Melinda SalisburyRezensionen

I selected this story at random while showing someone how an audiobook is downloaded onto a phone. It was a little dark, with the female protagonist being made to kill allegedly treasonous subjects at the Queens whim, with a few gruesome deaths sprinkled about, but it was a creative story.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Her Dark Wings

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

When Corey finds out the two people closest to her have deceived her, it begins a slow-winding spiral she can’t escape. And when one of them passes away, Corey is torn between feeling glad they are gone and guilty over the feeling itself. Corey’s journey of discovery will take her into the realm of Hades as she comes to terms with her feelings and discovers what she truly desires.

Her Dark Wings creates a modern day society based around Greek mythology. Melinda Salisbury has carefully incorporated beliefs and culture into the island’s people, laying the foundations of Corey’s tale. When Corey is whisked away to the underworld, the imagery paints a vivid picture for readers to become immersed in. Her new surroundings force Corey to face the bitter truths.

The themes surrounding forgiveness and overcoming betrayal create an emotionally packed story. Corey is the type of character to form bonds quickly when shown kindness, even if there are red flags. This leads to a building of tension among the characters as Corey discovers their true intentions. And even though she understands the godly being she befriends cannot relate to her human life, she wants to connect with them on an emotional level. Corey's need for companionship will lead her down darker roads. Ones that threaten to change who she is at her very core.

Her Dark Wings is a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone with all the young adult emotion one could hope for. And while one of the catalysts of the story is a relationship gone wrong, the writing focuses on Corey's recovery and ability to move forward. The story isn’t afraid to explore the darker parts of our personalities, and the struggle it can be to forgive. This is a great entry into mythology retellings.

CW: gun violence, death of mother (suspect was father), brutal death

Well now that I have regained my composure I can write a review.

I don't think the following section is too much of a spoiler but I will hide it anyway because I went in blind and that served me well. I think it is best to resist if you have any intention of reading this YA mystery horror book. The movie 'The Descent' scared the living daylights out of me. Maybe I am a bit traumatised by that movie because it gave me nightmares. I screamed so many times as the dark underground and it's cave dwelling carnivores terrified me. Welcome to the book version of that particular nightmare. No it doesn't have big jump scares, but the atmosphere and pacing had the hairs on my arms standing up. The story starts out pretty calmly as we get to know about Alva and her difficult life. What a cracker opening line too, “Here are the rules of living with a murderer." As mentioned in the blurb, dark forces begin to stir in the township where Alva and her father are outcasts.

Sorry, I think I have to stop here. I want to type so much more but I can't because the story just unfolds in such a beautifully menacing way and I think it is better to go in blind. Argh! I should say that it isn't too scary. I was just so invested in Alva that everything felt much more frightening if you know what I mean. Probably an unhelpful review, but I gotta say I enjoyed every gorgeous horrific moment of this book, even when it broke me in two.

It also says this is the third in a series. From the blurb of the other 2 books I can't make any connection to this novel. It was completely readable as a stand alone.

This novel is a 2022 Lone Star selection.

Horror remains my least favorite genre. I think the students here will absolutely love it! It has been checked out many times even before being recognized as a Lone Star novel, so I was very excited to read this popular novel. I had a terrible timer getting into it. As I discovered the mystery was one of horror, I understood why.

Alva lives with a murderer and has four rules for how to survive. Her father takes care of the loch (lake), making sure the water level doesn't fall below a certain level. The town mill has been using too much water, making the loch levels dramatically lessen. Only the Neomhfhuil (keeper of the loch) knows the importance of the water level. Meanwhile, Alva plans on escaping and living a life free and clear of her father, the murderer. Her friend Ren agrees to help her. On the day she is to leave, nothing goes as planned. Girls her own age go missing and one is found dead. Then, Alva sees something. Is it really what she thinks it is?

Now that Alva knows the truth, she can't leave without helping the townspeople. She is courageous, capable, and does not suffer fools. As the water drops and life become dire, Alva knows how to make it all stop. The question is, will it cost her everything?

7 years ago, Alva’s world was shattered by murder. Ever since, she has lived in fear. Now, Alva has a plan for escape. She’s ready to start a new life. But nothing about Alva’s life is quite as it seems…

Hold Back The Tide snared me with Melinda Salisbury’s clean, crisp prose and careful choice of imagery and kept me on edge with expertly controlled tension. It goes all-in on the question of whether the true monsters are men or gods, with self-interest and abuses of power just as large a threat as the hungry creatures in the night (content warning: there is a scene that does not end in sexual assault, but is likely to hit the button for anyone sensitive in this area).

A story of long held secrets and monsters as a group of misunderstood outsiders face the terrors of their neighbours and the past. Engrossing, spooky, beautifully written, tugging at the heart strings - one of my top ten reads of 2020.

Full review

"2 1/2 stars"
It had a lot of good ideas, but the execution of these ideas was slightly lacking. Overall it was enjoyable, so I will more than likely be picking up the second one.

