Holy Sister

Holy Sister wraps up the superb Book of The Ancestor trilogy in a truly epic way. This trilogy has basically been about the rise of Sister Cage (aka Nona Grey), a completely badass military nun, and if that is not selling you this book I don't really know what will.

The character interactions have built and matured in a satisfying way over the course of this series, and this continues over this novel here. Now Abbess Glass is no longer here, but through Zole and Nona her plans are still very much being acted out.

The trilogy has been very satisfying in the way that things referenced right at the start are brought to a head here in this book - there were cut scenes involving Sister Thorn and Sister Cage in the first two books that finally make an appearance in realtime here as part of the series truly epic finale.

The world of the Corridor is explored more fully here as well, with our first trip onto the ice and into Scithrowl, and more of an interaction with these supposedly powerful neighbours. Everything is permeated with a satisfying sense of dread and foreboding - this narrowing strip of habitable planet is a clever reason for the events that are happening.

Mark Lawrence is due to return to this world with a new trilogy this year, and I for one cannot wait!

Red Sister and Grey Sister were both wonderful, especially the former, but I found Holy Sister to be a disappointing finale to the trilogy. Though shorter than the previous two novels, it felt like it had a lot of filler since it just wasn't as engaging. Characterization and interactions seemed to come after going through through the motions of wrapping up the main plot, and I didn't think it had the same heart as the previous books.

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So many thoughts about this book.

I enjoyed it, but less than the first 2. The Series as a whole is great and amazing.

The quality of Mark Lawrences writing is still as amazing as always and the story is exceptional.

I was not a huge fan of the constant time skip that happened where we start 3 years in the future and that is the constant. I really wish we had seen some of these scenes in person rather than in flashback. I was also confused because the flashbacks were actual flashbacks and not flashforwards. and that we seemed to have left the attack the last two books showed us.Abbess Glass continues to be amazing even after death. I didn't like seeing her die off screenRegol was my main "ship" for Nona, little sad she didn't change the rules about it. but glad she gets to be with Ara, my secondish choice for her and the obvious choice from the story.Zole attaining "purification" was interesting and unique something i enjoyed.Nona choosing peace and mercy with a "love conquers all" was not what i was expecting from the end of this book. and while i liked it, it didn't fit 100% with her character to me.
https://libromancy.podbean.com/ it will be up after 3/7/2021

The ice is closing in on all sides. The focus can no longer hold it back and the nations are at war as the land continues to shrink. The convent has been called to fight for their emperor. Nona and her sisters must use all their training to survive, but they are outnumbered and betrayed. The shiphearts may be their only hope. Tasked with the protection of a shipheart, Nona must face her demons and fight to save whoever she can. Pulled in different directions, she must choose who lives and who dies.

Nona has built a name for herself throughout the series. We have watched her grow from a hated peasant child into a respected and feared warrior. She's learned what it means to be betrayed by those close to you, but still believes there is good in people. While she can kill when necessary, she hates every minute of it. In this novel, she will have to the worst parts of herself as the shipheart drags them to the surface.

A lot of long time questions will be answered in Holy Sister. Readers will finally learn more about Zole and how she came to be The Chosen One. We'll also learn what exactly creates the black ice and how the focus can either destroy the world or heal it. But the path to these answers is dark, gritty and filled with emotion. Characters you've come to know and love will be lost. The Ancestor Trilogy has reached a satisfying end. I only wish there were more. I'm not ready to leave this world behind.

Executive Summary: An enjoyable finish to the series that didn't quite live up to the promise of [b:Red Sister 25895524 Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481038440s/25895524.jpg 45777900] for me.Audiobook: Heather O'Neill once again does a good job with this. She does a few voices and adds that little extra something I've come to expect from a good audiobook.Full ReviewThis is now the second series by Mark Lawrence I've completed (the other being his Broken Empire trilogy) and I like this one far better. Nona and her friends are fantastic characters. The world building is excellent. I love the warrior monk trope so seeing a variation with a warrior nun is pretty cool.I've enjoyed all of the books in the series, but none of them as much as [b:Red Sister 25895524 Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481038440s/25895524.jpg 45777900]. This book was still quite enjoyable and I thought it was a good conclusion to the series, however I found it a bit slow at times and never quite sucked me in like the first book.Overall though I think this is a great series and really worth your time. I still think it has one of the greatest opening lines of any book/series I've ever read and this book did a nice job bringing you back to that opening line and beyond.

4.5 stars rounded down.

This is trilogy has so many good lines, I have to give Mark Lawrence that. Additionally, his character work is impeccable. I wanted a lot more from the Nona and Ara relationship though. I needed so much more than the little snippet we were given at the end. The romantic in me was crying out for more!!! . The friendships are developed so well over the course of this trilogy. Every intimate moment between the characters feels earned. As a reader, I knew what they had had to get through to be there and I truly believed in the strength of their bonds. Sister Apple's death wrecked me. If Ara had died too I would have rated this 1 star

If I had to describe this book with one word it'd be “unconvincing”. I'm not convinced about Glass' machinations, I'm not convinced about Nona's feelings for her friends and especially not for looks up name Regol (I didn't actually care enough to look his name and I don't care if it's not right), I wasn't convinced of the large scale battle or how it was resolved, I'm not convinced about any of the spoilery developments, and I wasn't even convinced of the person Nona ends up with even though I was rooting for it.

I also wasn't convinced the flashback section of the story had any business being in this book and not the previous one, booth books would have been stronger for it. The last book felt incomplete and this one felt divided.

Could have used those pages to give Ara and Clara much needed focus. They're supposed to be important but barely get more mention than the rest of Nona's friend group. Clara is understandable though when she does appear her conclusion still seems rushed but Ara really neded more (See the ending being unconvincing).

Nothing in it is terrible but nothing is particularly good either? Okay conclusion to a okay continuation of a great start. I'm not even really disappointed it delivered the bare minimum to be good and that's fair enough.

This is one of my all time favorites. I LOVE this series! I love the character development, especially Nona's. The magic is amazing, and the world is quite interesting. I am so sad that this series is done! I have loved watching Nona's journey from cage to Cage.

I recommend this to anyone that can read. It is that amazing.

I received a copy from Net Galley and have also purchased a physical copy.

NOOO THIS SERIES IS NOW FINISHED AND IT MAKES ME SAD, I DON'T WANT TO PART WITH NONA AND HER FRIENDS. The ending is perfection, though it leaves me wanting for more. Especially after reading how precious Nona and Ara are in [b:Bound 42865580 Bound (Book of the Ancestor, #2.5) Mark Lawrence https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542641859l/42865580.SX50.jpg 66366292]. It's been two years since I first picked up [b:Red Sister 25895524 Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) Mark Lawrence https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481038440l/25895524.SY75.jpg 45777900] and both girls grew up brilliantly, I love them.