"He starts up a set of stairs. I follow. My shoulder throbs where the needle stick me, but little giggles break into my breathes. What exactly is a "sin eater" you ask? A sin eater was a person who performed a spiritual ritual of sorts by consuming foods correlated with your sins. By confessing your sins to the sin eater, they then consumed the foods upon your death bed to cleanse your soul. Sounds made up right? In fact sin eaters have been documented throughout history. Whoa! I suppose Jesus dying for our sin just wasn't enough? hmmm... Sin Eater by Megan Campisi is a loosely historical fiction novel that follows, May, a 14 year old orphan who becomes her towns next sin eater after committing a small crime. The story interweaves her acceptance of being a sin eater while trying to solve a Royal mystery. May's character is very endearing. Largely you are left with her internal monologue because once she becomes a sin eater she takes on a vow of silence. The only time she's ever allowed to speak is during the recitations. May's transitions from orphan girl to sin eater apprentice to curse to mystery solver takes the reader on a journey of self discovery. For a 14 year old she certainly has enough spunk and determination that keeps ahold of your attention. Why read this book? Well, honestly is was an overall enjoyable read that had me thinking about the story during my down time. Books that can hold my attention even when not reading standout more than others. I found myself thinking about foods and the sin they could/might represent. It also had me pondering about the way he treatment our homeless communities. Throughout the story May is shunned and treated so poorly because she is "cursed" yet she is supposed to absolve your sins. And as May rightfully pointed out, there were hardly any difference from the rich folks to the poor.
#sineater #megancampisi #bookreview #historicalfiction
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“That’s what a skinwalker is: a mean asshole with a meaner spirit squatting inside.” Tricked (Iron Druid Chronicles #4) by Kevin Hearne This by far was another great read in the Iron Druid Chronicles! I do have to say that although I have enjoyed every book completely, Tricked has been one of my favorites. Tricked (book 4) follows the aftermath of the battle in Asguard against Thor. Due to certain events this causes Atticus to once again be on the run and hide from those who wish to see him dead...again. Coyote, a minor sub character, also becomes a major player in this story due to a deal made between Atticus and him. Of course, Coyote being the trickster that he is, the plan does not go according to plan leaving tons of hair raising scenes where you cannot resist the urge to put the book down. Several elements of this story make it so enjoyable. To start with, and anyone who has read a Kevin Hearne book already knows this, is his writing style makes the story. Completely modern, no censor, "I totally wrote whatever popped into my head style"; its fantastic! Next, I like where the storyline is going with Atticus and apprentice Grunualie. It seems like they are getting ready to really focus on in her training of becoming a new Druid, which as a reader I'm very curious to see more of that. And then there is Oberon, my favorite characters of all! For those who are unfamiliar with the Iron Druid Chronicles, Oberon is talking Irish Wolf Hound who is Atticus favorite companion. The comments that come out of his month, oh man! That's worth reading for alone. Oberon has comments where you are constantly laughing out loud and people around stare at you like your crazy. It's so great! “Granuaile looked terminally depressed when she emerged from the bathroom with raven hair and, as a result rather Goth by accident. She didn't want to get her picture taken. The ending to Tricked was a happy one, but it did not leave you with a giant cliff hanger, which almost felt like a relief. Overall the series will have 9 books total with book 9 being written as we speak! Generally, the books range from 300 to 400 pages, so if you like to binge books, this series is pretty much complete :] Happy reading! Why read this book/series? Talking Irish wolf hound...need I say more? Rating: 5 Stars! Author - BobbiI'm a metalhead who happens to love spongebob and vampires. “Once I figured out what I was going to do with my life, I was definitely going to get a dog. Maybe I’d get a rescue. I liked the idea of an older dog that was already broken in and just needed a loving home. The irony was, that wasn’t too different from how I was feeling about myself.” The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank Published June 11th, 2013 - Goodreads Rating: 3.67 I want to start out by staying that I probably enjoyed this story WAY more than I probably should have. Maybe it was scenes in the therapist office, or maybe it was the idea of the main character, Les, finally gaining her independence and enjoying life the way she wanted. Regardless of the small, random reasons I enjoyed this book, I am absolutely thrilled I picked it up. The Last Original Wife follows, Les, the wife to Wes of 30 years. Written as a point-of-view (POV), the reader has the pleasure (or displeasure in some scenes) of peering into the mind of Both Les and Wes. The story starts with Les attending a therapy session. We learn later in the chapter, she is there as some sort of condition placed upon Wes in an effort to save their marriage. As a therapist in training, I naturally found these scenes in the book to be the most fascinating, as well as the most entertaining. As the reader we have the advantaged of reading not only Les' response to her therapist and the therapists response, but we have the satisfaction of hearing the inner monologue of Les. Some of her reactions to the therapist within her inner monologue we down right hysterical! Hello readers! This weeks quote comes