The Sin Eater's Daughter
by Melinda Salisbury
Gr. 7 and up: 17-year-old Twylla has both a gift and a curse as the embodiment of a goddess on earth: she is worshipped and she can kill men in seconds with the briefest of touches. Twylla’s mother is a Sin Eater, one who eats symbolic foods of the deceased person’s sins at their gravesite; Twylla is set to pursue this path until the Queen of Lormere took her from her home to become the goddess Daunen Embodied. Every month Twylla ingests a poisonous substance that reinforces her position as both the goddess’s personification and the kingdom’s executioner, and every month Twylla becomes more isolated. Her only hope lies with her future marriage to Lormere’s prince, Merek.
Until a new guard joins her service--Lief is different from the others. He does not shrink away as Twylla draws near; he engages in conversation with her and asks questions. As Twylla grows closer to both Merek and Lief, she becomes more aware of how truly trapped she is in her role with the Queen – and how much she will have to sacrifice to break free.
Salisbury’s concept is not new – Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me and Kristin Cashore’s Graceling both have similar protagonists with tactile killing powers – but her luscious world-building and mythology make The Sin Eater’s Daughter a worthy read. Twylla is strong and sensible, making Melinda Salisbury’s novel an easy recommendation for middle grade fantasy readers.
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