The Sin Eater's Daughter

Starred review from December 1, 2014
This dark fantasy, Salisbury’s debut, transports readers to a kingdom ruled by a terrifying mad queen, the product of generations of incest, who has her enemies hunted down and torn apart by hounds. Seventeen-year-old Twylla, the prince’s betrothed and the human embodiment of the daughter of the gods, endures her duties at court—which include executing traitors with a mere touch of her poisonous skin—in hopes that money sent home will better her younger sister’s life. Though the clear-sighted prince hopes to enlist her as an ally against his cruel mother, Twylla begins to fall for her fearless and skeptical new guard, Lief, who reveals a shocking twist about Twylla’s position. In a triumph of characterization, Salisbury makes the path of duty represented by the prince and that of passion represented by Lief equally compelling. In addition to creating vivid and varied characters, Salisbury has a talent for worldbuilding, populating her world with shiver-inducing legends, original customs, and political and religious debates. First in a trilogy, this novel leaves many questions unresolved, but the open ending is nonetheless satisfying. Ages 14–up. Agent: Claire Wilson, Rogers, Coleridge & White.