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The First Sister
(The First Sister Trilogy #1)
by
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
...more
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Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
August 4th 2020
by Skybound Books
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Start your review of The First Sister (The First Sister Trilogy, #1)

i can't even begin to explain how obsessed I am with this book. I read it all in a single night because I couldn't put it down
...more

It was our… becoming. The two of us forming a chrysalid that would break into a singular, monstrous being.
🌈✨🚀8/4/2020: It excites me greatly that this queer space opera is now out and about in the world for y'all to devour
Not gonna lie, resurfacing from this book felt like finishing a marathon that pushed my poor sci-fi-averse heart to its limits.
That being said, this. is. GORGEOUS. Absolutely epic. So fucking queer. I adored it.
I read a post by Linden A. Lewis explaining The First Sister's ...more

Mar 13, 2020
Linden Lewis
rated it
it was amazing
· (Review from the author)
·
review of another edition
THE FIRST SISTER is a book about finding your voice and choosing your loyalty. A story about people who realize their society is broken and have to decide what to do about it. A tale about oppressed people who struggle to survive in a universe that thinks less of them, for one reason or another.
I want to be transparent: there are NO GRAPHIC SEXUAL ABUSE SCENES. While it explores the dangers of rape culture and sexual assault, something that many of the characters have faced, it is a story far mo ...more
I want to be transparent: there are NO GRAPHIC SEXUAL ABUSE SCENES. While it explores the dangers of rape culture and sexual assault, something that many of the characters have faced, it is a story far mo ...more

I really regret reading this… As an arc.
Because I would totally binge the shit out of it if the whole series was out already. But alas, now I have to wait for the next books to be written and released. My impatient ass is weeping right now.
“Be what they want. Be what they need. Be everything for them, so that they will leave your chambers without sadness, without guilt, without lust. No distractions while they’re on duty.”
If I see a one star rating for this I will genuinely be shocked. As so ...more
Because I would totally binge the shit out of it if the whole series was out already. But alas, now I have to wait for the next books to be written and released. My impatient ass is weeping right now.
“Be what they want. Be what they need. Be everything for them, so that they will leave your chambers without sadness, without guilt, without lust. No distractions while they’re on duty.”
If I see a one star rating for this I will genuinely be shocked. As so ...more

The First Sister starts off strong right out of the gate but the potential is quickly lost amid the forceful amounts of romance and non exploratory world for a space opera.
All my pros, cons, and first impressions in a “Should You Read It?” episode here:
https://youtu.be/Icwl1YBUT-o ...more
All my pros, cons, and first impressions in a “Should You Read It?” episode here:
https://youtu.be/Icwl1YBUT-o ...more

If I’m being honest, there are two reasons I do advance reviews of books. The lesser of the two is that I want to build sufficient reviewer cred so that I can get advanced copies of highly anticipated blockbusters. The greater of the two is being able to be the first one to discover something amazing and tell all you people about it. Nerd bragging rights and all.
If that is my goal, my reviewer career may have peaked fairly early, because it’s hard to imagine me ever being first out of the gate o ...more
If that is my goal, my reviewer career may have peaked fairly early, because it’s hard to imagine me ever being first out of the gate o ...more

Aug 14, 2020
Jenna
marked it as abandoned
Why has so much adult Science Fiction deteriorated into YA-style, surface level, dumbed down, mediocre writing?
No science, immature and underdeveloped characters. Stupid dialogue.
Trying to find good Science Fiction is like trying to find a good tv show amidst all the "reality tv".
Will someone please write some new science fiction that requires a few brain cells? ...more
No science, immature and underdeveloped characters. Stupid dialogue.
Trying to find good Science Fiction is like trying to find a good tv show amidst all the "reality tv".
Will someone please write some new science fiction that requires a few brain cells? ...more