from one of my favorite series, The Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill. If you have not had the pleasure in reading this series you NEDD to pick this up! Currently 13 books in provides the reader a chance to binge read these funny, lighthearted, action packed novels. Oh, and did I mentioned the main character is a female? GIRL POWER!!! But, seriously. I really recommend these books! “There are those among us who have erred, deeply and significantly. Who have wounded the world and broken themselves. The worst of them lose themselves in their errors. The best of them crawl back, one foot at a time, and seek to amend their breaches. That is the way of the brave.” Author - BobbiI'm a metalhead who happens to love spongebob and vampires. “That morning, when Simon, at the end of a long night, had climbed out of the tunnels, he had believed that nothing could ever be the same as it had been before. But he had been wrong. Life was going on, at least for a little while longer.” The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch Published December 10th, 2010 - Goodreads Rating: 3.7 At first I was reluctant to read this mainly based off the fact the cover did not grab my attention right away and neither did the description; however, my mom suggested I read it. The Hangman's Daughter follows the Kuisl family, who are are considered 3rd class citizens due to the disgraceful, yet necessary profession. In the 1600's, each town employed a hangman, who perform executions, provide some medical assistance, and dispose of town garbage. Jakob Kuisl is asked to investigate a murder of a small boy, who the town believes was killed by some type witchcraft. When I started reading the book, I began think, “what on earth did I get myself into?”. This is not my normal genre of books I usually pick up. My expectations for the story were not very high at this point, so I continued to read on to chapter two. The more I read, the more difficult it became to put the book down! I sure judged this book wrongly! The half way point of the this book is really what sold me. There are some big events that occur that transform the story from being slow, to engaging and exciting. Additionally, a love story develops, which for me personally adds a depth to the story that keeps me turning pages. This week's quote is featured from All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda, which is my latest novel chosen for my book club. Coffee and toothpaste, what a heavily combination! He smelled like coffee and toothpaste; starch and leather; professionalism and efficiency. He pulled a steaming Styrofoam cup from behind his back. “Brought you this. For the road.” I inhaled deeply. “The way to my heart.” Author - BobbiI'm a metalhead who happens to love spongebob and vampires. “It was the first time I'd really realized I'd lost my soul and that the beauty of not having a soul was that you couldn't seem to care that you no longer had one.” Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #4) by Maggie Stiefvater Published July 1st, 2014 - 357pg. Goodreads Rating: 3.95 Any fans of “The Wolves of Mercy Falls” series out there!? (aka Shiver, Linger, Forever). I just finished reading “Sinner” by Maggie Stiefvater, and all I can say is that I feel completely satisfied! Cole St. Clair was my favorite character from The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, and I was super excited to hear Stiefvater had written a novel that completely about him...and of course Isabel. Honestly, I thought Isabel was going to be a character that annoyed me, but for some reason she always had some sort of appeal that made you want to like her, even when she was being slight cold hearted. “I can't change the way I'm made. I'm a performer, a singer, a werewolf, a sinner.” "Tana! Aidan said, looking incredibly pleased to see her right up to the moment when she punched him on the face" The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black Published September 13th, 2013 - Goodreads Rating: 3.86 It is really a shame this one is not a series. I would have greatly enjoyed reading this as a series as it had all the elements that make a story I usually enjoy...except it was different! So many of the books I have read tend to blend together because they are similar or have very similar elements, such as a cheesey romance, yet The Coldest Girl in Coldtown gave a new spun on vampires; and it was simply done. I really hope Holly Black decides to revisit this novel as the ending is left in the air. The story could end, and as a reader you can accept the ending for what it is, but there is room to come back. The author ends the story beautifully as she does not try to wrap everything up quickly. The story maintains a flow that the reader can easily follow comfortably. Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave. Probably my favorite aspect of the novel was the beginning of each chapter, which featured a quote by different people revolving around death. While that may sound morbid, each quote was placed perfectly in line with the story since the main character, Tana, battles vampirism throughout the story. Now, I have heard rumors of this story having a sequel, but nothing has been confirmed. Fingers crossed a sequel is written! Rating: 5/5! Do you think a sequel should be written? I would love to hear your thoughts! Author - BobbiI'm a metalhead who happens to loves spongebob and vampires. Mucho gusto book nerds! My name is Samantha and I'm ridiculously excited to join Bobbi in bringing you reviews on books we love or could do without. My tastes in books tends to be a bit eclectic. I love everything from Jane Austen to Neil Gaiman. Author - SamanthaAn over caffeinated feminist who loves dogs and glitter. |
Author - BobbiI'm a metalhead who happens to love spongebob and vampires. Author - SamanthaAn over caffeinated feminist who loves dogs and glitter. Archives |