Published by Harper Voyager
Synopsis:
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.
Check out my review of book 1
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 – Nona now has a group of friends in the convent where she’s training to become a warrior and her loyalties affect her choices, when her natural instinct is revenge and murder (I love this girl).
Conspiracies laid out in the previous book now start to make sense and you start to see how deviously clever the author is. While I’m on the subject of the author’s devious cleverness – I also want to mention how enjoyable his writing style is, some of the fight scenes were brutal and beautifully written rather than a generic punchy-punchy stabby-stabby style.
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…
