Red Sister

3.5☆ I don't know how to feel about this book. I LOVED the girls and their relationships with each other, very few books in fantasy revolve around a group of girls and I loved it...

The rating comes from the fact that I feel like this was a very long book with very little plot that served more of an introduction. I hope it gets better.

A definite 3.5. I didn't love it enough to give a 4 😔

This series has literally taken over the fantasy readers community by storm and I heard so many of my favorite bloggers and booktubers gush about it, that I thought I would give it a try. I really love reading about female assassins, so Red Sister already had that going for me; but it's also on a more darker side than I usually read, so my expectations were reasonable. I have to say that this book really surprised me in places, while not holding my attention for parts - but I will try to articulate what I actually thought about it.

The writing took some getting used to. I haven't read any of the other popular series by the same author, so his writing style and way with words felt unfamiliar and I had to reread sentences sometimes to get the gist of it. However, the story also has one of the best / most memorable opening sequences and I just knew I had to read further. The world is also not fully realized from the beginning - we only get to know tidbits about the empire, it's history, it's enemies and the power hierarchy through some conversations and incidents that occur. This makes me feel like I still don't know much about this world but I'm sure the author will expand it in the next one. We do however get a lot of information about the four tribes which practice magic and I'm quite excited to see more displays of the power in the series. The story also mainly features the training that occurs within the Sweet Mercy convent - which involves a lot of lectures on religion, spirituality (or the Path as they call it), hand to hand combat and other forms of fighting and academics - but it takes up almost 70% of the book, so it felt quite repetitive and sometimes maybe even boring.

What makes up for the slightly repetitive story is the eclectic group of women in this book. Nona is probably around the age of 10 when the book starts, but we already know that she is a survivor and has seen too much for her young age. We see flashbacks from her earlier life and we realize why she doesn't think that she deserves love or acceptance, because she considers herself a monster. This makes her very very secretive, keeping everything very close to her chest, only divulging them when the time is right. However, despite being sold as a child and then almost executed for murder, she is truly very loyal and considers the bond of friendship sacred. The convent is full of other young women, some allies, some rivals, some bullies - everyone training together and when anyone attacks their faith from the outside, they all fight together too. Their teacher nuns are also a diverse group - caring to indifferent to maybe cruel to even fanatic - but the one thread that holds everyone is sisterhood.

The essence of this book is the strength of sisterhood, friendship and found family. All of these women - young and old - despite their differing ideas or alliances, will always stand by each other and that comes through in every interaction. And that's why one particular instance really came as utter shock and I can't wait to read more about the repercussions. The world is also casually diverse and it's not made a big deal about - we have one f/f couple among the teachers and Nona is hinted at being bisexual, so it would be nice to see this explored more in the next books.

Everyone seems to love this book a lot, so I don't think I need to recommend this one. It has strong characterizations, the absolute best opening, middle and ending action sequences and the plot is interesting enough to make me want to read the next book. However, I got a little bored in the middle and I would have loved to know more about the world. Let's see what Grey Sister has to offer.

Executive Summary: I'm a sucker for the magic school trope and I really loved this book. I kept making time just to get in an extra chapter here and there so it was a pretty easy 5 stars for me.Audiobook: I believe this is the first book I've listened to that's been narrated by Heather O'Neil. I thought she did a good job. She speaks clearly and with good inflection. She also does a few voices. Audio is definitely a good choice for this series.Full ReviewI've owned a copy of [b:Prince of Thorns 9579634 Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327917754s/9579634.jpg 14466531] for a few years now, but still haven't read it. Why? I kind of got burned out on “grimdark” fantasy and I've heard the main character isn't very likeable. When [b:Prince of Fools 18693743 Prince of Fools (The Red Queen's War, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385072473s/18693743.jpg 25595312] came out, I skipped that too, because I wanted to read the original series first since they were set in the same world.What was my excuse with this book, completely unconnected to his previous two series came out? Habit I guess? I can't speak to his other books, but from what I understand this book is far less grimdark than the previous two. Either way, I absolutely loved it. I was sucked in right from the beginning with one of the best first lines I've ever read:“IT IS IMPORTANT, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size.“I'm a big sucker for magic school tropes. This one is pretty different from the rest. First of all it's set in a convent (as may be evident by the above quote). Secondly the girls are more akin to warrior monks than they are mages.I like a well defined magic system. This seems to have the possibility of one, but we've learned very little of how the magic works. It is definitely intriguing, and I hope we learn a lot more in the rest of the series.I also thought the characters were excellent too. Nona is a girl off to a bad start in life. This doesn't appear to be because she's a bad person, but rather than she's unfortunate enough to be put in bad situations with an unwillingness to sit passively by. The supporting characters are pretty great too. All of the full nuns have new names based on inanimate objects. From Abbess Glass, who feels that lying is totally fine so long as it serves the right purpose to Sister Kettle who serves as somewhat of a mentor to Nona. There is a good variety of novice girls, each with different backgrounds and personalities that make them fully fleshed out into an interesting group to follow along with Nona as she “levels up”.Like many magic school books, this book has some of the usual tropes. Rival girls who get in Nona's way simply because of her background or abilities. However while this book does touch on some of those tropes, it doesn't dwell in them.Much of this book is learning more about the world, training up be a badass, and wondering just what happened to end up Nona for her to end up where we find her at the beginning of the book.There are a few interludes, including the one at the beginning that taunt the reader with hints of what's to come, while not really revealing too much about how we're going to get there. I'm really looking forward to finding out.I'm not sure if my enjoyment of this book will get me to finally go back and check out [b:Prince of Thorns 9579634 Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327917754s/9579634.jpg 14466531] but I'm more inclined to do so than I was before picking this up. I suspect however that I'll enjoy this series far more than that one.

