RED SISTER | I don't get it...

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[@autumnrose3236]

I read this for the first time in my freshman year and barely finished it I did not like it whatsoever. But I decided to try it again after finishing highschool and it's honestly one of my favorite series. I understand how Nona can be a bit confusing. She wasn't around a lot of people most of her life and the ones she was around hated her so ofc she's naive when it comes to other people. But she also feels protective and loyal to those who are actually nice to her and people she cares about. I didn't necessarily like how in the third book the time line was a little all over the place which could be a bit confusing at times. But this series has a bunch of lessons in it that are very valuable and sooo many wonderful quotes. I'd definitely recommend reading it a few years later and see if you feel any different.

[@oana-mariauliu5828]

In a more pleasant tone... I've started reading The Wolf. :)

[@nathantwilight]

i agree to disagree. abbess glass made some speeches that light up my eyes and remind me to keep on.

[@linsey8973]

This video makes me feel so seen lol ... I felt the same way about Red Sister! I thought so much of it was shockingly bad, especially bc I heard so many ppl rave about it. I also thought it read like a book about women written for men, ESPECIALLY during some of the fight scenes. When he describes Nona cupping the breast of another twelve yr old in a fight, I was like ... D: D: D: I also thought Nona's characterization was all over the place, and I also noticed how she would be extremely naive then suddenly very wise. The second book is worse, honestly. It just gets more bizarre for reasons that are spoilers but I quickly DNF the second book. Anyway, thanks for the awesome video!

[@LienesLibrary]

omg yes! so glad I'm not the only one, cuz honestly when every review I see if positive I really start to feel like I'm going nuts when I see so many flaws 🙈

[@Florithia]

I do t see that at all. I thought it was all very well written.

[@danielcorbridge9775]

Honestly I ended up stopping reading it a few chapters in. My whole issue was particularly with sentence structure, it didn't flow correctly making it hard to read. I also found that often sentences said a lot without actually saying anything.

[@emforsyth2100]

You’re right and you should say it! I tried like three different times and kept DNFing it because I just could not. I’m glad it wasn’t just me 😂

[@LienesLibrary]

I would definitely have dnfed it if I didn't have a channel on which to review it 😂

[@bidossessi]

I just discovered this video, and you expressed exactly what I wrote on my GR review about Nona's split personality issue. But I still liked the book. I went ahead and read the next two books, but ended up DNFing the last one... Based review!

[@jaydavies6471]

I literally ordered this book earlier today after finishing broken empire! 🤣

[@spencercorpuz]

I absolutely hated this book. I went on Twitter and all I said was that it bored me to tears. Mark Lawrence himself then BLOCKED ME 😂

[@bidossessi]

Achievement unlocked!

[@Jett322]

I agree with this review 100%. I was super excited to read Red Sister after hearing all the hype around it. There’s not many books that I have not finished and this is one of them. I just got bored with 70 pages left and I just stopped reading. None of the characters seemed real or fleshed out. there was so many nuns without a personality I kept on forgetting who’s who because everyone lacked a personality and sounded the same. would anyone recommend prince of thorns even though I hated red sister. Im kinda turned off from reading anymore Mark Lawrence but prince did seem interesting.

[@rorilee9791]

I can't say I didn't like Red Sister, but I also have no desire to move onto the next one. Weird, because the other 2 series' first books were so much better. Interesting take, thanks for sharing.

[@jenb7780]

I read the whole series, but totally agree with you. They're just... not that good.

[@LienesLibrary]

I'm curious though, do you think books 2 and 3 are better?

[@ofbooksanddreams3097]

@@LienesLibrary no they're worse. Nona does not grow at all, she's still stupid and naive in the third book. And the 3rd is just boring.

[@juliocevasco9158]

I didn like the development of the Story but the futures chapters were good. I wanted to know what is happening? And the last chaper was amazing. I loved how it ended. ;)

[@rosysulla]

I was eight minutes into this when I realized I had read this book. I forgot all of it!

[@osoisko1933]

This is unfortunate to hear since it sounded promising. At the same time I might have had my fill of assassiny Fantasy with Nevernight for a good bit. And I agree with you on characters. I know it can be a difficult balancing act to provide good characterization along side world building, but like you said, if there's no good characters to hook yourself onto than what's the point?

