The Song Rising / Samantha Shannon

Title / The Song Rising 

Author / Samantha Shannon

Publication Date / 2017

Overall Star Rating / ★★★★★

Goodreads synopsis: The hotly anticipated third book in the bestselling Bone Season series – a ground-breaking, dystopian fantasy of extraordinary imagination

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 stabilising 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…

 

As part of being a Bone Season Advocate I was sent an arc which I am extremely grateful for. If you are already a fan of this series you won’t be disappointed with this third instalment. I had high expectations going into this book and I am happy to say I really enjoyed this book. The second half is definitely the stronger section as the first half is a little slow but as a whole the book is great. If you do struggle a bit with the start, definitely stick with it as it does pick up. The character progression is well done. Paige does make some stupid decisions but they felt right with the plot development and the positions the characters find themselves in. This series also has amazing side characters – two of my favourites are Nick and Eliza. Shannon has created a fantastic cast of characters that you will root for or really dislike. I think the characters are a great strength in this series and I look forward to seeing their progression in the next books. One little complaint is the development between Paige and Warden – if you have read it you will probably know what I am referring too, but I just felt that it was unnecessary. The world building in this third book is another fantastic element. In this instalment the world is really developed and we see more of the world outside of London, which I appreciated.

 

The writing, once again, is great. It is easy to get into and I found that I was quickly engrossed with the plot. It was a quick and entertaining read for me. As I mentioned earlier, the beginning is a little slow, but Shannon does a great job at keeping you engaged. It is important build up to the second half of the book and presumably the later books too. The tension was a highlight of this book. Through the writing, you can really feel the tension of the situation they find themselves in. You can feel it building throughout the book – this makes it a book that is hard to put down. Like the other books there are many twists and turns. You never quite know where the characters will end up and I love that I can never fully predict what is going to happen. Another great element of this series is the diversity of the characters. There are a wide range of characters and I appreciate the diversity Shannon has created.

 

Overall I thought this was a fantastic continuation of the series and it has left me eager for the next book in this series. This is one of my favourite series at the moment and I was so happy with this book. I am so excited for the remaining four books, although I am perhaps a little nervous to see how it is going to spread across the seven books. The first three books have been amazing though so I have faith they will all be good. Anyway I highly recommend this series, especially if you are a fan of the dystopian genre. I am kind of sad that I now have to wait until the next book is released. Let me know if you have started this series and your thoughts. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa