The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

The Song Rising
by Samantha Shannon

Read: March 7-9, 2017
Published: March 7, 2017
Genre: Adult Fantasy

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 stabilizing 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... (Amazon)






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Why did you read this book?
I have read both The Bone Season and The Mime Order  and this is the third in the series. I have been waiting for this book to be published since about March 2015 and I pre-ordered it in January 2016. It is one of my favorite series to date and there was no way I could just not read it.

What did you like about this book?
Oh, where to start? This book was just fantastic and well worth the wait. I'll start with the protagonist, Paige. She goes through so much over the course of the first three books and my heart hurts for everything that she will have to go through in the next four books. Paige is a character that has become very precious to me, not because she's a 'strong, female character', but because she's very human. She struggles, she fails, and she is broken. Despite that, she has a fierce love and loyalty to her friends. Her vulnerability and uncertainty with Warden is a breath of fresh air from other romances. I love their connection and the almost inseparable bond that they share. I'm very excited (and nervous) to see how their relationship will progress. I was also very pleased with the character development we saw with Nick and Eliza. I'm glad they had more page time than they did in previous books. I also liked reading about other minor characters, like Tom and Maria. Especially Tom and Maria. Another thing I liked was that this book started right where the last one left off. The whole series has been like that so far and I really appreciate that. The writing in this book also seems to be a notch above the first two. It's beautifully written and there is one scene in particular (near the end) that was written so well it just broke my heart. It was just so good. I liked the end of this book more than the other two. The first two books felt like they ended in the middle of the action, whereas this end felt almost like a beginning. The main focus of the book had been resolved and now the characters are going forth to continue with the overarching story.

What didn't you like about this book?
There were very few things that I didn't like, the first being that it started rather slow. As excited as I was to read it, it took me a long time to actually get into it. I also wish the Rephaite had featured a little more in this book. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for the page space given to Warden, but I would have liked to read more about Alsafi and Terebell and even Nashira. The Rephaite fascinate me and I'm eager to know more about them. I also felt like the absence of Zeke and Nadine was told rather than felt. They felt a little like an afterthought. I don't particularly care about Nadine, but I want to know what happened to Zeke, for Nick's sake. Also, I wouldn't have complained if the book was longer...

Bottom-Line:
I was really impressed with this one. I fell in love with the clairvoyant world when I read The Bone Season and it just keeps getting better. Paige and Warden are some of my favorite characters of all time. I would wholeheartedly suggest this series. Please, everyone read it so it can get the love and attention it deserves.


"'You have risen from the ashes before. The only way to survive,' he said, 'is to believe you always will.'" -The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

Book Challenge Day 9

Day 9: A Book You Wish More People Would Read

I discovered this book while watching The Today Show a few years ago. It was receiving pretty high praise and Samantha Shannon was being hailed 'the next J.K. Rowling'. Obviously, there is no comparison. J.K. Rowling published seven novels for children and young adults that became a worldwide phenomenon. That's not to say Shannon isn't an extraordinary writer, because she is. It's just that the books, the authors, the circumstances...they're all different. Not really a good comparison. Also, Shannon's books are not getting the attention they deserve. In my opinion, they should be a worldwide phenomenon. Unfortunately, they're not. So go! All of you! Read The Bone Season and then The Mime Order and then wait impatiently for the next book to come out with the rest of us.





"Perhaps I feel safest when I think of nothing." -The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

          Quick Apologies: Sorry for not having Ireland journals or the book photo challenge posted in the past few days! It's been busy. However, I should hopefully be able to get back to it on a regular basis soon. In the meantime, here's a book review!


*Possible Spoilers*

The Mime Order
by Samantha Shannon

Read: June 4-6, 2015
Published: January 27, 2015
Genre: Supernatural Dystopia
Series: The Bone Season

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. (Amazon)

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Why did you read this book?

I had already read the first book of the series and I was dying to know what would happen next. I waited rather impatiently for this book to come out after finishing the first one. However, even when it did come out (and I had been counting down), I didn't buy it. I wanted to wait until it was cheaper (The Bone Season is available on amazon for $4!) I waited four extra months before I just couldn't do it anymore. I bought it used and saved a couple bucks, but not many. Then I got it...and devoured it.

What didn't you like about the book?
IT ENDED ON A CLIFFHANGER!

