ARC Review: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
Published: January 27, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 501 (Paperback)
Series: The Bone Season #2
Source: Publisher
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

It has taken me way too long to read the second installment in this series. I could give you so many excuses for why I didn't read it sooner, but no one wants to hear about that. The important thing is that I finished it and I'm ready for the next one.

The Mime Order is vastly different from what I remember of The Bone Season. Not only does it focus on the organized crime groups, but the Rephaim are kind of pushed to the side while Paige is trying to figure out how to make it look like she has returned to her old life. I love the complexity of the syndicate and the relationship between mimelord and mollisher.

I love the dynamic between Jaxon and Paige because there are layers upon layers of history that influence their interactions. How often does that happen in YA? Not often enough in my opinion. Obviously Jaxon isn't the best role model, but he also gave his employees a family, instead of a life of poverty. Paige and all the others have a feeling of loyalty towards their mimelord because unlike all the others he isn't unjustly harsh, instead they have a home and I feel like Jaxon planned for them to feel that way and it really shows that he's actually quite brilliant. There's just so many layers to this character and I love that he's not quite a villain, but he also isn't a hero because that's what real people are like.

The pacing after the murder of an important character in the syndicate slowed down drastically. It felt like nothing was happening from that part of the book until the scrimmage near the very end of the book. It was mostly planning for how to continue the rebellion against Nashira. I wish that the scrimmage was more important part of the book because it was the most exciting to read about and for something so important I feel like it should have played a larger role than it did.

I'm still not entirely sold on Paige and Warden's relationship. Thankfully, their relationship is pushed to the side because there are obviously more pressing matters for Paige to be worrying about other than her love life, especially since having a relationship with Warden is forbidden and could ruin her chances of saving all the voyants.

I had high hopes for this book after really enjoying the first one and while the book has its faults, it was still very enjoyable to read. I will definitely be reading the third book.

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review