Space opera allows SF to go big and stylish. The civilizations of the future don’t have to follow our rules, can merge cultures and do things we shouldn’t imagine in normal life. In Linden A Lewis’ space opera The First Sister we have two civilisations and unique individuals in conflict. But while stylish I found not quite enough to keep my attention.

First Sister has a plan to escape her fellow Sisters and controlling Auntie but is soon found her brave Captain has betrayed her and instead she is assigned to a ship with a new Captain the enigmatic Saito Ren. First Sister is asked to spy on Ren and an intriguing act of subterfuge develops while her ships prepares for the next war against Venus. On Venus Lito is assigned to a new spy mission with a new partner only to discover his friend Hiro is the target as he is believed to be a spy. These characters paths will now cross

Visually this is quite a spectacle of strange glamour and imagery – silent Sisters, duellists and the rich and powerful. The character mix is also impressive with characters of various genders and sexualities working their relationships out. However, I found this quite an overly familiar space opera of people working out their side can’t be trusted and that people are more powerful than they assume. There are questions as to why the duels are back in fashion and the Sisters came about with a vow of silence but also hear confessions and act as concubines. I felt it all felt a little too much style over substance to keep my attention. Ultimately it felt very by the numbers, and I don’t think I want to progress the series.

I can’t believe I have had this sitting on my kindle for years and not picked it up. I was completely drawn into this book from the first page and couldn’t put it down. Did I mention it’s also very queer.

This is set centuries in the future where Earth is no longer viable and humans have had to take to the skies in order to survive. We follow two warring factions the Geans the colonizers of Mars and then the Icarii, the colonizers of Mercury who are much more technologically advanced.

We follow three characters: – First Sister, a Priestess of the Geans, who has climbed her way up the ranks and finally has her freedom in her grasp when it is cruelly snatched away from her. And she is suddenly working for a new captain and no idea whether her position is safe. While I loved all the characters she is definitely my favourite. I loved watching as her strength grew throughout and watching her try to find her voice that was taken from her when she was only a child, literally as priestess’s are made mute when they join the order. I also loved watching her find her place with her new captain and the potential romance blossoming there.

– Next we have Lito and Icarii citizen who has worked his way up from poverty to become one a duelist one of the Icarii’s biggest weapons. But when his partner is announced as a traitor and he is tasked with finding and killing them he is forced to decide where his loyalties really lie. I really loved watching as Lito learned whether he wanted to continue to be a mindless solider in the Icarii army or forge his own path.

– And lastly we have Hiro, who is non-binary and Lito’s partner. We get their pov through tape messages that they have sent to Lito and go on a journey with him to find out why Hiro risked everything and betrayed their government. I really enjoyed how Hiro’s pov was sprinkled throughout and getting to learn with Lito what was really going on.

Not only are the characters brilliant but the world building is phenomenal, the author does such a good job of brining us into this world, it’s complex but it never felt heavy handed or info dumpy and my attention was hooked from the beginning.

Trigger warnings – amputation, ptsd, mentions of past sexual abuse, mentions of past child abuse.

"The First Sister" by Linden A. Lewis is an exhilarating debut that captures the imagination from the get-go. Set in a meticulously crafted universe, it deftly explores themes of identity, loyalty, and the complexities of human emotion. Lewis's characters are compelling, each grappling with their own moral dilemmas in a world torn by conflict. The plot is well-paced, full of twists and turns that keep you engaged until the last page. A splendid addition to the science fiction genre, this book leaves you eagerly awaiting its sequel.

Dnf - I've tried to read this book two times. The second time I put it down in March and I haven't felt inclined to finish it since, so I think I just have to dnf this one for now.

There's nothing wrong with the book, it just wasn't working for me right now.

What a page turner! The characters are all very flushed out and the plot kept catching me off guard. The world was pretty complex but it wa super easy to understand. Would recommend!

