'The Mime Order'

'The Mime Order' by Samantha Shannon

Review by Laura

 

 

 

Summary:

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal penal colony of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the fugitives are still missing and she is the most wanted person in London. As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, 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 center 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. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on. 

Review:

There is no question over whether or not you should pick up The Mime Order. It is a MUST. In the sequel (to The Bone Season), Shannon’s story well and truly settles itself in your memory, gripping you, demanding a place on your ‘favourite’s shelf.

The Bone Season concluded with Paige escaping Sheol 1. The Mime Order immediately follows this so straight away, you're hauled in to Shannon's world until your gripping the page, white-knuckled. The first had a lot of information to take in but with The Mime Order you can slip right in and feel comfortable minus the info-dumps. 

I was a little concerned about how Shannon would keep the storyline running for her predicted seven books. The first is so jam-packed and fast-paced. I didn’t know how her ideas would stretch out for all those books. Now that I have read The Mime Order, I am not at all worried.. Seven books suddenly seems a lot more realistic now. I’m confident in Shannon’s amazing writing.

Also, SEVEN BOOKS! Looks like we won’t be saying goodbye to Paige for a while yet, yay!

In The Bone Season we got to experience the inside of Sheol 1 with only flashbacks and a little hint of the Cohort Districts, teasing you almost. The Mime Order introduces a whole new range of places in the Cohorts. Shannon’s world is so vivid and rich, everything is seen so easily and so, once you start the book, it’s very hard to pull yourself back into reality! The unique spin on a 2059 London combined with the idea of clairvoyants really sets Shannon’s book apart from anything I have ever read. That's what makes it so special and personal.

We get to know the other members of The Seven Seals a lot more which is great as there are some wonderfully imagined characters in the group.

Jaxon Hall is an especially brilliant character. He seems to walk the fine line of love and love-to-hate for me. Paige is very much cemented as one of my favourite heroines now. I have so much respect and love for her after this book. It’s wonderful to read about such an intelligent character, you never feel exasperated towards her for being naïve, for example.

The cover and chapter headers, of course, like the first, carry special meaning within the book, which is always fun to look out for.

If you like The Bone Season and maybe have trouble envisioning the characters, or if you just want to see some cool fanart, check out thefourthorder.tumblr.com and The Bone Season wiki. There are amazing drawings to gawk over. 

And boys and girls, I would prepare yourself for the ending of this book.

 

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★