The Mask Falling (The Bone Season #4)by Samantha Shannon
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Synopsis:
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...
I had no idea what would befall me in this new theatre of war. What names and faces I would wear. Who I might become.
If I had, I might have turned back.
All. The. Feels. Exhilaration is in high demand with short supply, as of late, and I felt every excruciating moment in the marrow of my bones. And man…Man this woman can hold out on us fans when it comes to romance. Never have I been so desperate for a fucking kiss in my whole life (I mean…yes…okay…I am who I am but still she tortured us).
“Clearly yours is the superior intellect, Paige—”
“Well, I didn’t want to say—”
“—but you still cannot best me at chess.” He set down his white bishop. “Checkmate.”
I stared at the board. “You . . . infuriating bastard.”
And that’s just what sets this apart, isn’t it? Not a moment is rushed, not a situation forced. She literally will play out every. Single. Plot Point. Until she has written the best possible scenario in the most thought provoking way. I admit it is tedious at times and not without its flaws, but these books were built up in such a manner that I can’t call them anything less than a masterpiece. This woman, who apparently takes forever and a day to write her novels (please Jesus be with me), has covered everything down to the finest details.
“I am of the considered opinion that for every person, there exists a book that will sing to them. I trust that you will find yours.”
I kid you not when I say that I get just plain ANGRY when an author teases something we all desperately want to know…then it is NEVER mentioned again. What the actual cinnamon toast f*** is that? So, naturally, something was said in, I believe, book three that held all the eternal answers to my deepest rooted heart song and then…nothing. And, since she takes so long to write, I was terrified it was gone forever because how could she remember to add that when she has SO MUCH INFO SHE ADDS TO EACH NOVEL. Not. SO. She came in like a freaking WRECKING BALL and flat out SLAYED my emotional libido and crushed the last of my fangirl resolve (I was hanging on by a thread, truly) and I. Freaked. The FUCK. Out.
So…yes. We do, in fact, get to find out what we so desperately want to hear…or at least I did…but not without destructing my soul and leaving it laying in pieces all over the dagnab floor.
I just simply cannot convey how deeply this last book engrained itself in my soul. I am nothing if not consistent, and a thought-provoking, mind-blowing, and well-paced and played out story is simply my kryptonite. I literally had so much I wanted to say, and, as it always seems to go, my mind emptied into stuttering sentences with no direction the minute I started this review. It’s such a travesty, really. This book deserves so much more than rabid fangirling.
“And you believe your fatigue no longer presents an issue.”
“I’m fine.”
“The darkness under your eyes serves as compelling evidence of that. As does the full bowl of coffee.”
I cocked my head. “Did you just master sarcasm?”
“Paige.”
Warden and Paige have literally been through Hell and back-both of them. And it seems that book after book we are left in tatters as they fight against villains and allies alike. The twists and turns that are crafted into these novels are just…my god it’s mind-boggling. I don’t know how the author keeps it straight. Though, that being said, I worry for the future books. How many times can they be captured, etc, to meet the needs of those who they are working with/for. My bloodthirsty self is all in because, truly, there is no amount of both physical and mental torture I cannot withstand and absorb like a sponge.
“Exquisite,” he said, soft as velvet. “But no. The blood-sovereign would be very angry if I damaged your aura.”
Tenderly, like a lover, he peeled the brace off my left hand.
“This happened in the first colony.” He curled his own hand around my wrist. “Can it truly still pain you?”
“Not as much as your fucking voice,” I bit out.
It’s my favorite thing, the hero or heroine getting his or herself captured, and the other trying to save them…peril…whatever. If the h/h are getting pummeled or captured or what-have-you, I am right there lapping it up.
I realize, though, that many are not built like me. I NEED these moments for emotional engagement, for something to root for-because yes, I love a good book with people/friends around and building up to something great, but more often than not that all falls flat and we are left with a build up that lead us nowhere and a wait for the next book that feels insurmountable. So. Yeah. I enjoy the capturing and the torture and the pained forbidden romance that
has been decaying me slowly from the inside out because we get bang for our buck-if this bitch (me) is waiting two-three years between books, best believe I expect pain. Madness. And quite a bit of desperation,
?
To end this…I have to say it. I was almost done. I mean…I guess it’s my fault reading them back to back… but how can you STOP when you are so desperate for answers and for things to happen? But yes, with so many characters fading in and out, you tend to get a bit bogged down. When you are begging for something to happen and it just…won’t…and you keep having these people being introduced and new revolutions YES that shit gets bogged down and YES I was not getting what I wanted but ALSO I WAS just not…how I wanted.
Strange how a feeling could blossom where once there had been nothing. Then again, I had never felt nothing for Arcturus Mesarthim. Never been indifferent to him. From the instant our eyes had met, we had reacted, like fire and kindling. First with fear and hatred, then a quiet respect, and then something else. Something that had never stopped burning.
I know. I’m a basket case. I was getting slow burn but dayum that flame almost went out. When we so desperately need something (ie more), it can tend to shade your viewpoint, and it doesn’t help I was so busy last week for my daughter’s birthday. So, I was close to done, as I was getting detached even though I love it so so much. Don’t worry…that last half??? IT IS WORTH EVERY. SINGLE. AGONIZING. MOMENT.
I had precious little knowledge of desire, but I knew it now. I knew its name.
Unless you’re not a real one…which I cannot help you with that.
I had to see the depths before I jumped. I only seemed to want someone—to truly want them—when I cared for them too much to run. I wanted in ways that would always have consequences.
All that being said, this series has such a beautiful balance. We need the softness. The tenderness. Paige goes through a LOT in books 1-4…I can’t imagine if this author just gave her nothing. No rest. No moments. And even with all that…she still gets minimum recovery. Always. And, even though she KILLS me with her steadfastness to being the leader she needs to be, that is why I love Paige. She’s just an awesome heroine chock-full of heart and unable to be the bastard she really needs to become to truly succeed. We need that softness…but we also need those hard moments, too. And Paige has all that in spades. I sure hope that my random reviews do something for you-because without a little nudging, this book I’ve been circling for YEARS would have never been read. I hope you can find enjoyment in it as I have, because it’s nothing short of mind-blowing.
Morals, O my lovely, are for the lucky ones.
*****
Only one gif comes to mind when I picture my reading experience as this crazy crescendo of an end unfolded:
To say that it was impossible for me to function whilst reading this is an understatement. And for the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long…I whipped out the white knuckle cliffy tag.
RTC
Leave a Reply