The Sin Eater's Daughter

I have mixed feelings about this one. The characters seemed real, the setting was pretty great. There was a lot to like about the book. There was also a lot I didn't like about it.

Twylla is the embodiment of the daughter of the gods. Her beautiful singing voice and ability to execute those who commit treason with a single touch make her both revered and reviled. She is taken to the castle at a young age, betrothed to the prince (whose family line generally sticks to inbreeding to keep it "pure") and her family is taken care of in return. But all is not as it seems, and when the new guard becomes more than her protector, Twylla is faced with some terrible decisions that could bring the whole kingdom down.

Twylla is only 17 in this book, show more and as such, she is quite immature. I get it, she's been pretty much locked in a tower for years, bereft of human contact on account of her skin being poisonous. Her growing relationship with Lief, the young new guard is understandable. He dares to get close when no one else will. Of course, something turns in their relationship and it seems to lean to the more abusive and codependent side than the sweet romance I hoped for. By the end, I was totally rooting for the prince, though his aloof attitude seem strange given his later confessions. Merek, alone, seems like an unrealized character to me.

The action is pretty steady in pace, though it definitely picks up towards the end. Some of the actions and motivations kind of fell short for me. When the author throws in some twists at the end, I'm left feeling that the ending threat is a bit unbelievable. It felt like the author spent the better half of the end tearing down the infrastructure of the world, only to resurrect what was little more than a fairy tale to create a new threat.

And then there's the epilogue. It does little to whet my appetite for the next book, and just left me with a feeling of dissatisfaction.

Much of the story was good and clever, and it isn't a dull read. If you like a tidy ending, however, I suggest you either have the next book handy or skip this one altogether. show less

So. Do I rate this book based on what it is (the first of a series) or what I rather foolishly assumed it to be (a standalone)? Do I give it more stars because it drew me in and reminded me of books by brilliant authors, like Ursula Le Guin's (The Tombs of Atuan) and Megan Whalen Turner's Thief books? Or fewer, because it made in-story religion meaningless, and took a big shortcut through huge emotional and worldbuilding implications that fascinate me?

Probably I should give it fewer stars; probably the culture clashes and religion and family dynamics aren't explored much further in the later books; probably she ends up choosing the man I wouldn't choose myself; that's how relationships and worldbuilding work in YA novels.

Dammit, I show more really wanted to know more about the Sin Eating. And I'm really disappointed (as an atheist) that it seems to head in the direction of Lol Your Manufactured Religion. And why is the Queen so cut-out? And what happened to the swift brutality and desolation of the beginning chapters? Dammit all. show less

Twylla isn't like other seventeen year old girls; she's the embodiment of the daughter of her people's gods. She ingests poison at regular intervals mixed with her blood to prove her divinity and keep her powers that allow her to kill people with a touch. Her origins are much humbler than her present life. Her mother was a Sin Eater, one who eats a feast representative of the deceased's sins in order to purge them and allow the dead into the afterlife. Her whole childhood was taking care of her sister and learning to be the next Sin Eater. Now, Twylla lives a rich, but lonely life with the king and queen of Lormere. The queen is cruel, irrational, and volatile. She kills at a whim and manipulates those around her into silence. Because show more of her abilities, almost everyone fears Twylla and stays away from her. She's set to marry the prince who she barely knows and eventually rule her country as its queen. Then she meets Lief, her new personal guard. He treats her like a normal person and they quickly becomes close. Who will she choose? Will she abandon her destiny to have the life she really wants or will she attempt to save Loremere?

The first thing that drew me to this book was the gorgeous cover. The second was the cool premise. Twylla (I kind of hate this name) is the embodiment of the offspring of her gods, which is kind of complicated. The gods are the embodiment of day (Daeg) and night (Naegt), where the female night steals from the day out of jealousy. She commits the first sin and must be punished. Although it reflects many real life religions, the misogynistic myth bothered me, especially when the two main mother figures (and 2/3's of the main female characters) are one dimensionally awful and cruel. Anuway, Twylla has dedicated her life to the gods and, by extension, to the royal family who claim to be chosen by the gods. Underneath her piety and dedication, she's just a teenage girl. She wants normal things like friends, a real family, and a life she actually wants to lead. All of her life, her mother figures have told her what to do. Her biological mother chose her as the first born to take up the mantle as a Sin Eater. When presented with the opportunity, Twylla chose to abandon her family and become Daunen Embodied, but once there, the queen's whims command what she does: who to poison, who to marry, where to go, etc. It's only natural that Twylla falls for one of the first people to treat her like anyone else and see through all the craziness.

