TL;DR MC is betrothed to the prince and is also the kingdom's executioner
(finished 9/9/15)
So with this past trip to the library, I noted where each book was on my TBR before I switched it over to my currently-reading shelf. The Sin Eater's Daughter was #1146, which, out of a current 1500-something TBRs, is a fairly recent add. Apparently I added it back in November. (Wait, that's close to a year ago. Holy crap.)
I probably should've checked whether or not The Sin Eater's Daughter was a standalone before I started reading it. Goodreads lists it like it's the first book in a series, but there are no other books listed, which is kind of deceptive. (Of no fault of their own; I'm pretty sure anybody can tweak the information that shows up.) Anyway, my point is that I was expecting more story. I started suspecting it was a standalone at about the 75% mark. It's actually a really good standalone, especially considering how much worldbuilding was necessary, and I'm not sure I would continue with the story even if there was more, anyway.
First up: worldbuilding. I actually really appreciated everything that went into setting the story for The Sin Eater's Daughter. Stuff like what a Sin Eater is or the history of their country. It did really well with establishing everything that needed to be known and laying the groundwork for reveals that would come later without being overbearing. I enjoyed that the Sleeping Prince story introduced towards the beginning was elaborated on later on, but I feel like it didn't really get too much justice.
The characters were pretty standard. They were all interesting, and I didn't hate any of them, but I don't really have anything to gush about. (Honestly, though, my recent reading streak has made me really appreciate any characters I don't want to kill.)
The romance was kind of strange, to say the least. Like, not strange, but it's definitely not a standard kind of YA romance, and I appreciate that fact. The romance worked well with the plot and didn't detract from it at all (considering it was half the plot). I appreciate the fact that I haven't read something like it before. I didn't quite enjoy how touchy-feely Twylla and Lief got with each other, but that's just me. It wasn't really bad or anything. #ace problems
The plot twists, though. Those were really good. They felt kind of rushed, but I guess that's also because it's a standalone and everything had to be established before you could turn around and say "lol nope you were wrong". Especially the last 25% or so. There was a lot going on. They were all really good, though. I didn't see any of them coming. (Maybe I'm just oblivious. I don't know.)
I honestly wasn't all that happy with the ending, which was mainly the reason I said I wouldn't continue reading the series even if there was more to it. One thing I can say about Twylla is that I wished she'd have been more decisive, and while I can appreciate that she finally made a decision by the epilogue, it wasn't the one I was hoping she'd make. I honestly don't really get why she made the decision she did. I was content with the epilogue up until the last two sentences or so, and then I was disappointed in her.
TL;DR it's a pretty solid story. Not exceptional, imo, but I enjoyed it. I'm open to reading other books by Melinda Salisbury based on the plot and narration style. And the characters that don't make me want to throw the book. Those are always a plus.
First up: worldbuilding. I actually really appreciated everything that went into setting the story for The Sin Eater's Daughter. Stuff like what a Sin Eater is or the history of their country. It did really well with establishing everything that needed to be known and laying the groundwork for reveals that would come later without being overbearing. I enjoyed that the Sleeping Prince story introduced towards the beginning was elaborated on later on, but I feel like it didn't really get too much justice.
The characters were pretty standard. They were all interesting, and I didn't hate any of them, but I don't really have anything to gush about. (Honestly, though, my recent reading streak has made me really appreciate any characters I don't want to kill.)
The romance was kind of strange, to say the least. Like, not strange, but it's definitely not a standard kind of YA romance, and I appreciate that fact. The romance worked well with the plot and didn't detract from it at all (considering it was half the plot). I appreciate the fact that I haven't read something like it before. I didn't quite enjoy how touchy-feely Twylla and Lief got with each other, but that's just me. It wasn't really bad or anything. #ace problems
The plot twists, though. Those were really good. They felt kind of rushed, but I guess that's also because it's a standalone and everything had to be established before you could turn around and say "lol nope you were wrong". Especially the last 25% or so. There was a lot going on. They were all really good, though. I didn't see any of them coming. (Maybe I'm just oblivious. I don't know.)
I honestly wasn't all that happy with the ending, which was mainly the reason I said I wouldn't continue reading the series even if there was more to it. One thing I can say about Twylla is that I wished she'd have been more decisive, and while I can appreciate that she finally made a decision by the epilogue, it wasn't the one I was hoping she'd make. I honestly don't really get why she made the decision she did. I was content with the epilogue up until the last two sentences or so, and then I was disappointed in her.
TL;DR it's a pretty solid story. Not exceptional, imo, but I enjoyed it. I'm open to reading other books by Melinda Salisbury based on the plot and narration style. And the characters that don't make me want to throw the book. Those are always a plus.
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