Welcome to the Scion Citadel of Paris…

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 Programme 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…

I feel like I have waited so long for this book!

I’ve missed Paige and Arcturus and was excited to dive back into their world. This time we’re in Paris having escaped from the Scion Citadel of London. The books picks up seamlessly from the third book and we’re back with Paige and Warden in a container on a cargo ship. 

Paige, still suffering from the effects of destroying Senshield and the subsequent damage caused by the poltergeist on her dreamscape is struggling to hold herself together. Not only is her damage mental, but it is physical too. Suhail Chertan, a Rephaite we met in the previous books, tortured her almost to the point of breaking her through waterboarding and beatings. Paige is a broken woman right now.

Despite her evident trauma, Paige is determined to try and help the Mime Order through connecting with the Court of Miracles  in Paris and a mysterious organisation called Domino. New alliances are formed, even with unlikely people.

There’s a masquerade! Which is utterly gorgeous and I would kill for Paige’s mask. Ultimate badass.

I love the relationship that Warden and Paige have, Warden is such a dry character and it’s lovely to see him open up throughout the course of this book. Paige on the other hand is such an interesting character, I love how Samantha Shannon didn’t brush or gloss over her trauma, you live it with her and the fears she has with water and the dark since her torture. She is fractured but slowly is coming back to the Paige we knew, she won’t ever be the same and will perhaps become stronger for the trials she has been through. Also THANK YOU Samantha for 1. including a realistic view and narration of periods and 2. normalising them within a narrative! 

Scion are on the move and looking to seek more control and take over the world. Countries are falling like dominoes under the anchor and the stakes are higher than they ever have been. Paige must overcome some huge hurdles to help the Anormales of Paris as well as the Voyants back home in London. 

Prepare to have you heart singing, then ripped out, stood on, brought back to life and then set on fire. I was on cloud nine reading some of this story and other bits I had to re-read the page in utter disbelief. It’s an emotional rollercoaster and you feel so invested in the story that it’s an absolute gut punch. Samantha has written an absolute blinder here and she can gut punch me any day because this book was utterly amazing. It’s so easy for a book to just plod along until the next instalment but bloody hell, this book. I can’t stop thinking about it.

If you’ve read the previous three books and have not yet pre-ordered this one, do it now! If you’ve not ready any of the Bone Season, where HAVE you been?

Thank you Samantha for this gift, I can’t wait to see where the story goes after THAT ending. 

Prepare yourselves folks.

Massive thank you to Bloomsbury for the advanced copy on Netgalley.