Sacrifice Blog Tour Stop: Castus Brand Explained

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an Advanced copy of Jessica Fortunato's Sacrifice, the second book in her Sin Collector series. (Click here to read my review). I read the whole thing in one sitting and told her as much via Twitter. Thankfully I did, because the she asked my about my favorite parts and I mentioned that I would love to know the meaning behind the Castus brand (which is not only described in the book, but also featured on the cover). She explained the meaning of the Sin Collector tattoo from the first book on her blog so I was hoping she'd do the same for this one. She did something even better, she's stopping here on her blog tour to tell us a little bit about it (she can't give all the secrets away, for those you'll just have to read the third book!).

Although the entire meaning of the Castus Crest (which graces the cover of Sacrifice) will not be disclosed until The Sin Collector: Origins, here are a few hints!

The crest begins with the shape of a shield. The shield is a timeless symbol of armor and defense found often in military emblems through time.

In Sacrifice, Lily will learn the strict doctrine the Castus follows. This includes a biblical story about how Collectors came into existence. However, this story is part of a much larger text. This is shown in the large book placed upon the shield. In Origins, we will find out how these “hidden books” will comingle with religious texts we already know.

Collectors can only be harmed or killed using a specific blessed dagger, located in the upper left portion of the shield.

The chalice located on the upper right portion of the shield symbolizes a holy sacrament. A sacrament being a sacred rite is a pivotal part of many religions. You will learn more about these rites in Origins.

An Equal-Armed Cross, also referred to as the square cross is found in ancient cultures, predating Christianity. Many people believe it represents the four seasons, four winds, or the four elements. To the Castus, it represents something a bit more sinister and there is a reason they use it instead of the unequal Christian cross.

The meaning behind Deus Vult, a Latin phrase bannered across the bottom of the crest…well you’ll just have to read Sacrifice to find out where that fits in!

And there you have it! I love how every symbol of the brand has a specific meaning attached to it! Even though I'm the last stop on the tour, don't forget to gocheck out the rest of Jessica's blog tour!  I've listed the schedule below.

Friday August 30th Trip the Eclipse Blog- Review, Excerpt from Sacrifice, and Giveaway!

Saturday August 31st A Life Among the Pages Blog- Review of Sacrifice!

Sunday September 1st J. Scott Sharp Blog-  Q+A with author Jessica Fortunato!

Monday September 2nd The Man Behind The Curtain Blog- Q+A with main character Olexander!

Tuesday September 3rd  Adventures Of A Wandering Mind Blog-Q+A with new character Ian Keane!

Wednesday September 4th Sarcasm And Lemons- Waiting on Wednesday

Thursday September 5th Creative Difference Blog- More info about Jessica Fortunato!