Sisters of the Forsaken Stars

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.