Happy New Year, Everyone!
I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and a good start to the new year! To make it even better I’m giving away a signed Advance Reading Copy of the much anticipated second volume of the Book of the Ancestor trilogy, GREY SISTER, to a lucky winner!
To participate simply comment below this post and tell us what made you pick up and read Red Sister!
The giveaway will be closing on 31st January 2018 and as usual, I will ask Mark to randomly select a winner.
This is, as always, an international giveaway, anyone can enter!
Wishing you the best of luck!
Agnes
Please note: your email address will be required for the submission but will NOT appear on the website!
(Alternatively you can also log in with your WordPress/Facebook/Twitter account)
Banner art by tamaiyoku
Pre-order links for Grey Sister on Amazon US and UK
And finally, my spoiler-free thoughts on Grey Sister can be found HERE.
that thorn guy 
I picked up Prince of thorns on a whim when looking for something new to read. Was instantly hooked. Mark is a fantastic writer and deserves to be seated with the greats.
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I just started to read M. Lawrence books and I love them.
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It has Mark Lawrence s name on it
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Picked up Prince of Thorns in Tesco of all places years ago. Wasn’t even looking for a book for myself, was in need of something for the kids. Hooked on his work ever since.
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Mup
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Red Sister was probably my favourite book from 2017, and I can’t wait for the new release!
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I had finished The Red Queen’s War trilogy about a year earlier, had read the hell out of The Broken Empire (especially King of Thorns. SO good!) and had the itch to read another Mark Lawrence book. Literally the day after I got the itch I found Red Sister and fell in love with it.
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Mark is my new favorite author
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A guy with a rather fabulous beard and a mighty fine taste in fantasy fiction recommended the work of one M Lawrence – and once I had started I couldn’t stop…
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I got Red Sister in a book subscription box, and I’m ashamed to say I left it for a while. My tbr was long, and because I’d never heard of it(again, I’m sorry) I didn’t prioritize it. THEN I decided to bring it on a trip home for a funeral (que soppy story) and I devoured it. It took me out of the shitty reality I was in, and I managed to process my own sorrow somewhat by reading it. I read a lot of books last year, but Red Sister stayed with me, it didn’t have any plot points that seemed meaningless, it wasn’t a romantic twist that would have annoyed me to no end, it was just a really well developed fantasy book that gave me exactly what I needed at that point. I’ve told so many of my friends to read it, I’ve praised it at work, at home and wherever I could find people I felt would appreciate it. And I also just really want to read the rest of the series as soon as possible!
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I picked up ‘Prince of Thorns’, it wasn’t my usual thing which is usually pure space opera science fiction. I read it in one sitting. And have been reading all the follow-ons ‘religiously’. I just can’t help myself. The prose is just perfect for me. Looking so forward to ‘Grey Sister’.
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read and loved Prince of Thorns, one of my favorite series last year, so I picked up Red Sister and 5 starred that – love to have an ARC
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I just finished ‘Road Brothers’, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a whole new universe with this new trilogy. I’ve had ‘Red Sister’ on my shelf for ages now, as soon as I get ‘Grey Sister’ I’ll binge on them both, knowing the final installment will be out next year.
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A picture paints 1000 words, yet the vivid imagery that Mark Lawrence manages to make a single paragraph convey is outstanding! I have been a fan of his series for a while now, and can honestly say I am looking forward to Grey Sister more than any other book this year!! Cannot wait!!
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I am a fantasy fan and I have always enjoyed works of prominent writers like Mark.
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Having read all his books before I read it I thought Red Sister was a prequel to his other books.
Instead I was transported to another fascinating world, an unusual convent and discovered the mysterious paths within.
The problem with reading living authors who are still creating is the wait and I am damned impatient.
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I found all of Mark Lawrence’s previous books so satisfying that I bought Red Sister without hesitation. It did not disappoint.
