Article contributed by Jena Brown
In the fourth instalment of The Bone Season series, The Mask Falling throws us back in the turbulent world of Scion.
Paige Mahoney has once again eluded death. Ripped from captivity, she’s smuggled to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris. There, she finds herself struggling to recover from the injuries inflicted by her captors. Except war with Scion won’t wait. Taken in by the mysterious Domino Program, Paige learns there’s a price for her continued safety. But the Underqueen has plans of her own.
From the catacombs underground to the mirrored halls of Versailles, Paige tries to convince the Parisian underworld to join her cause. With the syndicates of France and England united, they could finally turn the tides of rebellion into war. As Scion broadens their reach along the European continent, Paige fights to overcome the increasing trauma the rebellion has wrought on her body and mind. While her bond with Arcturus Mesarthim grows stronger, their enemies strive to tear them apart. Because if the rebellion began with them. It can end with them too.
After a two year wait, fans of this series will no doubt dive face first into these pages. When we last saw Paige, she was wreaking havoc on Rephaim plans to tighten Scion control over voyants. Now, we’re thrust into the immediate aftereffects of that chaos. Paige is no longer Underqueen, or not directly anyway. She’s on the run with Arcturus, a relationship that becomes more complicated the more it grows. Her benefactors expect her to follow orders without question, something she’s never been great at. And she’s suffering from wounds, both physical and psychological. But if there’s one thing we know about Paige Mahoney, it’s that she has zero intentions of letting any of that stand in her way.
On one level this story is about Paige. We get everything through her eyes, her perspective. And yet these books are more than just Paige’s story. It’s about voyants and their struggle to survive in a world that hates them simply for existing. They’re used by the Rephaim and murdered by humans. It isn’t about how one girl’s experiences are changed or shaped by that, but how each of them reacts within that terrible dichotomy. This is further highlighted within the scope of a multi-fronted war. Each syndicate, each voyant, each human, each Rephaim, each country––they all face choices within that war. As each book progresses, these choices get more complicated. The allies of today may have been the enemies of yesterday and could still be the enemies of tomorrow. This isn’t a story, or a world for that matter, that exists in a good versus evil reality. Instead, it embodies our far more complicated world, painted in a dazzling array of greys.
Mental health is also a huge theme in this story, which makes it a quieter, more internal book. That doesn’t mean the plot is somehow less tense, or the book isn’t a fast-paced sprint from beginning to end. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s been a span of four books, but for Paige it’s only been a year. A year filled with betrayal, torment, loss, and unfathomable change. Paige, along with the other characters, can no longer deny the heavy burdens war brings. She struggles with PTSD and Shannon handles this depiction with careful nuance and incredible depth. There’s a heartbreaking authenticity, made more real through the vulnerability and strength Paige shows. She’s always been driven to keep moving forward. Staying focused and active has been her primary coping strategy, allowing her to deal with setbacks while giving her an outlet to release doubts or regrets. Being forced to slow down and adapt is hard for Paige. But it’s also necessary and keeps her from feeling less like a superhero voyant and more like a girl fighting to not just survive, but live.
And Paige isn’t the only one. Each character has been scarred by the ravages of war, and each one experiences it differently. Shannon makes sure that each character is allowed their own identity within their struggle. It’s personal, but relatable. Some push it down, some rage forward, some shove everyone away. We get surety and doubt, recklessness and righteousness. She gives us bravery through a stunning assortment of actions, sometimes by facing their fears head on and other times by knowing their limits. But it’s never minimised or stigmatised or relegated to the shadows of their interactions. It’s talked about and recognised which then lets the reader understand and sympathise with both the struggles they face and the growth it offers. The decisions characters make aren’t done for the sake of plot, but with the nuance of individuality influenced by their experiences. And the consequences born from their reactions do the same.
Even more refreshing is the complicated introduction to forgiveness and atonement. These characters are always more than they appear and just when we’re convinced we know someone’s motivations or intentions, Shannon rips the rug from beneath our feet, forcing us to question everything we thought we knew. Can mistakes made in the past ever be repaired? Shannon doesn’t offer us answers, but she asks the question for both Paige and the reader to wrestle with as the series continues. It’s this level of detail, both in making sure details from previous books are remembered while setting the stage for events yet to come, that makes this series so dynamic. Shannon has an exquisite eye for detail, weaving the threads of multiple themes into an overarching plot that never loses its momentum or heart. In fact, what keeps Paige from ever feeling one dimensional or from each plot hitting the same note over and over again is the complicated realism woven into every detail.
The Mask Falling is an escalation of the first three books and gives us more of everything. More backstory, more depth, more perspective. It’s an intense read, filled with the grim realities of war. We see the span of humanity from cruelty to generosity and everything in between. Secrets are uncovered only for more mysteries to be revealed. Actions can never be taken at face value and nothing is ever surface deep. With each new novel Shannon continues to prove that she is a formidable voice in the fantasy genre. Her writing style is intimate but the gritty realism that both her worlds and characters embody are filled with razor sharp teeth. This book bites and refuses to let go. Filled with an amazing range of introspection, this quiet tension hurtles the reader through constantly evolving problems with higher and higher stakes towards an ending that’s as explosive as it is devastating. It’s addictive. Propulsive. And will leave readers bereft while desperately wanting more.
The Mask Falling is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion’s downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim’s puppet empire.
The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim-her former enemy-at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war.
As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them-and could end with them…
