In a world where clairvoyance (voyance for short) exists and is forbidden, Paige is one of them. She has one of the rarest gifts called dreamwalking. After she got caught in Scion, London, she is sent to the penal colony Sheol 1 in former Oxford where an otherworldly race called Rephs rule. She is selected as a slave by her Warden Arcturus who is training her to master her gifts.
Paige navigates this new cruel world. She must decide whom to trust to fulfil her only goal in her new live: Getting out of Sheol 1 and back to her criminal friends in London.
The story is rather generic if not for the overcomplex magical system. There are over 20 different types of clairvoyants with complicated names originated in Latin and Greek. Don’t worry to learn all the expressions because a ridiculously extensive glossary will help you to look up strange expressions when they pop up, which is happening all the time. Other words never get explained, so the glossery is your best friend while reading Bone Season.
Although only one or two different voyant powers play a role in the story, the book tries to fool you in believing, the voyants are solely characterized by their powers.
Of course, a slow burning romance between Paige and her slave master evolves. Luckily this romance never takes centre stage. The supporting cast stays very bland, the world centres around the very special heroin Paige and her love interest. Although the whole concept was cool, the execution falls flat.
I recommend the book to readers (especially women) who enjoy simple stories with snarky female protagonists and can immerse themselves in faulty worldbuilding. It helps if one doesn’t know too much about the working of penal colonies, nor logistics to run a place.
