In a frozen tundra, a sin-eater fights for redemption and absolution as monstrous creatures ravage a community already struggling to survive.
Sebastian Pana is a sin-eater, a shaman-like figure who can absolve the dead of their transgressions before they move on to the afterlife. But when a tear in the fabric of reality allows hideous beasts to invade the small arctic town he calls home, Sebastian must wage battle with them the only way he knows how: by unleashing the power of sin itself.
Thus, the stage is set for an epic confrontation between the forces of good and evil, in which a mother monster strives to save the dying land around her-and a young Inuit boy, haunted by Sebastian’s fate, risks everything to forge a new way forward for the desperate vestiges of humanity. As an obliterating darkness descends from the frozen mountains, this profoundly redemptive tale will build toward a climactic showdown in which nature and the supernatural collide with the eternal quest for healing and forgiveness.
Dark bleatings, my lovely tribe! I’m here talking about Incarnate, a novel by Richard Thomas. I’m going to tell you right away that this book wasn’t my cup of tea, but please indulge me because I’d like to talk about what was great about it. I feel weird because I find myself in the very odd position of not feeling very engaged with this, whilst also being able to very clearly see everything that’s awesome about it. It’s been bothering me for weeks that I can’t put my finger on why I found myself losing interest, because everything else I’m about to say are positives.
Maybe I was just in a mood when I picked this up.
Anyway, here’s what I liked about it: the premise is awesome, for starters. Sebastian eats the transgressions, or sins, of people who have died, so that they can move on in the afterlife. To do this, he has to put himself through a ritual in which he becomes something a bit otherworldly, and this is an act that takes something away from him each time he does it. He’s respected and sought after by the town folk around him because he’s the only person who can do this.
The author really did a great job of setting the location, the situation, and hinted at the stakes for the character, or at least that there were some impending stakes and/or consequences. I also found that the characters read like real people, and they were all different to each other and easily identifiable.
What I didn’t like: I honestly DON’T EFFING KNOW. I found myself getting a bit bored sometimes and for the life of me I don’t know what my problem was.
All of the reviews I’ve read of this are very positive and if the author sees this one, I’m sorry about how annoying it probably is. Usually when I offer critiques, I know what I’m critiquing at the very least. This isn’t a highlight so far this year for me but honestly, I’m an island here so don’t let my weird opinion deter you from trying it for yourself. Everyone else is raving about it! If you’re unsure about buying it, it’s available on KU so I would recommend dipping your toes in there to decide for yourself and then picking up a nice shiny copy if you like the opening.
If you’d like to check out the book or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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