What do you do when you believe you live with a killer...and he's your father. Even more frightening, the victim was your mother and you were in the next room. This is life for Alva. She lives with her dour and scary father who is the watcher for a loch where the local mill is drawing so much water that the level drops daily. Add in an evil and grandiose mill owner, villagers who shun Alva, and an outcast boy who has strong feelings for her. Mix in ancient secrets, Alva's plan to escape to a new life and events leading to a gut-punch of an ending and you have one heck of a read. I was particularly impressed with the way many of the characters were depicted.

Interesting YA, with some pretty good twists. I'm looking forward to the second book.

So I didn't so much finish this as just stop listening about halfway through, but I'm not reading any more so we'll call it here. The audiobook reader is wonderful, and the world is definitely interesting. The story moves a bit slowly for my taste, but I think the premise is curious enough that it could work for some of our teen readers.

This was not what I expected. Less fantasy, more an exploration of choice and manipulation with an odd note of fairytale thrown in. The ending was ... ambiguous.

I really, really enjoyed this - what a creative and fun idea to let seven authors work on one story! I loved following these characters throughout the years and felt like every one got their moment to shine.

In some ways, this is a melodramatic love-triangle princess tale. In other ways, this is a tense and sinuous exploration of self-determination and being your own woman. The worldbuilding seems a little silly in places, but there are many aspects of interest (I particularly liked sin-eating, especially the consideration of how that fit into the power and social dynamics). And I found that in the end everything came back around to serve the story. It's stronger than it looks - much like our heroine, and much like her, when all comes clear and when you think about it, it was that strong all along.

Intense and highly-imaginative start to what seems like an amazing trilogy.

The concept of being a Sin Eater along with the rituals are such great ideas! I loved exploring it.

I also liked how Twylla has been chosen as the future queen and can kill by a single touch! She's been blessed by the Gods, true, but at what cost? The only people able to touch her are the royals.

The world-building is beautiful and immersive. I personally loved the politics and natural resources sides of it. These were well-thought and developed.

Then, Lief, her new personal guard arrives and charms his way into her heart. I've got two things to say about this:

1- It was hella cute! And it's rare I say such a thing as I dislike romance in books (in general, as well)

2- It boarded on a bit too much romance, unfortunately....

But the best part of this book (besides sweet Twylla herself) is the two big plot twists. Damn, IT WAS AWESOME! You'd think one thing about this and that and genuinely not wonder further and... BOOM! Surprises in your face! And heartbreak.

Prepare for a hard heartbreak. But so, so good. Delicious, even. I'm a sucker for angst (even more well-written angst!) in stories.

I only took out a star for the overflowing romance, though I understand how important to the plot it is (and it's lovely, too).

Do yourself a favor and give this book a try.

I've recently checked out the second one because I NEED TO KNOW THE REST!

I hope you'll like it as much as I do!

Mijn volledige recensie is terug te vinden op:
https://www.linda-linea-recta.nl/de-vergiftigde-gave/

Het duurde even eer het verhaal echt tempo kreeg, dit heeft vooral te maken met het feit dat dit deel een is van een trilogie, en je daardoor veel informatie te verwerken krijgt. Hoewel ik mij in het begin aan Twylla ergerde, ik vond dat ze klakkeloos deed wat de koningin wilde en alles maar gelaten over zich heen liet komen, werd dit gaandeweg minder. Zeker omdat ik mij besefte hoe jong ze was, en gezien haar ontwikkeling die ze heeft doorgemaakt in het boek
Ik vind het een heerlijk boek en kan niet wachten om met De Slapende Prins, deel twee van deze serie, te gaan lezen.

I also liked how Twylla has been chosen as the future queen and can kill by a single touch! She's been blessed by the Gods, true, but at what cost? The only people able to touch her are the royals.

The world-building is beautiful and immersive. I personally loved the politics and natural resources sides of it. These were well-thought and developed.

Then, Lief, her new personal guard arrives and charms his way into her heart. I've got two things to say about this:

1- It was hella cute! And it's rare I say such a thing as I dislike romance in books (in general, as well)

2- It boarded on a bit too much romance, unfortunately....

But the best part of this book (besides sweet Twylla herself) is the two big plot twists. Damn, IT WAS AWESOME! You'd think one thing about this and that and genuinely not wonder further and... BOOM! Surprises in your face! And heartbreak.

Prepare for a hard heartbreak. But so, so good. Delicious, even. I'm a sucker for angst (even more well-written angst!) in stories.

I only took out a star for the overflowing romance, though I understand how important to the plot it is (and it's lovely, too).

Do yourself a favor and give this book a try.

I've recently checked out the second one because I NEED TO KNOW THE REST!

I hope you'll like it as much as I do!

Hmm... This book reminds me of Chex mix. You like the majority of the bag but the nasty crackers seem plentiful.

There are some really interesting parts, good bits of detail, and some nice plot-twists in the narrative but the second half of the story became confusing and dragged a bit.

I enjoyed Silas a lot *virtual thumbs-up* On the other hand, Errin was boring. I think she acts like the average human being would in her position, but she just didn't have any gripping/amazing moments.

