Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence – Review & Giveaway

 

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Description:
They came against her as a child. Now they face the woman.

The ice is advancing, the Corridor narrowing, and the empire is under siege from the Scithrowl in the east and the Durns in the west. Everywhere, the emperor’s armies are in retreat.

Nona faces the final challenges that must be overcome if she is to become a full sister in the order of her choice. But it seems unlikely that Nona and her friends will have time to earn a nun’s habit before war is on their doorstep.

Even a warrior like Nona cannot hope to turn the tide of war.

The shiphearts offer strength that she might use to protect those she loves, but it’s a power that corrupts. A final battle is coming in which she will be torn between friends, unable to save them all. A battle in which her own demons will try to unmake her.

A battle in which hearts will be broken, lovers lost, thrones burned.

 

 

Review:

Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence is the 3^rd and final book in his Book of the Ancestor series.  Nona Grey continues as our young powerful heroine, and many of the wonderful characters we loved in the first two books are back.  Once again, Mark Lawrence gives us another fantastic story line, with non-stop intense mind-boggling action packed thriller throughout the book, and bringing a satisfying conclusion to this series.

In Holy Sister, Nona Grey, our wonderful heroine, is the center focus of the story, which for more than half of the book is split between two timeframes- present day and three years earlier.  Personally I wasn’t crazy about the going back and forth between the two narratives early on, but by the time the storyline became mostly the present day, all the pieces fell into place and we could see why what happened three years (soon after the end of Gray Sister) before was important to fully understand.

Nona Grey over the period of three books has definitely become one of the best heroines, especially in a fantasy world.  With war on the horizon, Nona steps in fight a losing battle, but fight she does, and her powerful ability to use those she is close to as her fighting tool was simply magnificent.  Nona was a child when this all started back in Red Sister, when she was saved by Abbess Glass and joined the convent; as the years pass, friendships are made and lost; Nona becomes their savior in a horrific devastating battle that had us holding our breath to see who will survive. 

The second half of this book was filled with so much action, all told through Nona’s eyes, which Lawrence killed us with so many emotions throughout, such as fear, tension, worry, anger, heartbreak and the sense of love Nona and girls had for each other, or the respect for the nuns who trained them.

I truly loved Nona, who had to endure so much and even when she was on her last legs, she forced herself to push her magical ability beyond endurance to help those she loved. It was simply amazing to watch what she could do, and what a wonderful fantastic heroine Lawrence created.  No question, I will miss Nona Grey.  I also loved many of the secondary characters, such as Ara, Zole, Clera, Sister Kettle, and Abbess Glass, to name a few.  Abbess Glass turns out to play such an important part of this trilogy from Red Sister to Holy Sister, as we learn more about her long range visions, and her planning, especially with Nona and Zole.  There were a number of surprises as we began to see the results.

The last half of the book was an intense, harrowing , destructive adventure that left me holding my  breath as Nona , the girls & nuns faced so many dangerous, mind-boggling  & death defying situations that also brought about much heartbreak.  To tell too much more would be major spoilers, but trust me when I say this is a must read.   Holy Sister was a fantastic conclusion to a wonderful trilogy.  Bravo to Mark Lawrence for giving us a wonderful series, with a marvelous heroine.  If you enjoy fantasy, in this unique intriguing world, with a fabulous heroine and other wonderful characters, you must read the Book of the Ancestor series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Mark Lawrence’s publisher is graciously offering a Hardcover copy of HOLY SISTER TO  (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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9.. Giveaway runs from April 8 to 12, 2019