[@LienesLibrary]

Nevernight definitely has better characterization - at least for books 2 and 3...

[@SniperDiplomat]

I liked Lawrence's first trilogy and loved his second. Both kind of have lame endings where everything works out too easily because he doesn't outline, but the journeys were fun. The red sister trilogy? Just incredibly dry. Lawrence's strength is usually his sense of humor, but it's like he couldn't think of female characters as funny.

[@PunkyDory80]

Damn! This is on my tbr, but not for long.

[@LienesLibrary]

hahaha most people like it, so you might like it?

[@PunkyDory80]

Liene's Library Nah, it wasn’t high up on my tbr. And, with your review it sounds less appealing.

[@MichaelRachal]

Is that a weave? J/k. Was on my list. Just scratched it off. The premise sounds so good.

[@LienesLibrary]

the premise is definitely good....😂

[@riggers1977]

With reference to your earlier comment regarding subjectivity & objectivity: I wholeheartedly agree. I think everything can be reviewed both subjectively and objectively...and I think that it’s important for fanbases to differentiate between these two kinds of criticism. Sometimes people get so worked up because they see a negative review of something they love and take the opinion to heart, believing they themselves are being attacked. Sometimes a piece of literature can make little-to-no sense but can generate such feelings within the reader due to great characters, world building etc, that people are willing to forgive the plot holes (Harry Potter for instance?) Then there are amazingly poignant, objectively brilliant books which can be very trying to read at times (one flew over the cuckoos nest?) Some books are so tight and clever (Abercrombie) that a negative review is likely to be subjectively based, as opposed to an objective criticism. Referencing your mention of The Way of Kings: sadly this book missed the mark on both aspects. There are glaring problems both subjectively (for my tastes) as well as objectively (as a structured work of literature) within TWoK. Just as there are mistakes with TWoK, there are similar nonsensical issues in the likes of Star Wars, Marvel etc - but that doesn’t mean to say that I can’t subjectively love Star Wars or Marvel - or that someone else (not me😂) can’t love TWoK for that matter. It just means that we, as consumers of art, are paying attention to the mechanics of the story as well as the passion.

[@LienesLibrary]

well, I'll just hang my camera up then and hand the torch to you - very well said, bravo! I haven't read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest but I certainly agree with your assessments of Harry Potter, Way of Kings, and Abercrombie, though even Abercrombie's writing is not without flaws. Since I cannot imagine reacting to anyone hating something I love the way Sanderson fans reacted to me, it's hard for me to understand it. Even if it's something I adore, if I think someone is pointing out valid flaws I'll enjoy and respect their critcisms, and if I think the person is an idiot I'll laugh and move on with my life, no sweat. As Rothfuss wrote: "Anyone can love a thing because. That's as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect."

[@riggers1977]

Liene's Library absolutely!......couldn’t have asked for a better quote to describe this!👏 The act of loving something and accepting that it’s flawed, and treating these flaws as part and parcel of the art, instead of just trying to explain them away. That is a true fan. There’s also a saying within the Star Wars fandom ‘nobody hates Star Wars more than its fans’, and whilst that sounds kinda negative on the surface - I think it has more to do with the fact that the story trips over itself quite a lot throughout the films and fans enjoy picking at the obvious plot holes. No need to hang up the camera & pass the torch btw😆 ....I only have one ‘cunning plan’ per month & that was it. I’ll go back to quietly listening at the back of class now thank you!☺️

[@LienesLibrary]

@@riggers1977 typical boy at school - demonstrates he can do the work but quickly returns to letting his friend do the work for him 😂

[@riggers1977]

Liene's Library 🤣🤣🤣....I didn’t know that having one good idea meant that I had to follow it through with lots of other ideas. That’s way too much responsibility🥺

[@LienesLibrary]

@@riggers1977 with great power comes great responsibility...

[@nikkiholly3591]

This book took me about 4 months read. I didnt really enjoy it either. I went on to Grey Sister hoping I'd like it but that took me about 2 months to read. I just never wanted to read it.

[@carnissa]

I don’t really know why, but I ended reading the entire trilogy. Thank the Ancestor I finally finished. I hated :3 Cheers from Brazil!

