The Bone Season

Book review by Michael Berry, Common Sense Media
The Bone Season Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 15+

Ambitious clairvoyant fantasy is gripping, violent.

Samantha Shannon Science Fiction 2013
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Parents say

age 16+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 2 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

Stands out for and .

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Bone Season is an intricate fantasy -- the first of a planned seven-part series -- set in an alternate future where clairvoyants are able to access the spiritual plane know as the "aether" and are sent to a secret penal colony if they are caught doing so. The language is fairly mild (the occasional "hell," "damn," "piss," or "s--t," with a rare "f--k" in one or two heated exchanges), and there's some sexual content in two scenes where the action's more implied than described. The level of violence is high but not overly graphic (a character's beaten, drugged, attacked by demons, and psychically assaulted, and she dishes out a similar amount of mayhem in return). The neck-breaking murder of a young teen may disturb sensitive readers.

Community Reviews

lostintomes
lostintomes Adult
December 4, 2018
age 14+

Unique and fun to read! A gateway to adult fantasy.

I am so glad I ignored my first impressions and gave The Bone Season a try! I don't know how many times I read the synopsis for this book and thought, "The Bone Season? Clairvoyants? Nope. Solid pass." But after hearing so much praise for it (and having all my other to-reads stuck on hold at the library) I picked it up - and never put it down! There's great character building and a bit of mystery in her writing that I loved. The character relations are subtly and beautifully written. I will say there's a lot of information thrown at you in the first half of the book, which is very necessary to explain the complex magic system and world building. I felt very overwhelmed at first but the author tends to holds your hand throughout the book so that you understand and she has visual references that are great to go back to as you read. It sits on the border of YA/Adult so parents will want to be aware that there is some strong language and mild sexual content (PG-13). Nothing too intense and feels necessary for the story/characters. I am still coming down from a book-finishing-high as I write this so I am sure there's other con's I'll think of later. But overall I found this to be fun and unique. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
ELIZABETH B.
ELIZABETH B. Adult
August 21, 2016
age 15+

I loved it

The book is on more of a supernatural sci-fi than just an ordinary sci-fi, there are characters who see ghosts and people who can read minds, etc. The book was very enthralling to me, I honestly couldn't put it down, and I'm very picky on books. There is talking of sex but it's natural for the lifestyle that the characters in the later part of the book is in, and it doesn't go into detail, its third parties saying that they need to becareful so they can't have kids. There is also a bit of long-ago and violence
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In 2059, in a London ruled by the corporate overlords of Scion, teen girl Paige Mahoney works as a "dreamwalker," breaking into people's minds for the benefit of her gang of criminal clairvoyants. After she unwittingly kills two Scion operatives, she's hunted down, kidnapped, drugged, and sent to Sheol I, a secret penal colony located in what used to be Oxford. Sheol I is ruled by the Rephaim, a mysterious, otherworldly race who claim to be protecting Earth from invasion by a legion of demons. Paige is assigned to the "blood-consort" Warden for training, but she never stops seeking a means of escape. But as time goes on, her loyalties are tested, and Paige must decide whom she can save and whom she must trust.

Is It Any Good?

THE BONE SEASON brims with ambition. Its world-building is intricate, its premise original, its prose more than merely serviceable. Debut author Samantha Shannon hit the ground running and expects the reader to keep up. For the most part, her strategy works. Although the climactic scenes pay off, a repetitiveness creeps into the series of tests and trials Paige Mahoney must endure. And there's something predictable in the development of Paige's relationship with her captor, Warden.

Those are quibbles, though. The Bone Season is likely to attract a wide audience for its young author and leave readers ready for the next volume in the proposed seven-part saga.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about freedom vs. security. Is it better to be free and face unknown dangers or to live in security while being a slave?

  • The Bone Season was written for adults but features a teen main character. Do you think it will appeal to the young adult audience? How does it compare with the YA books you've read? How is it different? How is it similar?

  • Why do some victims of totalitarianism side with their oppressors? Is it merely fear that motivates them?

Book Details

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