Grey Sister

Book of the Ancestor, Book 2

By: Mark Lawrence

Narrated by: Helen Duff

Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Second novel in the brilliant new series from the best-selling author of Prince of Thorns. 

In Mystic Class Nona Grey begins to learn the secrets of the universe. But so often, knowing the truth just makes our choices harder. Before she leaves the Convent of Sweet Mercy, Nona must choose her path and take the red of a Martial Sister, the grey of a Sister of Discretion, the blue of a Mystic Sister or the simple black of a Bride of the Ancestor, entailing a life of prayer and service.

Standing between her and these choices are the pride of a thwarted assassin, the ambition of a would-be empress wielding the Inquisition like a blade, and the vengeance of the empire’s richest lord.

As the world narrows around her, and her enemies attack her using the very system she has sworn to, Nona must forge her own path in spite of the pulls of friendship, revenge, ambition, and loyalty.

In all this only one thing is certain. There will be blood.

©2018 Mark Lawrence (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"An excellent writer." (George R.R. Martin)

Listen at 1.25 speed

I’m actually starting to like the narration (at 1.25 x speed, else it would be unbearable), so I have added one star for Performances since book 1 :-)

Yes!

Absolutely loved it! The narration is especially good. Helen Duff does an amazing job. The story is enganging and easy to follow. Can't wait for the next book.

Entertaining but predictable

Loved the first book, and the second one is still "good", but I found it rather predictable and the character development wasn't as good as in the first one. If you like the universe that the author created I can still recommend it.

Good sequel

Still a good story, although halting a little bit compared to the first book. Must read if you liked the first.

++++++

great book and a fantastic voice for the setting. probably the best i've heard in some years

Better than Rd Sister

Where does Grey Sister rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best book I'resd listened to this year.

What did you like best about this story?

Lawrence introduces new interesting characters and give more substance to now ones.

What does Helen Duff bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Duff's ok for women voices but a bit "flexible" for the men

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Hard to put down

Any additional comments?

Normally the 2nd book is a bit weeker than the first. this is not the case for Grey Sister. Keeps on getting better

Another cracking instalment

I have read Red Sister and Grey Sister in quick succession - they are excellent. The world which Mark Lawrence has built stacks, the plot is good, and the characters are well-developed and interesting. Am now feeling bereft at losing my connection to these characters while I wait for book 3.

Book one and two have flowed seamlessly, and what I really appreciated was the introduction to book two where a recap is given - thereby avoiding unnecessary and contrived references to book one's events. That said, the first 10 minutes of listening made me think I had missed a bit of the first book as a new character is introduced who I didn't recognise.......needn't have worried as it all became clear within the first few chapters.

The foreshadowing that has "topped and tailed" these two books is also an interesting angle - it's totally set the scene and anticipation for the final reckoning that is surely coming in book 3. If the energy and intrigue continues at the same pace, it promises to be a good one.

Narration is good, although the variation in accents for the different characters isn't as extensive as my favourite narrators' (eg; although I do enjoy the Aussie accent, it felt like the narrator's only / "go-to" alternative accent), but it doesn't detract from the story.

If you are into the fantasy genre, then this should tick all the boxes.

simply wonderfull with an excellent narrator

brilliant sequel, the narrator possesses a remarkable skill involving switching meticulously between challenging British and irish regional accents, simply a delight to listen to! the story was damn riveting as well

A lazy second book

I had waited for this ever since being absorbed by Red Sister however was left disappointed. The storyline lagged a lot and when it finally got going it was unimaginative with predictable situations and outcomes. Mark Lawrence is still an excellent author though and it is by no means poor, I just expected more from him.

Quite disappointing for a Lawrence book

I usually really enjoy Mark Lawrence's book, including Red Sister, but I found this one to be the weakest and a bit of a let down. Felt like a lot of the story beats were recycled from Red Sister and his other books (or just downright clichéd) and that character development/conflict didn't really drive the story. It was also hard to follow sometimes and I had to rewind to work it out.

On the plus side the narrator Helen Duff does another great job with some brilliant voice work

brilliant

an excellent book got better all time. can't wait for final book. Lawrence keeps getting better

Amazing

Characters I truly care about. A storyline that left me listening well beyond a sensible bedtime. I can't wait to hear what happens next. Nona, a believable, amazing creation of the imagination and she's not even my favourite!

Great Story, dodgy production

The ultra long pauses between sentences had me reaching for the phone to often. Presumably that’s down to the production team rather narrator.

amazing

Helen Duff is such a talented narrator! Seriously, I think she's my favourite, this was so skilfully performed.

wow

what can i say?.
mark lawrence is a master of his games.
nuns but assassins but certainly no YA coming of age tale .
boom 3 downloading

Great Trilogy

This is a really enjoyable trilogy of books, it gave me a slight Harry Potter vibe with he girls growing up together, but just with more murder and death.

Helen Duff does a great job at narration, the reviews saying she can only do a few accents are being petty, she brought every character to life in a nice way and it was easy to differentiate between them.

5 Stars all round.

P.S. I've put this review on each book as they all deserve more 5 start ratings.