Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1)

by Mark Lawrence

It's not until you're broken that you find your sharpest edge.

"I was born for killing – the gods made me to ruin."

At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices’ skills to deadly effect: it takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist.

But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder: guilty of worse.

• ISBN13: 9780008152314
• Publish Date: 6 April 2017 (first published 4 April 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 516
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

The Convent of Sweet Mercy specializes in training Red Sisters. Essentially, they are warrior nuns of the holy order. It's the sort of life that Nona Grey could never have imagined entering if not for a series of extenuating circumstances.

First, she was taken, then sold. Then accused of murder. Then stolen again. Now she's at the Convent and has more than one grudge sitting under her belt. But she's determined to master her inner demons and come out on top.

My Review:

Can somebody please explain why I didn't read Red Sister sooner? This book had been on my radar since it came out (2017), yet I never read it (until now, obviously). Why?! It's SO good; I wish I had let it into my life sooner.

There's a lot I could say about Red Sister. I worry that a lot of it would be near the spoiler side of things, so I will try to be careful. Believe it or not, there are two points of time for this book. There's Nona's present, which takes up most of the book, and then there's a point set in an indistinct future. That future has some dark implications, and it'll take readers most of the book to get to the bottom.

In truth, I don't know how I feel about that future timeline. At first, I wasn't invested in it (not knowing the characters involved yet). But by the end, I could see how it all tied together and had more than one reason for caring about those events. Still, I hope the next book further explores the time leading up to that moment. There's still so much to learn!

I want to say that the first chapter of this book is outright mean. Once I realized what Mark Lawrence was telling us, I felt like I had been slapped in the face. So do try to be prepared to get hit right away. But also, don't let that discourage you from the rest of the book because it is so worth it.

Highlights:
Warrior Nuns
Fantasy of Epic Proportions
Stubborn/Determined Characters
“Chosen One”

Trigger Warnings:
Child Selling/Assault/Death
Poisoning
Graphic Elements
Animal Death

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I think the story was great, but the pacing seemed completely off. It feels like I have to read it again to fully understand everything that happened in the story

[Bookstooge]

2 1/2 stars

[Nessa Luna]

Ok so I realised halfway through that I hardly retained anyone from the first half, so I am going to put this down for now and maybe pick it up physically/as an ebook later instead of an audiobook..

[tylerrosereads]

Technically... I gave this book 4.5 stars buttttt why not mark it a 5 for goodreads :)

I picked this up as a recommendation from some booktubers and thankfully finally agreed with their praise.



This book was really well written, while the beginning could be argued to be slow, its because your doing a lot of learning about the world and the characters. This is definitely a character driven book so stick with it, the ending will have you clutching your chair and reaching for the next book!

I already want to read this book again, not because I didn't understand it, but because the world and story is just so rich I feel like I could still get more out of it.

I really like the magic system and I loved the characters.
You'll laugh. You might cry. And you thank me after.
Go read it now!

[ross91]

Best book of the year so far.
Such a great read!!

[moraa]

***FOR REASONS THAT HAVE RECENTLY COME TO LIGHT, I CANNOT CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THIS AUTHOR***

Not bad. Strong main character but the 'supporting cast' seemed to be people I'd seen before.

[luddite]

This series is tailor-made for an anime adaptation, with its eerie world, the powers of its characters and the wonderful fight sequences they get into, and its general vibe.

A fun, engrossing read. But I found the writing to be disjointed/confusing at times - only grew into it when I started reading it for long stretches.

[e_rodz_leb]

Quite the Novel Idea https://quitethenovelidea.com https://quitethenovelidea.com/liza-reviews-red-sister-mark-lawrence/

I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Wow! Red Sister is my first book by Mark Lawrence and it was full of awesome!  There are so many things that I love, that I shall try to keep my list to a manageable length :)

• Nona, is our main character and she's eight at the start of the story. She's had a hard life, always being an outcast due to her looks and almost feral attitude.  She's rescued by the Reverend Mother from hanging after attacking the member of a very wealthy and powerful family and she becomes a red novice. Friendship is everything to Nona and she values her friends above all else.  She learns SO much in a short time.  She's so complex, so strong, so smart.  Oh, and she likes hot baths and food.  I loved her!


• There is magic!  This magic world is so different! It depends on your blood, and might give a person speed, the ability to walk the Path, to control shadows, understand poison, and more...


• The world building is incredibly detailed and intricate.  It's sometimes not easy to remember it all, but I managed.


