“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…”
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy of this book.
Review of The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5/5
Samantha Shannon’s The Mask Falling is probably my favourite one in the series so far. Possibly because is set in Paris, and I loved the more international landscape in this fourth instalment of The Bone Season.
With more characters and more complex politics coming into play in The Mask Falling, the stakes have never been as high before. All with different goals and ambitions, the characters are the driving force of this book, forcing Paige to navigate increasingly difficult landscape of wartime Paris, while at the same time still coming to terms with the aftermath of the events of The Song Rising. It was good to see that Paige’s injuries or mental repercussions weren’t brushed off, but rather had played important role in The Mask Falling from the beginning to the end. The Bone Series is full of danger and Paige alongside her associates often finds herself in harm way. What I like about the series, is that Samantha Shannon makes it realistic – the injuries, both physical and mental, cause troubles long after they were given.
In Mask Falling, once again, the action picks up in the latter half of Samantha Shannon’s book, but that’s not too say that the first half isn’t intense – from the immediate fallout of The Song Rising (also explored in the novella, The Dawn Chorus which bridges the gap between both books) to exploring the current dynamic between Paige and Arcturus, her work for Domino Programme as well as the (possible) new alliance with clairvoyants of France, The Mask Falling is fast-paced, and will definitely be a great read for those who have been following Paige’s adventures.
While The Bone Season series wasn’t one that I was completely engrossed in since the very beginning, I’m finding myself enjoying each book more and more, perhaps also seeing how the author is growing and developing her narrative skills further, which is always great to see! And considering the ending of the previous books, I shouldn’t perhaps be surprised with another cliff-hanger, and yet it was hard to stop reading. I guess now I have to wait patiently for another instalment.
Who is the book for: The Mask Falling is a much-awaited fourth instalment of The Bone Season series, so I’m sure the fans of the series will love this one. I will recommend it to all fantasy lovers, but it will require starting the whole series from the beginning – but it’s definitely worth it. The Mask Falling is out today and you can get your copy here.
Alicja Writes 
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