Title: The Mime Order (The Bone Season #2)
Author: Samantha Shannon
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: May 14, 2024
Format: Paperback, 10^th anniversary edition
Length: 560 pages

Read if you like: supernatural dystopia, clairvoyance-driven magic, criminal underworlds, morally ambiguous characters, alternate histories, urban fantasy, diverse cast

Rating: 

Whenever you dive into a new series and book one blows you away, there’s always some trepidation before you jump into the second book. Will it live up to the experience of the first? Could it possibly be as good? 

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon was my favourite book of 2024, so this was largely how I felt going into book two, The Mime Order. That said, I’d had no reason to fear, because this one might have even been better than the first. 

I love everything about this series, from the carefully constructed dystopian fantasy setting to the wonderfully flawed and beautifully executed characters. The stakes were exceptionally high in book one, and after such a massive crescendo of action, I wasn’t sure how Shannon would top it, but wow, this one blew me away in equal measure.

This series is quickly becoming an all-time favourite. I’ll endeavour to review the second book here with minimal spoilers, but given that it builds directly from the plot of the first, some may be inevitable. If you want to avoid the in-depth review, know this: this book was outstanding, and I can’t wait to lose myself in book three. 

The Book Synopsis: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Paige Mahoney has escaped the clandestine prison city of Oxford. Now a fugitive in London, she nurtures a new taste for revolution.

Oxford may be behind her, but the Republic of Scion is undefeated. As it turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, she is forced to return to Jaxon Hall, her charismatic and brutal employer, to keep her foothold in the underworld.

But Paige will bow to one now, and not even Jaxon will stop her exposing the corruption in the syndicate. As she plots to win the fabled Rose Crown, both sides of an ancient conflict seek her talents for themselves.

The Review

What a fantastic sequel. I’m reeling about all that transpired.

Shannon is a true master at world-building and character development. The depth of Scion and the characters within it only gets more interesting and complex as the books go on. In book one, because we spend much of the time in Oxford it’s the history of Scion and the Rephs that you get a lot of exposure to, with London as this background setting that’s discussed, but not much time is spent in. I was so impressed with how much more was flushed out in this book, particularly as it related to London and the criminal underworld where Paige and her associates operate. Seeing the dynamics of the various mime orders and the interplay with Scion was equal parts fascinating and pulse-pounding at different times and I found myself completely lost in this world. 

I loved the direction of the plot and the patience with which Shannon drew it out. There are so many layers to what is happening at any given time in this series that even when I see one aspect coming, two more hit me by surprise. Given that the first book finishes with the downfall of Oxford, which felt, at the time, like an exceptionally pivotal locale for all things related to Scion and the Rephs, it was difficult to see where the plot and characters would go from there, but having the fugitives back in London and the various schemes that they each ended up wound up in added a whole new level of complexity to both their characters and the setting. The story was so lush and the characters so interwoven with each other while still maintaining a lot of mystery, much of which has yet to unfold. 

I loved seeing Paige grow even further in this book, coming from a relatively self-centred survivalist to the aspiring leader of a rebel faction. Shannon treats this type of ascension with the caution and effort it calls for, and the slow build is exquisite to see unfold. I also appreciated that Shannon employs the exact right amount of romance for my tastes. Enough to hook me and have me swooning without it necessarily becoming the focal point of the plot. It’s a wonderful complimentary feature without being the whole. 

Without question this is becoming one of my favourite series of all time. It’s so unique and well-constructed that every time I pick these books up I can’t put them down. I’m super keen to begin book three and see where things go from here.