Even Better than the First: The Mime Order

The Mime Order is the second novel in the 7-book Bone Season series, and my goodness it’s even better than The Bone Season (and I loved that one – click here to see why).

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...
As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

What I love about The Mime Order:

• You get to learn so much about about the underground world of the clairyovants. You’re taken through the different sections of London and are introduced to the various clairvoyant gangs that rule their respective area. The book is exceptionally immersive as Shannon is very specific about the details– from the grime on the walls to the hat on someone’s head. This is by far my favorite part of this book.
• You get to know Paige’s gang so much better. The characters become more complicated and multi-dimensional in this book. You develop conflicted feelings towards some (like Jaxon, who you love and hate all at the same time) and develop concern for others you previously didn’t care about.
• There’s an epic tournament (I guess that’s what you could call it? Fight to the death is another appropriate term) at the end that is so bizarrely wonderful: the outfits that the contestants wear, the flowers that they use to submit their entry, and the powers that the various clairvoyants exhibit- it’s just SO. COOL.
• And most importantly – the overarching series plot is moving forward! We’re left with a lot of unanswered questions at the end of The Bone Season, and The Mime Order does a great job starting to explore some of them. We’re learning more about the Rephaim and the trafficking of clairvoyants into their corrupt hands, and we learn that Scion may not be as independent and strong as we once thought. You get just enough information to feel satisfied while still eager to read the next book in the series.

 

If you haven’t read this series yet, I’d highly recommend it. If you read The Bone Season and got stuck from all the new lingo, push through it because you will be greatly rewarded at the end! And if you finished The Bone Season and thought it was okay, I’d highly encourage you to read The Mime Order, because it’s so different and you’re likely to love it even more. 

The third book in the series, The Song Rising, comes out in March! If you want to pre-order a limited-edition, signed copy, you can do so here! You can also pre-order a normal edition here.

And don’t forget: read The Song Rising prologue here!

Have you read the series yet? What were your thoughts on it? I have yet to hear someone say they didn’t like The Mime Order, so if you’re one of those people I’d be curious to hear what your complaints were (I mean this in a friendly way, of course).

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.