“With the right reasons, at the right moment, even the most beaten and broken of people could rise up and reclaim themselves.”
― Samantha Shannon, The Mime Order
The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
5/5 Stars
Synopsis:
Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London…
As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, 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 centre 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. 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.
Review:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I have finally read the second book in The Bone Season series. That’s right the book I said I was going to start in January I finally picked up in… September. Life and books kind of got in the way in the interim. But, I read it and I am so happy I finally had a chance to do so. I thoroughly enjoyed The Mime Order and I was very happy to dive back into this world.
When I began reading this novel I was immediately struck by the unique world that Shannon created. It’s something that drew my into The Bone Season so I was glad to have it even more flushed out. In the second book of the series we see more of the street side of London. The mime lord and gang situations felt very reminiscent of Oliver Twist and Victorian London. (If you’ve read my Music Genre Book Tag then you know I love the Victorian era.)
It was really fun to see the gang relations and the inner workings of the streets and sections. I loved getting to see more from characters like Nick, Jaxon, and Eliza. The relationships and links between this gang was intriguing and endearing. In this book we also got to see more from the other gangs. The norms of the culture were further revealed. The second book in the series dives even more into the caste system that the clairvoyants are divided into in this world. The Rehaim are no longer the only enemy to contend with.
One thing that I greatly appreciated with this novel was that Shannon never allowed there to be an easy way out for any of the characters. The tough decisions weigh on the character and the reader is left with a feeling that there is no real right answer. This made the plotlines more intricate and the world feel more realistic. This book lives in the grey area. It’s where it thrives. There is no good or bad nor is there right or wrong.
Two books into this series and I’m still left wondering where this saga will take these characters. I can’t wait to read more about my favorite characters. I also can’t wait to find out more about the world’s politics and all of the under-dealings of our key players. I have already started the third book in the series, The Song Rising, so keep an eye out for a review soon. (I’m not lying this time, I swear.)
Thrice Read 
I always get so excited when I see someone else has read one of Shannon’s books. The three currently out of this series are among my favorite all time books. I hope you adore The Song Rising. It is the best so far, in my opinion. The decisions Paige has to make and the lack of true “right” answers really adds to the tension. I can’t believe Shannon is only 24 and is writing books like this.
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