Customer Reviews

Original Sin (Seven Deadly Sins)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Moira O'Donnell is a powerful witch who no longer practices witch craft. She was born to an evil magician who dedicated her at birth to evil but wants no part of this life. She is both on the run from and hunting her mother who seeks to use her or kill her. She has trained with Father Philip of St. Michael's Monastery to help fight those like her mother who summon demons from hell by practicing black magic.

Moira discovers her mother and her coven in the small town of Santa Louisa and travels there knowing she may die in a confrontation with her. She discovers evidence that her mother and the coven have been conducting rituals drawing evil to this small town.

When Fiona, Moira's mother, attempts to summon and trap the demons from hell known as the seven deadly sins, something goes terribly wrong and the demons are released on earth to wreak havoc. Moira and her allies may be the only hope in trapping the demons and sending them back to hell.

There were a few characters that stood out for me. Moira first of all, was a great heroine. Courageous doesn't even begin to describe her. She has to face down her own mother, who is a powerful witch hell bent on capturing and using her or destroying her. Not only does Moira face her mother but she battles the most vile demons from hell. Anthony, a demonologist, comes off hard and jaded. He's angry and doesn't trust Moira blaming her for the death of his friend and her former lover. Although he distrusts Moira he still works with her for the greater good. Rafe, Moira's love interest is brother from the Monetary. He was a bit a of a mystery to me and I never really could get a handle on his character. While committed to the cause and key to the plot, he seemed to take a backseat in character. I never really understood where the romantic connection between Rafe and Moira originated or why it evolved though. Fiona is the villain of all villains. She is evil, self centered and worst of all uses her own children in the pursuit of power.

This book was billed as a paranormal romance however the romance was very light taking a backseat to the more prevalent mystery and suspense aspect of the book. If you're looking for a more traditional paranormal romance then you may be disappointed in Original Sin. Being a romance lover myself, I will say that I didn't miss the romance angle at all as the plot was strong and the characterization good and I think the tiny bit of romance was not needed at all.

Original Sin worked for me on several different levels. The suspense build-up alone was enough to keep me turning the pages and the mystery held right up until the very end. I will admit, it took me about 6 chapters to really get into it but once the action started I did not want to put this book down.

Review courtesy of [...]

It's never a good sign when you start reading a book and seriously think that the printer mixed up the pages, but that was the only conclusion I could come to during the first 60 pages of Original Sin. Come to find out that Allison Brennan actually started this series with a short story DELIVER US FROM EVIL in the 2007 anthology What You Can't See:

Demonologist Anthony Zaccardi can't save the twelve priests brutally slaughtered at a California mission, but he's determined to send the killer -- an ancient demon -- back to hell. And when tough, sexy local sheriff Skye McPherson refuses to believe something supernatural is at work, Anthony realizes that to "Deliver Us From Evil" he must first win Skye's trust, then her heart.

If you read this book and find yourself as frustrated with it as I did, consider skipping ahead to page 60 and read the seven pages of Moira's flashback explaining her history with her mother and her role in the coven etc. I don't know why the author didn't include that passage much earlier in the story as very little makes sense without that background information.

The most powerful witch in the world has spent her life searching for the Book of Knowledge in order to summon the Seven Deadly Sins, embodied by powerful fallen angels, from the bowels of Hell to do her bidding. The only one capable of stopping her is her daughter Moira. Original Sin opens with Moira plagued by horrific nightmares full of human sacrifices and on the run from her mother as she seeks out information to kill her. Aided by the priest who is the closest thing to a father she's ever known, a demonologist (and his sheriff girlfriend)who blames her for the death of his brother, and the mysterious Rafe, Moira the the only hope the world has left.

I really wanted to like this book. A lot of reviewers who I typically agree with loved it. Me not so much. The writing is fairly generic and the beginning of the book frustratingly unclear in terms of character motivations. But even later on when certain things were explained, the story was needlessly complicated. Fiona, Moira's mother is constantly talking about killing her daughter, yet when she gets the opportunity she decides to come back later!?!

And as is typical of thrillers, there are a lot of characters and POV's going on in this book, often several per chapter. Sometimes this works, sometimes not. Guess which one Original Sin is? Perhaps if the characters had been more sharply defined they would have made more of an impact, but I read this entire book in one day yet I couldn't remember who was who without flipping back again and again.

