The Song Rising

The Bone Season, Book 3

By: Samantha Shannon

Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins

Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

The hotly anticipated third audiobook in the best-selling Bone Season series - a groundbreaking dystopian fantasy of extraordinary imagination.

Following a bloody battle against foes on every side, Paige Mahoney has risen to the dangerous position of Underqueen, ruling over London's criminal population.

But having turned her back on Jaxon Hall, and with vengeful enemies still at large, the task of stabilising the fractured underworld has never seemed so challenging.

Little does Paige know that her reign may be cut short by the introduction of Senshield, a deadly technology that spells doom for the clairvoyant community and the world as they know it.

©2017 Samantha Shannon (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Great continuation of the story

What made the experience of listening to The Song Rising the most enjoyable?

I wasn't sure how they'd be able to continue the story and keep it interesting, but I really like the direction they went.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I, of course, love Paige. I love her growth and learning more about her past and her abilities.

What about Alana Kerr Collins’s performance did you like?

I adore her Irish lilt. She does a great job of differentiating the characters, and is just generally one of the better narrators that I've listened to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nothing too extreme, but it was very enjoyable and did cover both sides of the spectrum.

Loving this series!!!

Another great story by Samantha Shannon and great narration once again by Alana Kerr. Alana's voice seems different this time around, but not monotone in my opinion(some reviews mentioned it), almost more hopeful and full. She brings Paige's confusion and self doubt forward while still expressing Paige's heart, tenacity and ferocity.
We are still seeing Paige try to understand the pull between herself and Warden. She struggles with being a leader and the decisions that she has to make, both with the Mime Order and Warden. My only gripe is that I have to wait another year for the next book. Ugghh.
There is swearing and some graphic violence, as an advisement to any concerned parents out there. One scene speaks of Paige's desire for Warden, but the romance stays mild.

Inconsistent, doesn't live up to expectations

I kept wondering if this book could have been written by the same author as The Bone Season. Samantha Shannon is talented but she seems bored in this book. I found myself slogging through this book just to find out what happens in the end, but eventually the story lines weren't compelling enough to keep my attention.

loved this book

I have read all Samantha Shandon books. great story. great idea for a series. Can't wait for the next book.

Why the change in narration style???

I was on the edge of my seat excited for the third book narrated by Alana Kerr. I have fallen in LOVE with her voice as The Voice for Paige Mahoney and when the narration style switched completely it made me feel as though I paid for false advertisement. I assume that SOMEONE out there instructed Alana to change how this book was narrated but it is completely unsatisfactory in the build up that I have been waiting for.

The narration quality took a nosedive

I ended up reading this physically because the narration is so robotic it’s distracting! The Narration for the first two books was AMAZING, not sure what happened here! It’s the same person but for some reason the accents are not off for each character and the cadence is robotic.

Also, Paige gets on my nerves! She always makes theses last minute decisions and then us surprised when it doesn’t work like she thought! She doesn’t listen to her companions!!!! Ugggghhhhhhhh

What happened!?

I absolutely love this series BUT what happened to the narrator?? Kerr's narration is way different than the last few books-- it made it very difficult to get through the book. Hopefully they fix this for the next books.

Third Time’s Not the Charm

As many others have noted, the abrupt change in narration style is jarring in this book, with Alana Kerr Collins barking out text like a TV news reporter. To be fair, Samantha Shannon’s writing in Song Rising feels clipped and rushed; perhaps that’s why the narration has changed. Song Rising lacks the beautiful, languid language of The Bone Season, feeling more like a hurriedly written screenplay.

There was little character development in this third installment but plenty of action, most of it baffling. The main characters make obviously bad decision after obviously bad decision, and Paige spends far too much time agonizing over each one. This is overwrought YA fiction, and I have to admit that I’m losing interest fast.

Love this series!!

I read these books first, then listen to them on audio. There is so much great detail to The Bone Season series that the audiobook really drives it all home.

Narrator Criticism Unfair

I saw that a lot of the reviews were criticizing the narrator in this book, and I really have to disagree. while I DO agree that the quality wasn't quite up to par compared to the first two books, I absolutely blame the producer rather than the narrator. She was as excellent as ever, but the way her performance was edited was certainly a disservice to the book (but not to the degree that it's unlistenable like several people claimed).