The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis (The First Sister Trilogy #1)

Reviewed by Sam!

What I drank prior: I’m annoyed cause I know for a fact I’ve had a bottle of wine, but it doesn’t feel like I’ve had a bottle of wine, but how would i know if i was too drunk? Idk man, but i went out and it was $10 a glass and $28 a bottle so obviously I bought the bottle and I finished it on my own.

Goodreads Overview

First Sister has no name and no voice. As a priestess of the Sisterhood, she travels the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth and Mars—the same ones who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister’s hopes for freedom are dashed when she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no power, and a new captain—Saito Ren—whom she knows nothing about. She is commanded to spy on Captain Ren by the Sisterhood, but soon discovers that working for the war effort is so much harder to do when you’re falling in love.

Lito val Lucius climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus, but was defeated in combat by none other than Saito Ren, resulting in the disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Lito learns that Hiro is both alive and a traitor to the cause, he now has a shot at redemption: track down and kill his former partner. But when he discovers recordings that Hiro secretly made, Lito’s own allegiances are put to the test. Ultimately, he must decide between following orders and following his heart.

Drunk Overview: This is a weird handmaids tale in space. We have our sisters, who are surgically unable to speak, that offer entertainment and confession to the men/people on board. Weirdly, they don’t have any care to the gender of the “John’s” but they do for the sisters, so that’s an odditty that I’m just noticing. ANYWAY, the first sister is one that’s solely chosen by the captain, and our first sister was supposed to follow her captain and he leaves her behind. So the order says like “check out the new captain and get close to her…” which is annoying because it goes against their beliefs but they want a spy. AND THEN there’s Lito, who’s on the other side of the war and he’s like, a defamed soldier who lost a crucial battle. He was given a mission to kill his former partner, Hiro. You get both perspectives, and they combine..

Spoiler-free Thoughts: they combine rather nicely I would say. Let me just say I GOBBLED this book up in like 2 days. LIKE TWO DAYS in the middle of a reading slump. I fucking loved this book.

Characters: My POVs are just… so amazing. You get First Sister and Lito, but like, also Hiro’s confession to Lito and their story. I do appreciate that gender literally doesn’t matter in this case unless you’re a part of the order and they need to be assigned women that are surgically unable to speak. There are assigned men that exist in the order but with no real power. OH MY GOD i know that’s world building but i don’t care, what a world.

Plot: So the plot of this was slow burn in the most satisfying way. Like, idk how else to explain the build up that we’re given, but holy mother of the gods it was incredible. I gobbled this up so quickly I don’t ven have notes that’s how fast, and that’s with a book that’s slow burn. CAN YOU IMAGINE?!

Writing Style: idk what else to say except they made me fall in love with a character tat doesn’t have a name. Of course, she intentionally doesn’t have a name but still.

World Building: handmaids tale in space. What’s not to love?

What to pair it with: Vodka soda with a splash of pineapple. Something normal with a bit of something different… loved it.

Rating: 5/5

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,
Sam