The Song Rising (The Bone Season, #3)

by Samantha Shannon

A rebel who becomes a queen

The hotly anticipated third book in the bestselling Bone Season series – a ground-breaking, dystopian fantasy of extraordinary imagination

Following a bloody battle against foes on every side, Paige Mahoney has risen to the dangerous position of Underqueen, ruling over London’s criminal population.

But, having turned her back on Jaxon Hall and with vengeful enemies still at large, the task of stabilising the fractured underworld has never seemed so challenging.

Little does Paige know that her reign may be cut short by the introduction of Senshield, a deadly technology that spells doom for the clairvoyant community and the world as they know it…

• ISBN10: 1408879727
• ISBN13: 9781408879726
• Publish Date: 7 March 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: The Song Rising was exceedingly better than The Bone Season, and outdid The Mime Order as well. The wiring style especially stood out to me as markedly more solid. I liked how more depth was explored about each of the characters without weighing down the book with too much descriptions. It's much tighter than the previous two books where the narrative tended to wander aimlessly at times. In the case of The Song Rising, no words were wasted, and I finally found myself caring about the plight of the clairvoyants. As before, though, I could do with less of Warden. His presence still unsettles me too much, reminding me of the parts I despised most about the The Bone Season.

[Kelly]

The Song Rising begins shortly after the Rose Ring completion, Paige the Mollisher who challenged her Mime Lord Jaxon after learning of his involvement within Scion London. Paige may be victorious but cannot command her Mime Order, lacking the respect and confidence of the Clairvoyant community. Paige is a determined young woman who continues her plight to expose the cruelty of Scion, selling Clairvoyants into slavery under the reign of the Rephaim. With her newly appointed Mollishers Nick and Eliza, Paige will secure freedom for the Mime Order by destroying Senshield, Scion technology that is being used in domestic warfare against those deemed Unnatural and Paige understands the tragedy of warfare.

Although Paige is Underqueen, she cannot independently rule without the assistance of Terebell, Rephaite sovereign elect of the Ranthen, leader of the covert revolutionaries and Warden, her loyal mercenary. The attraction between Paige and Warden had begun as Paige was held captive in Sheol, their friendship and tentative relationship is quiet and does not overwhelm the narration. Paige continues to place the importance on her community rather than her own personal journey.

Warden is frustrating and although he is gentle with Paige and often seeks consent before the softest of touches, he continues to serve Terebell and places his loyalty with the Rephaim leader. Considering he also served as a leader during the Bone Season at Sheol where Paige and her Clairvoyant peers were imprisoned and trained as fighters against their will. When it comes to Terebell's leadership, his backbone seems to have deserted him. I'm assuming Warden may be detrimental to the narration in the remaining series installments but the formality and lack of emotion are beginning to aggravate me.

The atmospheric world of Scion London is so incredibly vivid and The Song Rising also explores a derelict Ireland still grasping onto independence. Although Paige has spent the past thirteen years in London, she maintained her Irish heritage and is often referred to as Brogue. Irish characters typically only exist in young adult novels as being a mythical stereotype.

Samantha Shannon is extraordinary and The Bone Season series is a phenomenal fusion of fantasy, and science fiction occupying a dystopian United Kingdom. Atmospheric, breathtaking and exceptional.

[nightingalereads]

3.5 stars

Although parts of this book dragged a bit, I'm still completely committed to this series. Samantha Shannon has talked about this in interviews, but each of her books has a different structure; it's not just the same plot with different pieces. While I think this concept is cool, it does result in me not liking some books as much as the others. I LOVED the two settings of The Bone Season and The Mime Order, but the setting in this book was a little less solid, and consequently, I was less gripped by the narrative.

My feelings about the romance also changed. I used to be excited for scenes between Warden and Paige in The Bone Season, but I found myself less interested in their interactions in both The Mime Order and The Song Rising. Their romance began to feel predictable and a little flat, because the reader can easily see both of their inner feelings for one another. I like to be kept guessing.

The writing was still great - solid and immersive. And Jaxon remains my favorite character, despite his villainous ways. I just find him so interesting, and I sense a lot of depth in his character. I love characters who no one seems able to touch or fully understand. His wall of charisma fascinates me.

Overall, a solid installment, but probably my least favorite of the books so far.