Grey Sister

Nona and co remain fierce, devoted and inspiring. More of the world is revealed, and possibilities for a resolution start to show themselves....

Second novel in the brilliant new series from the bestselling author of PRINCE OF THORNS.

In Mystic Class Nona Grey begins to learn the secrets of the universe. But so often even the deepest truths just make our choices harder. Before she leaves the Convent of Sweet Mercy Nona must choose her path and take the red of a Martial Sister, the grey of a Sister of Discretion, the blue of a Mystic Sister or the simple black of a Bride of the Ancestor and a life of prayer and service.

All that stands between her and these choices are the pride of a thwarted assassin, the ambition of a would-be empress wielding the Inquisition like a blade, and the vengeance of the empire’s richest lord.

As the world narrows around her, and her enemies attack her through the system she has sworn to, Nona must find her own path despite the competing pull of friendship, revenge, ambition, and loyalty.

And in all this only one thing is certain. There will be blood.

Having read the Red Sister I was excited to see the second book appear in NetGalley so thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book for honest review.
This is an excellent series, with realistic world building and characters you can feel empathy for. The book is written in such a way that you are pulled straight into the world, with such details on small things that increase the readers perception of the world and those that live in it.
The plot building and sub plots work to add depth to the story and keep the reader interested.
Nona Grey is a strong character and throughout the books we see her growing in strength and how her character develops.

Trigger Warning: This book features violence heavily.

I have been patiently waiting for Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence. I absolutely loved the first in the Book of the Ancestor trilogy, Red Sister, and I knew it's sequel was going to be epic. I never realised just how epic this book would be. It's absolutely incredible.

Grey Sister is going to be a very difficult book to review without giving spoilers, because everything changes in this story. Everything. And it's impossible for me to summarise this novel without giving things away. Nona had a hard time in Red Sister, but that's noting compared to what she goes through in Grey Sister. Nona has periods of a somewhat peaceful life in Red Sister, but that is not the case in this book. Once things start to head south, they go from bad to worse. Grey Sister is action packed, tension-filled, and bloody stressful to read. So much violence, so much danger, so many times when it looks like death is the only possible outcome. Seriously. I knew while reading that this was a trilogy, but more times than I can count I was absolutely certain death was on the cards for the characters, but especially Nona. This is absolutely an edge-of-your-seat read, and completely unputdownable. It's bloody brilliant!

Nona really grows in this book, I think. She's still a a little fireball of rage, but she learns about herself, and how important love and friendship is to her. Not just that it's important - it's important to everyone - but how love and friendship makes a difference to the person she is. The choices she makes, and what those choices lead to. She could make very different choices if it wasn't for the importance of her friends and how she loved them. This doesn't stop Nona from being the violent, stabby, super quick ball of fury that she is, but emotion plays a strong part in this book for her. I'm pretty sure it did in the first, but it's been a while since I read it, and I feel it's more so in this one. It's so beautiful to see.

I liked how we got to see a bit more of some of the other characters, too. I'd say there were three narrators, though technically it's two, maybe 2.5. I can't explain it, for spoilers, but we do see from the perspective of three characters; Nona, as expected, Abbess Glass, which we saw from the perspective of a little bit in Red Sister, but a lot more so in Grey Sister, and a third, which I can't really talk about. Abbess Glass' perspective is really fantastic to see, because we get more of a glimpse of what's going on behind the scenes, the strings she's pulling, the machinations coming into play. It's a slow process, but seeing things unfold, even though as a reader you're not entirely sure what's going to happen, but that Glass has got a few things up her sleeve. But again, you never really know how the cards are going to fall, and it's so brilliant.

The ending is incredible. Such a climax! Such a cliffhanger! I am so desperate to know how the ending will affect things for Nona, Abbess Glass, and Sweet Mercy! I knew Grey Sister was going to be epic when I finished Red Sister, but it completely surpassed my expectations! It's a hugely emotional, fast-paced story, and I absolutely loved it! So many unexpected revelations and discoveries! Oh my god, I have no idea how things are going to pan out in the next and final book, Holy Sister, which comes out in April next year, nor how things are going to be wrapped up! Grey Sister is an absolutely incredible follow up to Red Sister, and I cannot wait to get my hands on Holy Sister, and see what Lawrence has in store for Nona and Sweet Mercy next!

Thank you to HarperVoyager via NetGalley for the eProof.

