This spellbinding sequel toThe Sin Eater’s Daughter heralds a welcome return to Salisbury’s rich realm of fantastical fiction.
“It’s hard to remain on the side of reason when a five-hundred-year-old fairy tale comes to life and lays waste to the castle and the people in the country next door,” remarks Errin, the novel’s narrator, when the merciless Sleeping Prince awakens and launches an attack with his army of alchemical golems. When a state of war is declared and with a sick mother to support, resourceful Errin puts her apothecary training to use by selling illegal herbs. That’s how she befriends Silas, a young man who buys her deadliest poisons. On seeing her mother’s condition, Silas gives Errin a mysterious elixir that eases her symptoms. After Errin learns what this powerful potion is, and what he is, Silas offers to escort them to a place of refuge, but he vanishes, forcing Errin to face the perils of the warring kingdom without him.
With plenty of high-octane action to keep the plot galloping apace, and a host of high-stake dilemmas, this all-round epic will be wolfed-down by fans of fantasy and fairy tale. ~ Joanne Owen
Return to the darkly beautiful world of The Sin Eater's Daughter with a sequel that will leave you awed, terrified ...and desperate for more. Ever since her brother Lief disappeared, Errin's life has gone from bad to worse. Not only must she care for her sick mother, she has to scrape together rent money by selling illegal herbal cures. But none of that compares to the threat of the vengeful Sleeping Prince whom the Queen just awoke from his enchanted sleep. When her village is evacuated as part of the war against the Sleeping Prince, Errin is left desperate and homeless. The only person she can turn to is the mysterious Silas, a young man who buys deadly poisons from Errin, but won't reveal why he needs them. Silas promises to help Errin, but when he vanishes, Errin must journey across a kingdom on the brink of war to seek another way to save her mother and herself. But what she finds splits the world as she knows it apart, and with the Sleeping Prince drawing nearer, Errin must make a heartbreaking choice that could affect the whole kingdom...
Melinda Salisbury is the thrice Carnegie-nominated and bestselling author of multiple young adult novels, including the Sin Eater’s Daughter series, the State of Sorrow duology, and Hold Back the Tide. She has been nominated and shortlisted for multiple national and international awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the YA Book Prize, and more.