CWs: graphic violence, murder, implied torture, threats of sexual violence, implied sexual assault, implied rape, child prostitution, loss of bodily autonomy, non-consensual surgery, human experimentation, gender dysphoria, misgendering, PTSD, racism
Rep: bisexual white MC, Hispanic panromantic asexual MC, Japanese nonbinary MC, amputee character with prosthetics
(this review has mild spoilers but nothing specific)
I had very mixed feelings for most of this book and was actually contemplating 3 st ...more
Rep: bisexual white MC, Hispanic panromantic asexual MC, Japanese nonbinary MC, amputee character with prosthetics
(this review has mild spoilers but nothing specific)
I had very mixed feelings for most of this book and was actually contemplating 3 st ...more

this is a really solid space opera with a fantastic world, interesting characters, and stellar plot. part of me wishes it was a bit longer to flesh out some of the characters’ eventual arcs, but i still really enjoyed this overall and cannot wait for book 2! the audiobook is also especially fantastic (we love a full cast).
as a korean woman, i don’t know how i feel about the synopsis referring to the sisters as comfort women though.
as a korean woman, i don’t know how i feel about the synopsis referring to the sisters as comfort women though.

Apr 17, 2020
iam
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
lgbtqia,
bisexual,
arc,
gays-in-space,
asexual-spectrum,
ownvoices,
nonbinary-genderqueer-fluid,
pansexual
*shoves face into pillow*
*muffled screaming*
I gotta take a minute because whew that was... Amazing. Draining, because fuuuuUUUCK, but amazing.
Read the full review on the blog!
Content warnings include: violence, death and graphic injury, amputation, PTSD, denial of bodily autonomy in various ways (prostitution, plastic surgery, neural implants, experimentation, gender expression), blackmail, execution, untreated mental illness, dysphoria, implied torture; mentions of child abuse.
The First Sis ...more
*muffled screaming*
I gotta take a minute because whew that was... Amazing. Draining, because fuuuuUUUCK, but amazing.
Read the full review on the blog!
Content warnings include: violence, death and graphic injury, amputation, PTSD, denial of bodily autonomy in various ways (prostitution, plastic surgery, neural implants, experimentation, gender expression), blackmail, execution, untreated mental illness, dysphoria, implied torture; mentions of child abuse.
The First Sis ...more


*Spoiler-free review*
Personal Rating: I'd betray any higher power to join Hemlock's gang
Reasons to Read: Richly-realized worldbuilding, compelling characters, non-binary rep, multilayered tension, mindblowing plot twists
You know, despite literally being a sci-fi author, I've always had trouble connecting with space operas. I don't know why. But I DEFINITELY didn't have a problem with this book. The worldbuilding, character work, and unraveling plot threads were so perfectly balanced that I breez ...more

Feb 27, 2021
Romie
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
2020-releases,
science-fiction,
owned-books,
adult,
buddy-read,
asian-rep-i-loved,
bi-mc,
sapphic,
poc,
queer-books
to put it simply, let's just say I'd give my life for Lito, Hiro and First Sister. I can't choose a favourite, they all own my heart. and this first instalment in the trilogy was simply incredible. there is not one thing I did not like about this book. it made me scream, cry, laugh, and scream some more (just for good measure).
...more

The last act of the book was too much and now I have to sit here and DIE while I wait for the second book. Wow.
I really enjoyed this! It was thrilling and had a diverse cast of characters, both in representation and personality and point of view. I enjoyed getting to know all of them and seeing their world and society from their experience. The world building was well-thought out and had just the right amount of detail for me. I felt like I learned the politics, but didn't feel bogged down in i ...more

This was freaking phenomenal!
I am a sucker for sci-fi, especially sci-fi with queer characters and The First Sister did not disappoint one bit. In this story we follow three people: The First Sister, she has no name and a servant in a matriarchal religious sect. Hiro, once a promising soldier and rich noble, they have now disappeared and might be a traitor to the nation. And finally, Lito, a decorated soldier tasked with hunting down his bond partner Hiro after they defect.
This world was built ...more
I am a sucker for sci-fi, especially sci-fi with queer characters and The First Sister did not disappoint one bit. In this story we follow three people: The First Sister, she has no name and a servant in a matriarchal religious sect. Hiro, once a promising soldier and rich noble, they have now disappeared and might be a traitor to the nation. And finally, Lito, a decorated soldier tasked with hunting down his bond partner Hiro after they defect.
This world was built ...more

