Ratings7
Average rating4.2
The sisters of the Order of Saint Rita navigate the far reaches of space and challenges of faith in the follow-up to Sisters of the Vast Black, winner of the Golden Crown Literary Society Award. “We lit the spark, maybe we should be here for the flames.” Not long ago, Earth’s colonies and space stations threw off the yoke of planet Earth’s tyrannical rule. Decades later, trouble is brewing in the Four Systems, and Old Earth is flexing its power in a bid to regain control over its lost territories. The Order of Saint Rita—whose mission is to provide aid and mercy to those in need—bore witness to and defied Central Governance’s atrocities on the remote planet Phyosonga III. The sisters have been running ever since, staying under the radar while still trying to honor their calling. Despite the sisters’ secrecy, the story of their defiance is spreading like wildfire, spearheaded by a growing anti-Earth religious movement calling for revolution. Faced with staying silent or speaking up, the Order of Saint Rita must decide the role they will play—and what hand they will have—in reshaping the galaxy.
Featured Series
2 primary booksOur Lady of Endless Worlds is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by Lina Rather.
Reviews with the most likes.
Sisters of the Vast Black was a fascinating introduction to this new world and group of Sisters and I knew I would be continuing to read the series. And this second installment turned to be equally compelling if a bit different.
The sisters are now struggling a bit, feeling unmoored after the events at the end of the first book and trying to find a new purpose for their group independent of the Church. They may not all agree with each other, and Mother Lucia is especially tormented because her faith has been shaken, but they all still want to help people and heal themselves and others as much as they can. But the world has other plans for them and they are quickly pulled into a brewing rebellion against Central Governance and a possible beginning of a cult. On the other side, Gemma is excited to be with her new crew but she is finding it hard to create a new life for herself independent of the order and her faith. She and Vauca do end up in a troublesome situation towards the end and I was both amazed and sad about the way their issues were resolved.
This was such an interesting, tense and gripping follow up to the first novella. With it's seamless blending of themes of war, religion, sisterhood and how sometimes it's difficult to live up to the basic tenets of humanity because the world doesn't let us - this is a very engaging series and I'm very excited to explore more of this world in the upcoming books and hoping there will be many more of them.