I was really excited to read this because the cover is stunning and the premise reminded me of Shatter Me, what with the heroine being able to kill with a single touch and all. Upon finishing The Sin Eater's Daughter, though, I have a lot of meh feelings towards it. 
 Warning: This review will contain spoilers for the entire book. 
 The Bad: 
 - The first half of The Sin Eater's daughter is slooooooow. Like, it's the definition of slow. The way the world-building was described made me feel as though I was reading a textbook. None of it is eased in as the story progresses, it's just laid out for the reader to immediately take in. I seriously considered DNFing it a few times, but I did that already recently and I don't really want to get in the habit of doing it consistently. 
 - I kind of wish the plot had more to do with actual sin eating, but no. I was confused for most of the book about what sin eating actually is, come to find out that it's just that: actually eating food on the coffin of the deceased. 
 - I could not stand Twylla. She's an extremely passive protagonist; she's one of those people who will sit and cry and complain about something but not actually do a thing about it. She lets everyone else make decisions for her and she has the personality of a cardboard box. 
 - The romance is filled with insta-love. Admittedly, I did not hate Lief as a character, but I didn't love him either. He was just kind of there. I think I only liked him because he forced Twylla to actually do something for once in her life; break the rules, be a person with thoughts. His relationship with her made her more of a bearable heroine, and that's probably part of the reason I enjoyed the second half of the Sin Eater's Daughter much more than the first. 
 - Honestly, none of the characters have any kind of flare. The only one that made me feel much emotion at all was the queen, and that was because she was so despicable. She was remarkably evil, in fact, in a way that will probably cause me to remember her. This is mostly due to the fact that she intended to marry and sleep with her own son in order to keep her crown. Said son is Merek, and though I was pretty indifferent towards him for most of the story, I did pity him when he found out about his mother's plan. Though this book doesn't necessarily contain a love triangle (after all, Twylla was only ever in love with one of them), if I was forced to pick a team, I'd prefer Merek. 
 - The story of the Sleeping Prince is told once somewhere in the middle of the book, and the twist at the end concerning the amulet that summons him from his long sleep was . . . confusing? I feel like it was supposed to be this big plot reveal, but the way it was woven into the story left something to be desired. 
 - I find it weird that a book so heavily focused on the romantic aspect would have such an open ending. Obviously Twylla chose not to marry Merek and moved to her own cottage far away. But did Lief go with her or was she alone? Because at the end it said there was a familiar knock and she went to open the door, so I assume it was to him? Or maybe not? The fact that I don't know for sure is beyond annoying. 
 The Good 
 - Despite what I said about the characters being flat, the writing itself is actually pretty good, and part of the reason I finished the book. 
 - I honestly didn't expect the reveal at the end about how Lief had been in the queen's employ to seduce Twylla, or her intentions towards Merek (despite how early in the story it's said the incest is apparently very common amongst the royal family). 
 Honestly The Sin Eater's Daughter was quite the disappointment, though it did have a few redeeming qualities. I may pick up the sequel at some point in the future. 
 2.5 stars