The Song Rising: The Bone Season, Book 3

BookNerdMomo

Be prepared to shed some tears and be left on the edge of your seat breathlessly anticipating the fourth book!

"It’s no secret that I am a HUGE fan of The Bone Season. So, you can imagine, after over a two year wait, how thrilled I was to finally dive into the third installment. Now that I’ve turned the final page of the book I'm a bit speechless. I had some high expectations going into this after the whirlwind that was the first two books. Guess what? Samantha Shannon took those high expectations and blew the roof completely off of them! The Song Rising left me breathless and wanting more. It’s quite possible that I’ve already found my top read of 2017. The Mime Order concluded with a jaw dropping, gasp worthy cliffhanger. Paige, who had just won the crown for Underqueen, finds out that her ex-mime-lord Jaxon Hall had a little secret up his sleeve. The first Ranthen rebellion that was quenched all those years ago by a human betrayal? That was Jaxon’s doing. The Song Rising begins on the tremulous notes of that shocking reveal and the consequences of Paige’s actions in the scrimmage as well as Jaxon’s betrayal make themselves obvious pretty quickly. Due to the fact that Paige turned against her mime-lord to win the title of Underqueen a lot of the syndicate, London’s voyant criminal underworld, don’t exactly accept her as their leader. Not to mention the fact that the Ranthen, the Rephaim who turned against Nashira, are questioning her loyalty and ability to lead because of her past connection with Jaxon. Paige’s reign as Underqueen is definitely off to a rocky start as she rebuilds the syndicate from the ground up to prepare them to take action against Scion by joining with the Ranthen. However, a threat lies fast approaching as Scion implements Senshield, a technology that can detect clairvoyance, forcing Paige to make the choice of putting her people into hiding to save them. Senshield is the one thing that could not only spell death for all voyants but ruin their revolution before it even begins so it has to be destroyed at any cost. The Song Rising starts with a bang as you dive head first into a story full of uncertainty, suspense, unexpected plot twists, and so much more as new allies are gained and new enemies rise up. Hands down, one of my favorite things about The Bone Season so far has been the characters. They've become so memorable for me. Samantha Shannon has created these characters with so much depth, they’re not one-dimensional they're complex and flawed. I mean most of the voyants are criminals turned revolutionaries after all (some reluctantly so). And then aside from the voyants there’s the Rephaim who are still shrouded in so much mystery, but that’s what makes them interesting. Both have characters that are working for Scion and Nashira while both also have characters that are working against them. I won’t go into a lot of detail about all of the characters but that’s mainly because certain things are revealed that I don’t want to spoil. I will say that we do learn a bit about both Nick's past as well as Warden's. From The Bone Season to The Song Rising, Paige has gone through a lot of changes. Seriously, her character development has been on point! One thing I’ve loved is seeing her step out of that role of reluctant leader and into embracing it and how much she wants to change the world she lives in. She’s someone who is headstrong, stubborn, ambitious, and just cares so much for her fellow voyants. She’s willing to sacrifice anything to make sure that there is a day where they don’t have to worry about whether their clairvoyance will lead them to their deaths. Is she perfect? Absolutely not. In fact, Paige can be a bit impulsive at times which almost always turns out bad. But at heart, everything she does is fueled by good intentions. Going into The Song Rising she has a lot of doubt about who she can trust because of Jaxon’s betrayal, which is something she has to overcome. There’s also so much revealed about her past that I won’t even go into. All I’m going to say is that this book has cemented the fact that Paige is my top favorite female character. Beyond the familiar faces from previous books, The Song Rising brings with it a full introduction to so many other great characters. One of them, Maria, who we see briefly in The Mime Order has quickly become a favorite of mine. I love her. And don’t even get me started on the romance! I’ve said this in previous reviews so I’m probably becoming repetitive but I love how Samantha Shannon has crafted this incredible, slow burn romance and not made it the main focal point of the books. Warden and Paige, I love them. There’s just something so unique about their connection and with each book I love them more and more. I can’t even really explain it but I can’t get enough of the two of them. The Song Rising definitely played with my emotions where they are concerned. Yes, I'm being purposely vague. Something else I would like to point out as notable is the fact that almost every single character in power or in a leadership position is female. From the good guys to the enemies it’s the women running the show. The Song Rising, in particular, is rocking some serious girl power! I loved it. Also, once again, Samantha Shannon has blown me away with her writing and world building! Each book has delved more and more into this horrific and shocking world while peeling away layers that I never saw coming. The Song Rising goes more into the internal workings of Scion, we get to see more of London and other voyant communities outside of London, and there’s so much heartbreaking character backstory revealed. Plus, there is a plot twist that I’m still picking my jaw up off of the floor over. This book was engaging, suspenseful, and just when I thought I knew what was going to happen the rug was ripped right out from under me. Be prepared to shed some tears and be left on the edge of your seat breathlessly anticipating the fourth book. I for one need said book in my hands right now. Overall, The Song Rising was not only everything I hoped for but also exactly what I’ve come to expect from this author. It was completely worth the two year wait! ["

