The Mask Falling

The Bone Season, Book 4

By: Samantha Shannon

Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins

Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Bloomsbury presents The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon, read by Alana Kerr Collins. 

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 Programme 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.... 

©2021 Samantha Shannon (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic Reviews

"This is an ebullient, gloriously complicated fantasy [...] the characters feel grippingly real. Shannon unravels her tangled tale in galloping prose, which will carry even the reluctant readers to the very satisfying end." (Telegraph)

"Dark, embattled, highly wrought fantasy." (Observer)

"Fabulous, epic fantasy thriller." (The Times)

I am halfway though and love the story as always,

but a warning to the listeners, the change in narration style that ruined the book three is also present in this book. The narrator emphasizes every third sentence raising the volume and pitch of her voice, which is extremely annoying and distracting as it continues throughout. She sounds like an alarm siren!

dDcent book with one major plot hole

Can't get past this: ranthen just come out of ether, have no belly button but somehow have reproductive organs????

I don't know French

Lovely story and writing as always from Ms Shannon, but what was with all the untranslated French?? It was hard to follow. The names, all beginning with LA or Le were also difficult to keep track of. But, the story was nonetheless engaging.

Good story, annoying narration

I had been looking forward to listening to this audiobook, but I almost gave up after 5 minutes. The narration was just…strange. She was really loud for 2 lines, then almost low and whispering on every 3rd line. Any line starting with an ‘I’ was hard and loud. Why does this matter?
Well, if you set your book to play at a normal level, you will not hear every 3rd line. So to hear it, you need to turn up the volume. Then your audiobook is being shouted. In the end I persevered and after a few hours I got used to it, though still annoying. It meant I could barely hear some whilst driving. Or my neighbours, when I listened in the evening, probably heard it too.
It’s a shame because her voice was great in the first book and quite soothing. Please, Alana Kerr Collins, think about keeping your volume constant. Don’t ‘swallow’ your voice in the 3rd sentence. Think about us that like to listen to audiobooks to relax.
That said, the story was good. The gender stuff was a bit jarring (referring to someone as ‘they’ so I kept thinking were there 2 of them, or had they introduced themselves as gender neutral?). I used to call everyone ‘they’ when I was a kid. But now I realise how annoying that must have sounded to everyone around me. When a book is being read out loud, you really hear that it sounds like a plural.

Just… outstanding!

This entire series is just exceptional and so clever. There are twists of plot and 1000 different layers to the story. Each book is essential to the development of the narrative and there isn’t any padding here! Excellent narration, the French is dealt with beautifully as well.
Cannot believe I have to wait until ‘24 for the next instalment of this series!

Masks galore

Wow! What a stormy ride through Scion Citadel Paris for Paige. The twists and turns each took me by surprise. What on earth lies in store for Paige, Arcturus Mesarthim and the others? the I cannot wait to read (hear) the next book….

I honestly cried

complex and captivating. twists you never see coming and edge of my seat, staying up at night to listen excitement. loved every minute.

brilliant

all I have to say is Audible, you had better get the next book out soon because I can't wait.

also if you don't like cliffhangers I'd wait until the next one had come out because the end is gut wrenching.

Fantastic instalment!

I so enjoyed connecting back in with Paige and Warden, seeing Paris through their eyes. I Love this series! This was so worth the wait! ♥️♥️

Good but frustrating

Another great chapter in the Bone Season series but I was screaming at the protagonist for the last few chapters. So much that Shannon lays out for us to see that Paige just doesn't cotton on to, already really looking forward to the next book; I hope we don't have as long to wait this time!

Phenomenal and heartbreaking

Loved AKC as Paige again. Reading it and listening to this are both different experiences.