The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

January 7, 2021 Kirsty Hanson

This book has been on TBR ever since I knew The Bone Season was going to be a seven-book series… So basically ever since the start. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of The Mask Falling, and as soon as I received it, I started reading it straight away.

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.

The first thing that I’m going to say about this book is that it ruined me. It completely and utterly ruined me. I feel like that’s all this review should be, because I’m trying to write this pretty much as soon as I’ve finished it, and I don’t think that my brain can properly form words right now. So, if this review sounds like a mess, it’s because I am.

“I am of the considered opinion that for every person, there exists a book that will sing to them.”

– Samantha Shannon, The Mask Falling

The novel started off slow, setting the scene for when Paige and Warden arrive in Calais. But obviously, that was not going to stay like that for long. Paige just can’t seem to stay still 😂, and we all know that when books start slow, it just means that shit is going to hit the fan later on.

One of the things that I absolutely love about this series is the characters. It was amazing to fall back in love with existing characters, but also to fall in love with new characters that made The Mask Falling my favourite book in the series. It’s not just the characters though that made this book wonderful, Samantha Shannon’s was truly brilliant, and I feel like this is her best writing yet.

“The only way to survive is to believe you always will.”

– Samantha Shannon, The Mask Falling

ALSO. PARIS. I LOVE PARIS SO MUCH. Seeing Paige navigate her way through one of my favourite cities was breathtaking. Paris is a place that fits the aesthetic of the series so beautifully: it’s a magical place that has dark, historical undercurrents. I hope we get to stay in Paris a little bit longer in the next book (which I kinda need right now 😅)

Samantha Shannon portrays Paige’s PTSD in such a real, terrifying way. I do wish I had read The Dawn Chorus before I had read The Mask Falling though! So if you haven’t read either of them yet, read the novella beforehand!

“Fear is a constant for us mortals… but so is the knowledge that no matter what happens, no matter how careful and afraid we are, life does not end. So you might as well take every shot you get.”

– Samantha Shannon, The Mask Falling

I think I finished this book at about 4am? I really didn’t want to stop reading it. There were so many revelations about the characters, so many heartbreaking moments, so many things that I wanted to throw the book across the room. It just made me feel SO MUCH! I had to stop when I had about 100 pages left because I had to try and wrap my mind around what I had just read… So, I went to the kitchen and got a snack.

I also genuinely thought that I had about 30/40 pages left, but then the story just… Stopped. And then there was a list of language/terms/characters. I flipped crazily though the book to see if there was anything that I had missed, but no. There wasn’t. That was where the novel had ended, and I needed to know more. To be honest, I might just re-read the entire series again.

I just know that I’m going to have a book hangover…