[Now, I've haven't read the 1st book and have no desire to do so, but I'm interested in reading the third book though. With no previous knowledge, I was able to follow along in the story well.]

Read more of my reviews at my Wordpress blog, here

3.5/5 stars. Twylla was the Sin Eater's Daughter. Then she was the avatar of a god and the fiancee of a prince. Her very touch is poison to everyone except the royal family, her duty is to execute traitors. She's isolated and lonely, keeping even her personal guards at a distance, and she lives in a court where cruelty and harm are ways of life. When her fiance returns she's afraid that to marry him will be like marrying his mother, the Queen who thinks nothing of killing those who displease or irritate her. She's also becoming involved with a guard who is working hard to convince her that her touch won't kill. This is a book of identities and betrayals, of despair and hope, and it was great.½

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? 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

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. 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.

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:

A fun YA fantasy read with a few interesting twists. The narrator is a teen girl who is believed to be the embodiment of a godless - one with the ability to kill with a single touch. Only the royal family is safe from her touch, which places Twylla in a precarious position in the royal court. This book has a slow start, but the story definitely picks up about mid-way through and the author set everything up nicely for a sequel. Fun reading!

What started as a truly inspired fantasy world-builder quickly deteriorated into a predictable and wholly unoriginal love triangle. It seems that novels starring a female protagonist are wholly incapable of doing without a love interest let alone a love triangle. It became stale and formulaic fairly quickly. I'm just extremely grateful that it didn't fall victim to the fantasy-sin of the obligatory trilogy.½

The Sin Eater’s Daughter (The Sin Eater’s Daughter #1) by Melinda Salisbury is a wonderful story that I stayed up all night to read. I enjoyed this read and it was different and fresh fantasy. It was slow in parts but the plot, characters, and world building was great. Great suspense, twists, and a touch of romance along with this strange world. I got this book from the library.

Plot: sixteen-year-old Twylla has lived in the castle of Lormere, the goddess-embodied, whose touch can poison and kill, and hence the Queen's executioner--but when Prince Merek, her betrothed, who is immune to her touch returns to the kingdom she finds herself caught up in palace intrigues, unsure if she can trust him or the bodyguard who claims to love her.
Conflict: Twylla’s love for as oppose to her betrothal to Merek; questions of her power and how it is used
Review: There’s a big reveal I didn’t see coming and one that is presented too early in the story; it takes the energy out of the story; I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. It felt weak and somewhat abruptly.
Recommend: yes

If I had to use one word to describe the plot, "convenient" would be that word.

(more to come).

When I first saw this book on the new release lists, I thought it sounded kind of like Throne of Glass and Shatter Me. Cool, right? I mean, this girl is living in a castle and she executes people who commit treason against the crown by touching them with her skin. She is blessed by the gods and can let this poison called Morningsbane flow through her without harming her but in return it will kill anyone she touches. Sounds really legit, right?

Yeah, no. I've tried to read this book twice now, but the first time I picked it up I was so bored in the first 30 pages that I couldn't read anymore. I finally had a chance today to sit down uninterrupted and trug through it. Man, it was boring. The concept is SO cool, but the delivery falls short. Basically, Twylla lives in solitude because she can kill people with her skin but she is betrothed to the prince (who she never sees or hangs out with, btw) who is also magically immune to her touch. Everything is going as planned for like four years until Twylla falls in love with her Hotty McSteamy, Lief, guard who pretty much rocks her world and leaves her questioning everything she has ever known. Oh, by the way, the good stuff and the action don't even start happening until like page 170. You also keep hearing about how Twylla is the Sin Eater's Daughter and every time the sin eating is described it literally made my stomach churn. No one wants to read about someone eating food off of a coffin in hopes of cleansing your soul so you can make it to the afterlife. So gross.

Twylla as a character is painfully boring too. She accepts everything that anyone tells her without questioning it all while sulking in her tower about how sad her life is. When Lief walks into her life, she accepts her arms (and legs) wide open because she is just so desperate for someone's attention. Seriously, the last sentence of the book is "Who will save me?" Girlfriend, you need to take a lesson from Calaena from Throne of Glass and Juliette from Shatter Me and learn how to save yourself! If you life is so awful, then do something to change it. Don't be a brat and threaten to touch your servants to kill them if they don't give you a second helping of cake but do NOTHING about the state of your life. If everyone is so scared of you then you should start dropping bombs and own it! GAH SO FRUSTRATING.

I really hope that there isn't a sequel to this book because it was so painfully mediocre that I hope the publisher picks up some awesome indie author who actually has a decent book and prints that instead. This is definitely not one to waste your time on. SO MAD I WASTED THREE HOURS OF MY LIFE ON THIS.



FULL REVIEW AND MORE:
http://southernbredsouthernread.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-sin-eaters-daughter-by-...
http://southernbredsouthernread.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-sin-eaters-daughter-by-...
http://southernbredsouthernread.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-sin-eaters-daughter-by-...