Sacrifice of the Seven Sins

The Seven Sins #0.5

by Emily Colin

From the New York Times bestselling author of Sword of the Seven Sins comes a novella about the power of forbidden love and the price of justice.

Experience the dramatic opening scene of Sword of the Seven Sins from Ari’s point of view.

When Ari Westergaard first sees Eva Marteinn, she’s forced to sentence a man to death. As the blood pools at her feet, he can sense she is the bravest person he has ever seen. Although he is drawn to her, he must keep his feelings a secret, for in the Commonwealth, any kind of love, even friendship, is a killing offense.

Meanwhile, Ari’s childhood friend Gentian can’t help protecting the weak and feeding the hungry, even when doing so violates the laws of the Commonwealth. When Ari takes the fall for one of Gentian’s crimes, he commits a double offense—lying, but also friendship itself.

Ari learns fast that growing up in the Commonwealth requires hiding your feelings and doing what you’re told. The punishment he receives to protect Gentian and the power he sees in Eva’s gaze only clarifies his path. He’s meant to be a warrior.

A bellator.

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Fiction, Romance

45 pages, Unknown Binding

First published August 28, 2020

About the author

Emily Colin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author whose books blend romance and the supernatural. Her debut novel, The Memory Thief, was a Target Emerging Authors Pick, and her Slavic-inspired romantasy, Fate and Fury, was named a 2024 Foreword INDIES Award finalist and Indie Author Project Select Pick. Emily’s young adult dystopian romantasy series, The Seven Sins, won the Gold Moonbeam, Silver IPPY, and North Carolina Indie Author Project Awards. This series has also been a two-time Foreword INDIES Award finalist and was shortlisted for the Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.

A former indie bookseller who spent years in the field of community arts engagement, Emily believes deeply in the power of the arts to transform lives. In her work as an editor, Author Accelerator-certified book coach, and instructor, she focuses on helping authors develop a sustainable writing practice while bringing the books of their dreams to life. She’s served as a Pitch Wars and Kiss Pitch mentor and is currently a Duke University Arts Studio mentor. A native Brooklynite, Emily lives in coastal North Carolina with her family. When not crafting her next novel, she can be found chasing her chaotic pets or drinking mochas by the sea.

Visit her online at www.emilycolin.com or @emilycolinbooks.
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Reviews

[Danielle Pulliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story focused on Ari's experiences in the commonwealth prior to his induction into the Bellators. You really must read the Sword of Seven Sins first to fully understand his perspective in this part of the story.

[Ouafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story gives us a glimpse into Ari's youth from his perspective, showing us what shaped his character and made him who he is when he meets Eva. It's always cool to get these little bonus stories that add depth to the characters we're excited to see in the next book.

[Ms.Blkbelle Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

It details the first connection Ari has with Eva. It also shows how Ari was always a warrior even as a child.

[Kata · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Through adversity to the stars.”

Sacrifice of the Seven Sins is a short novella that depicts the opening scene of Sword of the Seven Sins from Ari’s point of view.

I enjoyed reading about Ari's first encounter with Eva and his initial thoughts about her. In Sword of the Seven Sins, the same scene is narrated from Eva’s perspective.

Despite being a short novella, it provides valuable insight into Ari's character and his interactions with others.

It's a nice addition to the series.


I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice novella with important background information for the main characters.
Ot brings into perspective why the characters have turned out the way they have and what kind ot person they truly are.
I recommend reading this book first before Sword of the Seven Sins!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I was wanting Ari's POV for some of the main point we got in book 1 from Eva so bad. this was just a few chapters from him but damn do I love him a little more than I already did.

[Emily Colin]

This is the prequel novella to the first book in my Seven Sins series, SWORD OF THE SEVEN SINS. It's free on Amazon and iBooks!

An excerpt from the novella...

Stay awake, I admonished myself, but hours of kneeling on that sin-forsaken floor were taking their toll. High Priest Erlich had stood over me while the sun sank below the horizon and shadows collected in the corners of the temple’s sacristy. He’d lit a candle and waited in the pews as darkness crawled from the edges of the room across the floor. The stones had been freezing, my head throbbing, and still he’d made me kneel, poking me every so often to make sure I hadn’t fallen asleep.

No way was I going to give that carrion-eater of a man the satisfaction of punishing me further—so I’d knelt there, hands locked behind my head and my eyes fixed on the stones, until my body had ached and I’d shivered from the cold. I hadn’t dozed off once…but now I was paying the price.

Stay awake stay awake stay awake.

These virtueless executions. Always the same. Only the faces changed.

I blinked, digging my fingernails into my palms in an effort not to nod off.

And then I saw her.

Sacrifice of the Seven Sins (Seven Sins Series): A Novella

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading book 1, this is a little more information into when Ari and Eva are small. They introduce Ari's slashing scars in the Sword, but we get a lot more detail in this short novela. I really liked getting more info, as this is exactly who Ari seems to be. He took the blame and got a punishment that should have been someone elses, but he took the blame for his friend. Ari has issues following the rules of the commonweath from the beginning, and we see a lot more of that in this short story.

[Reads_Must · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sacrifice of the Seven Sins
Fantasy
Emily Colin
⭐️⭐️⭐️

• laws • rebellion • punishments •

The world building was quite limited in this book which made it a little tricky for me become 100% engaged with the plot.

