Review: Forget sins! I'm going to start collecting this series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 11, 2012
Jessica Fortunato, the author of "The Sin Collector" allowed me the rare opportunity of taking a look at her book. I was completely ready to wade into it. Any opportunity to wade into a book...I am so glad that I began reading this book immediately. It afforded me another rare opportunity. It gave me the opportunity to read one of the best books I've read all year, and I read a lot. "The Sin Collector" is that good! Hell...Good? It was fantastic!Liliana Hayes is a sin collector who has lived for over 100 years, absorbing the sins of those that need absolution for their sins.She has held onto these wrongs for many decades.She has no idea how she came to be or where and whom she comes from (God or the Devil, Heaven or Hell). She cannot get injured or sick, or apparently die. When unusual circumstances cause her to leave everything she has gotten used to, she is plunged into a situation that brings her past back into her present. I hate to be so vague, but I do not want to spoil a book that I thought was one of the most unique books I have read for a while.The author's strong point is her characters. Liliana is a little wise-ass (which I like) but she's also a little world-weary, which I thought was realistic of someone that has been alive for 100 years. There are many times in this book where the fact that she and other collectors cannot be injured, seems to be a foregone conclusion and is used as a joke. I liked this because it shows that weariness that Liliana has at being what and who she is.Another favorite character of mine is Olexander, her mentor from many years ago. That mentor/mentee relationship really shows through. He really seems to care for Liliana and Ms.Fortunato did a great job with these two character (and truly with all of the characters in this novel). They really seemed to pop off the page and act like real people. Books are about people (whether they are about aliens, fantastical creatures etc.) and the characteristics and emotions that people encounter. Ms. Fortunato creates a real world, with real people that I believe in.The history of sin-eaters, or collectors, as they like to be called, was very believable and took some thought. I really want to know more about these people and why they exist. The interweaving of fantastical elements and the theological was great for me. I really enjoyed the environment and history that this story was surrounded by.There were some great themes in this book as well, whether intentional or unintentional. One of my favorites was the theme of how we can hide what we are from the world. This is not a new theme in literature, but it was handled very deftly by Ms. Fortunato as she explored what a 100 year old world-weary sin-collector feels about people as she is walking down the street. This rawness of how we walk the world with no idea who we are walking next to is mirrored again and again throughout the book! Excellent!This book should be your next read, no doubt. I you like YA, with a little that is not for the kiddies, I would whole-heartedly recommend "The Sin Collector" by Jessica Fortunato. She is a great author and I will be following her career and the "Sin Collector" series in the future. 2013 and the next book cannot come fast enough!