*Early Book Review* The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Series: The Sin Eater's Daughter # 1
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Released: February 24, 2015
Source: Edelweiss/Publisher
Format: E-Book, 320 pages
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

*Book Blurb*

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?

I went to sleep trying come to terms with what I read in The Sin Eater's Daughter. While the story was interesting enough, it was most mostly a romance novel intertwined with Fantasy, and mythical Gods. There were some pretty intense moments, but the main character, 17-year old Twylla, was a cardboard cutout figure with no emotions right out of the box. Reviewers talk about a characters growth. Does she get better? Or, does she continue to do stupid things? Does she eventually discover that she has choice and a backbone and finally stands up for herself? At times, Twylla is a hard nut for me to crack.

Brought to the Lormere castle 4 years ago by Queen Helewys, Twylla was made into an executioner and a weapon. She was set up to be the Daunen Embodied, a human born from Gods, who with a touch of her finger, can kill instantaneously. Then there is the fact that she freely walked away from her life as the Sin Eater's Daughter to become an entirely different person because she wanted a better life for herself. Can't blame her for that after you read what her mother's job really entails. Let's just say....EWWWWW

But, let's really cut through the fog and talk about the real Twylla. She genuinely cares about her little sister Maryl, so much so that she made sure that money and food was sent back to her. She became friendly with the alchemist son, only to watch him die by her own hand for treason. She is supposed to be betrothed to Prince Merek, but he's been away for the past 2 years in another land. She has no friends. Her guards and everyone else at the castle, are scared to death of touching her, and the one guard who has stood by her the longest, isn't around all that much thanks to a diabolical ploy.

So, like other reviewers, I waited for Twylla to start asking questions instead of taking everything she was told by the Evil Queen with a grain of salt. I do believe had she done so earlier, it would have saved her a whole lot of pain and heart break. You might be asking yourself, well, does Twylla experience any character growth? I would be hard pressed to say no, but we shall see if she really does make a choice to leave her life behind. We shall see if she truly does choose her own destiny, and not one set by someone else.

I realize that my festering hatred for love triangles is a bit on the strange side. But, in this case, I can't abide by those who cheat when supposedly intent on marrying someone else. It is hard for me to fully go negative over Twylla and Lief's romantic interlude, until I was slapped in the face and made to understand that nothing is what it seems. Think about what I've already talked about and the fact that Twylla truly is a pawn in a much larger game. So, if someone showed an inch of interest in your well being, what would you do? Who do you choose? A callous liar, or a broken Prince whose family is an absolute mess?

I have do have feelings and thoughts about THAT ending but won't spoil it for anyone. For the most part, I didn't see where Twylla was all that special. You may not like the Queen or her actions, but you have to admit that at least she sticks to her diabolical ways right until the very end. I can already guess who is knocking on Twylla's door at the end of the book. If you've read this book already, can't you?

**I received this book for free from (Scholastic Press) via (Edelweiss) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**