Review : The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Summary (from Goodreads)
 
Title : The Sin Eater's Daughter (The Sin Eater's Daughter #1)
Author : Melinda Salisbury
Publication Date : February 24th 2015
Publisher : Scholastic
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

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?

Personal Thoughts

The Sin Eater's Daughter was one of my most anticipated reads of 2015. I mean, just look at that stunning cover and that alluring blurb. It sounded like such a unique YA fantasy book. My expectations were pretty much sky-high! While The Sin Eater's Daughter wasn't as alluring as I was expecting it to be, it was still a decent read and I thought it's a book that improved as the story went along. By the end, I was definitely left craving for more.

The Sin Eater's Daughter was really hard to get into at first. I don't what it was about the writing, but there was something preventing me from emotionally connecting with the story. As the story progressed however, things did ease up for me. Twylla, the protagonist, was an interesting young woman, but once again, I couldn't really connect with her on a personal level. In no ways did I dislike her however. I sympathized with her and the cruel situation that she was in, but I was never really synch with her characters. However, I have to say that I was completely impressed by how she handled certain situations towards the end of the book with a lot of maturity and intelligence. It's rare to see YA heroines make smart decisions, especially when it comes to their romances, but Twylla was definitely a breath of fresh air. I can't say I was impressed with any of the secondary characters either. I'm really not sure if I liked Lief, Twylla's guard and love interest in the book as much as I wanted to. I expected to be swooning and sighing in happiness over him, but he just seemed a bit sketchy so I was never convinced by his character. The one character that I really enjoyed in The Sin Eater's Daughter though was the queen! I love a good twisty villain and the queen in this book was bat-shit crazy, and power-lusty. She was clearly psychotic, but I loved her scenes.

The romance in The Sin Eater's Daughter was also a bit disappointing. For me, the biggest problem was the lack of real chemistry between Twylla and Lief. As for those of you worried about a love triangle, there really isn't any. Twylla quite obviously cares only for Lief throughout the whole book. What I did enjoy in The Sin Eater's Daughter was the plot! It was pretty intense and while the beginning was a bit slow, the pacing improved and bang! There were twists and turns that nearly drove me crazy (in a good way)! They had me on the edge of my seat and I was so nervous about what would happen. I loved that Melinda Salisbury was able to surprise me so much because it's what had me engrossed in the book. When the ending finally came by, I was ready to pick up book two, until I realized I didn't have it in my hands. Oh cliffhangers! How you destroy my life!

The Sin Eater's Daughter wasn't without its faults, and while I wasn't completely in love with the book as I hoped I would be, I still enjoyed reading the book and I'm looking forward to picking up the sequel when the time comes.

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

**Overall Rating : 3.5/5**


 Thank you to Scholastic Press for the ARC of The Sin Eater's Daughter.

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