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March 8, 2017 Verified Purchase

Cortney Pace

The Payoff After The Climb

"After the slower build of the previous installment, this book delivers the momentum I’d been waiting for. The stakes feel higher, the danger feels closer, and the story moves with a sense of urgency that kept me turning pages late into the night. Everything that’s been simmering in the background starts pressing in, and the emotional weight of the choices facing the characters really lands. One of the most compelling additions is Vance. She’s a strong, memorable antagonist—calculated, intimidating, and layered in a way that makes every scene she’s in feel tight with tension. Rather than feeling over-the-top, she brings a believable threat that pushes the story into new territory. What stood out most to me was how much more immersive this one felt. The balance between action, politics, and personal loyalty hits its stride, and it was far easier to lose myself in the world than in the second book. If you made it through the previous novel and were hoping for a bigger payoff, this is it. I walked away excited, satisfied, and very ready to keep going. ["

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February 7, 2026 Verified Purchase

Amanda @ Literary Weaponry

Edge of your seat, must read

"The Song Rising is the third book in Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season series. When the first book came out Shannon was compared to JK Rowling and many press releases said that her books would be more popular and influential than The Hunger Games. She was 21. I don’t know about you but at 21 I was hardly mature enough to be allowed into public, no less sign a six figure book deal. When I discovered this series in 2015 I was hooked and have waited for two years for the third installment to be released. Folks, I was not disappointed. The Song Rising picks up precisely where The Mime Order, the second installment, left off. Paige Mahoney is the newly appointed head of an underground faction of clairvoyants in Scion London. Many among them feel that she unfairly took the title from her previous mentor, Jaxon Hall, and that she doesn’t deserve the crown. Despite the unrest among them, Paige is determined to unite all the clairvoyants of London against Scion and bring the corrupt government to it’s knees. This would free Paige and those like her from their years of being viewed as lesser beings, not worthy of respect, and help lead them to the path to freedom instead of suffocating oppression. Scion is introducing a new level of that oppression in the form of a portable scanning device that easily allows their foot soldiers to reliably identify four types of clairvoyants. This device could bring Paige and her followers to it’s knees if it is not somehow stopped. Despite the unrest within her Mime Order, Paige and a group of trusted voyants set off out of London in an attempt to stop the scanners from being put into use. No leader within their order has ever left London before and more voyants seem to be losing their trust and patience with Paige’s reign. She has urged them underground, literally into the sewers, in an effort to keep them shielded from the scanners that would quickly end their lives. Despite the fact that she is trying to help them she has become immensely unpopular. She and her small group depart London with a seemingly impossible task. Their dangerous quest will lead them from London and into Manchester then on to what was formerly Scotland. In true Paige form, nothing goes quite as planned but she never gives up despite the immense weight of what she has to do. As a female lead she is everything I look for. Strong but not without fault. She thinks forward to what the future could be instead of just accepting her circumstances. Paige has a defined goal and set of principles that she isn’t willing to give up. She truly is one of the best leading female characters I have ever read. Alright, in a nutshell I adored this book. I think it is easily the best of the series out so far. Yes, it is the shortest of the three but there is so much going on, so much action that it is impossible to care about the length. I have never rooted so hard for a group of fictional characters in my life. The end was both painful and optimistic. While the story is obviously ongoing most of the story lines within the book were wrapped up nicely before moving on. I appreciate that. I hate when I get to the end of a book that I know will have a sequel and there are too many plot lines in the wind. Some sense of closure is needed even though the story itself is nowhere at an end. I can’t wait to see what Shannon comes up with next for these characters. ["

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March 14, 2017 Verified Purchase

Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books

I loved The Song Rising!

