I nabbed this during a
discount for just 99p, having previously enjoyed the author’s
Broken Empire trilogy. It’s first entry in a new series, the Book
of the Ancestor, set in a different post-Apocalyptic world.
It took me a fair while
to read, not due to being badly written or anything, I just incurred
some moderate pestilence which, at times, stopped me from reading.
The book follows the
difficult and bloody childhood of Nona, who ends up in a convent
where, alongside spirituality, the novices are also taught delights
such as combat skills and how to poison people.
She’s rescued into
the nunnery by Abbess Glass, who saves her from hanging for crossing
a powerful nobleman (who thoroughly deserved it). Whether or not the
convent will prove sufficient protection from said noble family’s
wrath remains to be seen, but it’s certainly safer than not being
there.
Alongside Nona are a
number of friends/rivals, my favourite being Hessa, a lame girl
nicknamed Hop Along who is perhaps Nona’s truest friend. Besides
the novices there are several sisters of importance, and I enjoyed
the Poisoner quite a lot, due to her mixture of
mischief and toxins. Giving girls a truth serum then asking them who
they have a crush on was entertaining.
The classroom politics
and scheming blends nicely with wider conspiracies aimed at
disrupting life in the nunnery, with Nona sometimes struggling to
know who to trust. In terms of writing style, it’s easy to read and
quite moreish. It’s not a soft book but it’s not as brutal as
Prince of Thorns either.
In the middle there
could perhaps have been a touch more pace. Shan’t spoil the ending,
of course, but I liked the late twists and the conclusion of the
story.
Overall, I enjoyed Red
Sister a lot, and definitely felt invested in the story’s end. I’ll
probably buy Grey Sister (the sequel) when it’s on sale, as the
current Kindle price is £9.99. Which is more than the listed
(currently unreleased) paperback, and barely less than the hardback.
Thaddeus
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