Melinda Salisbury

Twylla has a gift - or a curse. She can kill with a single touch. Now she's the court executioner, compelled to do the queen's bidding - and marry the prince. But when she meets a rebellious guard, Twylla starts to question everything she's been told...

The Sin Eater's Daughter

Avoided by the rest of the court because of her divine ability to kill with a single touch, executioner Twylla pursues a forbidden romance while confronting a terrible sacrifice to help the queen destroy her enemies. A first novel. Simultaneous eBook.

Melissa Palmer

Book #22 Read in 2015
The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury (YA)

Twylla has been deemed to be an embodiment of a god who has the power to kill a person with a single touch. The Queen has decided that Twylla will marry the Prince and has brought her to the kingdom. She is used as a deadly weapon. This ability has led her to remain distant from those around her because she does not trust herself to accidentally harm them. But is all as it seems? A new guard, Lief, has led her to question what she has always thought as being true but at what expense? This book was a good, quick read. It had elements of fantasy, romance and mystery to it. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Nessa Luna

Back in November last year, I bought a book called The Sin Eater's Daughter because the summary interested me and that cover looked beautiful. I picked it up a while back, but decided to put it down again because I was in a bit of a reading slump. When the SYNC audiobook season started, I noticed that this book was one of the audiobooks available. So when it was available for download, I decided to immediately do that and started it while working the next day.

The Sin Eater's Daughter tells the story of Twylla, who has been blessed by the gods. Unfortunately, that also brings a downside, as she can never be touched by anyone, save for the queen, the king, and the prince. She is also the official executioner of the court, something she hates terribly. Then, a new guard is assigned to her, and he's the only one who doesn't look at her as if she's a murderer, the only one who sees her as Twylla, not as Daunen embodied.

The first thing I noticed, was that the narrator had a nice, Irish accent. It wasn't too obvious at first, but later on I started hearing the words pronounced in the typical Irish way (words such as 'thought' and others that started or ended with 'th', Irish people pronounce it differently, which is something I personally like). I looked up the narrator, Amy Shiels, who is going to play a role in the upcoming TV series Twin Peaks.

The story itself was really interesting, and I enjoyed listening to it very much. I have to admit that when I first read it it reminded me of Shatter Me a bit, but other than the fact that both Juliette and Twylla can't touch anyone, there weren't really any similarities between these two. What I would have loved, though, was a map of the world. I wasn't really able to imagine the world that well, because there was no map in this book (I do have the physical copy, like I said, so sometimes I could read along with the story).

I loved the story behind Daunen emobodied, about Daeg and Naet (I had trouble picturing these names, so that's where the physical book came in handy) and how Naet (who I guess was the goddess of the night and death and everything dark) seduces her husband Daeg (day, life, light and such). It reminded me of Gaia and Ouranos from the Greek mythology. Personally I would have loved to read more about these gods rather than the actual story, but that's the mythology nerd in me. The only thing I am still rather confused about is the whole Sin Eating ritual. Why is there only one Sin Eater? (view spoiler)[Who - if not the Gods, because I believe it was established in this book that the while Daunen embodied thing was faked, why not the Sin Eating part? - who thought of this whole Sin Eating? And why? Idk I'm still a bit confused about this whole thing (hide spoiler)]

Romantic wise, I wasn't really 100% behind it to be honest. I found it rather predictable and of course there was a slight hint towards a possible love triangle and that just made me a bit 'meh' over the whole thing. (view spoiler)[I mean I knew Leif was going to be the love interest rather quickly, maybe not right when he arrived, but later on in the story. I also wasn't a fan of how they said 'I love you' that quickly and how they slept with each other after a couple of months already. But hey that's just me. (hide spoiler)]

The story ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, and I was prepared to pick up the second book almost immediately, but when I read the summary for that one, I realised that it was going to feature a completely different main character? Book two, The Sleeping Prince, will be, from what I understand, from the point of view of Leif's sister, Errin. Now I hope that the characters from book one will make (big) appearances as well (and I don't hope it'll be a multiple POV story *finger crossed*) otherwise I don't really know how to feel about this book.

Anyway, I enjoyed The Sin Eater's Daughter very much, I will pick up the second book and hope the characters I know so well now will make an appearance. I might only pick up the book for its beautiful cover, because did you look at it? It's beautiful right?! If you love fantasy books with a pinch of mythology and fairytale thrown in, you should definitely pick up this book!

My opinion on this book in one gif:

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although shes engaged to the prince, Twylla isnt exactly a member of the court. Shes the executioner. As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each week 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?

Marissa Killian

Even though I have a few slight issues with this book, I gave it 5 stars... So I figured I should explain my reasoning. This review is going to be mostly spoilers so please so not read past this if you haven't read it yet!!

***** Spoilers Ahead *******

This book pulled me out of a two week reading slump/depression and anything that can do that instantly gets my love because it's not an easy task.

I know a lot of books lately have been about "common born" girls getting taken into a royal family destined to marry a prince etc.... So I went into it thinking it could end up being really cliche and like most of the stuff that's left me kind of blah recently. I was wrong, because I loved it. 

