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Her art matters to her above all else. BUT…her father and her entire Amish community disapproves of all art. So, she is forced to paint in secret. Rudy, her first and only love has been courting her for three years but Rudy wants to end his rumspringa and join the church.
Annie is afraid to because it would mean giving up her art once and for all.
Throughout her teen years of secret painting, Annie has relied on one person, Louisa. Her pen pal is also an artist. Their two desires converge when Louisa flees the alter and comes to Paradise to be with Annie. The main plot is peppered with seemingly random side plots within the Amish community such as kidnapping and a supposed domestic abuse case. I admire your courage. But your first, second and final mistakes are all summarized in a single sentence: What a load of hooey. Finally, someone summarizes real literature. But seriously, thanks for the post, romance novels of any sorts are underrated, just saying.
We go to kenyon where books should be READ, not summarized on the thrill. A Fan of Amish Life. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Looking forward to her future novels!
Jan 13, Francais Parker rated it it was amazing Shelves: What a fantastic read!
Sarah Tarkoff created a remarkable world in which to tell this story! The details, characters, and twists are astounding! The world in which being "good" makes one beautiful and being "bad" makes one ugly is fascinating. It has a quick-moving plot, with lots of twists and turns, but also invites you to think about deeper issues of what is good vs.
I couldn't put this one down! The only downside is that now I have to wait for the sequel! Jan 11, Jeffrey J rated it it was amazing. Sinless is so good, it is " Sinful! It was a great blend of the two and I loved every page. I can't wait for the next two!!!! Jan 27, Carolyn O'Doherty rated it it was amazing. This was a great read - fast paced, with a unique vision of a future world.
It is a refreshingly original take on the dystopian genre, which has become so overused in recent years due to its immense popularity. The characters are well developed and the progression of Grace Luther, the protagonist, through the novel proves to be an insightful story. In describing the world of Sinless, Tarkoff strikes a perfect balance between creating a world that is familiar to our own, yet just different enough to make it so captivating. The themes and events of the novel are just as thought provoking as entertaining.
It can be read in a day or two. I would highly recommend it to anyone, who, like me, typically reads mainly dense academic literature and are looking for a small break from their usual habits. Jan 17, Ann rated it it was amazing. Sinless is complex in its themes, yet felt effortless in its execution. Feb 03, Trav rated it it was ok Shelves: This book had so much potential Sinless had such a wonderful premise, but it fell short because of its lack of emotional depth and teenage angst. I'm so over it. Jan 27, Scott Harris rated it it was amazing.
The story line and the characters kept me wanting more. I couldn't put the book down. This is a must read for everyone. First time Author "Sarah Tarkoff" is a true talent. I can't wait for book two to come out. Jan 22, Guitarguy rated it it was amazing. It's a fast-paced story set in the near future where good and bad are manifested in a person's looks. It was hard to put down. The concept of this Dystopian world is very intriguing and makes you really think about right and wrong, religion vs.
I loved all the twists and turns. I can't wait to read the next in the series. Feb 11, Queen rated it it was ok Shelves: Snappy writing and short chapters makes this book fly by quickly. Disappointingly, main character is the least interesting element in the narrative.
Sinless by Sarah Tarkoff is the first novel in the Eye of the Beholder trilogy. This is a YA novel with very strong adult crossover appeal. The story is told from the point of view of Grace Luther, the teenage daughter of a cleric. The setting is the near future America after the Revelation when the Great Spirit revealed itself to humanity. Belief in the Great Spirit has become universal. All other faiths have faded in the overwhelming onslaught of this new god.
What and who should she believe? Sinless had such a wonderful premise, but it fell short because of its lack of emotional depth and teenage angst. From her father to the Prophet Joshua, we see them through Grace's eyes. Shannon Zak rated it it was amazing Mar 26, Mar 15, Rach rated it really liked it Shelves:
People are Punished if they do something wrong - their looks are affected. The ultimate punishment is death. These are people who are disfigured by their sins. The Great Spirit makes it easy to see who is good and who is evil. Stay on the straight and narrow, avoid sins, believe in and follow the rules of the Great Spirit and you are beautiful. Stray and you are disfigured or dead. Grace is the daughter of a leading cleric in the new religion. She was young when the Great Spirit appeared. Now she is a very well-behaved and pure teenager who believes in the Great Spirit thoroughly. Sinless deals with the gradual and not so gradual unraveling of her beliefs.
This is Grace's story. I did not initially like Grace. She changes her thoughts and feelings so much that the reader could at times get whiplash. In other words, I found her to be a very credible teenager. I think my problems with Grace stem form Tarkoff spending too little time making the initial changes in Grace's thinking believable. I found that process too abrupt which for me made almost everything she did from that point suspect.
Grace is being pulled in so many directions. What and who should she believe? Who is telling the truth? I found her internal monologue at times illuminating but did not really enjoy being in her brain so much. I came to like her though. She struggled with everything and like most people made good and bad decisions. In Sinless she is looking back on the events of those teenage years.