I loved the Red sister, but Grey Sister is out of this world amazing! Mark managed to capture the dark atmosphere and bring it up to a whole new level. There is literally not a single bad word that I can say about this sequel. Definitely not suffering from middle book syndrome (why do I believe this is a trilogy? don't know...).

All of the awesome characters from Red Sister take centre stage in this sequel and truly come alive. I remember being 100 pages in and struggling to put the book down because it was THAT GOOD! I also love Mark's writing style, he has a unique voice and the ability to summon characters and settings to life, to make you care. I was also impressed by his ability to not only write about girls but also understand them. The world building and magic system are so well done it makes logical sense and drags you into the story and doesn't let you leave. 

As I've already said, there isn't a thing that I can fault this book which is probably my favourite fantasy book of 2018 and of all time. There is no denying that Mark Lawrence is a god!

Grey Sister is the second book in Mark Lawrence’s newest trilogy that is taking the world by storm as Mark’s work tends to do. Red Sister opened up a can of worms that I really didn’t want to see closed in any way, luckily enough (although I had to wait a year for it’s sequel) Grey Sister did not disappoint in any way, shape or form.

Mark Lawrence’s signature writing style drags you in from the outset with talons and it doesn’t let you go. You’re dropped right there besides Nona Grey and it’s almost like you’re feeling everything she experiences throughout the book. There’s a wicked “here’s what’s happened so far” page at the beginning but it gives you this information about something we’ve not yet read.

Keot. Despite his obvious flaws I think Keot as a character is pretty nifty. He grows in this book along with Nona.

In Red Sister, Nona is learning the things she needs to learn to be a good novice and she also comes into herself a bit more. In Grey Sister, Nona has dropped into a new space and become a whole new woman. Rest assured, despite her physical age, she has matured mentally quite a bit. She is ready I’m telling you – but for what I don’t know.

Kettle is back and kicking butt in this book as well. I love Kettle – she’s definitely one of my favourite ladies in this book. Abbess Glass is also a favourite. Both characters are brilliant and are people I would not want to cross.

As the storyline progresses we learn more about the Noi-Guin, about the Sis and about Kettle, Zole, Nona and the other novices. The conversation and dialogue is fabulously balanced with the action and there is plenty of action to go around.

There is absolutely no need to worry that Mark reached the height of the story in Red Sister ’cause in Grey Sister he raises the bar even higher with some really nifty twists and turns in this book and I can’t wait to see where the next book takes Nona.

I have three words: BUY THIS BOOK!

This series just keeps getting better and better, but now I have to wait until next year to read what I think is the final installment of Nona's journey.

In this book, we learn just a tiny bit more about the origins and mysteries of Abeth, the world where this story takes place. It reminds us that this isn't just a magical fantasy novel but a slice of sci-fi just waiting to be unleashed.

This story is intense, action-packed and full of the excellent characterisation I've come to expect from Lawrence's work. The character dynamics have shifted a bit, a few years on from where the last book left off, the characters have matured and their friendships have done the same.

Conspiracies laid out in the previous book now start to make sense and you start to see how deviously clever the author is. Now Nona's a little older, the villains from her past are back to try to finish the job. Once some of those loose ends are tied up, we find out that they all play a part in an even bigger threat to her and everything she holds dear. The suspense may actually kill me before I get to read the next book...

ARC for an honest review - Thank you NetGalley & Harper Voyager.

Oh! Mr. Lawrence! You've gone and done it again. This is the second book in the trilogy, Red Sister, being the first. In this installment, Mark Lawrence raises his game (again!) and begins to flesh out the characters of Nona, Sister Kettle, and the strong, gracious Abbess. Nona's history is written about in Red Sister but as a Grey, she must master the arts of stealth, poison, and assassination. We find out more about Sister Kettle's character, her love for Apple and how she came to the Abbey.

All these threads are incredibly interesting but for me, it is the revelation of the Abbess's character that really slew me. Her past is tricky & complicated earning her multiple enemies in the feared Inquisition and at the various courts but her fiercely protective nature and courage to protect 'The Chosen One' and her charges at the Abbey is a beautiful thing to behold.

Grey Sister is a little more ice-sharp than Red Sister as the cast grows in age and depth and betrayals become life-threatening rather than close shaves or teenage drama. One of my favourite fantasy trilogies already - I'm hoping for a Book 4. *puppy eyes*. As usual, can't recommend Mark Lawrence enough.

"It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men."