Even though there are similarities, to me and how I read it, it was so different. (Please don't get offended or angry if you hate the book and disagree. Everyone reads things and interrupts them differently. I' vbcm not saying that you're wrong, these are my opinions only) Multiple times throughout the story Twylla admits that she chose this path a little out of selfishness and a little bit of greed. Yes she wanted to provide for her little sister but she really did want the royal life. No, she didn't know what it would entail but she still chose it. Every other books it seems like these girls are being forced against their will and fight it tooth and nail. Twylla just kind of reminded me more of a girl who is supposed to be her age, where as most are "far beyond their years' she's like "nahh I want the riches and the prince" thats not an actual quote obviously....

Also, a lot of books have descriptions that promise "really horrible things" and acts of terror. Yes, obviously bad things happen and they would be horrible in the real world, maybe i'm also jaded but I'm never really shocked... This book gave me chills once or twice and I WANT that experience when I'm reading. When she described the dogs ripping people apart and the noises, I legit cringed. GOOD, I want to cringe, No I am not sick or twisted I just want books to MOVE ME. Make me feel something, anything and this one did. Plus, the queen was just evil as all get out.... She out evil queened the evil queen. 

I DID NOT LIKE THE LEIF STORYLINE. He annoyed me. I didn't trust him from the second we met him. I wanted to shake her and be like WHY??? DO NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS PERSON NO NO NO!!!! HOWEVER, I kind of did like that he ended up being a traitor and thus far they are not together in the end. That made me happy. I was worried that it was going to be typical girl falls in love with dumb boy and they live happily ever after. I was right not to trust him but YAY for them not running away together. 

The prince also annoyed me. All of a sudden he just loved her that much? I kind of felt like that whole storyline lacked development but I am interested to see where it goes in the next book. 

My only other comment, and this is not bashing anyone else's opinion it's just my own point of view on the matter. I've seen A LOT of reviews not only on this book but on many others, that get upset when something isnt historically accurate. No where does the author say that it's going to be. This is not a historical fiction either.... It's a world that the author made up in their head which means they can pretty much do anything they want... I've actually seen reviews on the Grisha trilogies where people hated it solely because it didn't represent russia accurately. NEWS FLASH, IT WAS NOT RUSSIA. So yes, there were some little oddities here and there in this book that didn't line up with how it would have been but that didn't bother me at all considering it wasn't suppose to. 

All in all, I am giving it 5 stars because even though Leif was the worst, this book did pulled me in and I loved being in this world for the short time it took me to read it. Very excited for the next book!

Maria

Очень заметно по книге, что она у писательницы дебютная и что с управлением историей она не очень-то справилась. Не знаю, за что зацепиться и похвалить – везде провалы. Действующих персонажей – 5 человек плюс еще 3-4 в эпизодах. Первые две трети ничего особо не происходит, кроме страданий героини, а она ходит кругами между страхом и виной, понемногу заходя на романтику. Химии между персонажами нет – ни на одной из сторон треугольника.

Наверное, самое слабое звено книги – это категорически не вдохновляющая главная героиня. Она не очень умна, не очень смела и даже не отчаянна, и вообще сильно напоминает о психологических эспериментах, выявивших такую штуку как «выученная беспомощность». Да, в реальной жизни в её ситуации 90% всех нас вели бы себя точно так же, но про 90% людей и книг не пишут.

Ну и концовка сплошное WTF. Pacing ускоряется в три раза, легенда, которую пару раз упомянули совсем походя в виде детской страшилки, внезапно становится СЮЖЕТОМ, а наша глупенькая и наивная героиня раньше всех догадывается обо всех деталях ХИТРОГО ПЛАНА. Нет, Мелинда Солсбери, не верю я тебе, так не бывает. Две звездочки.

ashley hopkins

I don't know what to think, and the ending.

Nicole Lucy O'Loughlin

This is a hard book to describe. It's very slow to start which I suppose is understandable given it's a fantasy. It needs the chance to build the world, develop the lore of the world.But the book was only three hundred something pages and it took two-thirds of that before I became really interested. Whilst the last hundred pages were great and entertaining if a little cliched it just felt rushed. However, I do think it wasn't terrible and I will probably pick up the next book to see if it improves.

Leelynn Brady

Find this review and more on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads.


  “I am the perfect weapon, I can kill with a single touch.”


I don't know why I never heard of this book before, but I'm so glad that I was able to find it.

I fell in love with this book from the moment I started listening to it. It absolutely haunted me, and I don't even know how to explain why it had that kind of effect on me. This world was one that I could see living in, whether it's our world's past or future. Not only was the main character Twylla considered the embodiment of the Gods' daughter, but her birth mother is a woman in charge of eating the sins of the dead.


