The Mask Falling (The Bone Season, 4)

Okay, this may be slightly unfair since I haven't read this Author's Preferred Text version yet. But I've read the original Mask Falling and loved it. Loved it so much that I bought the whole set of the published books AGAIN in the Author's Preferred Text version. These books are so beautiful, it was worth it for that alone! Looking forward to my re-read.

I am so glad Samantha Shannon is continuing the series. She adds depth up the characters, it’s based on friendship and family (even the Sargas) and, while long, the chapters are structured to give frequent breaks so you can breathe. I had to look up eldritch and lambent as she uses them a few times. I do hope she doesn’t pull a GRR Martin and makes us wait a decade for the next books. I do like these set in real cities with timelines rather than the “otherworldly” setting of her other book.

These 10th anniversary editions are so beautiful. The writing is great. This is definitely more of a thriller and I enjoy the world and character development. If you tried these novels in the past and you didn’t find them enjoyable, give them a try again. These editions are edited and have some additional content by the author since she has bettered developed her writing since first publishing.

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.

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.

I enjoyed the first 3 books for the most part but I am not gonna lie this one gets annoying with a repetitive narrative and ridiculous character development. It's as if the author chose to maximize the twists and turns and in doing so never fully developed them to completion. The characters I have stuck with through 3 novels are starting to aggravate me instead of interest me. This feels like it was written with a looming deadline when the author really needed a vacation.

In case you missed the title of the review, there are spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution.

When it was first released, The Bone Season intrigued me with its unique premise, snappy dialogue, and smart world-building. Four books into the series, I am less enthused to read subsequent books in the series. For the most part, the series reads as though Ms. Shannon is certain of what Point A and Point B are but is lost as how to get the characters there, and the result is a patched together story rather than one which flows organically.

In the initial novel, The Bone Season, Ms. Shannon won me over with rapid-fire, distinctive dialogue, particularly from Jax. Conversations that could easily be a mishmash of Victorian poetry and speakeasy banter made me smile. That rapid-fire dialogue, and for the most part Jax, are missing from The Mask Falling, and instead of inventive writing, Ms. Shannon chiefly falls into overwriting and descriptions that border on purple prose.

Circling back to Jax having only a minor presence in the book, I am noticing a pattern. As the series progresses, she introduces new characters when she doesn’t know what to do with previous characters. On one hand, I realize introducing new characters pays tribute to how large the saga actually is, but on the other hand, introducing a new character when one is puzzled over where to take the story is a rookie move. It shows. The series is littered with characters who only serve gratuitous bit parts and don’t seem to advance the story. This criticism also branches to the book’s settings. When the author has exhausted her ideas for one city, she simply moves on to the next.

One of my pet peeves in prior books was Ms. Shannon’s use of oxygen tubing as a “life support system”. Thank goodness she eliminated that in this book and finally resorted to Paige using something akin to mechanical ventilation as life support when she dreamwalks in this book. However, at this point Ms. Shannon needs to consider getting a team of professionals to read her manuscripts for medical accuracy. Having been waterboarded in a prior book, Paige has a nasty case of pneumonia. It takes half the book to get her treated, and meanwhile, she’s running all over Paris performing all kinds of physically demanding stunts. People with pneumonia who are running high fevers, suffering chills, and otherwise hacking up their lungs are not capable of completing these theatrics.

While it is natural for Paige and Warden to be curious about each other’s bodies, the reader is inflicted with a strangely written scene in which Paige ponders on whether Warden has male parts and she describes menstruation for him. While normalization of menstruation is appreciated, the scene read like a middle schooler wrote it.

The romance in this book is gratuitous, a bone thrown to Ms. Shannon’s young adult fans. The book is chiefly Paige and Warden growing closer and entering couplehood together. Ignoring the fact that Warden is an immortal lusting after a very young adult and all the conversations to be unpacked there, he is so aloof and remote that there is practically no chemistry between them and one wonders why Paige wants him. And the sex scene that loyal fans are finally rewarded with is so awkward that I was embarrassed to read it. It’s okay for an author to not be comfortable or skilled at writing sex scenes, and in the next books, I hope Ms. Shannon doesn’t feel compelled to write them if she doesn’t feel comfortable.

Also, the trust and respect between Paige and Warden are not present the way one would hope. Only moments after they finally make love, Paige hisses “By all means, you carry on sleeping, you big clot. I’ll handle the pissed-off spies by myself.” This is not at all expected, natural, or healthy after a milestone moment. Not to mention that the two are constantly hiding information from one another and setting up all kinds of schemes that they can’t tell each other about…for reasons. Who knows.

Paige’s PTSD after waterboarding and torture takes the forefront of the plot. Most scenes dealing with this are repeated over and over, such as when she bathes. This is one of the chief examples of overwriting in the novel. After the first couple scenes, the reader understands that Paige is having difficulties, and it doesn’t have to be explained so exhaustively each time.

After waiting years for this installment, I enjoyed revisiting Paige and Warden, and despite all my complaints, it was wonderful to experience the next part of the journey with them and witness their love for each other. I think Ms. Shannon has written a unique series, and I hope in the next book, she plans more carefully and gives these characters the kind of writing that captivated readers in the first book.