That is the first line in Red Sister, and the line that made me fall in love with Mark Lawrence's book. Just like in Red Sister his writing is beautiful, almost poetic. Every word is chosen meticulously.

The story continues to be dark, but it's also beautiful and filled with themes of friendship and loyalty and how to battle and overcome your inner demons. Grey Sister starts roughly two years after the final chapters of Red Sister.

Nona is a terrific character, well developed, hot-headed, filled with energy and wit. She's damaged, but fiery and passionate, and she fights for what she believes in. She's often unpredictable, but intelligent and one of my favourite fantasy protagonists despite her young age.

Red Sister mainly focused on Nona, here we also get to see the story from the point of view of Abbess Glass, who is the leader of the convent, and through the point of view of Sister Kettle. Throughout the book, the side characters feel more fleshed out than they were in Red Sister.

The world is complex and intriguing and Mark Lawrence expands the story behind it quite a bit. It's a dying world, ice is closing in on the people living there, from all sides and there's not much more than a corridor left. There's a lot of political intrigue in this, something I always enjoy in fantasy books.

I highly recommend Red and Grey Sister to all fantasy fans.

Second novel in the brilliant new series from the bestselling author of PRINCE OF THORNS.
In Mystic Class Nona Grey begins to learn the secrets of the universe. But so often, knowing the truth just makes our choices harder. Before she leaves the Convent of Sweet Mercy, Nona must choose her path and take the red of a Martial Sister, the grey of a Sister of Discretion, the blue of a Mystic Sister or the simple black of a Bride of the Ancestor, entailing a life of prayer and service.
Standing between her and these choices are the pride of a thwarted assassin, the ambition of a would-be empress wielding the Inquisition like a blade, and the vengeance of the empire’s richest lord.
As the world narrows around her, and her enemies attack her using the very system she has sworn to, Nona must forge her own path in spite of the pulls of friendship, revenge, ambition, and loyalty.
In all this only one thing is certain. There will be blood.


This is the second book in the series, if you haven’t read Red Sister I would highly recommend you do as this book picks up the story around 2 years after the ending of the first – I think you would find the story hard to follow if you read this one first. I for one, was thrilled we rejoined the story as I had so many unanswered questions from the first!
Nona is now a young woman growing into powers that threaten to overwhelm her – the empire is going though a massive upheaval as the ice closes in and the corridor narrows. A lot of the action in this book takes place outside of the school so you get to learn more about the empire and the main players who are trying to take advantage of the closing ice to gain power and influence.
We are introduced to a new character very early on – Keot. I found the relationship between Nona and Keot really interesting, almost symbiotic in that they seem to need each other, it added another dimension to Nona who is already a complex character.
As in Red Sister, there are undercurrents of something ‘bigger’ being played out behind the scenes – once again Abbess Glass is gathering players and lining up pieces ready for the bigger picture. During the book you only get titbits and snippets of information which makes the whole thing very intriguing and hooks you into reading more until suddenly all the pieces come together in spectacular fashion.
Prepare yourself for violence, I don’t think it was overdone or unnecessarily graphic but if you are more sensitive you may want to avoid this book.
New relationships are formed, bonds strengthened and new enemies made – I really enjoyed this book, many thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy to review. My only complaint is I am now going to have to wait ages for the next book and I need to know what happens NOW.

Content warning: Violence, torture

I listened to Red Sister on audiobook and, while I think the audiobook is excellent, I was extremely grateful for the short recap at the beginning of the book which, not only brought me back up to speed with anything I had only been half listening to but also let me know how all the character’s names were spelled. I think I enjoyed the book more than I did the audio-format but I think that’s just my preference for visual rather than aural if you like audiobooks I would recommend these titles. But, to answer the question ‘can I read this book without reading the first book?’ I would say that it can be done, but you will get so much more out of it if you read both.

My favourite part of both of these books has been the characters. In fairness, I could have predicted that I would fall head over heels for a whole abbey of murderous nuns, that’s just my way. But there are so many characters in this book that it would be easy for some of them to become lost or to feel insignificant, particularly since this isn’t multiple POV (at least not in the Game of Thrones sense of the word, it certainly doesn’t just follow one character), but Lawrence manages to create a whole cast of characters all of whom have fairly distinct personalities. Abbess Glass is by far my favourite, with Nona a close second, for anyone who is wondering.