June 13, 2020: AH, I can finally read an early copy of this! It's clearly one of my most anticipated books of this year and with that gorgeous cover, I'm about to find a favorite or so I feel. Thank you, Simon & Schuster for a digital copy!
Read this interview of the author over on my blog!
May 19, 2020: Why are more people not talking about this?! It sounds perfect for an epic space opera and it has a non-binary hero SO what's not to be excited about COME ON. ...more
Read this interview of the author over on my blog!
May 19, 2020: Why are more people not talking about this?! It sounds perfect for an epic space opera and it has a non-binary hero SO what's not to be excited about COME ON. ...more

THE FIRST SISTER was an engrossing read, once I hit a third through, it was really hard to put down. Told from two different POVs, two sides of a war and two characters that couldn’t be more different, it took quite a time for these separate stories to converge but both narratives were gripping.
The worlds of Mars, Venus, Mercury, the asteroids and moons were complex in their settlements and evolving races but only in retrospect. This complexity was woven so carefully into the narrative without i ...more
The worlds of Mars, Venus, Mercury, the asteroids and moons were complex in their settlements and evolving races but only in retrospect. This complexity was woven so carefully into the narrative without i ...more

On my blog.
Actual rating 2.5
Rep: bi mc, mlm mc, Japanese nonbinary mc, amputee character
CWs: threats of sexual violence, child prostitution, gender dysphoria/body dysmorphia, non-consensual surgical procedures, human experimentation
Galley provided by publisher
In all honesty, I’ve been putting off writing this review because I don’t want to think about this book, and in particular, a plot twist in this book, any longer since finishing it. It’s one of those books that is going along fine, and ...more
Actual rating 2.5
Rep: bi mc, mlm mc, Japanese nonbinary mc, amputee character
CWs: threats of sexual violence, child prostitution, gender dysphoria/body dysmorphia, non-consensual surgical procedures, human experimentation
Galley provided by publisher
In all honesty, I’ve been putting off writing this review because I don’t want to think about this book, and in particular, a plot twist in this book, any longer since finishing it. It’s one of those books that is going along fine, and ...more

Humanity has spread out into the solar system, gone to war, and after humanities subservient machines rebelled and left the inner solar system, humans have split genetically and split periodically. Mercury and Venus are the domain of the technologically advanced Icarii. Earth and Mars are the domain of the traditionalist and religious Geans and the asteroid belt is the home of the new human species called the "asters".
First Sister is a nameless and voiceless member of the Sisterhood, the religio ...more
First Sister is a nameless and voiceless member of the Sisterhood, the religio ...more

↠ 5 stars
There is nothing quite like returning to real life after spending hours engrossed in a story you are unable to put down. The First Sister was such an immersive experience, I really don't have any other way to describe it. That feeling of being completely absorbed in every aspect of a book that reaching the end is somewhat jarring and unreal is definitely the case in reading this.
Everything contained in this book has clearly been painstakingly crafted. The world building alone is a feat ...more
There is nothing quite like returning to real life after spending hours engrossed in a story you are unable to put down. The First Sister was such an immersive experience, I really don't have any other way to describe it. That feeling of being completely absorbed in every aspect of a book that reaching the end is somewhat jarring and unreal is definitely the case in reading this.
Everything contained in this book has clearly been painstakingly crafted. The world building alone is a feat ...more

Edit (the following day, because I kept thinking about this one). So. The book is a page turner, no questions about it. The narrarive is good, but the more I think about it, the more I realise the part I loved more are the parts I loved more from.other books/shows. What I mean:
- the sisterhood it's the one on the handmaid's tale. She even has the Aunts. And the girls are sent to ships and places and take confessions and are used for sex. In the handmaid's tale they are sent to families to have k ...more
- the sisterhood it's the one on the handmaid's tale. She even has the Aunts. And the girls are sent to ships and places and take confessions and are used for sex. In the handmaid's tale they are sent to families to have k ...more