[@kaitlinschneider845]

Yes! Thank you! You articulated what I've been trying to say since read this book last year lol. It was everything I should have loved and I just could not.

[@mpsensha]

Two years! The struggle was real. It happened to me with a book by an author I usually like and I think that's the reason I struggled through. I felt somewhat obligated to finish since it's a lot of work to write books. 😅

[@ariadneblue2201]

It's so weird to see you with a long hair now. I will read this, because I want to and I've wanted to for a while now. But it is nice to see a negative opinion, cause I did have big expectations from the book.

[@LienesLibrary]

well, as usual, I'm in the minority, so you'll very possibly love it 😜

[@ariadneblue2201]

@@LienesLibrary I just hope I won't feel like I wasted money on it lol

[@wolfgirl535]

I just got a copy of the book actually, found an ARC copy if you can believe it and the seller tried very hard to pass it off under the hardcover ISBN. The bitch is huge, and she's going to have to wait a little while for me to burn through everything I bought before it, but we'll see. I loved Nevernight, but the story of that series sadly devolved into a place I was really not happy with and I ultimately only stuck around for Kristoff's writing. I am actually hoping I don't agree with you, I REALLY want to like this one.

[@LienesLibrary]

I sincerely hope you like it too, it sucks to hate a book

[@wolfgirl535]

Gurl, let me tell you what! I have been going through a string of books I hecking hate lately that all sound perfect on paper. Ooo. OOO! Not happy. But finally had a silver lining in a precious and heartwarming book. This might not be your wheelhouse at ALL, but Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu really did it for me. Magical historical fantasy re-imagining of the life of Mozarts sister, who also was musical gifted. It watered my shrived, hateful heart.

[@Punkandcannonballer]

I wasn't a big fan of the trilogy. I thought it got better and had a kind of okay ending, but I also thought it was incredibly boring and underdeveloped throughout. When it ended I couldn't help but think back to the start and how he built up "Sister Thorn" and "Sister and "Sister Cage" as being legendary figures even though they were like 17....? at the end of the third book and nothing had really happened. As far as Mark Lawrence goes, I really enjoyed Prince of Fools. Tim Gerard Reynolds (audiobook narrator) can do no wrong.

[@LienesLibrary]

I did like Prince of Thorns and I started Prince of Fools but then I learned things about him as an author that didn’t sit right with me and I didn’t exactly love his books so I don’t think I’ll be reading any more from him...

[@Punkandcannonballer]

@@LienesLibrary oh, really? What'd you learn?

[@chernz722]

I love Mark Lawrence's first two series (Broken Empire and Red Queen's War) but I completely stalled at Red Sister. I thought the beginning was OK and did a good job drawing me into things but as soon as she went into training, everything immediately got worse. Poorly disguised info dumps presented as class lectures, adults and young women who all sound the same when they talk, a main character that was criminally bland, and I think I DNFed this around page 200. For as much as I love Mark Lawrence, Red Sister is ultimately what's putting me off picking up his new book which also follows a female protagonist in the same world. I just don't know if I can take more of the same terribleness that was Red Sister

[@LienesLibrary]

having read Red Sister, Prince of Thorns, and the first couple chapters of Prince of Fools I think I can safely say I agree with you 👌

[@octavia458]

I actually didn't like Prince of Thorns much because I didn't like the main character. I have Red Sister and I hope i disagree with you, because I like Mark's prose and hope i can find a story i like.

[@Eridi4na]

Thank you!!! I hated reading this book and could not understand why, now I do :D

[@LienesLibrary]

I would say "my pleasure" but reading the book was far from pleasurable 😂

[@ellenc4748]

I'm not sure what it is but I can never seem to get past the first book in any of his series. I start off interested but then somewhere in the middle I start skim reading because I've just lost all interest. When I read the descriptions of his books they sound like they're right up my street but I'm disappointed every time :(

[@LienesLibrary]

I did like Prince of Thorns but I haven't really had any hankering to pick up the second book 😂

[@ellenc4748]

@@LienesLibrary glad I'm not the only one 😆

[@currangill430]

I guess I won't like Mark Lawerence lol. I hated Broken Empire.

