The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury [Joint Review!]

4.5 out of 5 Robots!

  

The Sin Eater's Daughter
By Melinda Salisbury
Series: Sin Eater's Daughter, #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release: February 24, 2015
Hardcover:  320 Pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
My Copy: Purchased
Reviewer: Shannon & Julia

Book Summary:

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love? (Courtesy of the Publisher)

Julia & Shannon: Joint Review!

1. Sum up your feelings of The Sin Eater's Daughter in a sentence or two. 

Shannon: Well.  That was unexpected!  I devoured this book. I was so desperate to find out what was going to happen!  Also, I felt horrible for Twylla.  Poor girl just wants to be loved.

Julia: The Sin Eater's Daughter is absolutely compelling, I was hooked immediately. The legends, the characters, the politics - it is all fascinating! 

2. Thoughts on Twylla's relationships within the book?

Shannon: I went back and forth on feeling like the romance was just too on the nose to then being suspicious about it.  You know, things were just a little too perfect.  Either I was going to be annoyed that they were so perfect, or there was a more sinister reason why they were like that.  I won't tell you how I ended up feeling.  But I was a little surprised.   As far as the non-romantic relationships go, the relationship she has with her mother and the queen are my favorites.  Her relationship with her mother is especially complicated.   

Julia: The first relationship that I really enjoyed was that of Twylla and Dorin. I was just satisfied that someone had her back. Sigh. I feel so bad for this girl! Other than that, I love all the strange relationships within the book. Twylla is constantly walking on pins and needles. I really wish we were able to see something more develop between her and Merek... And the relationship she had with Leif gave me constant anxiety! I wanted to yell at them, be careful! The queen!

3. The plot doesn't venture far from the castle... So what about it?

Shannon: Twylla very much lives in a gilded cage.  A very very scary gilded cage.  And half the book she can't even leave her room!  I liked that the setting was so small because in reality, Twylla's world is very very small.  It makes sense that she is so sheltered and naive.  She is really cut off from everyone.

Julia: It seems boring, but in reality it didn't lessen the quality of the story at all. Twylla is pretty cut off from the outside world, so it makes sense that we don't see much of it. It really suited the novel, I really didn't feel like it was missing anything. 

4. Besides Twylla, do you have a favorite character?

Shannon: I found Twylla's mother fascinating.  The sin-eater bit was very cool.  And as I mentioned, Twylla has a very complicated relationship with her.  She loves her mother, but also recognizes that her mother can be very cruel.  It makes a lot of sense why Twylla was so taken with the idea of coming to the castle with the queen and giving up her former life.  Who wouldn't want to be "rescued" from a life they don't want and told they are secretly a "princess"?  But again, Twylla goes from one bad situation to a worse one.

Julia: I loved her first guard! But we don't get much time with him, so I guess my next favorite will be the queen. She's gross and creepy, and she made me nervous. A perfect villain. I love what becomes of her in the end! 

5. Holding the spoilers- Did the ending surprise you?

Shannon:  Yes, it did!  I had my suspicions about things here and there, but I certainly didn't predict everything that happened.  I really liked the end because it was so intense.  Twylla's carefully constructed world falls apart on her.  I really felt for her.

Julia: Oh yea, and the ending wasn't the only thing that surprised me. I should have seen the big old twist coming, but I didn't. SO two major surprises. I loved the ending! So many questions, but not really... when's book two out!?

6. Rating? Who are you recommending this to!

Shannon: I would give this 4.5 stars.  I loved Twylla and I loved watching her eyes being opened to the horrors around her.  I thought the world building was fascinating, especially the idea of sin-eating.  I recommend it to all fantasy fans!

Julia: 5 Stars for The Sin Eater's Daughter! I couldn't put this book down, the characters make sense. There are twists and surprises and characters that make you melt, others that make you cringe. Lots of betrayal and!!!! All fantasy readers, read this!