The Song Rising: The Heisty Sequel Reviewed

The Song Rising is the much anticipated sequel to The Bone Season and The Mime Order (click the links to see my reviews for each book) to be released March 7, 2017. Samantha Shannon, the author, has said that each book in the series will be very different, and so far this has proven to be very true. Unfortunately this means that each novel in the series is going to be received differently every time, and in the case of The Song Rising, it means I didn’t like it quite as much as I loved the first two.

Let me sum up the series (mild spoilers): 

The Bone Season takes place in a very isolated colony on the outskirts of London and is largely focused on how and why clairvoyants are being “harvested” to live in this strange place.

The Mime Order broadens the scale a bit and takes place in London, examining the underground clairvoyant life while simultaneously trying to undercover the mystery of who murdered the head-hauncho of the clairvoyants.

The Song Rising again scales back a bit. We’re moving out of London and exploring other parts of England. Our main characters are also largely involved with several high-stake heists as they try to undermine Scion London, the oppressive, anti-clairvoyant, government system.

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 stabilizing 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 . . .

Explosions, treasonous activity, underground living.

What I liked (there will be spoilers from The Mime Order):

• I loved moving out of London and exploring other parts of England. I have a suspicion that the subsequent books will be moving further and further beyond the epicenter of the story. It’s so much fun seeing how other cities manage their underground clairvoyant societies.
• Paige is Underqueen/Mime Queen (whatever you want to call her) is not the smoothest experience, and it feels very real reading about her struggles. Shannon did a good job avoiding making her transition to Underqueen cliche.
• We get to meet some new, very cool characters! Some of these characters are a part of Paige’s Mime Order and others are individuals we’re interacting with along the way. I am eager to see how they continue to develop in future books.
• The second half of the book moves very quickly as there are a lot of high-stakes scenes! People who enjoy action/heists are going to love this book.

What I didn’t like: 

• There are few clairvoyant details in this one, and as a result, it felt more generic than her first two. I loved the first two books in this series because they were jam-packed with whimsical and bizarre details about the clairvoyants and their world. This book doesn’t have a fraction of the detail as the others. I will say that this is going to a positive for those of you who didn’t appreciate the information-overload in the first two.
• I was frustrated with the direction that Shannon took Warden and Paige. View Spoiler »This is the third book and I feel like it’s time for their relationship to blossom. Instead, Shannon chooses to have them “take a break.” It just felt like a useless detail, because haven’t they just been essentially acting like they’re not a couple the first two books? What use is a “break” when they’re basically acting the same as they always have been? « Hide Spoiler

This one wasn’t my favorite, because I like social/cultural details more than violence/action/heists. I think a lot of people are going to love this one (especially those of you who are action junkies)! Get excited!

Are you ready to read The Song Rising? Which of the first two did you like the most?

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.