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breelikescoffee's review against another edition
5.0
Aaaaah! This was so good. For starters I had gotten this book for free at GeekyCon, and the copy I have is an ARC.
Anywho, this is the story about a girl, who's world tries to control her and smother her, and eventually she finds out how to fight back. It's so good, so so so good. This story gives you your heart, tears it away, gives it back, tears it away...you'll be reeling at the end like I am. I can't wait to read the next one!
Anywho, this is the story about a girl, who's world tries to control her and smother her, and eventually she finds out how to fight back. It's so good, so so so good. This story gives you your heart, tears it away, gives it back, tears it away...you'll be reeling at the end like I am. I can't wait to read the next one!
rurouni's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jeannierose80's review against another edition
3.0
Overall I thought this was an interesting read. There were definite shades of Hunger Games in the book but they aren't massive enough to distract. For me what resonated from the book was the idea of blindly following decrees from above and that the most important thing in controlling people is not to tell them the truth but to make them believe what you are saying. Seems quite apt in the real world we live in.
iamhereforthebooks's review against another edition
3.0
This book started out so, so well. I had been warned that it was kind of meh, but totally worth it because of the very awesome second book, so maybe it was because I had low expectations that I loved the first half so much. The whole idea of the Sin Eating and the mythology the author created around Daunen Embodied and the Sleeping Prince was gripping, intriguing and original, and I was totally sucked into the story, even though I saw that twist coming from the first page.
Then the romantic stuff happens, and my interest in the book plummeted :/
For starters both love stories are a huge case of insta-love, and to be honest I hadn't connected with any of the characters (Twylla, Lief or Merek) enough to be invested in their romantic fates at all. The Queen is the most interesting character by far - seriously, the woman is raving mad, but you have to admire her ambition and commitment. The other character that appealed to me was the Sin Eater herself, Twylla's mother. There's something off about her, like maybe there's more to her than the book has let on so far, and I do hope we get to know the whole story in the next books.
So, three stars because the story makes the book good, but it could have been awesome if it wasn't so focused on the romance :(
Then the romantic stuff happens, and my interest in the book plummeted :/
For starters both love stories are a huge case of insta-love, and to be honest I hadn't connected with any of the characters (Twylla, Lief or Merek) enough to be invested in their romantic fates at all. The Queen is the most interesting character by far - seriously, the woman is raving mad, but you have to admire her ambition and commitment. The other character that appealed to me was the Sin Eater herself, Twylla's mother. There's something off about her, like maybe there's more to her than the book has let on so far, and I do hope we get to know the whole story in the next books.
So, three stars because the story makes the book good, but it could have been awesome if it wasn't so focused on the romance :(
rikku_vakarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lein80's review against another edition
4.0
I love the way Melinda Salisbury manages to create a world, an atmosphere. It was what drew me in in her State of Sorrow and what brought me to buy her other books as well, and she did not disappoint. I got the same feeling as with State of Sorrow, which is a very big compliment. I could feel the world, believe it, understand most of the characters and that made for a very compelling read. Something I liked less about this book, was the love story/love triangle (although it's not really a traditional triangle). Most of that problem was, I think, that I couldn't get invested in both men and that diminished the fun in the middle part for me. The twist at the end however, I hadn't seen coming (I love it when that happened) and that made up for a lot! Luckily I have the second book at home already and can start reading it whenever I want!
n3lla's review against another edition
3.0
Brilliant cover, very slow start with much world building, mainly in the form of flashbacks. At first I thought it was gong to be another version of Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me but it's less dystopian. Though the kingdom believes in fairy tales (as does the Twylla, the Sin Eater's daughter), it's not a fantasy. This is going to be one of those books that readers love or hate with few in betweeners. I want to read the sequel - the story itself is intriguing.
lblanke724's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Audiobooksync, I was able to listen to this book! I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It's what I like to call "fantasy light." No fire breathing dragons, but some magic and other realms. Twylla turned out to be a strong character. Yes, she had some growing pains, but she was young and always believed she was doing what was right for her family and her country. I will recommend to my fantasy readers.
alexandra_92's review against another edition
3.0
Review posted on *Milky Way of Books*
This is one of the few times, I am not exactly sure on what to write. Not because I didn't like the book but because there were parts which were WOW and others that were MEH.
So, Twylla lives in a fantasy world in which exist three regions and two of them hold the power. The third one has the form of warring tribes. The description of the geography was a nice one and I wouldn't mind a map on the ebook. I like maps on the books. In "Throne of Glass", "The Remmant Chronicles", even on the "Young Elites" maps offer a good visual of the author's world.
But where the world-building offers some pros on the book, the character development gives the cons.
Twylla has lived in the palace all her life, as the assassin of the Queen, whose touch kills everyone. She lives in a golden cage and despite her POV, in which she both fears and resents the court and the Queen, she actually DOESN'T do anything about it. The Prince is a good for nothing, pawn of the Queen, there is a horrible royal tradition of incest which reminds me a little of "Game of Thrones" and Leif, the guard held the only surprise in the book's ending.
Twylla's life was hard I get it, and she made some really selfish choices which led her to the palace. But she was a kid so in a way she didn't know. I also don't know why but the name "Leif" reminds me of Yelena's brother from the "Poison Study" series but I'll ignore that.
The bonus in the story was the mythology. I adore when the myths about the sun and the moon are used in the books altered or as a whole. With the slight addition of the fairytale about the Pied Piper of Hamelin by the Grimm brothers, this book was a mix of great plot which at the same time failed to deliver good developed characters.
This is one of the few times, I am not exactly sure on what to write. Not because I didn't like the book but because there were parts which were WOW and others that were MEH.
So, Twylla lives in a fantasy world in which exist three regions and two of them hold the power. The third one has the form of warring tribes. The description of the geography was a nice one and I wouldn't mind a map on the ebook. I like maps on the books. In "Throne of Glass", "The Remmant Chronicles", even on the "Young Elites" maps offer a good visual of the author's world.
But where the world-building offers some pros on the book, the character development gives the cons.
Twylla has lived in the palace all her life, as the assassin of the Queen, whose touch kills everyone. She lives in a golden cage and despite her POV, in which she both fears and resents the court and the Queen, she actually DOESN'T do anything about it. The Prince is a good for nothing, pawn of the Queen, there is a horrible royal tradition of incest which reminds me a little of "Game of Thrones" and Leif, the guard held the only surprise in the book's ending.
Twylla's life was hard I get it, and she made some really selfish choices which led her to the palace. But she was a kid so in a way she didn't know. I also don't know why but the name "Leif" reminds me of Yelena's brother from the "Poison Study" series but I'll ignore that.
The bonus in the story was the mythology. I adore when the myths about the sun and the moon are used in the books altered or as a whole. With the slight addition of the fairytale about the Pied Piper of Hamelin by the Grimm brothers, this book was a mix of great plot which at the same time failed to deliver good developed characters.