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kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars, actually.
It took me a little while to warm up to the story as I am more used to Urban Fantasy with one POV, this one switches a bit between the main folks. This is your usual UF modern milieu with sorcerors living amongst us...however the interesting bit here is that they are not secret. In the town where the story takes place, there is even a movement to "register" the sorcerers, with a bit of a timely political echo to what's happening in the U.S. right now.
Aria's sin-eating was a new for me. I liked the idea of her easing the transition between life and death for folks, but at times was left with an uneasy understanding of how/why sin eating fit into the overall magic system of the world. Like, if sin eaters are so rare, why does everyone seem so prejudiced against them? And what happens to the majority of folks if they are so rare? (in the book its said sorcerers weighed down by sin become vampires, but there weren't tons of vampires running about) and also apparently they are long-lived but this doesn't seem to impact Aria that much...so I was confused at times.
Once Aria the sin-eater, Harry the possessed PI and Jacob the sorcerer get together to fight an evil murderer that keeps changing names, things got a little easier to both figure out (since we discover some of the differently named bad guys are the same bad guy, and also what exactly is going on with Harry). And the relationships between these three as they figure out what the bad guy is up to certainly was interesting. I think I would liked to have seen more of the evil "vlad" possessing Harry, and also a tad bit more editing in some chapters...i.e. the book tells us one of Harry's possessing ghosts is a former loremaster like three times. I'd read the next one in the series, though, with the hopes that it would be like the second half of this book.
It took me a little while to warm up to the story as I am more used to Urban Fantasy with one POV, this one switches a bit between the main folks. This is your usual UF modern milieu with sorcerors living amongst us...however the interesting bit here is that they are not secret. In the town where the story takes place, there is even a movement to "register" the sorcerers, with a bit of a timely political echo to what's happening in the U.S. right now.
Aria's sin-eating was a new for me. I liked the idea of her easing the transition between life and death for folks, but at times was left with an uneasy understanding of how/why sin eating fit into the overall magic system of the world. Like, if sin eaters are so rare, why does everyone seem so prejudiced against them? And what happens to the majority of folks if they are so rare? (in the book its said sorcerers weighed down by sin become vampires, but there weren't tons of vampires running about) and also apparently they are long-lived but this doesn't seem to impact Aria that much...so I was confused at times.
Once Aria the sin-eater, Harry the possessed PI and Jacob the sorcerer get together to fight an evil murderer that keeps changing names, things got a little easier to both figure out (since we discover some of the differently named bad guys are the same bad guy, and also what exactly is going on with Harry). And the relationships between these three as they figure out what the bad guy is up to certainly was interesting. I think I would liked to have seen more of the evil "vlad" possessing Harry, and also a tad bit more editing in some chapters...i.e. the book tells us one of Harry's possessing ghosts is a former loremaster like three times. I'd read the next one in the series, though, with the hopes that it would be like the second half of this book.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
4.0
I'm always on the lookout for a good Urban Fantasy series and was quite impressed with Sin Eater. As with most books in the genre, we get wizards, vampires, and a bit of telepathy. What sets this one apart, and is a unique and interesting idea, is the sin eater angle.
The writing style and opening scene quickly drew me in and the fast pace and twists kept me turning pages. Aria is a strong, likable character that you genuinely want to root for. In fact, the book is full of great characters - some likable, some not so much (kind of the point, right?). I really liked Harry and his cast of characters, and I look forward to seeing more of him in future books.
I also like that the current conflict is resolved by the end of the book. There are, of course, still unanswered questions and more trouble on the horizon, but we aren't left with a huge cliffhanger to stew over.
I can't talk about an Urban Fantasy without mentioning world-building, which is excellent in this first in the series. Characters are introduced and developed, and we learn exactly what a sin eater does and why, as well as their place among other supernaturals in the Aria Knight world.
Overall, Sin Eater is a solid start on a promising series and I can easily recommend it to anyone who enjoys Urban Fantasy. I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the Aria Knight Chronicles.
The writing style and opening scene quickly drew me in and the fast pace and twists kept me turning pages. Aria is a strong, likable character that you genuinely want to root for. In fact, the book is full of great characters - some likable, some not so much (kind of the point, right?). I really liked Harry and his cast of characters, and I look forward to seeing more of him in future books.
I also like that the current conflict is resolved by the end of the book. There are, of course, still unanswered questions and more trouble on the horizon, but we aren't left with a huge cliffhanger to stew over.
I can't talk about an Urban Fantasy without mentioning world-building, which is excellent in this first in the series. Characters are introduced and developed, and we learn exactly what a sin eater does and why, as well as their place among other supernaturals in the Aria Knight world.
Overall, Sin Eater is a solid start on a promising series and I can easily recommend it to anyone who enjoys Urban Fantasy. I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the Aria Knight Chronicles.
kasfire's review against another edition
5.0
4.75/5 Stars
Wow. Just wow.
In this novel we follow three characters: Aria, Jacob, and Harry. Aria is a sin eater who wants to find her mother in order to potentially not be a sin eater. Jacob is a wizard working in the Mayor's office trying to avert a war and wizarding registry. Harry is a human hit with a curse that allows spirits (not all of whom are good) to control his body. They are thrust together in unforseen circumstances in what becomes an imaginative supernatural fiction.
It was certainly an interesting concept to have humans and supernatural beings live together in a world where nothing is hidden. I know, it does almost sound like an X-Men type of deal, but it's not. In this novel, wizards and supernatural folk don't try to hide from the outside world, unlike in X-Men where they hide their abilities.
I loved the authors' take on well known supernatural classics. Wizards have factions and not all can cast magic. Some are Loremasters (aka historians), some are mind readers, etc. Plus vampires are born from the souls of witches/wizards who fie without a sin eating ritual. Pretty cool concept in my book.
The characters are imaginative and super dimensional. Each has a complex back story that I believe haven't even been fully developed. But hey, it is the first book in the series!
Overall, as a first read by these authors, I fell in love. I can't wait to read more from each.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review
Wow. Just wow.
In this novel we follow three characters: Aria, Jacob, and Harry. Aria is a sin eater who wants to find her mother in order to potentially not be a sin eater. Jacob is a wizard working in the Mayor's office trying to avert a war and wizarding registry. Harry is a human hit with a curse that allows spirits (not all of whom are good) to control his body. They are thrust together in unforseen circumstances in what becomes an imaginative supernatural fiction.
It was certainly an interesting concept to have humans and supernatural beings live together in a world where nothing is hidden. I know, it does almost sound like an X-Men type of deal, but it's not. In this novel, wizards and supernatural folk don't try to hide from the outside world, unlike in X-Men where they hide their abilities.
I loved the authors' take on well known supernatural classics. Wizards have factions and not all can cast magic. Some are Loremasters (aka historians), some are mind readers, etc. Plus vampires are born from the souls of witches/wizards who fie without a sin eating ritual. Pretty cool concept in my book.
The characters are imaginative and super dimensional. Each has a complex back story that I believe haven't even been fully developed. But hey, it is the first book in the series!
Overall, as a first read by these authors, I fell in love. I can't wait to read more from each.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review
kasfire's review
5.0
4.75/5 Stars
Wow. Just wow.
In this novel we follow three characters: Aria, Jacob, and Harry. Aria is a sin eater who wants to find her mother in order to potentially not be a sin eater. Jacob is a wizard working in the Mayor's office trying to avert a war and wizarding registry. Harry is a human hit with a curse that allows spirits (not all of whom are good) to control his body. They are thrust together in unforseen circumstances in what becomes an imaginative supernatural fiction.
It was certainly an interesting concept to have humans and supernatural beings live together in a world where nothing is hidden. I know, it does almost sound like an X-Men type of deal, but it's not. In this novel, wizards and supernatural folk don't try to hide from the outside world, unlike in X-Men where they hide their abilities.
I loved the authors' take on well known supernatural classics. Wizards have factions and not all can cast magic. Some are Loremasters (aka historians), some are mind readers, etc. Plus vampires are born from the souls of witches/wizards who fie without a sin eating ritual. Pretty cool concept in my book.
The characters are imaginative and super dimensional. Each has a complex back story that I believe haven't even been fully developed. But hey, it is the first book in the series!
Overall, as a first read by these authors, I fell in love. I can't wait to read more from each.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review
Wow. Just wow.
In this novel we follow three characters: Aria, Jacob, and Harry. Aria is a sin eater who wants to find her mother in order to potentially not be a sin eater. Jacob is a wizard working in the Mayor's office trying to avert a war and wizarding registry. Harry is a human hit with a curse that allows spirits (not all of whom are good) to control his body. They are thrust together in unforseen circumstances in what becomes an imaginative supernatural fiction.
It was certainly an interesting concept to have humans and supernatural beings live together in a world where nothing is hidden. I know, it does almost sound like an X-Men type of deal, but it's not. In this novel, wizards and supernatural folk don't try to hide from the outside world, unlike in X-Men where they hide their abilities.
I loved the authors' take on well known supernatural classics. Wizards have factions and not all can cast magic. Some are Loremasters (aka historians), some are mind readers, etc. Plus vampires are born from the souls of witches/wizards who fie without a sin eating ritual. Pretty cool concept in my book.
The characters are imaginative and super dimensional. Each has a complex back story that I believe haven't even been fully developed. But hey, it is the first book in the series!
Overall, as a first read by these authors, I fell in love. I can't wait to read more from each.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review
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