Holy Sister (2019) by Mark Lawrence is the explosive conclusion to the Book of the Ancestor trilogy (, a dark, ice-and-blood soaked fantasy that follows Nona Grey from enslaved child to warrior nun in a dying world. With the moon’s dwindling light hastening an eternal winter, Nona and her sisterhood of lethal acolytes—Ara, Zole, and the fanatical Abbess Glass—must defend their convent’s last sanctuary against the Siccatic Empire’s armies and the mysterious Shipheart’s apocalyptic power.
Lawrence’s razor-sharp prose delivers brutal combat (think Red Sister’s blade paths meets Mad Max’s desperation), while flashbacks to Nona’s past reveal heartbreaking betrayals. Themes of faith, vengeance, and found family culminate in a final battle where magic and steel collide, and Nona embraces her destiny as both savior and destroyer.
A masterclass in grimdark fantasy, perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie or R.F. Kuang.