It is made very clear in the beginning that Grace is telling her story from a federal prison. How she ended up in prison is not revealed in Sinless. Tarkoff's writing flows beautifully and the world building is exceptional. The advent of the Great Spirit and the resulting world is very well done. There are some terrific and surprising reveals about the Great Spirit.
A world where everyone behaves well because of immediate fear of disfigurement or death sounds peaceful and wonderful but it is not. As Grace learns more about a world she was so certain of so do we. The cracks in the surface of this peaceful world are there. Tarkoff has created a true dystopia. The supporting cast was interesting. We don't get much background on many of them but then Sinless is not really about them. What is important about them, at least in Sinless, is their interactions and influences on Grace.
From her father to the Prophet Joshua, we see them through Grace's eyes. There is a lot more to learn about this new world of the Great Spirit and many questions that need to be answered. Fortunately there are 2 more novels upcoming in the series. Tarkoff gives the reader a lot to think about - faith, beauty, guilt, and what are you willing to give up to live in an apparently perfect world? Sinless is an engaging and entertaining debut.
Mar 04, AliceAnn rated it it was ok Shelves: I wanted to really like this book, but in the end, I was put off by the teenage angst, and the girl having to be repeatedly rescued by men, rather than herself. I doubt if I'll be continuing on with the series. A compelling tale that grips you from the very first page. Not only is this story fascinating and Grace an endearing character, this is a book that incites high emotions.
Faith is expected to be a journey of individuals. Each person finding their own way in a dark, confusing cacophony of swirling religions and beliefs that covers our world. Part of growing up is learning the difference between right and wrong and determining our own sense of justice and fairness. Our cultures, our parents, our p A compelling tale that grips you from the very first page. Our cultures, our parents, our peers, our laws teach us society's expected moral actions, as well as consequences for immoral actions. For so many people, faith is a fundamental part of themselves.
It is a hugely shaping and identifying piece of their makeup, giving them support, encouragement, guidance, hope. So even just reading of a sinister force latching onto faith, parasitic and conniving, twisting it into something force-fed and wrong. Even those who do not ascribe to a particular faith with feel a visceral response to the hijacking of a person's most private, personal thoughts. I truly enjoyed reading Sinless, but I did have a few frustrations.
I struggled a bit with the sheer number of foreshadowing instances. They were blatant and so frequent. For me, these gave the impression of a narrator trying to force their audience to keep paying attention. It will be worth it. The story is enthralling in its own right. The author's development of Grace and the other characters is superb. The writing felt very episodic, to me. It's an interesting writing style, and I think adds something to the story, but it was difficult for me as I am not used to it.
The novel felt broken up into bite-sized climactic moments that did not necessarily feel like they led up to something, but resolved issues one at a time. Because I am not used to it, it felt very odd to me while reading Sinless. Upon reflection, the style does not detract from the story in the slightest, but rather adds something as I mentioned.
The ending was the last frustration for me - literally. This is the first book in a series, and I am now simply dying to read the second installment! I typically wait for at least two or three of a series to be published before I start reading, so that I don't have to go through the agony of waiting for the next release date, but I couldn't wait to start and finish Sinless.
So now I wait. I do look forward to the second book in the series with great anticipation! Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy When I pick up a new dystopian novel, I'm always hopeful that the author will put a new spin on the genre.
Tarkoff has found a different, problematic way to divide society, but the same beats exist. The hero is at first blind to the horrors of her world, then her eyes open, and she decides to revolt and become the savior everyone apparently needs. The first being that Grace is th Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy When I pick up a new dystopian novel, I'm always hopeful that the author will put a new spin on the genre.
The first being that Grace is the least interesting person in the story. She comes from a place of intense privilege. Her family is important. She's told again and again that she is irreplaceable. Her only obstacle is overcoming that privilege and recognizing that ugly people are still people and should be treated as such. Another issue I had was that Tarkoff is obviously a screenwriter first and an author second.
Preachers' Daughters was an American docusoap series that premiered on March 12, , 1 Premise; 2 Cast. Current; Former. 3 Episodes. Season 1 (); Season 2 (); Season 3 (). 4 References; 5 External links. Witching Hours has 6 ratings and 1 review. Rosalie said: Truthfully, the 6 Ratings · 1 Review. Series: The Preacher's Daughters; Previous Book: Eye for an Eye.
It's entirely up to the reader to imagine the details. Chapters are as short as two pages. I couldn't fathom that decision. Its plot device relies on a convoluted explanation made for television. People in our society are already judged by how they look and put into different boxes because of faith and perceived sin. We don't need a dystopian world to do it for us. Mar 26, Silanur added it. Feb 08, Sara rated it it was amazing. I loved this book! The concept of good and evil manifesting in physical appearance is fascinating.