What did you like about the book?
Oh, so many things. I was a blob of feels when I finished, so I've had to wait this long to even attempt a review for it. At this point, I almost think I need to wait longer. Or perhaps read it again so I can organize all the thoughts in my head. Anyway. Things I liked. The pacing was much better in this one than the first one and it was easier to read now that I'm more familiar with the terms used by and about the characters. It was also kind of unpredictable. I mean, I'm sure I could have predicted some aspects of the story, and I'm sure I did think ahead without being entirely aware of it, but I got so absorbed in the book that something always took me by surprise. And the characters! I love them. I didn't quite care for Nick in this one as much as I did in The Bone Season, but everyone else it either grew in fondness or dislike. Of course, the ones that I disliked are the ones you're supposed to dislike, the ones that you just really enjoy hating them (*cough*Jax*cough*). I loved Paige and Warden and I can't wait to read more about them in the next books.

Bottom-Line:
This is a book for readers, for people who like to get lost in fictional worlds and fall in love with fictional characters. If you don't read on a regular basis, you probably won't like it. There is a lot of world building, which I love, but not everyone does. It's a great book (and you should definitely read The Bone Season first, that's important), but if you're looking for a fluff read, this is not it.



“With the right reasons, at the right moment, even the most beaten and broken of people could rise up and reclaim themselves.” -The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Day Thirteen

Writing Challenge Day 13: Someone You Would Like to Meet

          This is a very good question. At first I thought maybe a band, but to be honest, I don't want to meet people that sing my favorite songs. I don't want to hear that they didn't even write the song, that it isn't personal, that they are just good at singing it...I'd rather pretend that each and every song means something to them, and they were written out of experience. Now, of course I know that this usually isn't the case. But still. I like to pretend. So that would have to be a no for a musician. (Unless maybe I met The Piano Guys. Or 2cellos. I love them regardless.)
          Then I thought...a historical figure? Or rather, an author that lived more than a century ago? Perhaps Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte. I wasn't really feeling that either. But I like the idea of authors. J.K. Rowling? I would love to meet her and discuss all things Harry Potter. Which ultimately led me to book/movie characters. But there are so many of them that I would love to meet! And I have a whole list of them. Care to see?

• Sirius Black from Harry Potter 3-5
• Poppet and Widget from The Night Circus
• Brom from Eragon
• Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings 1-3
• Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars
• Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice
• Warden from The Bone Season
• Wes from The Truth About Forever
• Basil from The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Javert from Les Miserables
• Brigan from Fire

          Well, you get the idea. There are several characters that I would love to meet. The one character I would choose above all of these, however, you haven't heard of. Unless you are one of the five people (including my sister) I've told this to, you don't know who she is. Her name is Azure and she is the main character in a book that I am writing. And I absolutely love her. I wish it were possible to actually meet her and talk to her. So that's who I pick as someone I would like to meet. A character that was born in my head.


P.S. Fall is coming...so I'm changing the look again! And I, for one, am very excited for the autumn season :o)

Books, books, books

          Okay, okay...so I failed the drawing challenge after just one day. But day 2 required me to draw a pet and I didn't have the time nor the patience to draw something that I didn't want to draw. In other news, I have been babysitting three and a half year old triplets and a four month old baby and preparing for my graduation party, which, as you can imagine, is very time consuming. However, I would be lying if I said that my lack of blog posts is due to my busy days. I'll admit, I have had a bit of spare time these past couple of days. And I spent it by reading The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. I had been putting off reading it because of all the hype it had been given and because it is the first book in what will be a seven book series. I wasn't quite sure I was ready for that kind of commitment, you know? Eventually though, I forced myself to sit down and just read the book. And once I did, I couldn't stop. Yes, it was very confusing, but I like it that way. So, when I read it for a third, fourth, fifth time, I'll still be able to discover something that I hadn't noticed the first time I read it. I highly recommend it. I did read another book last week that I was disappointed in. I read Looking for Alaska by John Green. I had already read The Fault in Our Stars and I loved it. So, naturally, I wanted to read more books by the same author, thinking they would be as equally amazing. But, I found Looking for Alaska to be depressing without a real point to the depression and drugs and drinking and sex. I couldn't really relate to characters and their choices. Not that I can really relate to the characters in The Bone Season, considering the fact that they live in an alternate reality that has clairvoyants and other worldly beings...but I do understand their choices. I get why they do what they do.Whereas Looking for Alaska characters just seemed like stupid teenagers making stupid decisions. I understand that many people love the book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. If I were to recommend a book to you, it would definitely be The Bone Season.
          Well I believe that's all I have for you today. Hopefully I'll have more for you soon, but probably not until after my graduation party. Until then!