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I am catholic and attended a catholic boarding secondary school with priests and sisters around us. The thought of sisters training an elite assassin squad was intriguing and it was easy to like Nona Grey. I finished the book quickly and can’t look at reverend sisters the same again. My aunt, Sr Vivian may be a Mistress Razor for all we know LOL!
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My boyfriend bought me Prince of Thorns for my birthday one year and I have been a massive fan ever since. As soon as Red Sister was announced I pre-ordered it, and it was such a fantastic read. Can’t wait for Grey Sister!
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I picked up Red Sister because I’ve been a long-time fan of Mark’s work and pre-ordered it as soon as it was available
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What made me pick up a copy of Red Sister? Mark Lawrence wrote it! That’s why!
Years ago I was reviewing a Goodreads list and picked up Prince of Thorns based on the positive reviews. I vividly remember reading the final page, closing the book and saying “wow”. I found Mark Lawrence on Facebook back in early 2013 just to tell him how much I loved the book. Since then I have diligently picked up each new novel as it is released and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Jorg, Jalan and the Broken Empire are awesome but I found Nona more fascinating and eagerly anticipate what will happen next!
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A guy with a rather fabulous beard and a mighty fine taste in fantasy fiction recommended the work of one M Lawrence – and once I had started I couldn’t stop…
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I was fortunate enough to find him on my recommendations on Amazon. I’m not a native speaker of English but simply love to read fiction.
Lawrence’s Thorn trilogy is one of the most original pieces I’ve heard of or read – killer characters with the constant “one more page” pace. Had to call a sick day to finish Emperor of Thorns. Couldn’t pass the Fool trilogy and won’t pass anything else he writes!
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GIVE IT TO MEH
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I picked up Red Sister because I love finding women to look up to in life. Even if they are fictional, they’re stories and their powerful characteristics are something to remember.
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Loved the Broken Empire so I assumed they had to be good and I was not let down.
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Another author I enjoyed was reading Prince of Thorns and I decided to give it a read myself. I’ve been a fan of yours ever since. I couldn’t wait to see what new world you had created in Red Sister.
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I picked up and read Red Sister because of the cover. I can’t lie. I know Mark’s work and trust him not to lead me astray, but when I saw the cover I was sold.
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Excited just because I love mark’s work!
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Jorg Ancrath made me pick up and read Red Sister.
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I lucked out in a giveaway for Red Sister over on reddit. Let’s continue the trend.
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I happened on Prince of Fools in my local library, once I read it I went out and bought the rest of the series and fell in love with the characters. I literally couldn’t put them down. So liking the style of writing and the characters I went out and grabbed Red Sister as soon as I could even though traditionally I tend to stay away from books that from the cover look like they have a female protagonist(I loved it!).
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With Nona growing up, will she be more laid back because of a lover? Or will she be more apt to kick ass because she’s sexually frustrated? Ha! Looking forward to find out the third option with all her skills refined.
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With Nona growing up, will she be more laid back because of a lover? Or will she be more apt to kick ass because she’s sexually frustrated? Ha! Looking forward to find out the third option with all her skills refined.
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I want to read all of his books, and I don’t own that yet ^^
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I mean I did not have Grey Sister. I like Mark’s writing style. I knew it would be a great book. It was not a question, I want to own Red Sister.
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I read Prince of thorns on a whim after seeing it in a sale. I then proceeded to read every published Mark Lawrence book in about a month!
I need Grey Sister in my life!
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Was a recommendation from a friend and certainly one of the best I’ve had in a long time
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I was looking forward to Red Sister as soon as I heard about it, having very much enjoyed Marks other work. Not only was I keen to get taken away with a new story, but I was also interested in how Mark handled the change in point of view, from his previous first person to Red Sisters third. Needless to say, it was a superb read and there wasn’t a single ‘clunk’ in the POV change, it was smooth and engaging and well worth the five stars I gave it.