One unique aspect of the world building in Original Sin is that Magic, in and of itself, is categorically evil. Witches are likewise bad without exception. Well, except for Moira who has shunned her powers.

There is also a lot of Biblical references and Catholic theology tweaked and borrowed from here, as well as the traditional concepts of Heaven and Hell. I'm not a Catholic so I can't comment on how accurate any of that is.

Overall, Original Sin is a bloated thriller with paranormal trappings and a slew of flat characters. The dialogue is occasionally cringe worthy, the action sequences relentless without seeming to advance the story, and the romance (little that there is) forced. Not exactly a glowing endorsement. I'm giving this book 2 bats out of 5 only because this book qualifies more as `not good' as opposed to simply `bad.'

Sexual Content: One vague, brief sex scene. One extended and graphic sex scene

My Rating: 2 out of 5

This is marketed as the first book in the 7 Deadly Sins series, but in fact there is a substantial prequel, "Deliver Us from Evil" in the anthology "What You Can't See" http://www.amazon.com/What-You-Cant-Allison-Brennan/dp/1416542299/.

In the prequel, we learn about Father Phillip & St Michael's, find out why Anthony came to Santa Luisa, how he met Sky, how the 7 demons were released, and why Rafe was in a coma. I can't imagine reading the remaining books without this background and am baffled that neither Amazon nor Allison's website points out that it's a prequel!

Quickie: An action packed thriller, filled with demons and evil witches that will have your spine shivering. The novel digs in after a few chapters and doesn't let go, sending you on an adventure that is reminiscent of the final throws of Sunnydale (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). My knuckles were white throughout most of this novel as the protagonist battled demon after demon, fighting for her life and the future of mankind. With each page more and more was revealed as layer upon layer of religious background, forensics, demonology, showed of the immense amounts of research the author must have put in to pen this series.

Review: Moira is a witch. A witch descended from a long line of magic and evil. Her mother conceived her for the soul purpose of sacrificing her to Hell to be used as a conduit between the worlds. A goddess her mother had said, one that walks both worlds, yet none. Moira knew the truth though, she wouldn't be a goddess, she would be a slave. She escaped and found solace with her mother's enemy, the priests of the order of St. Michael's. She learned to battle the forces of evil, she learned faith and she also learned to love.


Her mother would not stop until she was either found, or destroyed. And all it took was one error on Moira's part, and everything she had came crashing down upon her and she barely escaped with her life. Her life, faith and reputation in tatters, Moira sets off to do the one thing she was destined to do, find and kill her mother. Her mother Fiona has other plans though...


Original Sin surprised me. Within the first two chapters I was actually getting to the point where I thought I might have to put it aside. It was moving slowly, well written but nothing was sucking me in. Boy was I surprised as I got deeper in the book and couldn't put the thing down! Action sequence after action sequence, Original Sin, definitely wasn't boring anymore. I'm very glad I didn't give in and push it to the side. Original Sin has it all, great characters, fast moving plot, detailed background, excellent tone and chills and thrills to make you want to run to the nearest church and say a few Hail Marys.

Reviewer Fact #42, raised Catholic, very Catholic (didn't go to a day of public school) and the Catholic religion is a big focus of this novel, and it was done well. Nothing like reading about warrior priests to bring back childhood memories. Some of those Jesuits looked like they've taken down a demon or two. Beside bringing out repressed Catholic memories the book did more than just entertain. Well worth the money, and from what I could tell, very easy to find, since I saw rows and rows of the book at every store I went to this weekend, from Rite Aid to Sam's.

Recommendations: Adult book for adult readers, there is violence, sex and a smidge of cursing. This is not what I would call a Paranormal Romance, there are a lot of "I Love Yous" from various characters, but the romance is not the main focus, it is the battle between good an evil. A nice introductory PNR if you are a fan of thrillers. Fans of horror, authors like Koontz and King should take a look.

Original Sin by Allison Brennan started off slow and was a bit overwhelming for the first 100 pages or so. I was unsure if this was a series I would stick with after the beginning, but I'm glad I finished it. I'm positive that it started off slow because Brennan was busy creating an elaborate new world for her characters. The story was different from most of the paranormal books I've read, which was refreshing.

