The Mime Order is a testament to how I personally prefer succeeding books in a series to be, as it enriches the reading experience of the series by fleshing out the world, lore and plot. I remember how it felt to read this installment the first time - it surprised me in many ways, but also cemented my regard for Samantha Shannon's storytelling. Getting to have that experience again with this preferred text version was uniquely satisfying; I still harbor the same feelings, though dialed up a notch given how cool it is that the author was able to take the bones of the already brilliant tale she's told and just make it (somehow) even better. 

I'd prefer not to go into spoilers about the actual plot, though if I could, I'd certainly have plenty of moments to gush or scream about. But I find myself still feeling like it's best to dive into this book (and the rest of the series) without knowing too much about how things will play out. What I can confirm is that readers will get the following things from this sequel:

No words I use will be adequate to express how incredible this installment is, though it does cement the fact that The Bone Season is an all-time favorite series of mine. The second act of Paige Mahoney's story - jumpstarted in Oxford, kindled in London - is thrilling from beginning to end, and I can't wait to dive into the next book.

A gloriously written novel with incredible characters and a tight plot.