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author name value obviously – title and cover art a heavy extra indicator
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I read Prince of Thornes, and I basically really like grimdark, so…
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I picked up Prince of Thorns during several days off sick from work, and I absolutely devoured it and King of Thorns. I tweeted how much I was enjoying it, and Mark replied.
After having enjoyed the Broken Empire trilogy, as well as the Red Queen’s War series, of course I’d pick up Red Sister. Wasn’t disappointed, either, as it’s easily just as good as Mark’s other work.
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Because he made me care for a horrid, killer, psychopath in The Broken Empire, and he made me love a self centered, coward in The Red Queen’s War. I had no doubts that he had honed his writing skills on those series and that whatever characters and story he had created for his third series, Book of the Ancestor, would be even more compelling.
I don’t remember if I have commented previously. If so, I apologize for doing so again.
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THE STABBY award! and often scene top lists for fantasy or grimdark on various social media.
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Having Mark’s name on it was enough for me… 🙂
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I first read about Red Sister in a blog post about fantasy recs and decided to give it a try. I’m so happy I did, because I loved that book!
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It got recommended to me on Audible and I liked the look of the description so I figured I’d give it a shot. I love the audio book so much I picked up the hard copy to and read it too.
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I picked up red sister because of the broken empire. Thankfully red sister is just as captivating, fantastic books.
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I have wanted to read something by him for a while. I bought Prince of Fools series but wanted to start with what I thought was a stand-alone. After reading Red Sister I am glad it wasn’t that. Can’t wait for Grey Sister. (Still have to get to his other books.)
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Have read all of Marks other books and enjoyed them so was a no brainer to read this one as well.
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Why did I pick up Red Sister? Well, first I picked up Prince of Thorns, it was fantastic, and then I just kept picking up Mark-Lawrence-penned books until the supply ran out. And Red Sister was the logical end of that chain.
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I woke up after a wild night in the devil’s playhouses of suburban Devon, three days later and 70 miles from home. My pockets were empty, my shoes missing, and large patches of body hair shaved clean away.
All I had with me was a canvas bag containing a compass, a bottle of water, and this book.
But I had a hangover and didn’t feel up to much, so I decided to take a seat under a tree and read the whole thing in one sitting. I’m still there now. Waiting for the next one to show up.
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My brother (the awesome Rob J. Hayes – go read his books if you haven’t already 🙂) gave me a copy of Prince of Thorns. I loved the trilogy so chances of me not reading more of Mark Lawrence’s books were extremely slim (like maybe if I died!). Red Sister came up on a kindle special offer and I grabbed it. It’s taken me a while to get to it due to alpha reader commitments and Arlen Bales’ antics but I can’t put it down.
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I have been a big fan of Mark Lawrence since read Prince of Thorns. Because of this, I picked up Red Sister as soon as I could.
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Red Sister was my 1st Mark Lawrence book. It really grabbed my attention by having a likable lead character that didn’t do what you would expect. The cast is mostly female which in a lot of settings can be catty and predictable but not here. The characters were played well off each other and often made me relate to them.. I very much enjoyed the unique world building at the convent with the harsh backdrop of the cold closing in. Looking forward to the next installment.
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I liked the synopsis so I tried it out. I had heard of Mark Lawrence’s other series which I was planning on reading another time. I really liked the way Red Sister turned out, the interaction of characters and how they were all important in one way or another to the book whether Nona met them a long time ago or much more recently. (they all appeared/popped up again later) 🙂
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A friend of mine recommended it to me. Couldn’t put it down once I started and kept reading until 4am. It was totally worth it.
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I was wandering through the library and stumbled on Prince of Thorns. Read it that day. Went back the next day and got King. Repeated with Emperor. Same thing with Prince of Fools, et al.
Red Sister was announced about the same time I finished the Red Queens’s War and I preordered it. Devoured it. Looking forward to Grey Sister
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I had heard good things from people about Mr. Lawrence’s books so when I saw that it was on sale on Audible, I snapped it up.