"(Originally posted on Alexa Loves Books) Having escaped Sheol I and defeated all the contenders in the Rose Ring to become the Underqueen of the London Syndicate, in The Song Rising, Paige has now found herself in a powerful position. She is determined to rally her troops to fight for the rights and protection of all voyants, and begins to take the steps in order to make them an army fit to assist the Ranthen in overthrowing Scion and the other Rephaite. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and Paige soon finds that she is responsible for the welfare of her underlings. With Scion dogging her steps at every turn and the military's presence growing, Paige is forced to make some tough decisions as she continues to light the spark of revolution. I was actually one of the lucky people to receive an early review copy of The Song Rising, thanks to the lovely folk over at Bloomsbury. Since it has been one of my most highly anticipated sequels for ages, I immediately skipped everything on my then TBR in order to reread the first two novels and dive right into this one. Now, even though you're likely seeing this review months from when I'm typing it up, I thought it'd be best to write it while fresh off reading the book. It was absolutely incredible to be back in the world that Samantha Shannon so carefully crafted in her first two novels, complete with the variety of clairvoyants, the restructured London syndicate and the ever-present threat of Scion and the Rephaite. Since I'd come off of a reread of The Bone Season and The Mime Order, I comfortably transitioned into The Song Rising without any confusion. What is truly impressive, in my humble opinion, is that the world once again expands and introduces us to even more of the world. And while it is obviously sad, bleak and terrifying, it is also so darn interesting to learn about what is going on outside of the London citadel. I love that with every single story, Samantha has been slowly letting readers see the rest of the world in her head, and I absolutely cannot wait for more. It was also so wonderful to be reunited with Paige, Nick, Eliza, Warden and countless other characters that I've come to know and love (or perhaps revile) in reading the previous novels. For the great majority of the main players that I was familiar with, it felt like deepening a bond with a friend, particularly as we learn more about certain individuals who might not have had center stage (or any stage at all, really) prior to The Song Rising. And for the newer characters who crop up in this story, Samantha does an excellent job of fleshing them out as flawed individuals doing the best they can with the circumstances they are in (in the case of the "good" guys) and psychopaths who are not opposed to death and destruction in order to get their way (in the case of the "bad" guys). But I need to really take a moment here to appreciate Paige Mahoney, our main gal. She faces a number of challenges in The Song Rising, challenges that would have lesser men and women running like hell, and these challenges are what break her, shape her, make her. She's certainly not perfect, especially considering her youth, and she does make mistakes. But with each mistake, and even each victory, there is growth and there is experience and there is Paige learning to be a strong leader. It really impressive how much Paige grows over the course of this novel, and it is a character arc that felt really organic as well. So, the world is great. So, the characters are phenomenal. But Lex, you might ask, what about the story? The short answer: it was incredible. The longer answer? Well, it is clear to me that this story was so well-executed. Every scene had a purpose, whether it was to move the plot forward or showcase more of a person's character, and I admired that so much care had gone into the telling of this tale. Each section felt organic and fed right into the next one, and it was hard to stop once I'd started. I was so immersed in the newest chapter of Paige's story, and I devoured the entirety of it in just one afternoon. It was exciting. It was terrifying. It was heartbreaking. It was inspiring. And it was very, very, very good. So, yes, I loved the story as well. If it isn't obvious from all the gushing, I loved The Song Rising. While it has been a fairly large gap between the second novel and this upcoming one, I can certainly say that the novel (well, the advanced reader's copy) that I held in my hands and read was an insanely good book. Impressive world-building and character development, as well as a compelling story - it's the full package when it comes to the reads I wind up loving, and I cannot wait for more. (Seriously, I need book four now. For reasons. Which you will understand, should you read the third book.) ["

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April 28, 2017 Verified Purchase