First Sister, a nameless, voiceless priestess of the Goddess, serves aboard an interstellar ship, the Juno. She’s been the captain’s favourite, his interest saving her from the attentions of the rest of the crew. For, the sisterhood’s role is to provide comfort to the soldiers of an interplanetary war – comfort in prayer, confession, and… yeah o.O Thinking the captain’s retirement will be her escape to a better life, she instead finds herself abandoned and caught up in plots that could destroy her, the new captain, or half the solar system.

On the other side of the war, Lito sol Lucius has clawed his way up from the slums to be a lauded duellist – the cream of the fighting crop. His faction embraces advanced technology and genetic manipulation, including neural implants to pair-bond fighters. But after a crushing defeat on Ceres, he and his partner were separated – and now Lito’s redemption lies in a new mission, to kill none other than the ex-partner gone rogue.

As the two stories not only converge but tangle and criss-cross, the fate of humanity may well rest in the hands of a silent sister, a conflicted duellist, a non-binary rebel, and a race that split from humanity centuries before.

After somehow letting this slip through the cracks on publication last year, I finally picked it up ahead of the sequel being published this month (Aug 2021) – and wow, am I glad I did! Usually when you read blurb of the kind, “The Handmaid’s Tale meets Red Rising”, you take it with a pinch of salt – but here, it couldn’t have been more spot on!

To be honest, the Handmaid’s Tale bit, the way the Sisters are used, was uncomfortable to read. I get that it was sort of the point, and does form a large part of the plot, but still: little girls being sold into a ‘priestesshood’ that amounts to little more than forced prostitution isn’t going to sit well with me – so there’s a little bit of a content warning for you.

The other side aren’t much better, and you may be just as or more disturbed by the use of technological advancement to alter the human body – not always willingly. That said, it’s never overly graphic. It’s a dark set up, giving the ‘why’ for characters turning rogue, and helping you root for them even while they might not be 100% likeable.

On top of that are then all the twists and tangles in the plot threads, which kept me guessing pretty much to the end. This book is gripping! I didn’t even mind the switch back and forth between two main characters and two plot threads (sometimes irritating in other books), as both are filled with excitement, danger, and so many tantalising clues as to where the story would go and also what felt like the hugest amount of backstory and world-building. This is a rich, complicated world, and I loved every dark moment of it!

Comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale and Red Rising are definitely deserved in this case. I fell in love with the cast of characters and the action-packed plot. Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved that it was dual perspective and how the lives of our two characters overlapped (despite being on opposite sides of a war). I liked that this story wasn't super science heavy despite being a sci-fi and that the romance and relationships in this book actually took a lot of space in the story. It's unlike anything I've read!

The First Sister by Linden Lewis is a strong debut sci-fi and start to a trilogy, with intricate worldbuilding, fascinating and diverse characters, and it is told in a unique style - alternating POVs between Lito and the eponymous First Sister, as well as a video log from Hiro's point of view.

This novel had all the makings of a new favourite for me, however personally the pacing felt disjointed, perhaps due to the three POVs, and as such it took me an unusually long time to get through. Overall, I gave The First Sister three stars, and though there was a certain plot twist I wasn't keen on, I'm interested enough by the world Lewis has crafted and their characters to want to find out more.

Also, that UK cover is awful, I'm sorry. Especially compared to the stunning US cover!

This book was way too slow for my taste. I was expecting it to be set on various planets, but all the action took place on a ship and nothing much really happened. I couldn't feel a connection to the characters and the writing was too clunky. Overall, slower paced but the plot has a lot of potential!

This story is set in the far future when having ruined Earth’s climate humanity have moved out to inhabit other planets.
When a group of scientists become exasperated with the constant wars between Earth and Mars they set out to colonise Mercury and Venus and are incredibly successful due to their discovery of an almost magical element Hermium that power their advanced technology.
However the Icarii this technological advanced society ,was not willing to share Hermium with the humans from Earth and Mars who have now joined forces an call themselves Gaens Gaens combine lesser technology with superstitious beliefs and are ruled by a duumvirate of a military dictatorship and a powerful religious mother figure who an order of subservient, oppressed women, groomed at a young age to silently serve soldiers’ sexual and emotional needs.
In addition to these factions are the Asters, a group of humans who have mutated in order to become adapted to living in the asteroid belt and are frequently employed as slaves or menial labour by both Icarii and Geans

