The Sin Eater's Confession by Ilsa J. Bick - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Carlrhoda Books on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

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My Pre-Reading


So this book... was not at all what I thought it was going to be. I didn't really think it was going to be set entirely in the world as we know it, and I didn't think that the events that occurred were at all what I expected them to be. I knew Jimmy would be dead, but the reasons why completely shocked me. I don't want to give too much away, because I hate when I read a review that spoils a book for me, but this book is probably not going to be what you bargained for. 

That being said, I thought Bick's writing was very well done. I was drawn into the book (even though I wasn't really interested in the story once I got a little ways into it), and I found myself wanting to read until the very end. Most of the time, I forgot that this book was being written as a letter from a soldier in Afghanistan named Ben confessing about his involvement in and knowledge of Jimmy's murder. Most of the time though, I just wanted to go into the book world and punch Ben in the face.

I know it's hard to grow up in a small town that doesn't accept differences, but come on Ben. Do you have to be such a jerk? I really just did not connect with him at all, and I think that's one of the huge reasons I didn't particularly enjoy this book. Also, I felt like there was an unnecessary amount of blood and gore when Jimmy died. I'm not usually one to be squeamish over a book's description, but this was a little much. I don't care what sounds a hammer hitting someone make, or what their body looks like when it starts to decompose a little bit. So, don't read this one if you have a weak stomach.

I'm not really sure I would recommend this book to anyone... Maybe someone who wants to see what it's like to live in a small town full of bigots and closed minded people. I don't know. I just was not really a huge fan. I'm sure there are people out there who would enjoy this... I just don't know who. If the writing hadn't been done well, I probably would not have finished this book. But, since I was able to finish it and actually wanted to, I give this book a 2/5.


--Ashley

The Sin Eater's Confession by Ilsa J. Bick - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received an eARC of this book from Carlrhoda Books on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Sin Eater's Confession
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: 

People in Merit, Wisconsin, always said Jimmy was . . . you know. But people said all sorts of stupid stuff. Nobody really knew anything. Nobody really knew Jimmy. 

I guess you could say I knew Jimmy as well as anyone (which was not very well). I knew what scared him. And I knew he had dreams—even if I didn't understand them. Even if he nearly ruined my life to pursue them.

Jimmy's dead now, and I definitely know that better than anyone. I know about blood and bone and how bodies decompose. I know about shadows and stones and hatchets. I know what a last cry for help sounds like. I know what blood looks like on my own hands. 

What I don't know is if I can trust my own eyes. I don't know who threw the stone. Who swung the hatchet? Who are the shadows? What do the living owe the dead?

Why?: I want to know what Jimmy was... because I certainly do not know! Plus, there's a murder and a mystery, and why was the main character's life almost ruined by a dead kid's dreams? So many questions just from reading the description, and I want to know all of the answers. And I'm also fascinated by the idea of "sin eaters," so I'd like to see how that ties in to everything. Especially since this seems to be set in the present-day and I don't think sin eaters exist in the same sense that they used to.

Expectations: I expect a book that presents a lot of questions right at the beginning and then answers as it progresses. Definitely a murder, so probably quite a bit of violence. I'm thinking this will be a little bit of real-world horror too.

Judging a book by its cover: The cover, to me, screams "Horror." But I don't think it's really a horror book, so I'm not sure if it really fits... Although it's written on an envelope, so the confession part could be a letter or something? I'm not really convinced that I would pick this up in a bookstore or library, so I definitely think the cover could use a little work.


--Ashley