Book Review: The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury

*** This is the second book in a series. If you have not read The Sin Eater's Daughter, be careful of spoilers. Read that first, it's fantastic. [MY REVIEW] ***

Title: The Sleeping Prince Series: The Sin Eater's Daughter #2 Written by: Melinda Salisbury Published: May 31, 2016 by Scholastic (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Return to the darkly beautiful world of The Sin Eater's Daughter with a sequel that will leave you awed, terrified . . . and desperate for more.  Ever since her brother Lief disappeared, Errin's life has gone from bad to worse. Not only must she care for her sick mother, she has to scrape together rent money by selling illegal herbal cures. But none of that compares to the threat of the vengeful Sleeping Prince whom the Queen just awoke from his enchanted sleep.  When her village is evacuated as part of the war against the Sleeping Prince, Errin is left desperate and homeless. The only person she can turn to is the mysterious Silas, a young man who buys deadly poisons from Errin, but won't reveal why he needs them. Silas promises to help her, but when he vanishes, Errin must journey across a kingdom on the brink of war to seek another way to save her mother and herself. But what she finds shatters everything she believed about her world, and with the Sleeping Prince drawing nearer, Errin must make a heartbreaking choice that could affect the whole kingdom.

I absolutely loved The Sin Eater's Daughter when I read it last winter so I was incredibly excited to read the sequel, The Sleeping Prince. And I was not at all disappointed with this book. It was a fantastic sequel and a brilliant escalation of the plot and world.

For the most part, this book feels like a companion novel. It takes what happened in the first book and the basics of the world and the setting, then builds on that to create something completely different and totally engaging. It takes the readers to a new part of the world and introduces them to new characters. It was definitely interesting to explore Tregallin and learn about the places that were only referenced in the first book. It had ties to The Sin Eater's Daughter but it was something different and even more original. But don't worry, if you are curious about what happened to some of the characters in the first book fear not, you do find out.

But the characters from the first book are not the focus here. Like all good companion series, it introduces the new characters and then pulls them into the story of the originals. I have to say, I was originally a little bummed when I found out that the book wasn't about Twylla, Leif, and Merek but those feelings changed very quickly into the book. On the whole, this is Errin's story and that is perfectly fine. Errin is a very different character from Twylla. She has had a very difficult life and when we first meet her she is doing her best to take care of herself and her mother. She's tough, resourceful, and intelligent. It was easy to get behind Errin and her struggle. The other great character is the mysterious Silas. I loved learning about him and his history throughout the book and I thought I knew who he was and I was totally wrong.

I was also really impressed with the amount of action and adventure in this book. I reread The Sin Eater's Daughter to prepare and I honestly forgot how much exposition and set up there was in that book. In this one however it was totally different. If you thought that The Sin Eater's Daughter was slower in terms of pacing then you will love the pacing of this one. It's much mote exciting along the way with a lot of narrow escapes, big reveals, and some great action towards the end. The stakes are much higher here too. The way that the first book ended set up a lot of what happens in this book so now we can just continue with that excitement so it had more of a traditional fantasy feel to it. The book slowly builds to a fantastic conclusion that had me absolutely reeling and in desperate need of the final book.

But it also had everything that I loved about the first book. So much of that had to do with the world-building of this series and how much it incorporated of mystery, fantasy, and mythology. I loved the way the author created her own mythology in The Sin Eater's Daughter and incorporated that into the plot development and world of the book. This book did that again. Of course we know about the Sleeping Prince, I mean that is the title of this book, but it was more than that. The stories and religion of this world have a big way of affecting things and they lead to some huge reveals in this book. The last 50 pages had me totally shocked more than once. The more of this series I read, the more I become a fan of it.

On the whole, this second installment was a fantastic read in general and a great way to escalate the series and the world. It has fantastic character, a lot of action and adventure, and an engaging world full of mystery and mythology.

I give The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury 9.5 out of 10 

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! If you liked the first book you will not be disappointed by this one and if you are a fan of YA Fantasies, this is a series to check out.

Have you read The Sleeping Prince? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

On Rereads: Fantasies with May Sequels

On Rereads is a monthly feature on My Thoughts Lit where I talk about the books I reread during the month. It's an opportunity to share some new thoughts on a book I read before and usually to prepare for a new release. For the foreseeable future I plan to do one reread a month so I want to share my thoughts on these books the second time around.

I usually try to do a few rereads a month to prepare for upcoming sequels. I had four on my list for May but I honestly only got to half of them. I'm still trying to decide if I want to push the ones I didn't read to June or to just say


The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
(Amazon / Goodreads / Audible / My Review)

I loved this book when I read it last year. I was so impressed by the world, the plot, and especially the characters. I fell helplessly in love with Shazi, adored Khalid, and totally ship them. I was excited for the sequel, The Rose and the Dagger, to come out so I decided to reread this one to refresh my memory.

And boy did I need a refresher. This was, I think, the first book I read that was set in a high fantasy world inspired by the Middle East with magic that slowly came into the book but it wasn't the last. They all tend to blend together after awhile and so I needed to be reminded of the plot of the book. I honestly forgot so much. Well except how amazing Shazi is, that I remembered. And I loved the story again. Even though I knew how it would go, I still felt like the stakes were high and there was a lot of exciting moments.

But that being said, I didn't love the audio for this one. I have such a hard time with certain female narrators and what I assume is the way that they try and create atmosphere. The narrator here was one of the examples of what I don't like. She was just entirely too breathy for me and I even speeding it up didn't help much.

