ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

1.) The Bone Season ★★★
2.) The Mime Order ★★★

First and foremost, this chart will save your life, especially if it has been a hot second since you’ve read The Bone Season and The Mime Order:

Next, it’s confirmed that the wait for the next book is going to kill me. When I received an ARC of this book, I thought this was going to be a trilogy, little did I know it’s actually going to be a seven book series and the wait for the fourth one is most likely going to kill me. I guess there are worse ways to go.

Parts of this book completely broke me. Samantha Shannon really knows how to make her words cut, and she doesn’t pull back. I actually felt like everything Paige was losing, I was losing. It’s a huge talent to be able to immerse readers the way she does, and for that alone I think it is worth giving this series a try.

AND THE ANGST! Oh, Lord, please, if the waiting for the next book doesn’t kill me, the slow burn angst romance will. I am so emotionally invested in Paige and Warden that at this point I can’t think of another fictional couple I’d rather have together. Please, just let these little babies have happiness with each other!

Speaking of broken hearts, Ivy and Róisín about ripped my heart out, too. Seriously, I’m unhealthily obsessed with these characters and I need to know everything about them, these precious little cinnamon rolls. Please, Samantha Shannon, please!

The Underground was such an amazing experience to read about! I said in my review of The Mime Order how much I loved Wrynn and the Jacobites, and in this book we get them and a whole other civilization we didn’t even know about!

I will say that the first third of this book is a little slow. I was very fearful of what my rating would be until I hit about the 35% mark. Then, I was unable to put this book down, because it was so action packed, eventful, and just so damn good.

The Song Rising picks up right where The Mime Order left off: Paige is now the Underqueen and has so many new responsibilities that revolve not only around saving her people, but saving the world that is unaware of the monstrosities that are coming. Uniting the clairvoyants of London seems impossible, Paige can’t even imagine uniting all of Europe, and the thought of uniting the entire world seems so impossible.

“Never allow yourself to believe you should be silent.”

Speaking of uniting countries, some of the themes and quotes of this book should be mandatory reading for all of the United States, right now. I promise, I try to keep my reviews nonpolitical, but I just can’t help it lately. Governments lying to people and using scare tactics to only unite fear is VERY real in my world right now. Pieces of fiction like this give me hope.

“Some people believe that if they keep their heads down and stick to their safe routine and trust that nothing bad will befall them, then it won’t. They see things happening to others, but they think they’re different; they’re special; it could never happen to them.”

Also, it would be impossible to read this book and not make a million different comparisons to Paige and Katniss from The Hunger Games. Both are self sacrificing, both are very talented in fighting that doesn’t involve strength, and both are the face of their world’s uprising. Seriously, I could go on for days about their similarities, and once you notice it, it feels impossible to ignore.

But their similarities aren’t a bad thing. Hell, I could read about strong female protagonists that are saving their worlds all day long. Being strong and defiant in the face of evil is a trend I’m looking forward to in 2017.

Another important thing to note is that Paige is traumatized, and is suffering with PTSD throughout this book. I know this series doesn’t have a ton of diversity, but it does have some, and I really appreciated seeing Paige dealing with her disorder, and realistically struggling with her disorder. Paige hasn’t had the easiest life in this series, and she has had to witness so many of her loved ones die. Traumatic events from her childhood are explored even more in this book, and seeing Paige exposed to more dangerous events is utterly heartbreaking, but sincerely appreciated.

With this third installment, I finally feel like the main story is finally starting to take off. Sort of like Harry Potter, I feel like the fourth books is going to be where we start our uphill climb to the big boss fight. Paige is essentially starting over, and we have so many different threads, in so many different locations. I truly believe this is the start of something beautiful, and the coming together of all these threads is going to be something unforgettable.

Even though I love Paige, this series’ shining light is truly the side characters. Samantha Shannon has crafted some amazing characters that you can’t help but love and root for. Nick, Maria, Eliza *sings name like in Hamilton*: all phenomenal, and I would preorder and devour any spin-off book starting any of them. As for the Rephaites: Terebell has got me shook and Warden has got me making heart eyes.

Yet, the villains are truly a tier above most YA villains, too. They are complex, and they are mysterious, and they are completely addicting. I have nothing but high hopes for this entire cast in the books that have yet to be released.

“Jaxon had been right about words. They could grant wings, or they could tear them away.”

The next book is going to be such a different reading experience. I can’t say much without giving away spoilers, but ME AND MY SHIP, steered by Warden and Paige, ARE SO HERE FOR IT!