In a lot of books, I have read that have excellent characters, the setting normally falls by the wayside. I must say that this isn’t the case with Grey Sister. I love the idea of people living on a world orbiting a dying star. I must confess I have no idea if any of the physics of the moon/mirror that melts a corridor of ice is accurate and, honestly, I do not care. I think it makes for such a clever means of generating conflict and it’s also interesting to read.

The thing I very much enjoy about these books, Grey Sister is the way that Nona problem solves. Time and time again she is set with a supposedly insurmountable task and she has to find a creative solution. I enjoy this set up so much, possibly because it takes me back to the kind of book I loved when I was a bit younger, possibly because it is just really satisfying to see a character succeed! I can see how this might feel a little repetitive, but I feel as if the book is balanced enough between these small successes and the wider ‘big picture’ plot.

I did have a moment or two where I thought Nona was succeeding a bit too much, that nothing was ever going to beat her. But then I realised that it’s one of the strongest aspects of both this and Red Sister, that when Nona does fail it is so much more heart-breaking and you feel for her so much more. I seriously have more feelings about this book than I ever thought I would going in.

Should you read this? If you like thkinding of fantasy setting then I would say definitely read this. Go and grab a copy or treat yourself to an audiobook, you won’t regret it!

My rating: 5/5 stars

I received an advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Received ARC from Netgalley for honest read and review.

I am a huge fan of Mark Lawrence's work and this was stunning and beautifully written as usual.

Once again we are thrown into Nonas world which is hard and cruel,but she has to overcome everything to get to the end.Wonderfully written and ahoy to read.

Read it in a day! What greater compliment is there.

Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence -the sequel to Red Sister - is a good book. Never doubt that. It might even be an excellent book - and just as with Red Sister there will be a wide swathe of people who rave about this book, ensuring everyone they know, and vaguely know, goes out to buy it. This is a good thing. Mark Lawrence is a great writer - he doesn't mess around with anything we don't need to know - everything to his writing has a point - whether we know it at the time or not. His storylines are pretty rock solid, and his 'world-building' never, ever deteriorates into long sweeping paragraphs that are unneeded and detract from the action (which can be a problem with fantasy writers).

Yet, in giving this book 5 stars, and saying how great it is, there is, I admit, a part of me, that wishes it were as dark and complicated and downright transfixing as his previous two trilogies. The Book of the Ancestor Trilogy, for all that some may call it 'dark', is almost a walk in the park compared to his previous diabolical creations of Jorg and Jalan - and I admit - for all that sometimes I did find them a bit too 'dark' - I miss that 'darkness'. Don't all shout at once, I appreciate that death-dealing nuns do sound pretty dark, but when it's mingled with the whole 'school' scenario, it does lose its 'dark' appeal for me - and I find some of the much-quoted sentences a bit misleading as to the path the story ultimately takes. No amount of bloodshed can quite make-up for that, but, I am very excited to see what happens in Book 3. Clearly, there's still a great deal to come in The Book of the Ancestors series, and I'm keen to see how it all 'ends', while also being a little wary - I don't think the final book will answer all my questions - but then, many great fantasy writers (cough, Robin Hobb) leave us thinking about the might-have-beens.

So five stars - and Book 3 is on my 'to-read' list already.

Grey Sister picks the story up right from Red Sister; there were a couple of threads in the last book left trailing to follow into the next, and I was very relieved to discover the fate of a certain nun I had been worried about by the end of Red Sister.

Similarly to when I read Red Sister, I found the pace a gentle slow burner which built into a crescendo by the end. Having moved up from Red Class to Grey, Nona is faced with a whole set of new problems, whilst still trying to pursue certain unresolved conflicts from the previous book.

I've said it before and it's something I'll say again and again; Lawrence's storytelling is masterful. Whereas Grey Sister is not a standalone novel and I would not recommend reading the books out of sync, neither is it your typical middle-book-crutch; Lawrence is able to provide satisfactory conclusions to some aspects from Red Sister, create a story with conflict that resolves within this book, whilst at the same time reveal more of the over-reaching story arc which pulls us into the third book. It sounds like a very complicated juggling act, but god it's so smooth. 

This time around we're also treated to Abbess Glass' point of view, and it's safe to say she's a character I had previously underestimated. Much like Lawrence himself, Glass creates layers in her scheming that are perfectly timed. She describes her planning like domino pieces, lined up for the fall; and it's a perfect simile for Lawrence's own plotting, events unfolding around us like a complicated pattern only revealed once each domino has fallen into its place.