Such an enjoyable, thought-provoking sci-fi but every time I try to explain why, I find myself recounting the whole story.
This is because while I liked the individual characters, I loved the way they interacted. I enjoyed the plot but was compelled by how the narrative drew me into the story.
The story examines gender, love and loyalty. It deals with how those in power exploit and abuse but it also shows how love, friendship and caring for others can lead people to do the right thing.
and there are also some kick-butt fight scenes.

I am looking forward to the next episode.

I absolutely loved this book!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I love the concept and the universe that has been created. I really hope there will be more tales to come; I would love to read about the synthetics and what they are up to beyond the belt.

The blurb for this book sounded like an interesting concept. I did enjoy reading it but not as much as I thought I would. It was well paced, with enough action and intrigue to keep me reading. Some of the world building and character development felt a little off and stopped me fully connecting. Overall, it is a decent sci fi novel but in the end it was maybe just not for me.

I love space opera, but I think it usually develops better on tv or in film rather than as a book. This one however proved me wrong! The universe felt more alive than any space opera I've ever read before, and I'm still thinking about the twist at the end and probably will be for a long time

I'm still on the fence on this one even though it's a while since I read it. It was both uncomfortable and compelling. The role of Gean priestess had echoes of the Handmaid's Tale.

I love an epic space opera but this was a slog at times. I shouldn't have to wade through the bad to get to the good. And for me, a truly enjoyable book is one where you don't get tempted to read another book halfway through.

I'm not a fan of multiple seemingly unrelated POVs - I always have a preferred POVs and I end up skimming the others slightly so that I can get to my preferred one. In this novel First Sister was my preferred and Leito was a bit meh. I do however think that I'll probably re-read it at some point so it will be interesting to see if my opinion changes.

I absolutely love sci-fi and it is definitely one of my favourite genres, this book great and definitely fulfilled my sci-fi craving. One of the things that most drew me to The First Sister was the representation that it promised as this is something that's really important to me. It was so nice to read a book where LGBT+ characters, particularly characters with a lesser represented identity, were present and included in the story. They were clear and open, but their storylines were about much more than just their sexuality or gender which is really important for people to see and read about. The story itself was a bit slow at times so it was a bit hard to get into and I found myself getting a little lost, but overall, it was an enjoyable read and I definitely recommend it!

I heard non-binary rep and I had to read this ASAP. I absolutely loved it! I'm not very well-rea din this genre but I enjoyed First Sister a lot and would definitely read the sequel.

As always, when I really like a book I don't have too much to day about it. I loved the writing and the story, the characters were okay. There's a bit more to be desired but overall it was a great read 😍

Oh, what a refreshing surprise this novel was!

I must admit, I struggle a little bit connecting with science fiction. It takes me quite some time to get used to the world, the main problems and plot of sci-fi novels. However, with this one it wasn't the case at all. I was completely sucked into this novel from the very beginning. The plot was intriguing, it was really fast paced and the characters were probably my favorite part.

In the First Sister we are thrown into a world in which two different factions are at war, and we follow the perspectives of both these sides, and also that one of the first sister, a sort of priestess whose main job is to comfort her own soldiers, but also someone who has no voice. I really loved the first sister's perspective, and how she is so aware of what is necessary to survive. The characters, as I've said before, were simply amazing. It was a pleasure to understand their way of thinking, and how they evolve all throughout the novel. Also, the pacing of the book was simply perfect. Those turns and twists by the end of the novel kept me turning pages non stop.

I definitely can't wait for the second book coming out next year!

This book started off strong with lots of intrigue and questions about what goes on in this world.

Unfortunately it swiftly moved to mainly following a romance which I'm not a fan of anyway, but there was so much more to be discovered in this world that I was left disappointed.

Sadly I didn't enjoy this book and couldn't connect to any of the characters. I made it 15% through before finally giving in.