Synopsis
I kill with a single touch.
Twylla is blessed. The Gods have chosen her to marry a prince, and rule the kingdom. But the favour of the Gods has it's price. A deadly poison infuses her skin. Those who anger the queen must die under Twylla's fatal touch.
Only Lief, an outspoken new guard, can see past Twylla's chilling role to the girls she truly is.Yet in a court as dangerous and the queen's, some truths should not be told... - Goodreads.com
My Review
Twylla is the embodiment of the goddess
Daunen, whose role is to bring hope to the city of Lormere but to also pass
punishment on those who have been sentenced, with her poisonous touch. But
mysteries and schemes unfold to reveal the real reason why Twylla was chosen to
fill the role of Daunen, and her part in the Queens plan for Lormere.
"...I take my place behind the condemned, standing between them. I reach out, resting the palm of each hand on the back of each men's necks... Moments after I've touched them they are slumped against the top of the table blood streaming from their noses and pooling on the already-stained wood. "
- Melinda Salisbury (The Sin Eater's Daughter)
The first half of this book was
disappointing. Part of me feels like the first 150 pages were almost wasted.
There was some background that got explored and some character ground work was
laid but ultimately nothing really happened….The last half however was a
brilliant and masterful story of treason, love, greed, conspiracy and
revelation, which pretty much made up for the slow starting pace. When I look
back though, the slow pace actually hid what would later become important,
things that seemed completely normal or unobtrusive at the time which played a major
part in the final revelation. I think that in itself is masterful writing,
because it didn't give clues away easily and they just seemed to blend into the
story unnoticed until you later thought back on them.
As for the characters, the Queens
character was by far the most developed. She could give Cercei Lannister a run
for her money. Evil, twisted and greedy. She is determined to keep her followers
in line and charges anyone who commits an offence against her, no matter how
little it is. Twylla was hard to like at times, she seemed far too naïve, and never
fought back against the Queen (although I can see why, cause the Queen Is cray
cray.) I felt she was a little to damsel in distress most of the time, but by
the end she had come into her own.
"...The whole realm knew the queen's punishments were unusually cruel, but to see them, smell them, hear them as they ripped the man apart was too much. "
- Melinda Salisbury (The Sin Eater's Daughter)
There are hints of a love
triangle, but not in the typical sense. The love triangle actually reminded me
a little of Throne of Glass, as one was the prince and the other Twylla’s guard.
Twylla is torn between the two not because she loves them both, but one because
of feelings and the other as a sense of duty to her role as Daunen and also her
city.
There were definitely some
interesting aspects incorporated into the book, the folklore surrounding the
downfall of another city and the prince who was cursed there. The sin eating
was cited a few times although didn’t play a major role in the overall story,
which considering the title I thought it would. The role of Daunen and the
religion/Gods surrounding Lormere were also interesting an added to the world building.
I actually really like the ending,
I’ve seen some people say it’s confusing, and I guess it’s kind of left up to
interpretation. I feel like everything was wrapped up nicely though with only a
few trivial questions left unanswered. It could easily be a standalone, although
there is the potential for it to become a trilogy (which I think it is?).
Overall, not a fantastic read due
to the drawn out beginning, but if you can hang in there, the end picks up and
will hold your attention.
Things I loved about the book:
- The incorporated folklore and religion were all very different.
- The last half was great. While not necessarily action packed, there were a lot of conspiracies and treachery which kept me guessing.
Things I didn't like about the book:
- The drawn out start, that almost made me want to DNF this book.
My rating: 3/5
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