Without running the risk of overly repeating myself when I review Lawrence's books (world-building, characters, prose OH MY), his writing style is just so easy to fall into. There were instances where I felt a little confused or misplaced (namely, without hopefully giving too much away, the instances when she's bound?), but on the whole Lawrence's writing here is as immersive as ever, the high quality of character portrayal and progression, the perfect balance of descriptive prose which shows the reader what to see rather than dumps it all upon us. We have some intriguing new characters in Grey Sister who pose new problems for our Nona, and I found one in particular so amusing. I loved the play of its influence over Nona, very much like Freud's Id, Ego and Superego, Nona has to find her path forward through these conflicting motivations.

I feel so deeply invested in these characters and their story; I'm dreading the wait for Holy Sister but I'll relish the re-read. I feel this is a trilogy I'll be coming back to again and again.

Nona Grey is reaching the stage where she must choose the path that will define what type of sister she is to be. A warrior Red Sister, a Grey Sister of assassination and stealth, the blue of a Mystic Sister or the religious duties of a Black Sister. But her world is in turmoil, and once again Nona is right at the centre of the maelstrom.
Having already consumed Red Sister in great excitement, I was probably approaching Grey Sister with a considerable amount of bias. But, then again, this meant I was expecting a great deal from this next book in the series. It did not let me down.
As Mark Lawrence helpfully fills in for those who may not have read the first book, this does save the usual exposition through dialogue as the characters explain the previous events in conversation. So it is possible to start the overarching story arc at this point. But if you do you will have missed a real treat in Red Sister, with its immaculate character development and world building.
This book really does focus on the spiritual journey and coming of age story with regards to Nona and her companions. There are a great many characters involved and the story shifts locations, but at no time does anything feel as if it has been shoehorned in for effect or because it is expected by fantasy readers.
There is a tremendous involvement with the characters and a sense of breathlessness as they encounter all kinds of danger which they must overcome by stealth, combat or patient fortitude. Lawrence knows how to squeeze the tension then let it go, then build it up again so you feel as if you’re in an emotional vice of anxiety. You feel the hurt, the injury, the exhaustion and the need to haul yourself up to deal with your aggressors. There is also the take home message that revenge might not be as satisfying as you think, and that heat of the moment actions have consequences, whereas careful consideration might be as powerful as brute force.
Although Nona is the central character, she is not the only one the stability of her world revolves around. There are others who have just as much to contribute, if not more. The outstanding character is the poised and self-contained Abbess Glass, a woman for whom life has been less than kind, yet this has not diminished her compassion. What a woman. She is really put through her paces in this book as she attempts to manoeuvre her way through a politically impossible situation which more than likely will end her life, as her opponents bay for her blood and that of the incumbents of her convent. If this series is ever filmed (which it should be, but as a TV series, because a film would leave the story wanting) the Abbess would have to be an actress who could carry all the subtleties of this complex woman with dignity and restrained power.
It might be that I am much nearer to Abbess Glass’s age than Nona’s, which is why I’ve singled her out. But the way Lawrence has written the book means that although a reader might have a favourite, there is something unique and fascinating in all the characters which allows emotional connection with all of them. This makes the “Book of the Ancestors” series one of those reads grabbed off the shelves by both young adult and adult readers and a fantasy classic in the making.

I loved this book! Fabulous characters, storyline, adventures, thrills, spills and heartbreak! The central anti-heroine defies all the odds, and herself, time and again, and still comes back for more!

I enjoyed this so much I have purchased the first in the series!

I highly recommend it to all lovers of sword and sorcery, most notably because all the central characters are female!

An outstanding read!

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in order to provide an honest review.

As this is the second book of Lawrence’s Book of the Ancestor trilogy, before I started it I read the first book, Red Sister. I won’t review that book here, but suffice to say it had me hooked from the first pages! After devouring it over the course of two days, I dived into Grey Sister.

Lawrence has a gift for creating flawed, believable characters that read as incredibly human despite their fantasy settings. Nona Grey is one such character. Grey Sister finds Nona two years later, at Sweet Mercy Convent, and follows both her school trials and the wider political turmoil she find herself embroiled in. Like Red Sister, I found it impossible to put down, and happily lost several hours of sleep to keep reading it.

I can not recommend this book, and Red Sister, highly enough, and I cannot wait for the concluding book of the trilogy!

As amazing as Red Sister. Action-packed and full of great world building and characters. Mark Lawrence is a must-read fantasy writer for any fantasy fan.