• There is an incredible host of characters. The main setting is a school/church called Sweet Mercy and most of our cast is female.  From the kick-a teachers to the novices of various ages and skills.  So many awesome, varied, diverse characters.


• Assassin magical nuns


• The writing is - pardon the pun - magical.  Words are strung together in such a way that they convey feeling, movement, suffering, pain, happiness, in a lyrical way.  Nona is often snarky, her thoughts are honest and fun.  Need proof?  Read the quotes at the end of the post!

 



There isn't much that I can say in this section, except for these two things and they are particular to my reading experience:

• I wish I wasn't reading an eBook.  Why?  Well, there is a really nice section at the beginning of the book with a glossary of terms and such that would have been very useful.  The problem, at least with me is that going back and forth in an eBook is not easy.  I wish I'd had a physical copy of the book (I will probably get one!)


• The pace is slow.  If you start reading and feel like you cannot get past the detailed worldbuilding and the story seems to drag, stick to it.  Believe me when I tell you that it's worth it. It gets SO good, with insight, action, friendships....

 



Red Sister is a story of a world that is narrowing due to an unexplained cold, a world undergoing change, a cruel world that values and fears magic.  This is a story of friendship and betrayal, of the power of learning and understanding ones own powers and capabilities.  It is SO good and I can't wait to get my hands on Gray Sister, to be published in April.



“A book is as dangerous as any journey you might take. The person who closes the back cover may not be the same one that opened the front one. Treat them with respect.” 

“Truth is a weapon and lies are a necessary shield.” 

“There are some things that must be done quickly or not at all. If someone asks you if you love them you cannot hesitate. There are some paths that must be taken at speed.” 

“I was born for killing—the gods made me to ruin.” 

"A long blade, thin, carrying a slight curve, its edge cruel enough to cut silence and make it scream."This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea

[lizarodz]

Quite the Novel Idea https://quitethenovelidea.com https://quitethenovelidea.com/liza-reviews-red-sister-mark-lawrence/

I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Wow! Red Sister is my first book by Mark Lawrence and it was full of awesome!  There are so many things that I love, that I shall try to keep my list to a manageable length :)

• Nona, is our main character and she's eight at the start of the story. She's had a hard life, always being an outcast due to her looks and almost feral attitude.  She's rescued by the Reverend Mother from hanging after attacking the member of a very wealthy and powerful family and she becomes a red novice. Friendship is everything to Nona and she values her friends above all else.  She learns SO much in a short time.  She's so complex, so strong, so smart.  Oh, and she likes hot baths and food.  I loved her!


• There is magic!  This magic world is so different! It depends on your blood, and might give a person speed, the ability to walk the Path, to control shadows, understand poison, and more...


• The world building is incredibly detailed and intricate.  It's sometimes not easy to remember it all, but I managed.


• There is an incredible host of characters. The main setting is a school/church called Sweet Mercy and most of our cast is female.  From the kick-a teachers to the novices of various ages and skills.  So many awesome, varied, diverse characters.


• Assassin magical nuns


• The writing is - pardon the pun - magical.  Words are strung together in such a way that they convey feeling, movement, suffering, pain, happiness, in a lyrical way.  Nona is often snarky, her thoughts are honest and fun.  Need proof?  Read the quotes at the end of the post!

 



There isn't much that I can say in this section, except for these two things and they are particular to my reading experience:

• I wish I wasn't reading an eBook.  Why?  Well, there is a really nice section at the beginning of the book with a glossary of terms and such that would have been very useful.  The problem, at least with me is that going back and forth in an eBook is not easy.  I wish I'd had a physical copy of the book (I will probably get one!)


• The pace is slow.  If you start reading and feel like you cannot get past the detailed worldbuilding and the story seems to drag, stick to it.  Believe me when I tell you that it's worth it. It gets SO good, with insight, action, friendships....

 



Red Sister is a story of a world that is narrowing due to an unexplained cold, a world undergoing change, a cruel world that values and fears magic.  This is a story of friendship and betrayal, of the power of learning and understanding ones own powers and capabilities.  It is SO good and I can't wait to get my hands on Gray Sister, to be published in April.



“A book is as dangerous as any journey you might take. The person who closes the back cover may not be the same one that opened the front one. Treat them with respect.” 

“Truth is a weapon and lies are a necessary shield.” 

“There are some things that must be done quickly or not at all. If someone asks you if you love them you cannot hesitate. There are some paths that must be taken at speed.” 

“I was born for killing—the gods made me to ruin.” 

"A long blade, thin, carrying a slight curve, its edge cruel enough to cut silence and make it scream."This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea