Interesting Story Line, But Lack of Follow Through: (2010-08-31) 
Original Sin: A review By Jenna Arthur
[...] (Reviewer)

Sin is defined by the Webster's dictionary as an offense to moral or religious law; also, an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible. Original Sin is a story of one woman's quest, Moira, to end a battle that began before she was born. Fighting supernatural threats is no new experience for Moira, at an early age Fiona, a mother that cultivated her as a sacrifice for the powers of darkness, has been preparing Moira to unlock an ancient portal that leads to the darkest fires of hell: Escape was an inevitable step for Moira, leaving the coven and escaping to a Monastery to be trained to defeat the powers of evil, she is put on an endless journey to defeat the very person who wishes to destroy her. Her mother.
Reminded of her tormented past, possessed by demons, a lost lover, whose death broke Moira and left her estranged a puppet in a play. Moria now has ended her journey in California, where secretly Fiona has begun churning the powers that be, preparing for hell, preparing for sacrifice. Moira with the help of a defiant demonologist, a defiled and tormented ex-seminarian, and one curious cop, Moira must stop her mother, before the end of world draws to a close, and darkness reigns.
Though the research is very detailed, and the reader can tell that the processes behind demonology and pagan ceremonies performed in this novel are well thought out, the book itself is very typical in this genre. Ms. Brennan's overuse of too many characters flooding in and out seems to give the reader a sense that a need for a stronger plot is needed, so that the characters themselves can stand alone rather than having the characters conversations be the brunt of the story. Such use of foul language, emphasized by italics, only to make the profanity stand out from the rest of the speech, seems of no use in any way, and personally I would like to see less anxiety and confusion, and more emphasis on the plot. It is hard in these genres to stand out, and though I think Ms. Brennan had wonderful ideas and did a commendable amount of research to make the book accurate, I personally feel it was very slow, and would have had more potential once further cultivated then it received.
Original Sin is the first in the set of The Seven Deadly Sins series.

read the prequel first!: (2010-07-21) 
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!

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would: (2010-06-11) 
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.

More Urban Fantasy than Romance: (2010-06-01) 
I received this book as a review copy from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. and started it in February. As you can see it took me forever to finish this one. Here are a few reason why I think this is not my kind of book:

1. The beginning of the book confused me. All the background information you get is scattered through the story line and I had problems trying to keep up. It felt like a bit too much from time to time.
2. I don't really like Moira. Always a bad sign for a book. For me it felt like Ms. Brennan doesn't want us to like Moira or perhaps Moira is just not a person I would like. Moira doesn't even like herself. Perhaps it was just too dark for me.
3. This book is written out of so many POVs and it was way too many for me. I can live with 2 or 3 but here we have way too many for my taste. And I have to admit I didn't really like characters. Rafe was okay but his appearance was too late to save the book in my eyes.
4. I thought this book was categorized as paranormal romance but it's not really one. Not enough romance for my taste. I would call it urban fantasy if it would play in a bigger city. I'm not sure which genre it really is.

Okay now to the things I liked and enjoyed:
1. The mystical background was intriguing and I liked how Ms. Brennan created the world itself.
2. Rafe is wonderful character. I really enjoyed his part in the book. I wanted to figure him out and why all that stuff (won't say what cuz of spoilers and all) happened to him.
3. The end was thrilling and I devoured the last 100 pages or so.

All in all I was a bit disappointed that I didn't like the book as much as I thought I would. I read so many great reviews. But after all it's good that we don't all like the same things or this world would really be boring.

I would recommend this books to lovers of dark urban fantasy who like this genre even without a big romance in it.

First Book by Allison Brennan and Won't Be the Last!: (2010-05-27) 
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!