REVIEW: Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
Publishing information: Kindle
Publisher: Ace; 4 April 2017
ISBN: 9781101988855
Series: Book of the Ancestors #1
Copy: Provided by publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "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.

Stolen from the shadow of the noose, Nona is sought by powerful enemies, and for good reason. Despite the security and isolation of the convent her secret and violent past will find her out. Beneath a dying sun that shines upon a crumbling empire, Nona Grey must come to terms with her demons and learn to become a deadly assassin if she is to survive…"

The latest series from Mark Lawrence is out today and I was lucky enough to have received an advanced copy. Lawrence is a talented writer who creates very complex characters that have a muddied past and there are many times where you really don't like the protagonist. In Red Sister we have a young street urchin, named Nona, who was trained to fight in the pits and is then taken to a convent where she is taught to hone her skills. Because of her violent past and the secrecy in which she is brought to the Red Sister's convent makes her rough around the edges to say the least. And while it great that Lawrence has once again chosen a female lead, Nona is more likable than the characters that he has written in the past. Nona's background makes it easy to sympathize with her, even when she makes boneheaded decisions.

Lawrence attempts to create a bit of a mystery in the form of a prophecy but muddles it up a bit with the latest recruits. I liked the prophecy at first but then as I read further started to grow annoyed with it. Interspersed in the book are current events where Nona is taking on a large army on a valley filled with large columns and it is there that we have a bit of a cliffhanger. To discuss it more would ruin the book for potential readers but it does make you want to pick up the next installment to figure things out.

The world building is also quite interesting as the world that the story is in has a lot of political intrigue that is modestly skimmed and could really add to the story if brought in properly. While I do feel as if Red Sister is probably the most YA or least grimdark of all of his books, it shouldn't deter you from checking it out. The series has a lot of potential and I plan on reading the next one. Red Sister hits bookstores today.

OVerall 7.5/10