Book review: a fantasy novel with a strong female protagonist

A satisfying fantasy gives readers more than escape: it gives them a character whose choices alter the world. The Bone Season by Laini Taylor delivers this through Karou Madrigal, a resourceful seventeen-year-old whose courage and moral complexity sustain a demanding first volume. It is a fantasy novel with a strong female protagonist in the truest sense: one who acts, changes and survives on her own terms.

Set in a London where myths walk beside street markets and political secrets, the novel follows Karou into the Bone Season, a war in which ordinary people become enemies of the realm. Taylor builds tension through hidden identities and shifting allegiances, while romance draws Karou into danger as well as possibility. The result is atmospheric, inventive and occasionally dark.

The book rewards readers who enjoy intricate lore, but its emotional centre remains clear. Families and educators can approach it as a discussion of identity, power and belonging without treating fantasy as an escape from difficult subjects. For older children and teenagers, Karou offers a credible model of agency: she asks difficult questions, learns from mistakes and refuses to let others define her worth.

Karou carries the narrative

Karou begins as an outsider in a city divided by class, secrecy and old hierarchies. Collecting discarded objects and filling a sketchbook with imagined histories gives her an observant eye and a private sense of possibility. Every skill becomes useful once magic and monarchy collide.

Her strongest quality is not invulnerability. She can be impulsive, jealous and credulous, especially about affection, but she keeps acting after failure. That makes her development feel earned. She is decisive without being flawless, and her choices drive the plot rather than decorating someone else’s story.

A London shaped by myth and history

Taylor’s London is familiar but subtly displaced: underground passages, hidden markets and ancient gates coexist with factories, railways and grand state buildings. Mythic figures enter political life, giving magic a social function rather than presenting it as a separate spectacle. The world hints at deeper history without explaining every corner at once.

The Bone Season creates urgency without losing wonder. Readers feel the strain between a population that dismisses supernatural threats and those who know the realm is entering a catastrophic era. The atmosphere stays vivid, although readers wanting a straightforward quest may find the lore and multiple factions demanding.

Prose that moves between wonder and unease

Taylor’s prose is playful, sensory and often musical. Her metaphors can surprise, and scenes involving Karou’s family carry warmth even when the wider story turns bleak. The book also understands that a memorable voice can make a complicated world feel intimate.

At times the beauty of the language calls attention to itself. The romance can feel uneven, and some readers may find the threat level heavy for younger teenagers. Neither issue removes the novel’s force; they simply mark it as a demanding choice rather than a light family read.

Identity, power and difficult relationships

Power operates through institutions, relationships and stories that people tell about one another. Karou’s family secrecy becomes a source of both protection and damage, while rulers use knowledge and fear to control others. Taylor does not reduce any character to a simple villain, which gives her conflict moral complexity.

The novel asks whether freedom means choosing your own identity when every choice carries a cost. That question connects Karou’s private search for belonging with the fate of a stratified society. Her strength lies in persistence, but the book also warns how easily love, loyalty and privilege can narrow a person’s options.

An Australian reading context

For Australian readers, the novel has a local connection: Melbourne-born Laini Taylor built her career in Australia and now lives in Perth, yet her London is emphatically not Melbourne. It is rewarding to see one city’s myths and inequalities become a fantasy realm belonging to readers everywhere. Australian editions from Allen & Unwin, sold through booksellers such as QBD and Dymocks, reflect how readers move between print, ebook and audio.

Reading habits are changing too. Families in Sydney and Melbourne borrow through state library services and apps such as Libby, commuters listen to audiobooks on trains, and teenagers encounter books through BookTok or Bookstagram. Check the Australian Classification Board label for the edition you buy or borrow because violence, abuse and grief sit beside the adventurous tone. The Copyright Act 1968 also makes the lawful distinction clear: borrowing licensed library copies, buying books and listening to authorised audiobooks are appropriate ways to share literature, unlike circulating copied text.

A practical reading plan for families

The Bone Season works best as a shared reading project rather than a race to finish. Families, youth groups and educators can use the following approach to balance excitement with careful discussion.

An audio edition can make dense passages easier to follow, while group discussion helps readers separate Karou’s early assumptions from later revelations. For younger children, start with a shorter fantasy companion and return to Taylor once the themes feel appropriate.

Turn reading into shared action

Reading becomes more powerful when it leads to conversation and action. The Booker T. Washington Learning Center in East Harlem connects books with after-school enrichment, STEM learning and family support, showing that imagination and problem-solving can reinforce each other. Youth programmes can use Karou’s choices to prompt discussions about leadership, ethics and community.

Support the centre by donating, contacting its team or exploring its programmes for children and families. Every contribution helps young people turn curiosity into confidence, and a shared read can become part of that wider mission.