“It is a beautiful mask, but all masks fall. In the end,” (Shannon 36).
After being tortured by Scion, Paige Mahoney is sent to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris with her former enemy but now partner, the Rephaim Arcturus Mesarthim. The mysterious Domino program, which has saved her, has plans of their own for Paige, but Paige has other tasks she wants to accomplish, like searching through the catacombs of Paris and glittering halls of Versailles. It’s risky, but Paige has always been a risktaker, and if she succeeds with the Parisian underworld she could escalate the rebellion and grow The Mime Order. But Scion’s power widens threatening to take over as many free countries as possible, and Paige is still recovering from her memories of torture at the hands of Scion while trying to figure out the strange bond between her and Arcturus that grows stronger each day. Revolution is growing, and Paige has to fight hard to survive each day to keep it burning.
The Bone Season is one of my favourite series right now. Samantha Shannon is such a talented writer and each book in this series grows and raises the stakes for this amazing cast of characters. The world is so richly developed and unique, I love learning about the world of Scion and clairvoyants, seeing these abilities in action and how this world terrifyingly runs. I also enjoyed that Shannon set her newest work in Paris and that we got to see what Scion-Paris was like and how clairvoyants and amaurotics lived there.
I did struggle with The Mask Falling a bit. This is probably one of the biggest gaps between books in that series, and sadly there was no handy-dandy synopsis guide online to fill me in on what’s happened in the series leading up to this book. It also took me over a year after it’s release to actually read the book (IT ISN’T MY FAULT, MY LIBRARY DIDN’T HAVE IT AND THE REQUEST FORM ONLY OPENED UP LATE LAST YEAR) and so I blame my struggle more on trying to remember who certain characters were and what had happened in the past books than anything on this book. If I had re-read the series in preparation for The Mask Falling, I’m sure I wouldn’t have had this problem.
The Mask Falling is just as well-written as the others in the series, and I thought Shannon did an excellent job with writing Paige’s PTSD after being water-boarded at the end of the last book. I also liked Shannon’s adaption of the French language and her explanations at the end for it, as well as the diversity of the new characters we meet in this installment. There wasn’t enough Jaxon Hall, but I expected a lack of presence in this book and the rest until what I’m sure will be an epic finale. But still, Jaxon Hall, my problematic fav who holds my heart, I missed you. ❤
But honestly, The Mask Falling is a HUGE tipping point for this series! I could not believe what was happening in the last few chapters, so many revelations, so much heartache and cleverness on Shannon’s part that I’m so eager for the next book in the series! If you haven’t read The Bone Season yet then what’s wrong with you? READ THIS SERIES!
Publication: January 26 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pages: 446 pages (Paperback)
Source: Library
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy,
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤.5
Summary:
Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion’s downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim’s puppet empire.
The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim-her former enemy-at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war.
As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them-and could end with them…
Sarah O'Connor 