4 1/2 stars

I absolutely loved Red Sister, and it's currently not just my favorite 2017 release but my favorite new-to-me book read this year (I reread some pretty fantastic books). The highlight of the novel is the main protagonist, Nona, who is brought to train in a convent after nearly having been hanged for murder. She's compelling from the very beginning due to her fierceness and drive to protect her friends, and she's made all the more captivating because of her reticence when it comes to her past and her abilities. In addition to Nona herself, I also enjoyed the friendships, the dialogue, the badass nuns, the setting, and the writing. It could be a little slow paced due to classes filled with exposition, but this wasn't a huge problem for me since the world was interesting and the dialogue sharp rather than rote and bland.

Full Review on My Website

Gave up at 50%.

I had a feeling I wasn't going to love this. Teen girls is the group I like LEAST as my protagonists and even if you call me names and judge my character based on that... meh. Such is life. I was a teenage girl once, I didn't like it, so I'm not really interested.

Now a huge part of me attempting to read this was actually Blood Song by Anthony Ryan, as that book and this sound the same, with the exception of this being about a religious warrior school for GIRLS, that one the same for BOYS. Hey, great time for comparing our stuff.
And I didn't like this. I'm not saying it's a bad book, if I didn't have an exam in mid-May I would probably finish it, but it gives me no joy and takes too much time, so I'm dropping it. My reasons? I don't like Nona, I find the prose to be over the top and not fluid enough to read, the nun's names are objects and I can't keep it all straight, I don't remember who is who and who does what.
Everyone seems to love it, but I just need to get something else or I'm going mad.
(Though I can't help feeling like their education is stupid in this book. Kids go from one step in their education to the next at their own pace. How can you teach anything to your class when kids constantly come and go? Do they repeat the same things over and over? HOW?)

Good night and find me a sister by another mister!

“It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size.”

Holy...! This was one hell of a ride. A very lyrically woven and beautifully brutal ride. It's like a train at full speed, out of control, broken breaks heading toward a turn that will either be a very, very close call or well, your final destination (crash and burn). But you don't really care... No matter what happens, this was the ride of your life. Destruction can be beautiful too.

I think this is a book you'll either love or hate. Me? This is going on my favourites list. I adore Nona Grey ??? what a character. And I love this world Mark Lawrence has built: Abeth, a world mostly covered in ice save for the fifty mile wide Corridor that's kept ice-free because of the sun's rays only warming up that narrow space.

This book is very unique. Captivating. Bloody. So, so bloody. The characters are phenomenal. The magic system is intriguing. Mark Lawrence has a way with words, and I'm a new fan.

I shall definitely continue diving into this series.

The first line of Red Sister is impossible to forget. I read it first in a review of this book and I knew, I just knew that I had to read the trilogy. It doesn't disappoint. The concept of assassin nuns is intriguing in and of itself but Mark Lawrence does a good job of executing an interesting idea.

This book is not getting five stars for a few reasons; in the beginning, I found all the nuns and mistresses difficult to keep straight. Additionally, I struggled to visualise the first half of the book (particularly the first scenes). However, when I finally lost myself in the book it blew me away.

I greatly enjoyed Nona's character and her relationships. She latches on to people and absolutely refuses to let go and I have to admire that. I think now that I know the characters and the world, I will enjoy this book so much more on a reread.

It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size...

When Abbess Glass finds Nona, she has only moments left to live, a hangman's noose ready to end her life. A child who has never known friendship, or the comfort of a warm home. With her dark hair and pale skin, Nona stood out from the rest of her village. The word monster whispered behind her back due to the violent and bloody trail she's left behind. The hint of an old blood rests within her veins, one that could prove to be a powerful weapon. Abbess Glass is no ordinary nun, and the convent of Sweet Mercy is more than just a place to learn prayer. Saved from certain death, None will be thrown into a new world in the convent, where she will learn the extent of her powers and discover friendships she's never had. But with learning to trust others, also comes the inevitable betrayal.

