SISTERS OF THE FORSAKEN STARS by Lina Rather – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sisters of the Forsaken Stars by Lina Rather
Series: Our Lady of Endless Worlds #2
Published by Tordotcom on February 22 2022
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 192
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

The nitty-gritty: An excellent sequel, Sisters of the Forsaken Stars delves deeper into the complicated lives of a group of nuns in space.

I’m so glad Lina Rather decided to continue her series, and after finishing Sisters of the Forsaken Stars, I hope there are more books on the way. The author takes the idea of nuns traveling through the vast expanse of space, delivering comfort and aid to anyone who needs it, and adds a good sized dollop of political tension, fascinating science and memorable characters. Readers who enjoy complex relationships will most likely enjoy this series, which is light on action but delivers big on suspense.

Note: Mild spoilers for the first book!

When the story opens, the characters from Sisters of the Vast Black have split off into several groups, following the book’s shocking and explosive ending. Having been betrayed by the Church, Mother Lucia and Sisters Faustina, Varvara and Ewostatewos are piloting a new liveship, after the death of Our Lady of Impossible Constellations. Still unnamed, the ship is a mere nine months old and still growing. No longer a part of the Order of St. Rita, the small group of women have been aimlessly traveling through space, trying to stay off the radar of Central Governance, who is trying to find them after the part they played in the disaster on Phoyongsa III. Mother Lucia knows they share a dangerous secret, that Central Governance is corrupt and wants to start a war, but she also knows they have a responsibility to report the truth of what’s happened. When they stop for supplies, they end up with two uninvited guests: Kristen, a young girl who wants to join them as a postulant, and Eris, Ewostatewos’ sister who is seeking asylum. Both are keeping secrets from Mother Lucia and seem to have their own agenda, and taking them on could prove to be a big mistake.

In another part of the galaxy, Gemma and Vauca are now flying the Cheng I Sao, far from the Order they left behind. Gemma is a biologist, and she and Vauca are experimenting with failed shiplings, hoping to grow them into something useful, and the results have been positive so far. But Central Governance is looking for them too, and with supplies running low, they need to be extra cautious if they want to evade them.

Once again, Rather is able to evoke a vast world in a short novella length and make it feel fully formed. The nuns, who used to be under the directive of the Church, have gone rogue and don’t have anyone to answer to but themselves. This gives them a sense of freedom they’ve never had before, but it also adds uncertainty to their future. Can they survive on their own, find enough food to eat, and most importantly, keep their ship fed with enough nutrients to stay healthy and keep them moving forward? Without the support of the Church, they’ve become outlaws in a sense, and space is their Wild West. What hasn’t changed is their desire to help people, and Mother Lucia is determined to find a way to expose Central Governance and share the cure for a terrible disease called ringeye, a cure they discovered at the end of the first book.

I also loved delving into the characters a bit more. I was surprised to find the most interesting relationship to be that between sisters Eris and Ewostatewos. When Eris approaches Mother Lucia and asks for asylum, Ewostatewos warns Lucia that Eris is up to something and she’s lying about why she wants to board the ship. There’s clearly a lot of animosity between the sisters, who have never gotten along, but by the end of the story, the reader comes to understand that their relationship is anything but simple. I loved the poignant emotions between them, and even though I didn’t like Eris much, I did feel for her.

And then there are the liveships, my favorite part of the story. In this world, ships are hatched from eggs and grow up to be large ships that carry people through space. Not all ships are viable, though. In this book, Gemma and Vauca decide to take some of the non-viable baby ships and help them become useful. We only get a glimpse into this process, however, and I really wanted more. We also learn a little about wild ships and rogue liveships, and we even get to meet a herd of wild ships in the last, thrilling action sequence near the end of the story. I love the way the author brings her ships to life, describing their heartbeats, the fluids that pulse through their veins and flow through the walls of the ship. In one scene, one of the women is crying, and the ships extends tendrils from the walls to drink up her tears, using them as nourishment. It was a lovely image!

Mother Lucia and her crew are caught up in events they can’t control, and in fact their exploits on Phoyongsa III have become something of a myth, their adventures taking on a life of their own. But myth isn’t always the truth, and Lucia knows they have a responsibility to reveal what’s really going on. It’s an uncomfortable position to be in, especially when you’ve dedicated your life to staying under the radar and helping others.

I didn’t like Sisters of the Forsaken Stars quite as much as the first book. I think whenever you fracture a tightly-knit group of characters you run the risk of losing some of your momentum. With Gemma and Vauca on a separate adventure, the author is forced to divide her attention, and the story didn’t feel quite as cohesive as it could have been.

However, I loved the way the author built up the suspense, little by little, and the ending was emotional and satisfying. I feel as if there are other adventures in store for these characters, and I still want to learn more about the liveships. Fingers crossed there are more stories on the way!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.