The characters were ok. I didn't like Johannes but he was a bully and was meant to be disliked.

The pacing was a bit slow for me and while the rules and laws were interesting, I wanted there to be more action.

I actually thought Ari was a girl to begin with so I become more confused as the book went on.

[Shannon Heck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacrifice of the Seven Sins is book 0.5 in The Seven Sins series. It depicts a scene from Ari's childhood that we previously witnessed through Eva's perspective in book 1. Additionally, there are a few more episodes that reveal Ari's humanity, strength, and his interest in Eva as he grows up. I enjoyed seeing what it was like to be a child in this society, and once again, I felt serious The Giver vibes. I've always imagined this world like Lois Lowry's The Giver, but harsher and less forgiving. It's a valuable addition to the overall world of The Seven Sins and shouldn't be missed. 5 stars!

[Juin Charnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an intriguing storyline. I wanted to know why people were kept in? Was it for their protection or their prison. A world where natural love is forbidden. Ari and Eva are distinct and passionate. And I mean passionate in their conviction. Even though the ending has a cliffhanger, it doesn't take away from the story. Because the story leads to these questions. There are twist that were unexpected which makes for an enjoyable ride. When I started, I kept saying one me chapter because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Definitely reading the whole series. I read the complete novel.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

i gotta figure out if i have read anything from Emily before ... trying to review on Amazon ...but it is acting funny??! novellas are always fun in my humble opinion ... easy to jump into and just fun to see where the author takes ya ... personally ... i think that it really give u a better idea of what an author can do??! so cool. i wanna read more. i will read more from Emily Colin soon enough. love her style.

[Santana Calo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short novella, at only three chapters, in which we get to see our dear, sweet Ari Westergaard from the past.

Although this is a prequel, the author suggested it is best read second, and I would have to agree.

I loved getting this extra tidbit of information about Ari. It deepens the bond he and Eva have. If I had read this first, I would have viewed their relationship much differently.

A nice little addition to the series 👍

[Allie : pagesofallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short novella in Emily Colin's fantasy/dystopian series. It is set in Ari's (the MMC) POV and we get to see some of his past that is explored in the first book.

In this, we get to see more of what makes Ari ticks as a person. We know some of his deviant nature from book 1, but this shows more of it as he was growing up.

This was a very quick read, but a good addition to the series.

[Destiny Cejka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short novella for the seven sins series was a great addition to get a little more detail on the background of Ari Westergaard. I enjoyed reading more details on the couple of early events for sword of the seven sins. He's a strong and stubborn kind of character that will fight for anyone he cares about, which is a deadly mistake in a world where love is the most dangerous sin of all.

[Kiera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry.

Emily Colin speaks in pure poetry. This little novella was PACKED with words that made me feel so much. I went to pickup my kindle to start a new book after finishing, saw the cover of this on the lockscreen and FELT ALL THE FEELINGS AGAIN.
The words in this little novella were so powerful I cannot get enough of this series.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5*

I don't know what it is but this novella really made me curious about living in a world such as this one where basically everything is "illegal".

And I really wanna know how Ari and Eva meet and what'll happen?

[Calyx Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection. I loved seeing Ari's perspective of their encounters and my only complaint is that I wish there was more. This is a quick read and a great way to take a rest between the first book and the next book in the series.

[Melissa Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacrifice of the Seven Sins
By: Emily Colin

This was a novella. Took me about an hour to fly through. It was short and sweet and basically life before Ari becoming a bellator and him seeing Eva before she became his apprentice. He loved her before he was her mentor.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved to have more of Ari's pov, which I love! Specially one moment that was mentioned in the book and here we see from his perspective. Made me love Ari even more!

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find myself wanting more after reading this short prequel. It’s interesting and a pretty great wolf-building perspective. I’ve started the next one immediately after finishing this one.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good start to what promises to be a good series. One to book 1.

[Devon Conaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

review coming soon!

[Klaudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love novellas they just do it for me! 😮‍💨 especially if it’s in the mmcs POV. I need to know what happened to gentian now 😫

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that this added more depth to Eva and Ari’s relationship.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved getting Ari's perspective of the beginning of Sword of the Seven Sins. Ari has just been good and kind from the start. I love him so so much 🥰😭

[beluga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three chapters from Ari's perspective on things in the past. worth the read if you read book 1, Sword of the Seven.

[J. L. Linn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a companion novella to Sword of the Seven Sins. It gives a background look into Ari’s life from the first time he sees Eva to the event that ultimately makes him choose to become a Bellator. It was a quick, enjoyable read.

[Lee Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seven Sins are Pride, envy,, gluttony, greed, lust, sloth and wrath. Those who sin in any of these ways are punished. Sometimes by death, sometimes by exile and other times by other means.
This short novella gives you an introduction to Ari and Eva. It also gives the reader some insight into Ari and Eva’s community of the Commonwealth from their point of view. What they are thinking and feeling. When they first see each other and their thoughts. It’s a quick read after Swords of the Seven Sins and before Shadows of the Seven Sins.

[Kennidy Shindledecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice POV from the other main character. A book the series did not need but it did give some more insight into the thought process and feelings of the male lead.