The heroine, Moira, is brilliant. She is tough but has a past that makes her vulnerable. She is a powerful witch that no longer practices the craft. She has some major mommy issues, I mean, she's on the run from AND hunting her mother. Courageous doesn't even cover it, she is trained to fight those that summon demons from hell with black magic. Tackling that and your own mother? This is one strong woman. And it is up to her and her allies to stop the seven deadly sins and send them back to hell after they've been released to distribute chaos everywhere.

Now, secondary characters. Whoo, Fiona- Moira's mother- villain of all villains. She makes Cruella DeVil look like a puppy. This awful, self centered, evil woman uses her own children to pursue power. Who covets power over their own children? We also have Angry Anthony the demonologist and Rafe, Moira's love interest. I couldn't quite get a grip on Rafe, he wasn't around that much. It was hard to swallow the evolution of Moira and Rafe's connection but it was there nevertheless. Being dubbed a paranormal romance, I was surprised at the love connection taking such a backseat in the plot. This doesn't bug me out, I don't need romance to be at the forefront, a little light connection like the one here is sufficient enough for me! I think even those of you who love a traditional romance won't be put off due to great characters and an intense plot.

After I got through the initial start to the story, the suspense kept me going. I love good suspense. So, give this book a try- even if the first couple chapters are frustrating, it is worth it in the end. Great mystery and suspense. I recommend this book to those who love the paranormal, but if you're new to the genre don't start with this one. Save it for later :)

PS. I actually vote this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, but there are no halves on Amazon! [...]

Moira hasn't had an easy life. After being possessed by a sadistic demon and witnessing brutal murder, she is now searching for her mother, Fiona. Having a hell raising mother hasn't been easy for Moira, but she isn't letting that stand in her way. Moira is determined to stop her mothers evil deeds at any cost. The problem is, her mother is using the seven deadly sins to her advantage. Will Moira be able to stop her mothers destruction or will mankind cease to be?

My heart about beat out of my chest when I was reading this. I think I forgot to breathe while reading a few pages too... The suspense was electrifying and I felt like I was right along-side Moira. If you like the "on the edge of your seat" then you will like this book.

Original Sin started off a little slow, and didn't really grab me up front. When I was about 100 pages in or so, I started feeling like there must be a previous book with some of these characters, because events kept being eluded to in such a way that it seemed like there had been another book. So I looked online, but there wasn't. I guess it's just the author's style in giving backstory, just different than I'm used to.

But then things started picking up, and I got very interested in what was going to happen. I knew going in that this was the first book in a series, so it probably wouldn't wrap up all neat and tidy, and it didn't. I wasn't sure if I was going to continue on with the series, but because of something that was hinted at near the end, that I can't talk about because of spoilers, I'm going to have to read on.

I've never read a paranormal quite like this one. The world was different, in that magic was bad. Even in the characters who were good guys, or who wanted to do the right thing, using magic wasn't a good thing. It's definitely a different idea, because usually in paranormal stories, although there are always bad witches/wizards, magic in itself is never inherently bad.

I would recommend this to fans of paranormal. If you're not a paranormal reader, this probably isn't the place to start.

Original Sin is yet another start new a series that is definitely more promising. Original Sin is much more grounded in the supernatural and mystery elements and other books of the same ilk. Start with the premise that magic...all magic is evil and used for evil purposes. Moira O'Donnell is a former witch, traumatized by a demonic possession caused by her mother's malevolent ambitions. She finds refuge within a monastery and there is tutored by the monks to become a demon and witch hunter. Her target? Her own mother! Mom has grown ultra-powerful and plans on opening a portal to Hell to unleash the demons who embody the Seven Deadly Sins. When the ritual goes awry the demons begin to wreak havoc on Earth and Moira has to stop them.

Original Sin is pure good vs. evil; there are no shades of gray here. This may make it a bit two-dimensional but it's damn fun. Brennan masterfully builds suspense and horror in this genre-bending story. It can qualify as paranormal romance but that's not a central theme and there's certainly enough adventure and chills for urban fantasy and horror fans as well. Moira isn't a female version of Harry Dresden although she is a strong heroic character. Fans of the TV show Supernatural will see some parallels here between Moira and the Winchester brothers.

All in all this was a strong start to this new series and one I'd recommend for a anyone interested in these various genres.

