Let me start by saying that the setting in this book is top-notch. The way the characters talk took a little getting used to, but that adds to the immersion. Though that makes it all the more strange when a new character shows up partway through the book and talks like a KJV Bible. And stranger still that the other characters seem to have no trouble understanding him.

The story that revolves more directly around Cadi and the sin eater is what I liked most about the book. Her quest to be absolved of her sins and his desire to better understand his role are heartbreaking, yet allow for maximum hopefulness as the story unfolds. I’ll admit I didn’t care for the way the preacher’s storyline plays out though. The book overall feels really allegorical, with a character that is clearly not “real” in the strictest sense of the word and the instantaneous way that the characters know entire passages of the Bible by heart. Not that I’m against an allegory, but there was one particular element in the story that it would have been really nice to get even a partial explanation for that was completely left unaddressed. Overall, though, this was an engaging read, and I think most fans of historical Christian fiction, especially those with a missions-type storyline, would like it. ( )

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“And as the first thread in the tapestry loosened and came undone, the dragon awakened.”

Set in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1800s, immigrants from Scotland and Wales followed a custom in which a man was chosen by lottery to “eat” the sins of those who have passed on, so that they can enter heaven cleansed and pure. He was scorned and isolated for fear that some of the multitude of sins that he carried would spill over and taint anyone who touched or even looked at him.

Cadi Forbes is only ten years old, but the weight of guilt and sin that lies on her shoulders is more than she can bear. In desperation, she seeks out the sin eater and asks him to remove her sins now so she does not have to live with them for the rest of her life. The favour he asks in return will lead to the transformation of not only Cadi, but her entire valley as its decades of secrets are brought to light, and they discover the truth about the only One who is able to forgive sins. ( )

Absolutely a great book. A fascinating read about an old Scottish tradition involving a sineater after someone dies. The pagans believed this would absolve a dead person of their sins and then they would be saved. Set in the 1850's in the Appalachian mountains, this story is riveting. Rivers tells the Gospel story during this novel but it is told in such an interesting manor and that makes it a great novel. ( )