A note on the edition: I received the 10th Anniversary fully revised edition from Bloomsbury, which is said to contain new scenes and altered scenes. I can’t compare how much it differs from the original text so my review will solely be based on this edition. 

This review may contain mild spoilers for the previous books in The Bone Season series. 

In the aftermath of the previous book, The Song Rising, we return to Paige Mahoney taking refuge in the Scion Citadel of Paris as an agent for the clandestine organisation, Domino. Beside her is Warden, guarded with protecting Paige’s welfare for the rebel Rathem. Domino and the Rathem have their agendas in taking down Scion and the Sargas and though Paige shares this goal she also has the Mime Order to protect. So her journey in this book takes her through the catacombs of underground Paris where another Syndicate dwells and to the lavish halls of Versailles. Yet there are forces that will stop at nothing to bring down this rebellion and Paige may just be too far out of her depth to stop them. 

The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon is a book of jaw-dropping revelations and heart-pounding action, an instalment that gives you answers but leaves you with even more questions. Prepare for a war like no other before. 

“‘I know myself. The ways I’ve changed, the ways I haven’t. I’ve died a hundred deaths since then, lived a hundred little seasons, I murmured. ‘You’ve changed since we first met, too. Somehow you seem both more and less human.’”

It’s immediately clear that Shannon will not skim over the after effects of Paige’s torture from the previous book, particularly her trauma from water boarding, and I appreciated this so much. Too often fantasy books skip over time, have characters heal too quickly, shy away from the gritty realities of the situations they have been through. That is definitely not the case here as Paige shows her fear of water, of dark and enclosed spaces. Fear is often seen as a weakness but in fact it can be a great sign of strength because to face your fears takes a hell of a lot of courage. This is what Paige slowly learns, and the fact that she doesn’t have to face her fears alone. I have never spoken in depth about Paige and Arcturus’ relationship, nor the romance in this series, during previous reviews because their growing bond had always been in the background with neither side deciding quite what they wanted. Yet here they become more central to the plot—you see Scion knows these two are pivotal to the rebellion and that makes them both a target. Arcturus is an alien Reph and though they have always been shown as cruel, dangerous and having a strong hatred for humans, he shares none of these traits. Arcturus is gentle, well cultured and above all kind and patient with Paige, helping Paige to conquer her fears. No matter what she does, what mistakes she makes, he is always on her side and so when Shannon does what she does in this book, it is all the more cruel! You’re a monster, Shannon! 

Urban fantasy has never been a sub-genre I’ve been particularly drawn to, I’m not always fond of contemporary settings nor the use of technology, yet in the previous books in this series somehow Scion London has never felt all that contemporary. However, as we move our setting to Paris this somewhat changes. With Paige now being involved with Domino, her assignments with them not only require her to use her Dreamwalker abilities but also to use the wealth of technological devices they have at their disposal. With Paige acquiring face altering dissimulators and concealed camera devices, we are given a glimpse into the more advanced ways other countries are dealing with Scion’s threat. I actually enjoyed seeing this because on the one hand Paige can hide her identity in a futuristic way but then on the other hand we are also given scenes of good old fashioned sword fights and characters using their extraordinary abilities against one another. Shannon skilfully balances between futuristic and fantasy elements and this was so thrilling to see. 

“London, monstrous and marvellous and magnificent, too wild for even tyranny to tame. It had eaten me whole, and in its gut, I had grown a skin hard enough to cocoon me. I never imagined that I would burst out of that skin as Black Moth, leader of the revolution. Never predicted that I would find a new family in the Seven Seals. Never guessed that I would be the one to tear the mask off London when I found out who and what controlled it.”

Each book sees Paige step into different roles and here Paige now has to become an agent who takes orders from others. Clearly, this isn’t a role suited to her. Paige has always been impulsive, sometimes dangerously so, but it’s in her nature to improvise in any given situation, she works on gut instinct and adapts plans given the opportunities that present themselves. Her schemes and plans rarely ever go smoothly and in this book once again some of her decisions are frustratingly disastrous. It is easy to forget just how young Paige is and just how much responsibility has been placed upon her when she has very little experience and so whilst I was shouting at her to stop and think first, I was also sympathetic towards her situation. To be honest in a long running fantasy series I expect plans to fail, I expect capture, and I expect characters to make mistakes. If everything always worked out then the book would become boring. Having said that, I could often foreshadow where Paige’s actions would lead her, I knew what would befall her but I bloody loved the excitement of it all nonetheless. What can I say? This is the kind of escapism I look for! 

Now, I say there were a lot of things I predicted to happen but where Shannon threw me were the many things I did not expect. Talk about a book with bombshells, the literal and metaphorical kind! The book is titled The Mask Falling and this proves true throughout as many revelations and character’s true intentions left me reeling in disbelief. This is the one instalment where you’ll be saying “What the fuck, Shannon?” many times over. The Bone Season series has consistently delivered high octane endings that leave readers desperate for more and this must have been pure evil torture for those who had to wait for The Dark Mirror to be published. Fortunately I’m lucky enough to not be in that position as I have an ARC waiting on my shelf which I’ll be eagerly diving into later this month. 

But after that ending, I fear what is to come… 

‘Throughout all of this – every step we have taken to get here – we’ve just been sowing the seeds.

Now our pieces stand ready. So does the enemy. It’s time we tear open this war’

Review Copy provided by Ben at Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! 

The Mask Falling is out now! You can order your copy on Bookshop.org