The
world of Red Sister is very different from our own.
This is a world of ice and suffering, where the most valuable
thing a peasant can be is deadly. At the Convent of Sweet
Mercy, nuns are trained in magic and in murder. And there
are few things more dangerous than a Red Sister, a nun who
has chosen the warrior path. It is at this convent that young
Nona Grey learns often painful lessons about trust, deception,
and about who she is. Nona is a dangerous child, but a fantastic
main character. We come to see the pure heart of her. She's
been through a lot, but she hasn't lost her core nobility
and I like that. As I read this book, I was sometimes reminded
of the magic school in another (very famous) series and how
life there too could be very dangerous, but if I had to choose,
I believe I would choose the Convent of Sweet Mercy. The nuns
were a wonderful combination of tough and kind, pragmatic
and hopeful. And the blade path has to be one of the great
challenges I've seen in any magical school. I also like the
way there is no point in the novel where a single female is
looked down on for being female -- it simply isn't a "thing"
in this world. There is class inequality in abundance, and
you might be looked down on for being small, but men and women
basically have the same options and demands, and it's presented
smoothly and without comment. Of all the things I love about
the book, that might have been the one I love most. Violent,
gritty and enormously satisfying as a series opener, I would
recommend it heartily.
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