Shannon was born in
Hammersmith, London, in November 1991 She first began writing at the age of fifteen, when she wrote her first novel,
Aurora, which remains unpublished. Shannon studied English Language and Literature at
St Anne's College, Oxford and graduated in 2013. She is of Irish descent on her father's side, her ancestors emigrating to England from
County Roscommon.
The Bone Season In 2012, she signed a six-figure book deal with
Bloomsbury Publishing, who bid following the
London Book Fair, to publish the first three books in a seven-book series, beginning with
The Bone Season. Set in 2059, it follows Paige Mahoney, a "dreamwalker" resisting the Republic of Scion, which has led an oppressive campaign against
clairvoyants for two centuries. Following its publication, Shannon was compared favourably to
J. K. Rowling. Film and TV rights to
The Bone Season were first optioned by
The Imaginarium Studios in November 2012,
The Roots of Chaos The Priory of the Orange Tree, a standalone
high fantasy by Shannon, was published in February 2019 by
Bloomsbury Publishing. A reimagining of the legend of
Saint George and the Dragon, it was named by
Collider as a sapphic book that should be turned into a show or movie. A prequel,
A Day of Fallen Night, was published in February 2023. Shannon has called the series
The Roots of Chaos, having originally planned to only write one book within the universe and later stating that there were more stories to tell. In 2022, Shannon signed a contract for a third book in the
Roots of Chaos cycle and a story inspired by the Greek goddess
Iris. ==Personal life==