The first line alone hooked me into this novel. I had a similar experience when I picked up Prince of Thorns off the book store shelf, also by Mark Lawrence. I decided right then and there I had to read it. I was also extremely interested in his take on writing a female main character.

I will have to admit I was surprised that parts of this book were a bit slow. However, Mark Lawrence is setting the ground rules for a new and fascinating story of forgotten abilities and magic. Watching Nona struggle to understand people and the rules that surround interacting with them was so well written. Her frequent bouts of anger and frustration perfectly mirrored what a young girl growing up experiences. She also had to learn that even though the people of her village thought she was a monster for being different, it wasn't something to be ashamed of.

Despite the main story being about Nona learning and progressing through the teachings at Sweet Mercy, there is a plot that lurks in the background. Short glimpses into the future at the beginning, middle, and end of the novel. The characters growing up before your eyes are being pushed into a situation you just can't picture them being in. It made me continue reading, trying to put the pieces together that would eventually lead to these scattered moments. Even by the end of the novel, you wonder how they went front point A to point B. I am eager to read the next, even though I know I'll most likely have to read the whole trilogy to form a complete picture.

3.5 stars in reality. There are moments of excellence, but also some longeurs and a few too many “coincidences” which are blatently present simply to set up the finale. Fortunately these don't detract from the overall story, which is much more action packed and blood-thirsty than you might expect in a book about a school for nuns.

One final point, this is obviously not intended to be a standalone book, with a myriad of unresolved mysteries at the end, so the reader should probably enter this world with an expectation to read the sequel, to avoid frustration.

i imagine this book would be much better as a reread.

this was a struggle? i spent so much of the book confused, either from the world building or the magic or the descriptive writing style that failed to explain anything. nothing happens until the last 20% and there was basically no lead up to it. it was just introduced in that 20% and we had that long to resolve. i am still just as confused after finishing the book as i am when i started it. it ends with a. cliffhanger but it's doesn't feel like one at all to me. i don't know if that's bc i don't care about the characters or if my confusion is hindering my understanding of the plot. also, i feel like it took me so long to realize hessa died, even though i had that spoiled for me. only once it was said on page did i even understand that scene.

honestly it was a boring mess and yet i'm still going to read the sequel.


also sorry this review is a mess, i'm writing it while falling asleep... i should come back to it in the morning

It started off well enough, and I was thoroughly enjoying it and interested. But somewhere at the end of the first part and going into the second part I just got more frustrated and it started losing me. I didn't care for Nona, and the others were either boring or predictable. Only Abbess Glass was great but she wasn't used enough (funnily enough when the kids wanted to go to Glass but then realize she would be gone and they would have to fix it themselves - Harry Potter déja vu haha). I'm also not one who cares too much for detailed descriptions or explanations or anything but the lack of it here just started to bother me.

I hate that the second part soured my experience with it so much, because the first part had genuinely good and interesting things. Mark Lawrence's writing might just not be my thing.

I've become a fan of Mark Lawrence. Obviously, he has the pedigree to be one of the best ever, but that doesn't mean he's flawless. RED SISTER, while a great book, definitely has its flaws, but the high spots and the character work go well to cover the bumps.

In RED SISTER, we meet the Sisters of Sweet Mercy convent. The Sisters are no mere religious nuns. Instead, the Sisters are basically a cross between assassins, fighters, and wizards. Depending on their bloodline, they might be gifted with a form of shadow magic, or a form of destructive magic, or perhaps unnatural speed or strength. In the convent, the young novices learn to harness their gifts and become what they were meant to be.

Nona is the main character. She runs of the Hunska blood giving her the ability to harness speed (sort of like The Flash, but not as fast). Nona is on trial for murder, but Sister Glass, the abbess of the convent, steals her from the hangman's noose and takes her to train at the convent.

The novel covers Nona's training and the friends (and enemies) she makes at the convent. It is a solid opening novel for a trilogy, but it suffers from some predictability that I'm not used to from Lawrence, and it also feels like it's about 100 pages too long. Some of the scenes and descriptions plod along, rather than hustling to their conclusion to keep the pace brisk. Toward the end, when the big final climactic battle was happening, I found myself skimming pages and passages because the action began to drag. Some might say I'm incorrect in thinking that, but it's just how I felt it drag.

RED SISTER'S strengths lie in the characterizations of Nona, Ara, Clera, and the other girls, and their interactions and bonding. In some ways, it reminded me of the friendships between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and I found myself wanting more of that, rather than the labored action passages and the explanations and world-building.

The sequel comes out next year and I will definitely be checking it out.