

• Review of The Bone Season
• Lego Fan Art
• Interview with Samantha Shannon