Description From Amazon
Bowen is an orphaned child in feudal England whose first appearance in this novel is having been bound hands and feet and whipped mercilessly by the monks in a monastery in an excess of bloodlust. He’s realistically of an indeterminate age but no more than about seven years old and the monks are very sadistic. He’s punished repeatedly for any number of minor and inconsequential infractions.
Bowen’s father and mother and sister are dead. His sister was the victim of a brutal rape in which she became pregnant and died shortly after giving birth though she had been returned to her parents’ home in a beaten and catatonic state. His father drowned and his mother burned to death in the family home.
Aaron is a minister in present day Midwest America who takes a short sabbatical after he has a fainting episode while experiencing the marks of the stigmata immediately preceding a sermon that he’s supposed to deliver about Faith Unending, a concept with which he’s struggling himself.
Lucian is a severely autistic child in the present day who’s found homeless and taken to a mental health center after a fire in an abandoned building in which he’s sleeping. He’s horribly scarred and disfigured and bears a striking resemblance to Bowen and Aaron. He takes a liking of a sort to Aaron, who has eyes of the same amethyst color as his. He also bears a mark on his chest which looks like a brand and is the mark of the Celtic war god Rudianos.
Lucian has a horrible aversion to religious symbols, only speaks Welsh and then only in riddles and in a cold, hateful voice not like a child, “The guardian lives. The gate has been opened. The sins of the father borne upon the son. Vengeance thirsts for blood. The sacrifice must be made.” He also tends to say, “Bless the child, save the child.” All this starts to make sense, along with the rash of fires that follows Lucian wherever he goes when Aaron finds out that Bowen and Lucian are the same person.
A minister losing touch with his faith…
A severely autistic child with no past, no present and no real future…
An evil older than time itself…
When the boy Lucian is thrown into Aaron’s life with nowhere else to go all hell breaks loose and Aaron confronts things he never actually imagined could really exist in an effort to save one small, tortured child.
Review
Overall Feedback: To be fair from the start again I will state that this is a book written by my wife and my review may be skewed by this. For this reason I will take away one star from the start so it will be an even playing field.
On to the review…
After her first novel “Birthright” I knew I would be in for a good read and that overall I would enjoy the experience. I however had not expected to enjoy myself as much as I did. As all married couples know, we must be supportive of our spouse and the excursions into what makes them happy. I thought I would do just that and give the token husband “I Love It” speech and that would be that. “Birthright” has not been edited so RJ’s penchant for the overuse of words in her storytelling shined through unimpeded. This time though she went for broke and has had “Sins of the Father” edited and a professional cover created to reflect her growth in both her craft and her understanding of how to publish credible work. I was intrigued by the story and how it transformed throughout the pages. I was taken back when all the small details left in the pages became important in the end. To accurately sum it up, this is RJ’s “here I am” and “I have learned to better my writing” book and I am sure others will agree. I still believe she has more to give and I can only say that it can only get better when the author is still striving to learn more about their craft. Sins delivered far above my expectations of what RJ may have been capable of in writing even before it was edited. She took the reviews from “Birthright” and used that criticism to better her own skills instead of whining and pouting and then quitting. Now after reading the edited version of Sins I would have to say that she is serious about her chosen career and she is doing what she can to be the best. Sins is a great possibility to be her breakout work and I hope it does just that for her. Not because I am her husband but because I am an avid reader (300 books last year) and this has got to be the best I have read since “Indie Chicks”. After reading this book I was actually excited to talk to the author, in person, about what they wrote. I can not believe it but when I look back I was so acting like a fan. So go ahead and at least sample the book. After the sample (50 percent) I am sure you will agree.
Point of View: The story is third person from Bowen/Lucian’s mind.
Voice: In each story we find ourselves relating to the characters in our own way but I really feel that RJ was telling us a little about her feelings as a child in this one. It is only up to us to read between the lines.
Character Development: You find yourself trying to protect Bowen/Lucian through your minds eye and trying to shake Aaron loose from his lost faith. Lena starts off brusk but ends up as your favorite busy body.
Plot: There are things in this universe that defy explanation so this could be true or it could be myth but you will follow along with a dry mouth and panic in your heart for the black is always there.
Dialogue: Seeing that this takes place in the “Midwest” I would have to say the dialogue was spot on for the present day characters. The Welsh dialogue was intriguing to see included as was seeing the author jump back in time and still manage to keep up with the dialogue used.
Pacing: If you are looking for a coffee table read, move on, if not then pull up a comfy chair, blanket and good drink because you will not want to put it down.
Setting: RJ was able to move in and out of past and present settings without disturbing the story. She also was able to keep the descriptions concise but leave room for the reader to imagine where they were without being handheld there.
Continuity: No issues here. RJ was able to lead the reader along and give tidbits here and there but not give away the entire plot. She then ties everything off in the end superbly. The reader will have a moment of “wow” that was why they said this or did this and that is where that came from or that is why that happened. Impressive to the last period.
Where to Find
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon DE
Smashwords
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