Published: 3rd April 2018
Synopsis:
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.
My Thoughts:
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.
I would love to hear your thoughts, please leave me a comment