But I am really glad that I reread it. It was a great refresher for the series and I was able to dive right into The Rose and the Dagger knowing what had led to that point.

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
(Amazon / Goodreads / Audible / My Review)

Hilariously, so this is going to be the total opposite of what I said above. Well except for this first point. I absolutely loved this book when I read it originally. I have it 10 stars and it actually pulled me out of a reading slump when I read it last winter. So with the sequel/companion coming out at the end of this month I was excited to reread it.

And yes, I do still like the story but I think this is a case where I should not have reread. For one thing, I remembered a lot of details about this book. It's not a super complex story. The main plot is about the character learning about the way things really are and then there is a bit at the end that will set up future books. One of the things I liked about this book this the first time was the mystery and the big reveals. Not having that here kind of made the story not as exciting.

There is also a lot of world-building. Like a lot, a lot. The first time around I really liked the way that this book combined religion, history, and politics to create a complex and engaging world. But this time I just wanted the plot to kick in. It just felt like a lot of exposition. It may have just been a case of timing. Good timing the first time around and bad timing this time around.

But despite the fact that I did like the audio. I felt like the narration did a good job of setting the tone of the story. There was a lot of mystery and confusion with it and the internal conflict of the characters were evident in their thoughts and manner of speech. If you are reading this for the first time and are a fan of audiobooks I would recommend this one.

Have you read the The Wrath and the Dawn or The Sin Eater's Daughter? Did you reread in preparation for their sequels? Have you done any rereads lately? What books? Do you like doing rereads or not? Tell me why.  Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: The Sin Eaters Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Title: The Sin Eater's Daughter Series: The Sin Eater's Daughter #1 Author: Melinda Salisbury Published: February 24, 2015 by Scholastic (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she's engaged to the prince, Twylla isn't exactly a member of the court. She's the executioner. As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month, she's taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla's fatal touch, avoids her company. But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he's able to look past Twylla's executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla's been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.  However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla's problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

**** I received an advance copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion ****

Lately I have been trying to convince myself that I am not in a reading slump. Nothing has blown me away since mid-December and most of the books I have read have been very "meh" for lack of a better word. But if I was in a reading slump, this beauty snapped me right out of it. The Sin Eater's Daughter is truly brilliant! Melinda Salisbury's writing is both beautiful and impactful. She manages to create a truly unique and captivating world with an engaging plot and characters to populate it. So far this epic Fantasy debut is my favorite book of the year, I loved it!

The world of The Sin Eater's Daughter is deep and complex but far from overwhelming. It is a complicated world full of history and mythology that comes to a head through the course of the novel. Salisbury builds this world expertly with a fantastic show instead of tell style of introducing the reader to everything. We slowly learn about things and our understanding of the world grows with the plot. And what an interesting world that it is. It's dark and ominous. A fact the author accentuates with a grim and haunting tone that both captivates and engages.

I'm the kind of person who likes to figure out the twists and I've become pretty good at solving them. But this one caught me completely off guard. From the character's sudden and inevitable betrayals, to the author's brilliant plotting and subtle clues along the way, it all built to a mind blowing conclusion that left me reeling! I can't remember the last time a book left me this torn up with an ending. I wanted to rip it apart for being so good and so exciting. And it wasn't just because of the cliffhanger.

The plot of this book is far from being fast-paced but it is seriously never dull. At the beginning of the book I would have said that it is more character-driven. I would have said it's a coming-of-age story about a girl learning that the world isn't what she thought it was, it's far more sinister. But that's what they want you to think, and it is so much more. It draws the reader in and takes them on a ride through a fantasy world that is complex and captivating. The lack of thrills in the plot build a more suspenseful sort of story where you're waiting for things to happen because you know something is coming, you don't know what it is but you know it's coming. The exposition worked to build and engages you into the story without you even realizing. And then before you know it, the plot has been kicked into high gear and you're picking your jaw off the floor. The last sixty pages were all kinds of exciting and by then I couldn't put it down.

I also really enjoyed the characters in The Sin Eater's Daughter. The main character of Twylla was incredibly sympathetic and likable. She's not your typical Fantasy heroine, the strong female protagonist. She's more of a reluctant hero, one whose power and prestige is used for other people's gain. She's like Sansa in ASOIAF (who you may know I adore). As the book developed that became more apparent and my feelings of affection for her grew. She's got a fantastic inner strength in the face of adversity and I love that about her. She has great development throughout the novel and I was cheering for her to succeed and find that strength. But there are also a host of complex and odious secondary characters. There was a fantastic and truly sinister antagonist whose true diabolical nature didn't really get revealed until the book's climax. Even the romance here worked for me despite definitely having a love-triangle. But despite the fact that it seemed to obviously lean in the direction of one character, it still worked. It mirrored the character's choices of who she wanted to be and become.

The Sin Eater's Daughter was a truly epic read. For the creative and ominous world, to the unique and intriguing, to the complex and likable characters I loved every second of reading it.

I give The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury 10 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! The Sin Eater's Daughter is a brilliant first book in a new fantasy series by a debut author. It's a must read for fans of Young Adult Fantasy. It had elements of some favorite and amazing fantasy novels like A Song of Ice and Fire, the Grisha trilogy, and The Young Elites, but it was a story all it's own. It was absolutely fantastic and wonderful and you should absolutely read it!

Have you read The Sin Eater's Daughter? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!