[@lenna6013]

I guess I have to read it now! (lmao)

[@righteousindecision2778]

I critiqued Red Sister for a writing course - it was a waste of time, and slightly embarrassing. The only meaning I could find was 'killing people is fun' - pretty empty. I associated the lack of character with the lack of purpose behind the book. If you have nothing you want to say about people, then you don't need proper characters, and I was surprised Mark Lawrence couldn't dredge up some conviction. You seem to suggest 'this book was written for men' in this review - which might be true. But Red Sister is a bad book, and I'm pretty sure of that. One sadder explanation is that Mark Lawrence has a daughter with a pretty unfortunate condition. It's a bit trite, but needing to support her may actually make inspiration a luxury. Too bad his earlier works seemed so much better.

[@ashduwitt9899]

I didn't feel like it was about feminism at all for me. I liked Nona and she's not a narrator... Also you read this book over 2 years at that point it's almost not fair to review it

[@ashduwitt9899]

Lol I didn't agree with any of this. It's interesting how many people echoed your exact opinions

[@mhatt9773]

Holy hell, your hair grew back quick. So 'Prince of Thorns' is good? Whew. Dropped two bucks on it a few months ago. Assassin nuns sounds like a Monty Python sketch in which non-believers are beaten to death with rulers, and I'm sad it isn't real.

[@LienesLibrary]

bahaha omg yes I need that sketch in my life now - maybe someone could write a satirical version of Red Sister 🤔

[@fredrikgranstrom6743]

not that good really. the premise of a badguys story is cool, but otherwise is eeeh....

[@mhatt9773]

@@fredrikgranstrom6743 DO YOU EVEN LIKE BOOKS. or only rant about them

[@fredrikgranstrom6743]

@@mhatt9773 wow u really suck

[@Nastya-uj9bg]

I have zero feelings about this one. I remember starting it and then being super disinterested in what was happening and dnfing it. This was ultimate meh for me :)

[@LienesLibrary]

yup that's how I felt only I kept reading cuz everyone kept pushing me to go on and I really hoped I would end up loving it...

[@Nastya-uj9bg]

@@LienesLibrary But this was my first mark lawrence and I lost all interest . Will you be reading The Girl and the Stars?

[@LienesLibrary]

@@Nastya-uj9bg probably not 😬

[@Nastya-uj9bg]

​@@LienesLibrary me neither!

[@knigoholik9946]

When I saw "I didn't get it" I was like how, why, is it possible.. I have only heard positive reviews and wondered why I stopped reading it at the 9th hour or so of the audiobook and did not feel the urge to start reading it after getting scribed again. To be honest I don't remember much, nothing really stuck beside the human trafficking part and the knives. i just couldn't get into the world/storyline/book and wondered why.. maybe I'd try again just to look at it with your perspective in mind, but maybe not.. maybe DNF is the way to go. :)

[@LienesLibrary]

I would definitely have dnfed if I didn't have a channel to rant about it 😂

[@knigoholik9946]

@@LienesLibrary Me too most probably, but we''ll see. :) The rant in itself is always a plus, you make me look/think over things so sorry for the pain, but thank you :D for soldiering on.

[@Manuelomar2001]

"Simultaneously 5 and 85" describes me a lot of the time. I know I used to daydream a lot when younger, even during stressful situations (and sometimes still do). Just responding to your comments about her not being like a real person. I've known (and been an example of) people like that.

[@STRATOVARIUSPB]

Yeah I didn't love it... and I got the trilogy

[@TheBookishMom]

I've been so on the fence about this lol I know everyone loves it, but the whole "nun" thing throws me off 😂 I think it is one I would read on ebook from my library but wouldn't buy before reading it.

[@LienesLibrary]

honestly the part of the book that's most interesting is the magic and politics of the wider world - that part almost makes me wanna keep reading, but then I remembered how much I hate Nona and I'm like yeah, I'll pass 😂

[@nikkiholly3591]

And the magic system. I just did not know what was going on 🤣

[@ofbooksanddreams3097]

I'm reading Holy Sister, the last book, I hate Nona but I love the audiobook and Abyss Glass so 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@nihad-m]

Watching this I realized that I have never read a book by a male author with a female protagonists. That's why I can't relate when reviewers complain about female characters not done right. There is this delicate balance between vulnerability and strength in female characters that only female authors can understand and depict in narrative. Example ; Marya Morevna in Deathless. But maybe guys also think female authors can't write male characters 🤷

