The great binge-reading of serialised fiction continues! In April, we read The Nun who Hacked Heaven by M Sekara!

The review has been added to the recommendations of binge-worthy series, but you can also read it right here:

Synopsis (From the Author’s Publication)

In the blistered remnants of a dystopian 2099, the world authority has been replaced by algorithmic decree. Sister Lucia, a devout member of the Faith of the Bound Word, a holy order propagating the analog past, spends her days tending to dying men and keeping order within convent walls.

But when a new recruit arrives, bearing a striking resemblance to someone Lucia once knew, she finds herself pulled into whispers of rebellion and drawn toward the Node: the central system that governs reality, worshipped by some, obeyed by all.

As power shifts and buried memories resurface, Lucia is forced to confront a question she’s long feared: If silence kept her safe, why does breaking it feel like waking up?

My Thoughts

The first thing that struck me about this story was this very literal war between algorithm and the analogue, a growing clash of ideals that has also emerged in our real world throughout the last years, which is (as I believe) a big source of inspiration for this story.

M Sekara has crafted an intriguing world around this, complete with an entirely algorithmic entity leading what’s left of humanity and a faith that worships the old way of living by analogue means. Sister Lucia, a devout follower of this faith, is a character shaped by trauma and fear, who unconciously uses the convent walls to hide from her past. The new recruit Sister V who is entrusted under Lucia’s wings, brings up memories from that past and makes Lucia’s life a lot more turbulent than she’d cared for.

The writing style in this story was very direct and focused on the events more than on descriptions. Most of the time, that worked extremely well and made the story fast paced and easy to follow. Some times though, I would have loved a bit more elaborating on certain world building elements, such as the ominous Node for example. I am hoping to learn a lot more about the world in Arc 2.

Something I also very much enjoyed was the mystery that unveiled itself ever so slowly throughout the story. Why is Sister V at the convent and what are her intentions? What happened to Sister Teresa, the Head Nun? And what’s going on with the monks visiting from a different monastery? So many questions that want answers!

All of these questions make me really eager to continue with part two. Because there’s one thing M Sekara has mastered: Crafting cliff hangers that leave your thumbs itching to move to the next chapter!

I highly recommend checking it out: