SHEILA MASTERSON
Synopsis:
For centuries, the people of remote Ballybrine have kept the peace with their gods by sacrificing a Red Maiden to ferry souls from the Mother’s realm of the living, through the Dark Wood, to the Wolf’s realm of the dead. Soon it will be Rowan’s turn.
Ripped from her family as a young girl, Rowan Cleary has been forced into a cloistered life learning to please the wolf and wield her spirit-enchanting voice. Though none of the previous maidens have survived their five-year term, Rowan is determined to beat the odds and protect the women who have become family to her.
When a deathly blight breaks out in the Dark Wood, and the acting maiden is murdered, Rowan vows to strike a new bargain with the god of death to ensure her survival. The Wolf has always been someone to fear—even more so now that the townspeople blame him for the blight—but he’s far from the vengeful death god she expects.
To unravel the mystery, Rowan must seduce the Wolf. Soon, the attraction between them grows into a relentless magical force, threatening to shatter the delicate balance between realms and unleash a darkness eager to swallow their world.
Heir of Sin
Content:
Language: Mild and scattered uses of strong language
Violence: Discussion of lashings, attempted sexual assault, threat of rape, murder, themes of religious trauma and emotional abuse. The death of a child is also featured. A vampire-like creature attacks the FMC. The Dark Wood is also dangerous and sentient, resulting in a few actions sequences where the forest is used as a weapon. Death, blood, and some gore are featured.
Sex: Sex is a prominent theme in the book and is included and/or discussed in several scenes. The FMC was raised learning different ways to "please" the Wolf, and part of their magic is connected to sex. The idea of purity is also a prominent theme. There's discussion of past lovers. A female asks a man to take her virginity. The FMC is threatened with rape and sexual assault.
LGBTQ: I don't remember there being any, but there could be a LGBTQ+ side character mentioned
My Review:
Thank you so much to the wonderful author for giving me a free digital ARC!
PROS:
- Rowan and Conor were both great characters, as a couple and on their own.
- Rowan's character growth and development was entertaining and not what I'm used to reading about in similar circumstances the book sets up. Rowan was naïve at times, but not annoyingly so. And she was never complacent, although there were more subtle hints of how her childhood and the world affected her.
- Conor was a true morally grey character, which I appreciated.
- The whole premise of the novel was interesting and unique, I think.
- The role of the Maidens and the incorporation of Little Red Riding Hood were done so well! Fictional religions (good, bad, corrupt, etc—all kinds) are some of my favorite aspects in fantasy, and I loved seeing the idea explored here.
- Love the sentient forest. It's a great trope.
- The writing was nice and easy to read, but there are also some pretty moments (without being distracting). I read it fairly quickly, which is always nice.
- I didn't see some of the plot twists coming, which is always exciting!
- Overall, I loved the way the book ended. One more chapter to bridge the end of the narrative and the start of the epilogue might have been nice, though.
CONS:
- I enjoyed all of it, but the first half was better in my opinion. The original story felt like it got a bit lost toward the end, or maybe some of the build-up should have started earlier?
- Some of the events in the last third felt underdeveloped and—in some cases—random. Scenes that were supposed to be extremely emotional didn't quite have the impact I wanted them too. And that could have been me, but I do feel like some things were rushed to move the story along.
- I liked Conor, but I would have loved a little bit more from him, especially later on. Some of the emotion and connection was lost after Rowan and Conor eventually got together.
- I would have loved a little more from the world-building, but that's one of my usual critiques for most of what I read. I just love learning all these random details about the character's lives and their world.