Initial thoughts (Aug. 8, 2020): HOLY FUCKING SHIT, Y'ALL. Review to come when I'm able to pick up the pieces of my heart and brain and put them back together. I just finished this ARC, but I plan to journey to the book store for my own hardcover copy in a few hours. Yes, I loved it that much.
Update (Aug. 19th, 2020): Book acquired, and wow, is that matte, embossed jacket gorgeous, or what?! Anyway, now that I'm a bit more coherent: I really appreciated both the explicit and casually queer rep i ...more
Update (Aug. 19th, 2020): Book acquired, and wow, is that matte, embossed jacket gorgeous, or what?! Anyway, now that I'm a bit more coherent: I really appreciated both the explicit and casually queer rep i ...more

*This will probably have typos it’s 4AM and I’m tired, I’ll fix it when I wake up or maybe I won’t.
I just think it’s rude that I have to wait until August 2021 for the sequel. The way I was just brought through an emotional whirlwind and slaps with continuous twists and turns, I hope Linden Lewis is ready for this therapy bill because this book had no mercy on my soul.
I’m kind of in shock. I mean I’ve read some gems this year, but I haven’t read a lot of science fiction, especially not adult s ...more
I just think it’s rude that I have to wait until August 2021 for the sequel. The way I was just brought through an emotional whirlwind and slaps with continuous twists and turns, I hope Linden Lewis is ready for this therapy bill because this book had no mercy on my soul.
I’m kind of in shock. I mean I’ve read some gems this year, but I haven’t read a lot of science fiction, especially not adult s ...more

so much potentials but...
i have so much conflicted feelings abt the book.. i admit it has lots of potentials, i really like the worldbuilding and the audiobook narrators. there are some plot points i questioned but addressed later in the book. but there are some parts of the story that i think will be offensive to people. but i'm not the own-voice reader of the book so it's not my place to tell. i'll reserve my judgement until i read the second book. rating can change with time.
notes: pls check ...more
i have so much conflicted feelings abt the book.. i admit it has lots of potentials, i really like the worldbuilding and the audiobook narrators. there are some plot points i questioned but addressed later in the book. but there are some parts of the story that i think will be offensive to people. but i'm not the own-voice reader of the book so it's not my place to tell. i'll reserve my judgement until i read the second book. rating can change with time.
notes: pls check ...more

I’m in a scifi mood at the moment and this did not disappoint. The First Sister is a fast paced adventure in space, featuring a complex travelling sisterhood of nuns who do not speak, trained members of a the military trying to destabilise a planet their government lost in a previous war, corruption, intrigue and cool technology.
This was a really quick read, definitely one which I would describe as bingeable. Also it features a non-binary protagonist who uses they/ them pronouns and no one seems ...more
This was a really quick read, definitely one which I would describe as bingeable. Also it features a non-binary protagonist who uses they/ them pronouns and no one seems ...more

Ya wanna know what I am so goddamn tired of?
ADDING MORE BOOKS TO MY FAVORITES OF 2020!!!
But not really...

This was phenomenal. It's being pitched as similar to Red Rising and I would agree with that, BUT, it has way more diversity and more emphasis on women in power (which I'm always here for).
That being said, Lewis created some incredible plot twists that I 100% did not see coming. They managed to keep me on the edge of my seat because I had to know what happened to all of these characters that ...more
ADDING MORE BOOKS TO MY FAVORITES OF 2020!!!
But not really...

This was phenomenal. It's being pitched as similar to Red Rising and I would agree with that, BUT, it has way more diversity and more emphasis on women in power (which I'm always here for).
That being said, Lewis created some incredible plot twists that I 100% did not see coming. They managed to keep me on the edge of my seat because I had to know what happened to all of these characters that ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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SciFi and Fantasy...: "The First Sister" by Linden A. Lewis (BR) | 39 | 49 | Feb 09, 2021 03:05AM |
Other books in the series
The First Sister Trilogy
(2 books)
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“Isn’t that what growing up means, learning to be disappointed by your parents? You’ve said it is accepting them as human, but that’s the same damn thing, Lito. Seeing your parents as humans instead of the perfect, loving caretakers of your childhood is accepting disappointment and learning to live with it. Childhood is a lie. The end.”
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“Go to sleep, I sing.
“No,” I tell myself.
Go to sleep, I beg.
I am a traitor to myself.”
—
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More quotes…
“No,” I tell myself.
Go to sleep, I beg.
I am a traitor to myself.”