Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts. But Taj’s livelihood comes at a terrible cost. When he kills a sin-beast, a tattoo of the beast appears on his skin while the guilt of committing the sin appears on his mind. Most aki are driven mad by the process, but 17-year-old Taj is cocky and desperate to provide for his family.
When Taj is called to eat a sin of a royal, he’s suddenly thrust into the center of a dark conspiracy to destroy Kos. Now Taj must fight to save the princess that he loves – and his own life.
A gritty Nigerian-influenced fantasy.
Review: Holy cow, I loved this book. First off, the characters were fantastic. Taj was an incredible main character and I thought he was depicted quite well as someone who comes from nothing and is suddenly given everything. That transition going from a have-not to a have was very believable. Anzu and Aliya were both great as well. They both give us a bit more insight into life in the palace. Anzu as a servant of sorts, and Aliya as a Mage. There's a moment when Taj says he is the big brother all the aki want to be like and Bo is the more compassionate one. I completely see that, but it made the ending of the book much more impactful. I won't say more than that, but I'm curious to see how decisions that were made in this book impact the next one. Omar, in my opinion, was the weakest character. He is introduced as a timid, new aki but he somehow grows more confident in a day or two? I also wish the book was a little longer and we got to know Zainab a bit more. That was the only thing that bothered me about the characterization. Everything else was quite well done, and all the characters felt unique and necessary.
As for the story, I was hooked from page one. I wish I could have read this in one sitting, but I did end up plowing through it in a day. I thought the world of the aki was fascinating and it really brings to light the idea of sin and the obligation some people feel to take another person's pain and shame. That was heartbreaking. Seeing the aki be used in such a manner was difficult. There is a scene where Taj catches Zainab with, what I assume, is a kind of alcohol. She mentions that it helps with her head after she eats a sin. That is a hard, beautiful truth about people who don't have a healthy way of dealing with their demons. I loved every bit of this book and what people can discuss from it.
Exciting story with interesting characters who have to constantly make difficult decisions.
5 howls
Potential Talking Points:
-Nigerian influence
-Cultural significance of tattoos
-Alcoholism and various kinds of coping mechanisms for dealing with hard times
-Death and grief
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