[@LienesLibrary]

I was watching a video essay on something else, but the creator pointed out that throughout our years at school, girls/women are asked to read, analyze, and care about the stories of boys and men, to understand the male experience through this "classic" literature, whereas men are not asked to understand a woman's experience or perspective. the creator theorized that this may well be the reason the film adaptation of Little Women was largely snubbed and overlooked, and I think there's some truth to that... but I must say, Joe Abercrombie did a great job writing a female main character in A Little Hatred, but then intricate character work has always been his strong suit 😁

[@mhatt9773]

Nah. Female authors write male characters better than male authors write female characters.

[@nihad-m]

@@LienesLibrary speaking of Joe Abercrombie, I'm starting the first law as soon as am done reading Tigana ( another hyped book I'm somewhat disappointed by 😂)

[@Nastya-uj9bg]

@@LienesLibrary exactly. we as women have so much exposure to complex male characters through literature and film. And a lot of men think that Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen write women's fluff and will ignore them ( but you put Thomas Hardy on the cover and they will devour and praise it)

[@laurasalo6160]

Tho it may be true of the study of literature that males are not often overtly encouraged to explore to comprehend women and/or "the female experience" (whatever that amounts to), through female characters specifically, it is not true, on the whole, in life and this a gaping hole in "feminism" and in understanding the nature and expression of the complex relationship between the sexes. In my opininion, many people have the erroneous idea that men (men "in power " particularly, cuz Feminism only sees Power and chooses only to observe and explore relations thru the Marxist lens of "power struggle") only care about other men but that's just completely unfair and untrue, and, importantly, it cant be true in an evolutionary view cuz, were it, we would have died out as a species, a very very long time ago. I think it clear that women do not realize how much time and energy is spent (by everyone, but for this argument, by men- as comparatively, women do not spend too much time caring at all about the needs of men on the whole) by men - and particularly the men in their lives (the men who care about you most, obviously, such as fathers, sons, brothers etc) - dwelling on the needs and wants of the women in their lives. I think the modern woman needs to spend some time asking the men who love them, how much of their lives is spent accommodating, and dwelling on how to best accommodate, her needs. Feminism is concisely exemplified by the characters in this book. Feminism is the concretization and manifestation of THE WORST of the modern "stunning and brave" woman. The modern woman is completely oblivious or willfully ignorant to the degree to which civilization is created and tailored to facilitate her (and child's) every want and need- BY DECENT MEN.

[@fredrikgranstrom6743]

DO YOU EVEN LIKE BOOKS. or only rant about them

[@Nastya-uj9bg]

Don't tell me you don't like rants. They are super fun. Have you seen popularity of cinemasins?

[@fredrikgranstrom6743]

@@Nastya-uj9bg they suck

[@thedevilwearsprada1]

I love your review, I was reading and it felt like a feminist book through a male gaze (besides the fact the author was a man) who writes about all girls acting like 20 years old that hate the very existence of men... Also, the queer fishing makes me want to throw the whole series away. They present you (spoiler!) Arabella as a love interest to never be a love interest and think you will get it because of the bonus story, but no. Overall, it was a good premise very badly exejution.

[@esme3657]

Your review made me think of the book from a different perspective, even though I did enjoy the book, for the most part. I do think (and one of my favorite aspects) that there was a refreshing lack of discussion of men, which is typical of the "soapbox feminism" you mentioned. They're in a nunnery, and not only are there not men, but the young girls spend no time talking about them. While that's not something commendable, it is (depressingly) refreshing, in my opinion.

[@LienesLibrary]

I do know what you mean however I disagree because there are men present or mentioned - men who hold positions of power - and the rhetoric around them is very man-hatey and hashtag feminist, which I'm rarely a fan of 🤷

[@x2girls1cup]

The horse took the easy way out of this book.

[@ddookhar]

Its so weird cuz almost everything you said about Red Sister I felt about First Law. It was always a formula of "Lotr /ASoIaF did X, so im going to do do the same thing but im changing X to a Y". But i stuck with it and it turned out better than just being a subversion of tropes for the sake of subversion. I dont think the Book of the Ancestor is lawrence's best work by a long shot but the series turned out much better than the first book would have you believe.