Red Sister: Book 1 (Book of the Ancestor)

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It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent, Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.Man, what a hook. Worldbuilding – fan-freaking-tastic. The entire world is covered in ice. Except for a small corridor that exists between miles’ high walls of ice and is kept unfrozen by the moon. THE MOON? THE MOON.

I went into Red Sister with apprehension, because I didn't love this authors other series Broken Empire. So automatically knowing this was a YA I thought I'd hate it. However I got it completely wrong, I actually really enjoyed reading this book and it was actually a fantastic coming of age, YA book. I honestly thought Mark would have struggled transitioning from grimdark and adult fantasy to a YA novel, however the transition was smooth and it was the best book I've read by him yet. However it had a few issues, that's why it isn't getting five stars from me, but I honestly think the rest of the series will be awesome and more then likely a favourite for myself. Ah, this is going to be a hard book to review. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Lawrence's latest work and I'm going to try and organize my thoughts as best I can.In ten years, Nona will be educated and taught everything she needs to know in the ways of blade and fist while becoming a Red Sister, but there are going to be many hurdles in her way. This book spans only three of those years, but we already get to see the political, power, and religious problems that will not be ignored or easily fought.

Action scenes were also integral in improving the quality of the book. Bloody, vivid, and well-written; the action sequences were placed at the right time after a superbly build pacing. Plus, instead of one, there were two climax sequences that happened in the book; at the end of the first and second half. I’m just going to say that these two climax sequences were incredible. For example, the votive candle and the Shield Test scene—especially on my first read—made me grit my teeth due to how fantastically written it was. So I tried an experiment. For 9 months I only read novels and watched tv shows/ films where the MC was female. Bonus points if the media included POV representations of motherhood. Part of it might be that this one was centred around women. I know... I know... if a dude on GR wrote that he prefers to read almost exclusively about men and male experiences he would be castrated... but, but, but about three years ago I realised that I consumed a lot of literature that was exclusively about men. If I could do that scream emoji on here, picture that. It's the kind of beginning that makes you sit up in your seat, tense and jittery all at once, and read and read and read. First of all, b/c I've already been asked numerous times, YES, this is an entirely new trilogy, unrelated to Lawrence's previous works. So if you tried to read PRINCE OF THORNS and DNFed it b/c you couldn't tolerate that little shit of an MC (I've been assured that he gets better around 40%, but I haven't personally made that determination for myself), now's your chance to give Lawrence another shot.

New in Series

The story started strong, addicting, and fascinating. It's told in the 3rd person from Nona's pov. While our girl is more mature than most of our YA heroines nowadays, she's no reliable narrator. She told her friends lies and I believed her until she told another lie and I learned to never do. She's always keeping something to herself or alternating past events. She played with the truth and reformed it. Yet, you can't help but admire her. Nona is brave, vicious, smart, and deadly. I just love her. Even though the cliffhanger in Red Sister is no major one, I want to read the next book so bad. She was already amazing at 10 and 12, so what will she become at 18? The audiobook narrator, Heather O'Neil (variously listed as Heather O'Neil l) does a really great job and I'll probably continue to listen to the rest of the trilogy. Recommended. It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.”

It isn't as dark as his other stories: I agree and I was glad for it. Anti-heroes are all the rage and I don't want to spoil anything but I was very pleased he chose not to go down that path. The MC thinks she is a monster but you don't. And personally, I was relieved by this. Anti-heroes used to be tragedies or redemption tales... these days authors mostly introduce you to an asshole and genuinely expect you to root for them for... reasons!?!?.

Fantasy Series We Recommend

It all begins with a young peasant girl, Nona Grey, an outcast from her small village in the brutal ice-covered world of Abeth. Only a slim corridor of green encircles the planet, kept alive by a mechanical moon that focuses light from a dying sun. The moon was created by the Missing, the original settlers of Abeth who possessed technology now lost to the current population. But traces of the four original tribes remain in their blood, giving heightened powers to a select few. Nona is one of the very rare individuals exhibiting traits from more than one of these original tribes.

If you enjoyed Red Sister then don't forget to tell someone else (or hundreds of someone elses :) ). All authors depend on word of mouth, and it is always appreciated. This story puts such a heavy emphasis on friendship and the importance of believing in others even when you've been hurt in the past. Friendship truly is the constant theme of this story, and how beautiful and cruel it can be. Trust is something we should never give willingly, but it can reap so many beautiful things if you choose to put your trust in the right person. And so we come to my main difficulty with Red Sister: the training. Once Nona arrives at the convent, nearly every moment is consumed by training. We learn about the different blood lines the girls come from – each with their own unique abilities hardwired into their genes; the “levels” each novice must go through during their training; we experience the numerous classes with the unique teachers – some friends and some foes; the “Paths” these youths must one day choose from when they finally become nuns. Nona’s martial education conservatively taking up around 75% of the narrative. Which might not be a bad thing if you love Harry Potter-like books or just really love endless training sessions. Unfortunately, I’m not a Potterhead and a little training is more than enough for my tastes, so the bulk of this novel was a horrendous chore for me to get through.I’ve seen many reviewers describe this book as a Harry Potter for adults, with lots of blood and gore. On the surface it’s all there – a magic boarding school, wise teachers, four paths the students can take. We even have a poor, orphaned, dark-haired protagonist who is unfamiliar with the magic world, and the rich and blond school nemesis. And the headmaster abbess herself takes a special interest in our protagonist – she brings her to the school under unusual circumstances and supports her with advice and protection. But this is all where the superficial similarities end, and nothing about this book feels derivative. The author never stops playing with the Chosen One trope and takes it to unexpected places! Second of all, even after reading through it again when I finished the book, I still found the prologue to be absolutely baffling. Oh, parts of it made more sense, like the description of the landscape, but without any foreknowledge, I was violently frustrated over seemingly conflicting information: how could the coast be glimpsed through a sea of 1024 columns? How could BOTH the northern and southern ice be visible from one place? Then there's everything that comes after, " Here's a moment," which is when things got really confusing.