  “My mother is a fat woman, made large from gobbling the sins of the dead, the meal prepared and served to her as if she were a queen for the day. For an Eating the mourners cover the surface of the coffin with breads and meats and ale and more, each morsel representing a sin known, or suspected, to have been committed by the deceased. She Eats it all; she has to – it’s the only way to cleanse the soul so it can ascend to the Eternal Kingdom. To not finish the meal is to condemn the soul to walk the world for ever. We’ve all heard the tales of the wraiths that haunt the West Woods because people less dedicated than my mother could not finish the Eating.” 


Twylla was born with a destiny but ends up having another one. Either way, she doesn't seem to have much of a choice in what she has to do in her daily life. After being taken by the Queen of Lamere to become the newest Princess, Twylla finds out that that's not the only thing she has to do. She is deemed Dornan embodied, the daughter of two Gods - the God of Life, and the God of Death. To fulfill both Gods, Twylla now has to be Lamere's executioner, tasked with killing traitors with her touch and watching them die in front of her.

Since everyone in the kingdom knows that she can't be touched, nobody wants to talk to her unless absolutely necessary. Nobody barely looks at her either, and it makes for a lonely life. She only has the friendship of her main guard - that is until she gets another one named Lief. A friendship blossoms between Twylla and Lief, and while she learns what it's like to have a companion, there is more at stake for her and the rest of Lamere. Will she be able to save the kingdom, or will she be betrayed when she least expects it?

The ending of this book absolutely broke me, and I'm left with a feeling of heartache and wonder. The survival of Twylla and her people lies in the balance, and I don't know whether they will be able to handle what is coming.

I can't wait to find out what happens!

Celia Adams

I had such high hopes for this book, but it turned out to really be nothing special. The Queen was kind of plain and predictable in her role as the villain, the main character Twylla was kinda pitiable and frustrating in her naivety, the love interest Lief was cliche and frankly I am so done with headstrong guards falling for the prince's betrothed while disliking the prince/royalty. I'm not saying I wish the story was more about actually being the Sin-Eater's Daughter (yes, yes I am, because that is much cooler) I'm saying the book should have been named something more related to the plot (Daunin Embodied??). However I really liked the ending, it was so dramatic and awesome. But then that was all ruined for me with the last line of the epilogue. Seriously Melinda Salisbury????? You were doing so well!

Wren Hardwick

Alright, so I have a few things to say about this. 

01.	This was a very slow read for me. There was a lot of wallowing in one’s situation and dreading one’s inability to touch another human being (which really, really would suck). But see, she never actually did anything. She had choices, whether they were good or not; but instead she just complained about it. 

02.	Not only did she do nothing about her situation, but she also just made it worse when she threw herself into a love triangle. Like I appreciated the light he shed on her situation and helping her find the courage to do what she should have done in the first place (even though it is the typical man saves the woman type of thing), but she really screwed up everything. 

03.	The story as a whole was pretty interesting though. I read Francine River’s “The Sin Eater,” and was really intrigued by the idea that people used a single-person to eat away everyone’s sins and was damned themselves. So I was interested to see how that would translate into a young-adult.

04.	AND THEN THAT ENDED JUST BLEW MY MIND and I will probably read the next book purely for the fact that I need to know how this story ends.

---

I just don’t EVEN KNOW... RTC

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. 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 favour of a doomed love?

Manon van Heumen

4.5 stars. Okay so I debated a long time whether or not to give this five stars but the ending was just perfect! So excited for the next book.

Hazel Wilson

Alice Foster

Kayleigh Septer

Megan During

Khoi K

Bella Martin 

Megan Paterson

Die siebzehnjährige Twylla ist kein Mädchen wie jedes andere: Sie ist die Verkörperung der Großen Göttin und wird als solche im ganzen Land verehrt - außerdem ist es ihr bestimmt, einmal den Kronprinzen zu heiraten. Doch ihr göttliches Schicksal bringt auch eine schreckliche Verpflichtung mit sich: Jeden Monat muss sie tödliches Gift trinken, gegen das nur sie, als göttliche Inkarnation, immun ist. Doch jeder, der Twylla berührt, wird von dem Gift infiziert und stirbt. Twylla ist der einsamste Mensch der Welt. Wer kann schon ein Mädchen lieben, das regelmäßig Verbrecher und Verräter durch seine Berührung hinrichtet? Vor der alle erschrocken zurückweichen, sobald sie einen Raum betritt? Sogar der Kronprinz, der ja einmal ihr Mann werden soll, meidet sie. Doch alles ändert sich, als Twylla ein neuer Wächter zur Seite gestellt wird. Mit frechem Grinsen und unangemessenen Bemerkungen zieht der junge Mann alles, woran Twylla geglaubt hat, in Zweifel. Ist ihre Heirat mit dem Prinzen wirklich vom Schicksal vorherbestimmt? Ist sie tatsächlich die Verkörperung einer Gottheit? Und nicht zuletzt: Was hat es mit dem schrecklichen Gift auf sich, das auf alle, außer auf Twylla, eine tödliche Wirkung hat? Nach und nach deckt Twylla mit Hilfe ihres charmanten Beschützers eine mörderische Intrige auf, die die Grundfesten des gesamten Landes Lormere ins Wanken bringt ...

The Sin Eater's Daughter

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