THE MIME ORDER is a slow-burn fantasy of allegiances and betrayal as Paige figures out what she wants from her newly reclaimed freedom, and starts to chafe under the formerly familiar restrictions of her Mime Lord. 

The first book told a little of what Paige remembered about her Mime Lord and the rest of the Seven Seals. Now, in THE MIME ORDER, she's returned to find things on edge. The world building continues to be excellent, this time around Paige is noticing what's different from before she was away, and it helps give a real reason for the narration to explain so much in book two. Even when it possibly shouldn't be new to her, it is because things have changed a lot. The politics of interrelationships between the factions and people are complex and absorbing, but the way Paige keeps her ambitions clear and (usually) simple keeps it from being overwhelming. There's a dizzying array of options available to her but because of her goals it feels like only one or two are truly available. As she changes what she wants, the narrow world of her choices swivels to a new set of goals. In a setting with endlessly nested factions and motivations (e.g. the Syndicate vs Scion, the Sargas vs the Ranthem, the various Mime Lords and Ladies vs each other), it would be easy to get lost in the details. I appreciated both that this level of detail was present, and that I could choose how much I wanted to try and track it while still understanding the main story. 

THE MIME ORDER wraps up a few things left hanging from the previous book. Its whole main storyline starts here and wasn't present previously, and includes a bunch of major things that are both introduced and resolved in it. It leaves some very big things to be picked up by the sequels. The main character is unchanged from THE BONE SEASON, and her voice is consistent across both books. This might make sense if someone started here and didn't know about the rest of the series. Part of that is because it's book two of a planned seven books, and so it doesn't quite yet have the depth of backstory as later entries will inevitably contain. The other part is that (probably because it's a seven book series) the main storyline is largely self contained. It matters that any reader knows Paige was imprisoned, and by whom, and that she has certain allies (both those she obtained during THE BONE SEASON and ones from before her imprisonment), but all of that can be picked up from the way events are handled here. I like this style, it works a little better than in THE BONE SEASON, where I constantly felt like Paige was talking about some earlier book I hadn't gotten to read, since The Seven Seals matter so much to the series as a whole but were mostly only described by Paige rather than shown in that first book. They matter here, and having learned about them previously helps that transition from her imprisonment to being back home. 

I love this book and I'm definitely going to keep reading the series. The ending is great, it's a perfect blend between resolving the main tensions from this book and setting up clear stakes for a conflict in the next one. I feel like I have closure as well as knowing what questions I want answered next time, which is ideal for such long books in a long series.

<Spoiler> Book #2 of The Bone Season series is an exciting adventure as you continue to follow Paige Mahoney following the famous break out of Sheol I. She and the others that escaped with her are forced to live in hiding. Paige reluctantly goes back to her Mime Lord for protection from the syndicate. Everything changes when the UnderLord and his gang is murdered. Because of this, a scrimmage is to be held between those who would like to assume the position of UnderLord/Queen. <Spoiler>

This book was AMAZING! There were so many twists and turns in this book; I couldn’t believe all the things that were happening! There are so many *gasp* moments throughout this whole book!

I hate Jaxon Hall. I mean, I already knew I hated Jaxon Hall, but I hate him even more now, which I did not think was actually possible.  

The general set up of The Mime Order was the aftermath of what took place during The Bone Season. Paige Mahoney, newly escaped from the penal colony of Sheol I, must now try and convince her fellow voyants of the threat that looms  over them all, casting a shadow far larger, darker, and more lethal than Scion’s. However, Paige is faced with disbelief and disrespect at every turn. When the Underlord turns up brutally murdered along with his lackeys, the mime-lords and mime-queens of London must choose a new leader. In the Archon of Westminster, Nashira (or Nashita, as I typo-ed her and now call her) pulls the threads of her spider’s web to make her little flies dance. When the Rephaim come back, Paige must strike a bargain to fight for the safety and the freedom of every voyant in London.  

I’ll start off with what I liked about this book. I loved the fact that it started off exactly where The Bone Season ended: on the train back to London. Getting a better look at the politics of the syndicate was also fascinating to me. Meeting the different mime-lords and mime-queens gave me a better understanding of why the syndicate was the way that it was.  

However, I did feel like the book had a lot of unnecessary fluff. It was very slow at the beginning, though granted it did pick up later on. I do think that about a quarter of the beginning could have been cut and it would have made no real difference. I also felt like the chemistry between Paige and the Warden was just…not there? I already felt like it was a bit forced in The Bone Season, but it felt virtually non-existent (at least to me) during The Mime Order. The only time I saw a semblance of chemistry between them was any time the golden thread was brought into the scene. Apart from that, there really was nothing there. If anything, I feel like it’s more of a Stockholm Syndrome sort of thing than anything else.  

However, that ending. I do not envy the people who read this book as soon as it came out, only to realize they would need to wait to have that cliffhanger resolved.  

I’d give this four stars and I, thankfully, don’t need to wait two years like some of the previous readers have had to for the third book. I have it right next to me and will be starting on it after a short nap. 

I'm going to need a while to process the mind-bending madness that Samantha Shannon just laid on me! If you haven't read The Bone Season books you really have to!

This is the second book in the series and picks up moments after the first book ended.... (Pause here for spoilers!)

Paige, some survivors and the Seven Seals have made their way out of Sheol 1 on a stolen train. The relationship between Jaxon and Paige is broken possibly beyond repair. Warden is missing and everything seems impossible. Enter a whole bunch more tension and plot!

The central focus of this book is Paige bringing the tyranny of Scion and the actions of the Rephaim to light for the public to rise and take a stand - but to save the lives of millions of voyants she's going to need the help of the Unnatural Assembly - they, however, are too focused on squabbling and making money. Fighting from every angle Paige is hunting down the truth and entering a battle she has to win. Long live the Mime Order!

One of the reasons this series is so enjoyable is the ability to see Shannon's writing develop from book to book. 

The Bone Season will always be my "favorite" in the series because it's where I fell in love with a new author, but I do love the way in which Shannon continues to expand the universe without making it too big or overwhelming. 

The Mime Order is infuriating and frustrating in the best possible way, and it's wonderful to see Paige further develop into a competent, passionate leader. 

In this sequel to The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon shows a tangible improvement in the quality of her writing. Page's story opens up to the world of Scion London, giving the reader a vivid and compelling backdrop for the narrative. Shannon's worldbuilding is stronger in this novel than her first, and her characters remain excellent, although they don't develop a huge amount between the end of The Bone Season and the end of this book, with some even regressing a little.

Elements of the writing remain knotted - a couple of dialogue passages I had to read several times to be sure that I understood what the characters were implying to one another, which detracted from the pace of the writing. The plot is also a little lopsided, building up to a cliffhanger which is very easily predictable and therefore not very effective at all. It feels a little haphazard, as though Paige simply lurches from event to event rather than there being a strong arc with very little strategy for a long time. The story doesn't truly get going until the final section of the book, which is a little long to wait, especially when this is already a sequel. 

However, there is an evident maturation of Shannon's world and her way of representing it. The politics of the syndicate are fascinating; fight scenes are written very, very well; it was fabulous to get to know the Dials better. Subplots were very compelling, and laid the foundations for some really exciting things later in the series. Despite its flaws, I really love this series. I think it's a fascinating world, an excellent concept, and a story that is truly epic - albeit with some faltering in the telling.