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I just read all good things the man writes
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Was looking for a good read, got what I wanted…
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I’m intrested in this book.
I’m hungarian, so I want read this book in english this is very good to practice my knowlenge.
Thank’s
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I picked up Red Sister because I’d read your other fantasy novels and enjoyed your characterisation and worldbuilding a great deal, and because I have a true weakness for fantasy boarding school stories, no matter how tangentially a book may fall into that category, and assassins.
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I liked your first 6 books, so I had a hunch I might like RS…
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I approached the sales clerk at our local Chapters, with my son in tow. He’s 7. I explained to the clerk that my son wanted to buy me a Christmas present (single dad) and that I had selected 3 books for him to choose from. She took my son, and the 3 books to the counter, he chose one and she wrapped it paper so no one could see which book it was. A friend of mine helped him wrap it that afternoon and it was under the tree.
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Because Mark is amazing. I read his previous books and I wanted to give a chance for his new series ❤
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I never read on of Mark’s book before, but I was looking for a new author to read and the cover of Red Sister drew me in.
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I picked up and read it because I’d run out of his other books! Now I’ve finished it and am grumpy about waiting until May!
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I had just finished all of Mark Lawrence’s other books which were available at the time and needed more – and that blurb and lovely cover certainly didn’t hurt. The opening words had me hooked and even though at first I was sad I wasn’t getting more from Jorg’s world I have to say I absolutely love this new one. Can’t wait to find out more about it.
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Well the reason is because Mark Lawrence is one of the best authors ever. How could I not read it when I read the Broken Empire trilogy 8 times and the red queens war trilogy 3? I actually always carry a copy of Prince of Thorns around in case I get bored (therefore I really know every sentence). So looking forward to new releases!
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How can you not love a book which includes the sentence ‘It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size.’
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Every few months I Google my favorite authors to see if they have something coming out. I saw Mark’s Red Sister. It brought to mind the Red Queens sister and I thought it was in the Broken Empire Universe. I bought it immediately on kindle and read it in a day. I’ve gone the rest of the year quoting “stand fearless as flowers… Brave as only those who have already lost can be.”
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I can’t believe that I won something. I never win anything. I am so excited to get my hands on this book to continue the story. I will give it an honest spoiler free review on Goodreads if anyone is interested. Thank you so much
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Mark is a great Author and created such an interesting Broken Empire world, I am excited to see what he creates next.
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i like bad ass ladies
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I read every mark lawrence book!
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I like fantasy, I check some Goodreads lists, the reviews are good and the story seems intriguing. It also helps when some of my GR clubs pick it for book of the month.
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I read Red Sister because I had a premonition that it would be the best, most fascinating, exciting and memorable book of all time. And……IT WAS! Now I’m getting this new premonition, about something grey. Not sure what yet.
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Why did I pick up Red Sister? I wanted to open the book without using my telekinetic powers.
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After finishing the Broken Empire Trilogy i immediately went online in search for more. I found Red Sister and the Red Queens War! What finds!
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Bought Unfettered for the Wheel of Time story, read Select Mode in that collection and was hooked, chasing down the Thorns and Red Queen’s War trilogies. After that, Red Sister was a must-read as soon as it was released.
That Unfettered anthology was a great find, since it also introduced me to Peter V Brett and Peter Orullian
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I own a few other of your books, but Audible was having a sale on the book and I picked it up for something to listen to at work. Then I fell in love.
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I think I already commented but can’t remember so just in case…
😄🤞
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I have been on board since Prince of Thorns and have enjoyed all of his books to date. I knew I would love this series aswell.
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A friend told me about some new book that I had to read immediately . Told him I already had a huge backlog. All he did was send me this quote:
“It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size.”
The rest is, as they say, history…
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Found out about Mark Lawrence in the Fantasy-Faction – Fantasy book discussion group in FB and then started reading his Red Queen trilogy and was stunned so it was a given I’d try Red Sister and oh boy, was I rewarded.