Much of the book was quite atheistic which is pretty rare to see in teen fiction. Lief points out how his country values science and logic over religious fairy tales. They are more technologically advanced and have made more advances in medicine than Loremere has dreamed of. Loremere's royal family uses religion to placate the masses and solidify her place as ruler. Things were going terribly when the queen's brother/husband died and she saw Twylla as a away to legitimize her place by citing the gods' will in Daunen Embodied. There's this whole weird thing with Loremere where the bloodline must be pure and siblings have married for years and years. It's convenient that the royal family has no physical defects after generations of inbreeding. This part seemed a little clunky and I felt it was only included to ride on the popularity of Game of Thrones with their incestuous Lannister family. Anyway, I appreciated that religion is used for a sinister end here and shows that the religious leaders aren't exempt from committing horrible acts. This is especially relevant today.

Overall, The Sin Eater's Daughter is an interesting book that takes on unique subject matter and explores different themes than usual in YA. I dislike the misogynistic elements of the book and I also hate that this interesting story boils down to a love triangle. It's such an overused trope at this point and it takes away from the novel. I would definitely read other books by Melinda Salisbury because the things I liked left an impression. show less

3.5/5 stars. Twylla was the Sin Eater's Daughter. Then she was the avatar of a god and the fiancee of a prince. Her very touch is poison to everyone except the royal family, her duty is to execute traitors. She's isolated and lonely, keeping even her personal guards at a distance, and she lives in a court where cruelty and harm are ways of life. When her fiance returns she's afraid that to marry him will be like marrying his mother, the Queen who thinks nothing of killing those who displease or irritate her. She's also becoming involved with a guard who is working hard to convince her that her touch won't kill. This is a book of identities and betrayals, of despair and hope, and it was great.

The concept of being a Sin Eater along with the rituals are such great ideas! I loved exploring it.

I also liked how Twylla has been chosen as the future queen and can kill by a single touch! She's been blessed by the Gods, true, but at what cost? The only people able to touch her are the royals.

The world-building is beautiful and immersive. I personally loved the politics and natural resources sides of it. These were well-thought and developed.

Then, Lief, her new personal guard arrives and charms his way into her heart. I've got two things to say about this:

1- It was hella cute! And it's rare I say such a thing as I dislike romance in books (in general, as well)

2- It boarded on a bit too much romance, unfortunately....

But the best show more part of this book (besides sweet Twylla herself) is the two big plot twists. Damn, IT WAS AWESOME! You'd think one thing about this and that and genuinely not wonder further and... BOOM! Surprises in your face! And heartbreak.

Prepare for a hard heartbreak. But so, so good. Delicious, even. I'm a sucker for angst (even more well-written angst!) in stories.

I only took out a star for the overflowing romance, though I understand how important to the plot it is (and it's lovely, too).

Do yourself a favor and give this book a try.

I've recently checked out the second one because I NEED TO KNOW THE REST!

I hope you'll like it as much as I do! show less

I also liked how Twylla has been chosen as the future queen and can kill by a single touch! She's been blessed by the Gods, true, but at what cost? The only people able to touch her are the royals.

The world-building is beautiful and immersive. I personally loved the politics and natural resources sides of it. These were well-thought and developed.

Then, Lief, her new personal guard arrives and charms his way into her heart. I've got two things to say about this:

1- It was hella cute! And it's rare I say such a thing as I dislike romance in books (in general, as well)

2- It boarded on a bit too much romance, unfortunately....

But the best part of this book (besides sweet Twylla herself) is the two big plot twists. Damn, IT WAS AWESOME! show more You'd think one thing about this and that and genuinely not wonder further and... BOOM! Surprises in your face! And heartbreak.

Prepare for a hard heartbreak. But so, so good. Delicious, even. I'm a sucker for angst (even more well-written angst!) in stories.

I only took out a star for the overflowing romance, though I understand how important to the plot it is (and it's lovely, too).

Do yourself a favor and give this book a try.

I've recently checked out the second one because I NEED TO KNOW THE REST!

I hope you'll like it as much as I do! show less

In some ways, this is a melodramatic love-triangle princess tale. In other ways, this is a tense and sinuous exploration of self-determination and being your own woman. The worldbuilding seems a little silly in places, but there are many aspects of interest (I particularly liked sin-eating, especially the consideration of how that fit into the power and social dynamics). And I found that in the end everything came back around to serve the story. It's stronger than it looks - much like our heroine, and much like her, when all comes clear and when you think about it, it was that strong all along.