This was my first book by Allison Brennan and she has hooked me for life. In simple terms, I loved this book. Loved it! I found the perfect balance of a supernatural storyline (witches and demons, anyone?) with a touch of romance, all helmed by a strong, independent and very likable heroine. What could possibly be wrong with it?

While Original Sin was full of supernatural themes, witchery and demonology I found it more suspenseful than terrifying (and I mean that as a compliment). There were more than a few lunch hours that I stretched out because I simply did not want to put the book down, so engrossed with Moira, Fiona, Serena, Rafe and Anthony I had become. I was both impatient to get to the end of the book and dreaded turning that final page.

Ms. Brennan's writing is crisp, descriptive and draws the reader in quickly. I could picture not only the characters but the targeted town of Santa Louisa, as well as the demons and demonic creatures that were peppered throughout the novel.

Moira was perhaps one of the best heroines I have recently had the pleasure of meeting through reading. She's strong and determined and can take care of herself without benefit of a man just fine, thank you. What a nice surprise to have a heroine who doesn't fall apart at the first sign of trouble or danger!

Original Sin certainly isn't the first book to use the Seven Deadly Sins as its basis, nor will it be the last, but how much worse a villain could there be but Satan? I found the central Satan/Seven Deadly Sins storyline fascinating enough but Moira's backstory of being born for a purpose, running from her dangerous mother for seven years and a lost fiance were the blood red cherry on top of this paranormal sundae.

As much as I hated for this book to end, I took some consolation in knowing that Original Sin is but the first book in a three book series. I simply cannot wait for the next book to be released so I can catch up with Moira in her quest to fight off demonic forces.

I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys supernatural, horror or thriller genres. For readers who appreciate a lot of romance, Original Sin may not be your cup of tea. By the same token, if you are easily offended by crude language and/or scenes of a sexual nature, you might be more offended than interested. I would also recommend to any television or film producer looking for a good project to look no further - - Original Sin would make a fantastic movie!

I really enjoyed this book! This is the 1st book I have read by this author and I was very pleased & looking forward to reading the next books. There's so much I want to say but I will try to keep it fairly short. I enjoyed the way she slowly developed the characters, not just dumping the information and their backgrounds on me. I like the way she reveals the information to you little by little, it made me want to keep reading to find out more about the characters. The story or plot of the book is well written and kept me hooked from the beginning. I believe there to be just the right amount of flash backs and memories to reveal just a taste of what has happened. I know I kept looking for more to find out what happened, but I'm glad she didn't just throw everything out there. I believe she did a great job of developing the characters and story, she didn't too slow so I got bored but she didn't go too fast so everything was revealed and any sequels would just be wasted paper. So needless to say I am so looking forward to the next book to find out what happens next and what happens with the characters.

I can't wait to find out more about Rafe and Moira! I like the way Moira is so human with her thoughts, she doubts herself and worries about everyone else, which is something I think a lot of people can relate to, and in turn would make the reader like her more. Rafe is so interesting, there's so much you don't know about him and he doesn't know about himself that I kept turning the pages faster and faster wanting to know what I would find out about him next. Skye is interesting woman, she takes her job seriosly and she is willing to listen to what is "really going on." What I like is that Skye doesn't just take everything Anthony tells her for granted and just goes with it, she looks beyond the "fantasy" and looks for the real culprits. It's so refreshing to have a law enforcement officer keep to her job and try to do it the way it should be done. Skye's internal struggle with the mystical part of what is going on and what she has to do for her job is interesting and something I think can be neglected by authors. Anthony is one of the good guys that I almost don't want to like because of his complete and total bias towards Moira, even though I can understand why he feels the way he does. I wish he would believe Moira, but he doesn't and it drives me crazy sometimes! I believe Anthony is a good guy, but he's complicated and I wonder and can't wait to find out what will happen with his relationship with Moira in future books. Fiona makes a terrific bad woman. She doesn't give a hoot about her daughters and is more than willing to give them up or kill them. I'm looking forward to see what happens between Fiona and Serena, that's an interesting relationship. Serena is the one person in the book that I can't tell what she'll do and I don't know if I like or not. She's what I would call "the unknown factor" in the characters because she seems to have some good in her, but maybe she's just been around Fiona too long and she could be all bad. Father Phillip! Such a great guy and I want to find out more about him, but I don't know what will happen with him, I know he's got to be or had the key to everything! Hurry up Carnal Sin!!!