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I had followed Mark on Twitter for a bit but hadn’t read anything until I read Prince of Thorns over Christmas and then read all the other books in the next month. I was so excited for the 2 completed trilogies (plus Road Brothers) and was excited to read Red Sister…but now I’m sad because I have to wait for Grey Sister!
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Once again Mark Lawrence did what he does best, made me cry and cheer at the same time while reading his books. Prince of thorns was my favourite book so i cannot help but read anything Mark writes. Red sister was amazing i cannot wait for grey sister, May is too long to wait!!
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Howdy! I learned about Red Sister through your twitter account. As I voraciously read about Jorg and Jalen, so too did I read about Nona. Looking forward to Grey Sister!
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I pre-ordered it when ever Mark sent something out telling us to do so. Then read it when it came. No crazy story for me.
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Around the time my teenaged niece had just actually come out to me! We spoke for a while and she mentioned that she was disappointed that it was hard to find LGBT+ representation in works of fiction that didn’t completely focus on that fact (most of the TV/film/books out there are coming out stories and/or are more adult/sexual stories – which of course all have their place and are all important too, but in this case, my niece was looking for something that had LGBT characters but their sexuality wasn’t a big deal). So I stumbled upon a post on good ‘ol tumblr praising Red Sister and their natural inclusion and depiction of LGBT characters, among many other things, and of course I had to check it out for my niece. It’d be great to find something for her! I read it and fell in LOVE with it myself, then I told her about it, she gobbled it up in a week! And my heart became full, knowing that this book brought some much needed comfort in her life, that she was able to see her self represented and have it feel normal and not as an extraordinary event – plus the world & characters Mark created are so compelling and feel so real despite it being a fantasy world, it was an incredible overall experience for the both of us.
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My brother told me about the broken empire books and i soon read through both trilogy’s. After, I took to twitter to see if he was on there, and he was and he was talking about red sister.
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I’ve read all your books so I read Red Sister not long after it came out. One ARC review did spur me to read it faster though, they called it “Arya Stark goes to Hogwarts” and I knew I had to drop whatever else I was reading.
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I first came to read Mark’s work when I was searching for series on bestfantasybooks.com, what convinced me was the reviews saying how similar to Gemmell he was but how there was an anti hero. Since reading prince of thorns I have not missed a book by Mark.
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I actually haven’t read it yet! But I have a copy coming in the mail and CANNOT wait to dive into it!! I’m really hoping it’s going to get my out of my reading slump!
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I found the Broken Empire Trilogy after the Emperor of Thorns had already been released and read the whole three with nothing in between… I have never done that before! I’m hooked; it felt like I waited forever for Red Sister!
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I have seen so many recommends of Red Sister on Goodreads and Fantasy Faction FB group I am reading it now! Feel like murdering my boss today, so this is a great substitute!
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I’ve just finisses The Red Queen War when I discovered the existence of Red Sister!
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Mark’s style of writing is what carried me from Prince of Fools through to The Red Sister. He writes as I think (or maybe I just think too much like Jal than I care to admit). I also rather enjoy not having to endure the awkwardness of having to read characters telling each other things they already know for my benefit.
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I had never read any of your books before I came across The Red Sister at the library. Our library keeps a shelf of relatively new books, and yours stood out. I liked that there were girls who learned to think and fight and care for each other, and the community that was built around them. Nona has that “spark” too, the same that all great characters have.
When I finished it, I read about Jorg and Jal (and company). Now I’m Team Mark Lawrence, eagerly anticipating more.
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I was revisiting books by authors I had read to find something new to read. I was planning on starting Prince of Fools, but I saw Red Sister and after reading the description I was sold. I loved Red Sister the way Mark builds characters is what will keep my coming back.
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It had been ages since I’d browsed a bookstore! There I was, wondering how on earth a picky reader like me could find anything worth looking twice at. I walked out with The Red Sister. Call it the influence of the Ancestor; I needed it.
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