 Hello, hello, folks, I'm Philip Magnus here with a review of Mark Lawrence's fantastic grey sister. If you're up for that kind of review and more, why don't you subscribe? Now, let's jump into it, shall we? How I have longed to return to another story in the year and several months since I read Red Sister. Time and opportunity conspired against me, until this summer, when I read through the second book of the Ancestor in two sittings. A return to the sweet Mercy monastery was most welcome. Following a timeskip, I was happy to be reunited with Nona and company. Things were both the way I remembered and different. Nona's breezy temperament and cheery attitude have not changed in the least, except for the voice in her head of a devil made of violence and darkest desires. Forced to carry within herself the devil-kiot, Nona has to come to grips with her darker urges. She is either to embrace self-control or risk becoming no different than some of the foes she faced down in the previous novel. Yet kiot is not all bad, I cite. She'd come to think of him as a broken thing. Part of her mind, perhaps, filled with fragments of knowledge, occasionally useful as the shards of a pot can be, offering a sharp edge but no good for holding soup. All of this is to say you can find use for her and even grow fond of even the darker aspects that linger within yourself. And there are moments where parasite and host bonded in intricate and unwholesome ways. The demon makes a valuable addition to the mammoth cast of supporting characters, Nona but friends, threatens, crushes or otherwise engages with. That's a lie, it's only ever one of the first three. Zoll, the four-blooded chosen one, steals the spotlight repeatedly, bode by exhibiting frightening competencies and by slowly revealing layers of herself hidden behind a mask of stoicism. Sister Kettle and Ara and Darla don't make it easy for Zoll, mind, always the deadly sister of discretion. Kettle goes to every length to help a sister in need. Ara and Darla, meanwhile, not only the best friends our girl Nona could hope for, they're also great at her party. Even a certain traitorous ker from Red Sister makes a most memorable appearance. Abbas Glass made for an excellent secondary point of view character. I might be wrong when I write this, but I have a lingering suspicion her chapters in this book made a much larger chunk of Grey Sister than they did the previous book. Of all the older generation of skilled martial artists and deadly prisoners Lawrence has introduced in this prayer of nuns, or however you'd call a group of them, it might just be the Abbas I am fondest of. Glass plays the most elaborate political games just as she did in the previous novel, her machinations far reaching and promising deadly consequences. It's all sharp falls and apocal leaps in the deadly arena of political religious games with Glass and I wouldn't change this fierce lady for anything or anyone. I quote, she's so old she must be fifty. Close goes a young nun or Grey exclaimed at one point to the bemusement of everyone over twenty. Said pieces, ambitious battles, monsters beneath the deepest rocks, endless barbs across monastery and royal court alike, and camaraderie to warm your heart. Grey Sister has much I loved and much worth celebrating. Little surprise there, in my experience, Mark Lawrence delivers page thinners without stop. On a side note, this has been the bursting consistent I've been with how I approach a series in forever. I read Red Sister on my Kindle, grabbed a trade paperback of Grey Sister and I've had an audiobook of Holy Sister sitting around forever now, so I'm very likely to finish the series with that one. Long live diversity in material conditions. Whatever that means. I'm Philip Magnus, if you enjoyed this video, why not share it with your friends? Make sure to press that subscribe button and smash the like button as well. Have you read anything by Lawrence? I believe I've had a good few novels now on the channel. It's been two, hasn't it? Maybe three. Eh, well no, the other. But it's a great book that is written by Mark Lawrence usually, that's the case, and I probably should sit down and write my review of the book that wouldn't burn. I read that one several months ago now around its release and kind of got distracted by my marxistesis, but might be a good time to return to it and share the word, the good word, on it. I'll see you again next time. Bye!