The Mime Order is the second book in The Bone Season series and therefore this review may contain spoilers for the previous book.

Having escaped the penal colony of Sheol I, Paige Maloney returns to her life as part of the Seven Seals gang; her powers being used for the advantage of Jaxon Hall. She wants to reveal the secrets of the Rephaim to the world but it appear the voyant community have just as many secrets of their own. Soon Paige in the most wanted person in London.

Whilst The Bone Season was full of fast paced action, The Mime Order feels a lot more likea story settling in for the long game. There’s a sense of a lot of information being set up for the future, which is not a bad thing if you’re invested in the series. I do have that dilemma of wishing I could just read the whole thing in one go but unable to wait to read the new book as it arrives. So yeah, I really like where this series is going, it just can’t come fast enough.

We’re drawn into the underworld of the mime lords, the people who really control Paige’s life. Whilst she comes to realise she doesn’t want to live in the shadow of Jax all her life, breaking free can be dangerous. She needs the protection of a gang to survive but she doesn’t want it.

The Rephaim seem to have vanished into the shadows. Paige thinks people need to know about them, but who would believe her. And what has happened to Warden? They parted at the end of the last book leaving us on tenterhooks and you might need even more patience to continue their story.

This time the whole story is set in London and I love the reimagining of the capital. It feels a lot more Victorian but with the juxtaposition of the Scion and their technological advancements. And they are cracking down on voyants, giving Paige few choices. Everyone seems to be after her, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere down amongst the seedy alleys. They’re not even aware of her growing powers but Jax is getting suspicious.

Scion Guide to Covent Garden (PDF)
Exclusive content by Samantha Shannon

SEVEN DIALS, COVENT GARDEN, I-4

The domain of the White Binder and his Seven Seals, Seven Dials was once a most notorious Slum. Now, thanks to the efforts of the White Binder, it is one of the vital nerve centres of the clairvoyant Underworld.

Look up to see the famous pillar of Seven Dials. Steal down a dark Passage into NEAL’S YARD, where the Binder and his Gang, the SEVEN SEALS, can often be found partaking in a Meal at CHATELINE’S. The Owner of this popular Establishment, Mister Chateline himself, will be happy to offer you a Glass of hot Saloop on the House. If you can find the gated Entrance, feel free to visit the Gem of CHING COURT, tucked between MONMOUTH STREET and EARLHAM STREET, where the legendary Pale Dreamer and Red Vision are said to have practised their Skills under the Binder’s watchful Eye. If you glance at the Rooftops, you may even see them.

Nearby, in the district of SOHO, many more voyant Establishments can be found. In SOHO SQUARE, pay a Visit to THE MINISTER’S CAT, the most popular Gambling-House in the central Cohort, where a Lottery is run each Month and many Tournaments in TAROCCHI are held. Please Note that Soothsayers, Augurs, and other Voyants with the Gift of Precognition, for the Sake of Fairness, are barred from all such Tournaments.

Nearest Underground stations: Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern lines), Covent Garden (Piccadilly line)

The Mime Order is published by Bloomsbury and will be available in hardback and ebook editions from 27th January 2015. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

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Also reviewed @ Uncorked Thoughts

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.